Evening Star Newspaper, January 6, 1924, Page 53

New York Auto Show Serves , As Trade Index for Dealers Firms Here Get Valuable Information on Trend of Buying Public From Exhibition. Washington automobile dealers. ac- cording to Paul B. Lum, president of the Washington Automotive Trade Association, are expected to bring | home from the New York annual automobile show many ideas with which to gulde them in meeting the local spring demand for cars. The New York exhibition, he says. 18 cxpected to be more of & barom- eter of coming trends than ever be- fore, and the assoclation plans to give the observations of its members areful consideration at its next monthly meeting. Tax on Buyers. “Before dealer organization was in existence,” Mr. Lum said, “motorists suffered considerable losses through unwise buylng, which was, in turn, a result of unwise stocking on the part of dealers. Without organiza- tion and analysis of trends and fu- ture developments in the automobile retall market models embodying cer- tain_ design were frequentiy. slated for the discard before they salesroom floor. The result the ~motorist suffered unnecessary model depreciation and in the long run had to pay dearly for experience “The automobile dealer has a new responsibility In selling motorists the assurance that they are making & vurchase that they will not regret a vear or two hence. Appreclating this vesponsibility, the dealer is not con- fent to rely upon his own judgment. nor that of the factory he represents, but goes to his association for ad- vice. “It may be that he is able to coun- el his associates as to the trends and onditions to be anticipated, rather than the reverss. But, In any case, «ach member of the asséclation knows befors he starts on his spring drive exactly what the consensus of opin- fon is. and he is much more likely 1o plan his selling In & way that is satisfactory to the motorist. “Members of the Washington Auto- motive Trade Association, of course, will be int sted in the trend of de- Sign, mechanical features wnd inno- Lations, but there are more important ‘eatures to be considered from condi- tions as prophesied by the national exhibition i New York. Not the least of these is the proportion closed to open cars. Closed-car Trend. “The closed-car trend has developed at a radical rate this past year. and to such an extent that some factories are almost on the point of discontinu- ing the open car altogether. On the other hand, there is a growing inter- est in the convertible type of top for the touring car or open sport model, particularly where excellent touring country and roads are close at hand. "Has the closed-car trend about reached its 1imit? Will the touring car or open sport model commence to regain some of its lost ground, espe- clally in view of the growing popu- larity of the two-cars-to-a-family idea? These are points which Wash- ington dealers feel will be plainly in- dicated from the attitude of the buy- ing public as it attends the New York show., “Whether the demand iz going to be for closed or open jobs, it will also be a problem to know what par- ticular model of either will be most in demand. The dealer can render greater service to his customers by having in stock those models whick are in demand, arfd the fewer unsale able cars he has on hand the less capital he has tied up and not work- ing for him in the interests of bufld- ing good will and offering tangible service, “The sport with keen intere of del will be watched t. Thera can be no doubt that this has been a popular type of car, but whether owners of this type are satisfled that it-answers the need for practical service as well as & less ornate model remains to be seen. The public will comment freely upon this point, and Washington deal- ers in and about the auto show will keep their ears open for hints. “The experience of the New York automobile dealers during the week of January 7 will be taken as an in- dlcation of what Washington dealers can expect and should plan for, with natural modifications f local condi- tions, which Invarfably vary som what from the general retail trend. “It i% hoped that this plan of em- ploying the New York show dex will result in an ex service to local motorists who the market for new cars sprin: in CONSERVING BATTERY. Winter Weather Imposes Heavy Strain. These short days and short spins impose heavy strains on the battery. Fvery oppertunity to save current whould