Would you buy a used car from this man? Of course.
He's Pete Cunningham, owner of Affordable Used Cars
located at 1-85 and Beatties Ford Bd. Cunningham says
as a used car dealer, he has te please sad satisfy his
customers since most of his business comes from
referrals.
Advice On “How To Buy A Used Car”
By Jalyne Strang
Prat Staff Writer
It can be difficult to advise a
19-year-old on how to buy a used car,
especially if he or she has worked
part-time all year and has, as be or
she will state, “My own money! ”
This teenager, delirious with car
fever, will see a shirty, little, fo
reign sports car and say, “That’s
me!” Parents or adults will see the
same car and envision high repair
bills, difficulty getting parts, other
possible car catastrophies and will
feel a headache coming on when the1
teenager asks, “Will you co-sign for
me, please?”
Now that spring is here, income
tag refunds are arriving, kids will
soon get out of school for summer,
families have grown larger and
many people are considering buy
ing a used car. Of course, car
dealers are aware of this and they
are anxious to make a deal. And
though some car dealers can be
extremely nice, others can be un
scrupulous. Many adults and teen
-agers have been duped into buying a
shiny, little lemon. ' ,
However, if you follow the Im
portant guidelines to buyir^j a used
car, you’re guaranteed to be able to
differentiate between the good, the
bad, and the ugly.
TIME TO BUY
Experts say, the right time to shop
for a used car is during the day. At
night, artificial lighting on car lots
make cars gleam like jewels. In
daylight, they’ll look more realis
tic. Also do not shop when it’s
raining. You won’t be able to de
tect whether the car might be
leaking.
WHERETOGOT
For some reason, in Charlotte,
^ specifically in the inner city area,
there appears to be a used car lot on
every corner. A fact that makes it
ever more difficult to .decide from
where to buy k us&'&p^The fact
is, most car specialists agree that a
new car dealer is the best place to
bdy a second hand car, especially if
you’re paying a substantive price.
The reason is, some of these
dealers will offer guarantees, such
as one on the “drive train,” which
covers any problems with the en
gine, transmission, drive shaft and
differential. Note, if the car costs
morelfian $2,T»0 aTanydealerrinster
upon at least a jrhjn
guarantee.
Other places to pursue: private
owners normally sell a. car for less
Thieves Strife More Cars In 1984;
Bui Recovery Rate Was Up
Car thieves stole five percent
more vehicles in North Carolina in
1964 than they did in 1963.
That’s bad news for insurance
buyers because the losses go into
rate calculations. The good news is
that the recovery rate was 85 per
Special Celebration
Continued From Page l\
A schowyard of fun also is planned
for all ages. Three stages will offer
nonstop entertainment from 10 a.m.
to noon. Entertainers include the
First Ward Break Dancers, the
Charlotte Caledonia Bagpipe Band,
a “perfect double” for Michael
Jackson; s gospel singing ensem
ble, a state champion girls’ gym
nastic team and Little Miss America
of 1964, who will sing country hits.
Many civic leaders, including
Mayor Harvey Gantt will Join in on
the celebration.
More than 20 rides and games
.await to test your skill .'whether your
passion is dunking machines, soc
cer kicking or driving miniature
cars. And, of course, there will be
plenty of food. In addition to the
traditional midway munchies (hot
dogs, pizza, nachoe, popcorn and
cola), a group of First Ward resi
dents will be frying up their fa
vorite fifh (fishes.
MT. 8INA1 BAPTIST
The Greater Mt Sinai Baptist
Church extend* an invitation to the
public to be a part of its Easter Day
services. The Annual Sunrise ser
vice will be held at • a.m. in the main
auditorium with the Rev. Herbert
Sturdivant, associate minister,
preaching the message, and the
mass choir, under the direction of
Mrs. N. E. Kerry and Steven Coop
er, bringing the music.
The Annual Sunrise breakfast,
sponsored by the brotherhood, will
follow the service at 7:15 a.m. The
Sunday School Department will
begin iu indepth study of God’s word
at 8:45 a m and close with mo
ments of decision whereby each
person will check their own per
sonal relationship with God.
Morning worship will begin at the
11 o’clock hour with music being
rendered by the noted Voices of
Sinai and Choirs One A Two. The
message will be brought by the
pastor's son, Rev. N. E. Kerry Jr.,
associate pastor of the church. The
Easter services will conclude at 5
p.m. with an Easter program pre
sented by the youth of the church
and an Easter Egg f(unt directly
after the program.
Rev. N. E Kerry Sr., pastor,
welcome* you to each of these ser
vices and wishes to take this op
portunity to thank each of you for
your many prayers and acts of
kindness during his illness. May God
continue to Mess you.
Mt. Sinai is located at 1945 West
Bivd ^ '
cent.
After declines for three consecu
tive years, the number of thefts rose
from 8,665 to 9,043. Even though
7,706 of the vehicles were recovered,
the thefts cost insurers millions of
dollars which will go into future
rates, said G. D. Culp, president of
the North Carolina Insurance News
Service.
♦ ‘ jfr
“Even when the cars are re
covered, the insurance company
incurs expenses in handling the
claims and those expenses also af
fect rates,” said Culp, general
manager of the North Carolina
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance
Company.
