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THE COST OF MOTORING ONE THOUSAND MILES 57
dollar if you want to for wear and tear
on grease—as a matter of fact, if you
treat your car as a white man should,
you'll empty the sump of the motor of
old oil at the end of your tour and fill
it up with seven quarts of new oil and
charge a dollar five against the expense
of the trip.
And now let's add it all up and find
out what the trip really cost you and me,
remembering that I am averaging as
well as many years of experience of car
booking will allow. Well I know the
trip can be made for more, but that it
can be made for less—except by a
greater annual mileage to cut down the
depreciation charge per mile—and a
greater gas and tire mileage—I do not
believe. 1 have tried it myself many
times, and friends of mine have tried it,
but the results all have been discouraging
so far as greater economy has been concerned.
One more word before we list these
various expenses. A car depreciates not
only by mileage but by time. A car
which has run five thousand miles a year
"I HAVE TAKEN 10.000 MILES FROM A TIRE. AND ^
ON THE OTHER HAND I HAVE BLOWN LP AT 3.700. f*"^
THE AVERAGE IS AROUND 6.000"
isn't worth second-hand—as a commercial
proposition—much, if any, more
than one which has run ten thousand
miles. It oughtn't to be so, but it is so
—ask any second hand dealer! A car
depreciates at least 30 r/ , the first year
and comes pretty near 25% the following
years. True, a car four years old,
according to these figures, is worth
something less than nothing, whereas
four year old cars can be. and are, sold
for a hundred or two dollars. But for
all figurable purposes—for all accounting
of costs, the percentages given are
under, rather than over, and that holds
whether your second-hand market be
San Francisco or New York, Oshkosh
or Timbuctoo. The private sale to the
unsuspecting friend who knows not
values cannot be figured, and selling a
second hand car for more than it's worth
to some one who can be gold-bricked, in
no way alters the truth of the touring
figures.
Now, to the table—