be grasped, and there is no better way than to catch up with the car ahead and switch off your head- Jights. It sometimes happens that 1he lights from the car following will be sufficient to light up the road ahead, making vour lights super- fluous. Finally switch off the lights when using the self-starter. Blow the horn frequently only in short blasts. Saves ‘juice” and is just as effective as deafening the neighbor- hood. | HELPS OVER ROUGH SPOTS. A car invariably hetter over | a rough road if the is con- | stantly pulling it. Most drivers speed Up and then apply the brakes when | zolng over the rough places. The car | ilways bounces more under this plan, | wnd though the driver makes time be- | pots he loses It as soon as to apply his brakes. With e car running sloy—in ‘high' | “the rear wheels seem to cling to ihe road better. The wheels are not | 50 free to be juggled around by the Sumps. SLOW RUNNING HARMFUL. nd accelerate the en- | eine occa: Jlv ‘when compelled to along through traffic in “sec The slow running of the motor | is likely to load up the englue with | 6il or raw and encourage it to | €tall. The needle valve of the car- buretor may stick, or the constant slow running may help to discharge he battery. Speeding up the engine gow and in makes conditions ®hore no TIRE TRADE GROWING. Factory Claims Orders to Cover Entire Year. One of the first indications of a re- turn of prosperity in the rubber in- dustry came last week in the an- nouncement made before a national conventlon of Keystone tire distrib- utors by D. W. Whipple, president of Keystone Tire and Rubber Company, that the corporation’s factory, the largest within limits of Greater New York, had resumed production with enough orders on the books at profit- able prices to justify the of the plant during 1924 on a basis of largely increased output. Cutting Front W heels Toward Curb Prevents Coasting When Parked Regardless of the fact that there may be little possibility of the car coasting away when parked #long $10r dozens of other ma- chines, It Is advisable to turn the front wheels in toward the curb. Mischievous _ clilldren fooling around the car in the dark are Jikely to velease the brake wnd then run, leaving the car to coust the short space necessary to bend the tail light or dent another car's fender. This sort of thing is happen- ing every day, and the conse- quences of the annoyance' could be avolded by cutting the front wheeis sharply. It requires a )it- tle etrength to straighten the operation | { 1 PLEASED CUSTOMERS BEST ADS FOR AUTOS Newspapers Come Next in Value to Automobile Dealer, Ex- pert Holds, WILL TELL OF SUCCESS Chicago Dealer to Describe Way to Get Prospects, CHICAGO, January —~Where do automobile sales prospects come from? This 1s a question that mot only causes a good deal of worry in an automobile dealer salesroom, but is a question that the public often asks as It notes the Increasing number of new automobiles upon the streets. Methods of developing prospects used in one of the largest dealer or- Banlzations in the second largest city of the country will be told of at the seventh annual convention of the Natlonal Automoblle Dealers’ Assocla- tion by C. E. Gambill, president of the JS8mblll" Motor ' Company of Chicago, Hupmobile and ~Marmon distributor for northern Tilinofs. Ar. Gambill is vice president of the National Automobile Dealers' -Asso- ciation. Une of Owner Lim “The best avenue of securin ros- pects tl:r new sales is through :rrlznl owners,” says Mr. Gambilh “There i rtisement” quite as godd as n *d owner. He is proud of the ¢ he bought, he wants his friends be just us' proud of it, because v time a friend buys a car of the make, that friend vindicates his Judgment. Owners always have friends and a live wire salesman will follow his owner list vigorously in developing new buyers. “Advertising is second only to present owners. Newspaper advertls- ing constantly keeps the car and house name before the public, and it is much easier for the salesman to close the deal for a well advertised ticle than one that has'not. been E ablished in the community mind. Then, too, the salesman is one-man power' and he is selling only when he s face to face witli the prospect, while the newspaper advertisement is constantly selling the car and the institution behind the car. A middle western dealer. handling a well known automobile in the £1,000 price s, _recently made the statement