If you were about to purchase a used car, you wouldn't want one that had been abused or neglected, even though it had received a good appearance- reconditioning. In short, you wouldn't want a "lemon."

Neither does any other used car buyer. Since you must eventually dispose of the ears in your fleet, it behooves you . . . and your men in the field ... to take proper care of the cars now being used by seeing to it that they are driven according to common sense rules and are properly maintained. Only in this way can you hope to come close to that ideal wherein each car traded will generate the maximum resale value with little or no reconditioning costs being incurred.

Obviously, it is not possible for every driver to achieve this goal at trade-in time, but if a conscientious effort is made by all your men, the overall savings can mean substantial money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions to pass on to your drivers:

• Keep the car clean, inside and out. If a driver carries children with him in the ear, he should oversee the consumption of food, beverages, candy, etc. to assure that upholstery is not permanently marred.

• Follow carefully the maintenance suggestions made in the "Rules of the Road" manual and in the manufacturer's owners handbook that came with the ear.

• Be sure: that your men . . . and their wives . . . use caution and common sense in parking at shopping centers; these are great spots to pick up chipped door edges, fender "dings", and nicks in the side panels.

• When a car is on the verge of being traded, it is too late to begin to take care of it; that should have been done earlier. But the man to whom the car is assigned can, and should, wash the outside and thoroughly clean the inside, not forgetting the trunk, glove compartment and area beneath the seats.

• Just before replacement, have the driver make sure that the car is in good mechanical shape. However, some minor adjustments-water pumps, distributors, ignition, etc. should not be made unless absolutely necessary. Repairs to paint, metal, or glass (or glass replacement) also should not be made unless the existing condition will tend to endanger someone's life.

• The car dealer who takes the car in trade is a professional, lie knows what the public wants (and also what it doesn't want) in a used car, and he will look at yours with that in mind. And, while he will appreciate a clean looking car as much as the next person, he won't be blinded to any major defects, damage or unusual wear-and-tear that may be indicated. (Incidentally, he knows, too, that high-mileage on a well-kept car is a far better combination than low mileage on one that has been neglected.)

The ultimate answer, then, is for each driver to start planning for trade-in virtually on the day his car is delivered and to care for it accordingly for as long as the vehicle is assigned to him.