CHAPTER I

THE CAR--ITS COST, UP-KEEP AND ACCESSORIES

Motoring as a Pastime for Women--Patience of more Value than Nerve--Selection of a Car--Single-cylinder the best for Women who are going to drive themselves and attend to the Mechanism--Cost of a Small Car--Necessary Accessories and their Cost--Expense of Up-keep--The necessary Licences and the Cost.

Patience, the capacity for taking pains, is of more value than the most ponderous nerve. You may be afraid, as I am, of driving in a hansom through the crowded streets of town--you may be afraid of a mouse, or so nervous that you are startled at the slightest of sudden sounds--yet you can be a skilful motorist, and enjoy to the full the delights of this greatest of out-door pastimes, if you possess patience--the capacity for taking pains.

Motoring is a pastime for women: young, middle-aged, and--if there are any--old. There may be pleasure in being whirled around the country by your friends and relatives, or in a car driven by your chauffeur; but the real, the intense pleasure, the actual realisation of the pastime comes only when you drive your own car.

I have hunted--and was one with those who declare that the most glorious of all out-door life is in the saddle, on a fast, clean-jumping hunter; but when, by accident, I took up motoring I found the exhilaration, the delights of the gallop doubled. It fascinated me, and it will fascinate any woman who tries it.

I am writing this little book not so much for those women who have already taken up motoring, but for those who would like to, but either dare not because of nervousness, or who imagine it is too difficult to understand the many necessary details.

In the following chapters I will endeavour to explain everything in the simplest possible manner, without lapsing into confusing technicalities.

The first thing to discuss is the car. There are scores of makes, good, bad and indifferent. I have tried many different makes and have come to the conclusion that the De Dion is an ideal single-cylinder car for a woman to drive. It combines simplicity with reliability--two very important items to the automobiliste.

For your own driving, if you are going to attend to the mechanism yourself, you should purchase a single-cylinder car--more cylinders mean more work, and also more expense as regards tyres, petrol, oil, &c. The single-cylinder car is the most economical to run. Being constructed in a much lighter manner the weight on the tyres is less, consequently the tyre bill is smaller, a matter of great importance in the upkeep of a car.

The horse-power of a single-cylinder car is usually 8 h.p. or less. As regards carriage work, of course the purchaser can suit herself, but the “Victoria” type of body has the most graceful lines. Colour, also, is a matter of one’s own selection. Dark blue, brown, green, red or cream, they all look well, and can be picked out with lines to match the upholstery, or further embellished with a top panel of basket-work, as is the car in the photograph.

Such a car as I have described will cost, new, from £230. This price, however, is for the car itself, upholstered and complete as to seats and side lamps. It is the accessories that bring up the cost. It adds greatly to one’s comfort to have a hood, made of either black leather or khaki-coloured canvas, with nickel or brass mountings to match the finish of your car. Such a hood will cost, in leather, about £20, and in canvas £18. I am quoting for the best quality in every instance, for with motoring it is quality that counts in the long run. A folding glass screen, with nickel or brass fittings, framed in stained wood, will cost £10. The front lamps will cost about £6 per pair, and the rear lamp £1 to £1 5_s._ A waterproof rug can be bought for £1 to £2.

The car will, of course, seat two, but it is often advisable to have a third seat. This should be constructed so as to fold down when not in use, and would cost £15. You can have a stationary seat fitted for £10, but these do not look so nice (though quite as comfortable)

as those that fold down. In addition to these things it is necessary to carry a tyre repair outfit, which will cost about £1, also the following tools and spares:

Ammeter, jack, pliers, spanners, carburetter jet key, large and small screw-drivers, hammer, oil-can, grease injector, tyre-pump, sparking-plug, inlet and exhaust valves, trembler blade and screw, some washers, split pins, file, very fine file for platinum points, emery-powder, insulated tape, and some waste or swabs.

In buying your car you will probably find that the last car you were on is “the best.” It is liable to become somewhat confusing if you go for many trial runs; but one thing to bear in mind is that the car that will do five miles an hour faster than the one you previously tried is not necessarily the best car--it may be faster while it is running, but it may not run for long--therefore take my advice and pin your faith on the car with the reputation for reliability, the one that will not entail a big expenditure every few months for repairs. Nearly all of us, nowadays, have some motoring friends, who have probably had experience with different makes of cars: their experience should benefit you in your choice. There are some very inexpensive cars on the market, but inexpensive only as to initial outlay--they are likely to prove themselves sorry bargains before many months have passed. One of the chief joys of motoring is to feel that you can rely upon your car.

In regard to housing the car, if you are not fortunate enough to possess a stable or garage of your own, one of the following courses is open to you: Hire a stable, or garage, and a man to attend to the cleaning of the car; place it at one of the many garages, public and semi-private, now in existence--or you can stable it at the nearest mews and arrange with the ostler to do the washing. I cannot give the exact cost of the first and last of these, as they would naturally vary, but if placed at a regular garage the cost would be from 8_s._ 6_d._ to 12_s._ 6_d._ per week.

Another outlay is to be found in “tips.” The men at a garage are always hungry for “tips,” and your car will be polished with greater zest if the “tips” are frequent or generous. The advertisement of the “no tip” garage is a fallacy. The proprietor may consider this principle the right one, but if you act according to his ideas your car will probably suffer.

Petrol varies slightly in price, but is usually from 1_s._ to 1_s._ 4_d._ per gallon. As, with the car illustrated, you are able to run 28 to 32 miles on one gallon, you will see that petrol is not a great item.

The next duty that devolves on you after becoming the owner of a car is to procure your licences. There are two--one a licence for the car (the same as a carriage licence), the cost of which is governed according to the weight of the car, probably near two guineas; the other a driving licence, costing 5_s._ Both of these are to be obtained from the London County Council offices in Spring Gardens, London, S.W., or in the country at the various County Council headquarters--though the carriage licence can be obtained, after due application, at almost any post office. Your driving licence is an official printed paper with your name and address written in.

To obtain a number for the car it is necessary to apply to Spring Gardens, or any of the Registration and Licensing authorities in the United Kingdom. If one writes to a County Council, the letter should be addressed: “Clerk to the County Council of ----, County Council Offices, ----,” and if to a county borough, to “The Town Clerk, Town Hall, ----.” The registration fee is 20_s._ You will have to fill up a form and will then have a number registered.

This number you must have painted on two tin plates, white on a black ground. The figures must be 3½ in. deep. These number-plates must be affixed to the back and front of your car. The back one must be so placed that the light from the back lamp is thrown on it and thus the number distinctly seen at night. It is also necessary for part of the rear lamp to show a red light.

You should never go in your car without this licence--your driving licence, for you must produce it when asked by the proper authorities or pay the penalty of £5. But more of this later.