Lloyd Letterman of the Division of
Motor Vehicles, N.C. Department of
Transportation, credits the high ve
hicle recovery rate to good work by
law enforcement agencies.
Careless drivers contributed to the
higher theft rate, according to Culp.
"Many drivers make it easy for
thieves by leaving their keys in their
cars," Culp said. “Removing the
keys would prevent thousands of the
thefts.”
Thefts in five counties accounted
for 41 percent of the state’s total and
thefts in 10 counties added up to 56.3
percent of the total Only Gates,
Jones and Tyrrell Counties report
ed no thefts in 1964. Gates and Janes
had that distinction for the second
consecutive year.
As might be expected of the
state’s most populous county, thefts
in Mecklenburg County led all
others. Mecklenburg’s thefts of
4,366, up from 1,1M in 1983, were 13.8
percent of the state’s 1964 total.
Wake County’s 770 thefts moved It
ahead of Cumberland County which
was second in 1963. Cumberland had
715 thefts In 1664.
Guilford's .619 thefts placed it
fourth and Forsyth’s 441 ranked it
fifth. ‘‘The beet anti-theft measure is
to pocket your keys and lock your
car," Culp said. “Spare keys that
are hidden under the hood or in
various places on a care are an
invitation to thieves."
The Raleigh insurance executive
said another anti-theft measure is to
etch an identification number onto
your wiMfchieid. “Because replac
ing glass is expensive, a thief will
think twice before taking a car with
such identification.’’
Culp also suggested a measure
that may help with recovery in case
your car is stolen. “Etch your North
Carolina (fciver’s license number in
• hsrd-to-flnd place on your car, or
write In on a piece of paper and (hop
it down a window well into the door
where it is out of sight.”
You may obtain a car-theft pre
vention brochure by sending a self
addressed. stamped envelope to:
Car Theft Prevention. N.C.I.N.S.,
P O Box 11636. Charlotte, N .C.
26330.
than a dealer does, bet almost
always “as is”; used car dealers
may charge a little extra though you
can often get some type of limit
ed guarantee; remember, small
dealers often buy cars that arc
auctioned because nobody else
wants them.
NOW THAT YOU’VE FOUND IT
If you find the car of your dreams,
to keep it from becoming your worst
nightmare, be sure to carry out the
examination points that follow.
Don’t allow the dealer to pres
sure you. It is your right to check
each and everything about the car
BEFORE YOU BUY.
-Look for any flaws, ripples in the
body,- or whether the car has been
repainted (look under the- rubber
seals around the door or under
chrome trim). These occurrences
might indicate a past accident.
-Cheek the odometer for total
mileage, and then compare that
figure with stickers still attached to
door posts. If there are no stick
-ers, be-aiittl&suspicioua. _
-Check pedals and controls for
wear. If they are brand new, be
suspicious. If they are worn out,
beware.
-Doors, hood and trunk should all
open easily and close solidly.
-Check to see that front and real
wheels line up.
-Look under car for fluid leaks.
No car should drip anything.
-The car’s engine should be clean.
Dipstick should show oil that is clean
and rather thin. The battery should
be solid and clean.
-Inside the car, check seat ad
justment, door locks, window me
chanisms, horn, lights, signals,
radio-all accessories. This will show
how well the car has been treat
ed.
-When starting the engine it
should turn over quickly and then
settle down to a fast idle. 'Watch for
smoke from the rear. Once the car is
warmed, white smoke can mean a
leaking gasket, blue smoke, a com
plete engine overhaul. Mack, a
maladjusted carburetor. If there is
any engine knocking, reject this car.
-Check the tailpipe' after car Is
turned off. Residue inside should be
whitish-gray.
-Restart the engine and check the
oil in an automatic transmis
sion. It should be clean and dear.
HIT THE ROAD, JACK
For a test drive, a short stint
around the block is not enough. Plan
to road test the car and if the
dealer’s not happy about this, tough.
Take your money elsewhere.
Your test route should indude city
streets, a freeway, a bumpy road
and an empty parking lot.
Watch for; the oil pressure and
engine heat guages, they should re
main steady throughout; automa
tic transmission should shift without
jerking or making any noise; in
manual cars there should be no
sticking or grinding when operat
ing stick shift; there should be no
squeaking or grinding when you
apply brakes. Brake hard. The car
should come to an immediate stop
without squealing or swerving.
Cheek power steering and steering
response.
On the bumpy rood, the car should
not shimmy or shake.
Acceleration should be smooth
and steady with no smoke out of the
beck and no clunking or other
noises.
After road test, return car and
check engine for any leaks or
seepage.
THE SECOND OPINION
Take the car to a service sta
tion or auto-dtagnoetic center where
a technician will pinpoint faults you
may have miaaed and estimate the
coat of fixing faults you may have
found. He will also give the engine a
compression test to check rings and
valvea.
WE A LI; HAVE OUR PRICE
Uae what you’ve learned from the
examination, road test and me
chanic to get the price of the car
down. Don’t be embarrassed to
bargain on the beat price. Try to get
the setter to throw in certain re
pairs. Remember, you’re spending
your own money.
FRESH LEAN COUNTRY FARM
SHANK PORTION
Smoked Ham
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RED RIPE 4 £
11 Strawberries
I [ jane PARKER '» ; & v\ ^ *
I Shortcakes - -
lUeri 129
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