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January 2008 Issue
 
ARTICLE
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Owner's Manuals
By Robert McLellan
 
 
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Finding the right brochures and books is the easy part of collecting compared to finding all the miscellaneous literature such as magazines with road tests, dealer albums for paint and upholstery samples and memorabilia. Don't forget posters, salesman's books and show programs. A manual is nice, too, whether or not you own the car. And, yes, an Owner's Manual. Often the previous owner sells the car, but keeps the Owner's Manual as a memento of ownership.

Whether you own a particular car, or not, you will find an Owner's Manual to be one of the most interesting items that you can own. They are rarer than sales literature, but a bargain when compared to per page costs. Most are full of photographs, drawings, detailed descriptions and technical information. Reading a brochure is like walking around a car and admiring it. Reading an Owner's Manual is opening the door, getting in, popping the hood and actually knowing what you are looking at, and then driving it down the road while punching buttons and turning knobs. Yes, the Owner's Manual takes you where the brochure won't — around the block. If you don't have the car, this is the next best thing. If you do have the car, and don't have an Owner's Manual, maybe you should.

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The Automotive Chronicles, January 2008