The Complete Canadian Used Car Guide 2004 Edition

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Many people are afraid to buy a used car. If you are one of them and you
are prepared to do your homework, this highly readable 720-page tome by
the president of the Automobile Protection Association should lead you
through the wilderness. The APA is a nonprofit watchdog organization
that advocates for Canadian car buyers.

The book is divided into two unequally sized sections. Four short
chapters at the beginning —“How to Keep Your Car on the Road
Longer,” “Court Decisions (Buyers versus Sellers),” “Buying
Tips,” and “Report on the APA’s Latest Auto Repair
Investigation”—provide a background on used cars. The rest of the
book is an exhaustive summary of how used cars are rated by the APA for
price, dependability, safety, and customer satisfaction.

Iny begins by categorizing the vehicles according to their size:
minicars, small cars, compact and mid-sized cars, large cars, luxury
cars, sports cars, and minivans. He then further categorizes them
according to their make and model. For example, if you want to buy a
2001 Nissan Maxima, on page 259 you will find a chapter starting with a
photo of the car and a quick list of its basic features, from size of
engine to type of transmission. Next, there is a history of the car,
beginning with the year it was introduced and describing what notable
changes have occurred over the years. This is followed by Iny’s
comments on what is good about the car and what is not (e.g., used
Maximas are an excellent value, but models in the mid-1990s suffered
when Nissan got thrifty on the car’s finish). Then come pithy reports
on the car’s reliability, what to check, rust, and safety. The chapter
ends with an “APA Alert!”—that is, a list of all the recalls the
car has experienced in its production run. The book concludes with
itemized price guides for all makes and models listed in it.

This guide is a great value for its price.