Lemon Aid "Goes Rogue"

Lemon-Aid author and car curmudgeon Phil Edmonston is angry.

He says the auto industry has learned little from the recent Chrysler and GM bankruptcies and there are fewer new models on the market that are safe, reliable, and recession-proof.

In his 2010-11 Lemon-Aid New Car and Truck Guide Edmonston for the first time in forty years writing Lemon-Aid, “Dr. Phil” counsels readers to steer away from seven automakers that are financially wobbly, not capable of building reliable vehicles, or not supported by an adequate warrantee and servicing network in Canada.

“Now is a good time to buy some makes and models, but the auto landscape is more treacherous than ever. Getting a bargain price may mean you will be left with an auto ‘orphan’ which no one can fix and which may lose two-thirds of its value after a few years, says best-selling author Edmonston.

1. What is a recession-proof car or truck?
2. New or used? Which vehicles are the safest investment? Will cars and trucks get cheaper as we go into 2010? What about warranties?
3. Chrysler’s Jeep and minivan bargains...can you REALLY save money?
4. Small cars: which are small on safety and reliability?
5. What’s wrong with hybrids, electric cars, and ethanol fuel?
6. Should we trust the Chinese to make our cars? (NO). South Koreans? (YES)
7. Five best and worst new car options.
8. Where’s the best place to buy a new vehicle; what are the markups?
9. Which models are better used than new?
10. Recession Survival: ten tips to save big bucks on car repairs and fuel consumption.

Says, Phil: “Sadly, a vehicle’s high price is no guarantee of top quality, as many Jaguar, Saab, Chrysler, and Cadillac owners have discovered. As for Fiat saving Chrysler, Fiat will give Chrysler the “Osso Bucco treatment” and suck the marrow out of Chrysler until there is nothing worth saving.”