that 75 per cent of his prospects were brought into his store by newspaper advertising alone. It is needless to point mobile t con: rked out that the successful auto- tablishments are the ones ntly carry on a logically vertising program. Direct Mall Work. “Direct mall work is valuable. Telephone conversations, if properly presented, valuable. Canvass of homes, garages. office buildings and the like will produce results.” Mr. Gambill wil discuss automobile dealer management on the annual dealer convention program. Other speakers will discus service, used car buying and Ing, and other toples of inter: the trade. His nddress fs entitled Net. and How to Make It." The convention this year. as former will be held at IHotel a Salle, Chicago, Jauuary 28-31. Special reduced rates of fare and one-half round trip have been granted by the rallrosds to members of the assoclation. ‘The convention will be all dealers in the busine AUTO GLAS FOR WINDSHIELDS OR BODIES. Installed While Yeu alt. Taranto & Wasman 1617 NEW YORK AVE, MW. Radiators and Fenders 10 DIFFERENT MAKES RADIATORS ANY KIND MADE OR REPAIRED. Cores installed in any make WITTSTAZT S R, 319 13th. . 6410, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL RIMS FOR ALL CARS SERVICE TIRE CO. 1336 14th St. N.W. A Combination of Value That Can’t be Matched The reason why the new Maxwell Club Sedan so far excels all other enclosed cars in its field is : because of its striking standing high quality ts struction, its exceptional riding co: at a very appearance, the out- otP its design and con- ort, and the large measure of useful service it delivers—all low price. Try it out for yourself. You'll find that at #1045 this car of two-door frien?d‘llinm with four-door ! facility can not be matched for all-round values. H. B. Raleareoma 1321 14th St 1612-22 U St. Open Evenings and Sunday LEARY, JR. MAXWELL—CHALMERS Phone North o7 Distributor Service and General 1612-22 U Street THE SUNDAY e STAR, WASHINGTON, John Smith is a character whom is mot selfish; No. 37—CAR CATCHES FIRE. Quite some time ago I caught Smith in the act of fiiring witn danger. One of the men at the club had been telling of the trouble he bad had with an insurance company because of a mistake in reading the motor number of the car. Hearing of this Smith had declded to give his num- bers a second reading, but foolishly did the work in & dark corner of the garage. Some means of lighting was necessary in order to read the num- er. Smith chose the wrong means. I know, for I was right beside him when' he struck a match. He knew he had done a very unwise thing, but tried to justify his act by telling me | that he had seen several mechanice | {ake oven grester chances with gaso- o ny fool can take chances,” J had sald, “but it takes a wise man to do the wise thing at all times. Just be- cause gasoline {s less volatile than it used to be is no reason to take great- er chance with it. And, by the way, 1 wonder if you realize that you're taking chances in running a car wuhou(‘;‘nn extiguisher?” That was all we had said on the subject at the time. Time passed. Smith Gets & Shock. And then one morning while Smith and I were starting our cars I heard a sharp “popping” noise, and, looking | over to where Smith's car stood, I | saw a cloud of smoke pouring | through the core of the radiator. A moment later I saw Smith jump out | of the car and raise the hood. He knew something was wrong, but wasn't quite certain what it was. The owner of the garage, however. had also heard the backfire. And he knew what the trouble was! So did I when I saw him rush for a fire extingulsher. Five minutes later the fire was out, and Smith, the garage owner and I were looking at a rather parched motor. Turning around, I noticed that the doors of the garage were | open, and that already five cars had been driven out to the stréet by A | washer and another car owner who had happened to be around at the time. | Smith was more puzzled than sur- prised. ke to know how that hap- he exclaimed. “I was only Just starting the car.” “That's how gus fires start’” the garage man told him. ‘You might have a dozen backfires through the carburetor and nothing would ever happen. ‘Then again just oune small one might let the flame escape through the carburetor and catch a | drop of gasoline from a leaky joint | in the vacuum or gasoline line ‘con- | mections. It's a good plan when you | have this kind of backfire