Lemon-Aid

I just went through an accelerated "pre-owned" car shopping experience. The trusty Volvo 850 wagon suddenly became untrustworthy after 14 years and more than 200,000 kilometres of service. The car had been good to me, but it stalled on the way home from a ski trip and wouldn't run for more than 20 minutes before dying. It was sad to sell it to my mechanic for parts, but nobody will buy a car that won't run.

Like many Canadians, I had grown up reading Lemon-Aid as the prime source for information on used cars. I consulted it again. Of course the information is useful, but the organization is really lacking (there is no index!!!) The online site has so much potential for searching reviews, service bulletins, etc... Here's hoping that Phil Edmonston gets some fresh blood involved in this enterprise.

In the mean time, if you are Canadian and want to get a decent idea on the current market values of used cars check out http://www.vmrcanada.com. Most of the data on the web is US focussed. Unfortunately cars are on of those items where the Canucks get ripped off versus US pricing :-(

Oh, by the way I got a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe in "Natural Khaki" with a beige interior. Leather, sunroof, but no 4WD. It's basically the late 2000's equivalent of the classic mid-size wagon, just made tall.