MTFCA Forum

I find it interesting how many miles early automobile owners drove. This Ford advertisement appeared in a Scranton newspaper in early 1907, and makes the argument that a Ford Model N will save both time and money for distance traveled. One of the many points include using an average of 8,000 miles in a year with the Model N. The article also points out that 3,000 miles in a year is a significant distance for a horse to travel:

Nice!
You keep finding and sharing the neatest stuff.
Thank you.

It was assumed the car would need repainting and revarnishing during the three year period, but that it could be done for 35 bucks. Also, that the car could cover ground at twice the speed of a horse. The Amish I know say that an average Amish horse - often a race horse who is spirited but not a track winner - can average about 8 mph for an hour or so before he needs a rest. That suggests a Ford N can average about 16. That's what my one-lung Cadillac can do on paved roads in hilly country, and a Model N can run circles around a Cadillac. Interesting implications about paint, costs, and road conditions in the day.

Thanks Wayne. Gil, to further put the costs into context, a dollar in 1907 was about the equivalent of about $25 today. That makes the average cost to own the Ford N would equal about $13,700 per year. Not bad, but still significant.

The times were changing.................