to put your | foot on the starter again just as soon as possible. In turning over the motor John Smith and His Car BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL ther he is a motoring martyr, a chap willing and glad te have exploited, in an interesting way, his experiences for the benefit of the other 10,000,000 or more members of the motor clan. | a mixture. the suction will tend to draw the flame in the carburetor back into the | cylinders 1 | i | g above The year !..ook at D. 0, JANUARY 6, every motorist should welcome. He Smith sald that he always thought a backfire made a lot of noise, “Backfires are like dogs,” the other explained. “The one with the loude! bark is the least to be fewrod. TI ordinary backfire which causes s loud report is due to mixture in a eylin- der firing when the exhaust valve is open. The exploston has no resist- ance and so goes stralght out through the mufiler and the exhaust. Some times the force of the backfire breaks the plates in the muffler, and (his kind of backflre has been kmown to set fire to the car or to oll or gaso- line on the garage floor. When the mixture fires with an intake valve open the flame goes right back into the carburetor. A lot of ‘popping back' 1s due to driving with too lean anking with spark ad- vanced s another common ca Let's see that extingulsher,” Smith asked. “I'll have to get one of those.” —nb matter what the weather conditions are— EBONITE does its work lently and efficiently, it -: follows the gears, never re- filmy cushion between the preventing Sold by relinble dealers in five-pound eans ut rerviee stations checker- ump and BONIT! There Ix EBONITE (IS SHREDDED OIL) FOR TRANSMISSIONS AND DIFFERENTIALS BAYERSON.OIL WORKS. ERIE. PA No Rival— No Substitute. price. It brings a motor car on wheels. ended was the greatest of all the fifteen years of Overland history. A great year made by great cars—the greatest Overlands ever built. Greatest in looks, power, comfort—maney’s worth! The big record-breaking success of these ; cars is the direct reflection of the bigness the new Overland Champion, for quality closed car with tures and utilities hitherto unheard of within reach of every purse. America’s first all-purpose car—conceded to be the most | 1924 —PART 3. here was & chance without one,” the g rags man went on. “In the old days a clover driver could put cut his own fire by smothering the flames with dirt from the road, but you'd have a hard time fighting & gasoline fire with the. paved highways of tod Yet leadership champ: Edward G. Adams, President and General Manager “ why these fine cars ar it with. lh} ' t wasn't necessary to argue with Smith, He d1d not have to be told what smved his car, and perhaps the garage. Trying to tell people how to put out fire without an extin Water rpreads-a gasoline ANNOUNCING Our appointment as Oak- .. land Dealer in this city and the opening of our Sales and Service Station— ADAMS MOTOR CO. 1612 Fourteenth- Street N. Open Sundays an‘d Eu;ning_\- Taking America Off Its Feet! Overland Success is the Talk of the Country Great strides ahead —warm words of praise on the lips of people everywhere—all these things focus on one big, vital fact: Overland motor cars have the right stuff in them. Worth shines out far The price of the Champion—$695—is a ion price.. And even if the new Overland Champion did not kave the many unique features that make it famous, it would - still be a remarkable value at its price. It is the only quality closed car seatingmore than - two passengers ever sold under $700. The Champion and all Overland models : have the bigger Overland engine— brute . er with extremé economy. And the uoyant riding ease of patented Tri Springs. And the extra-sturdy rear axle, -~ . “rapidly on the stréets of America. 'R. McCREYNOLDS & SON Sales, 14th and Park Road Sales and Service, 1423, 1425 L Street N.W. Phones Main 7228-7229 s s . time when you could | dirt is the only natural thing to fight Wm. leaders in the many satisfactions they bring ; to owners. See them. Sitin them. Ask for . - - a sample of their performance. Ten minutes looking or ten minutes riding will tell you e multiplying so z guisher is about.as . motorist-how to nw &%l .';Wh~ out a jack. As the garage ihan said “Thers e always other wriys of do- ing things, but why take the de- tourst” . Next week—Presenting thy Claim. {Copyright by the Ullman Featw's Service | Baer, : Manager of Service d