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review
Also in this section:
Lemon-Aid 2006: SUVs, Vans and Trucks
Lemon-Aid 2006: SUVs, Vans and Trucks This is a Canadian consumer guide to various motor vehicles, and of course there are important differences between the Canadian and Panamanian auto markets. But there are a lot of the same or similar models on the roads of our respective countries, too, especially in when it comes to pickups, vans and SUVs. Morever, the author, a US-Canadian dual citizen who first came to Panama in the 60s with the military, now does some of his writing from an apartment in Paitilla. Along the way between then and now he has served on the board of directors of the US-based Consumers Union, and as a member of the Canadian Parliament. The Globe and Mail said he "might be the most trusted man in Canada, an inverse relationship to the people he writes about." Why might that be? In Panama
there is no opportunity to buy domestically manufactured vehicles, but it
is a big deal in the automobile manufacturing centers of North America.
But see what Edmonston has to say: The Death of Detroit Of course we want to buy domestic, but what does that mean? DaimlerChrysler is a German automaker that was once allied with Hitler and used slave labor. Most Asian cars are made in North America, Saab is being force-marched to GM's plant in Germany, and all of the top independent survey organizations put GM and Ford on the bottom rung of the quality ladder. This book is partly a guide to the good and bad points of many brands of pickups, SUVs and vans, but many other things as well. It's partly a guide to Canadian law, which is not very relevant down here, and also a primer on recalls and "hidden warranties" that may or may not be honored by dealers in Panama. It's in part a journalism review, distinguishing the good journalists who cover the Canadian auto scene from the corporate shills, which may not be directly relevant to us but reveals a way of thinking that readers down here could apply to other situations, like distinguishing the real estate hype that's plagued by conflicts of interest from the independent journalism. It has a section on the art of complaining. It's a treatise on a number of common problems with motor vehicles, some of which, like air bags that open when they shouldn't or expand with too much power, could kill you. It gets into the economics of used car buying. It's an exposition on a way of thinking, one that in a buyer beware culture like Panama's is most helpful to assimilate. You won't find the Lemon-Aid series in Panama's bookstores, but you should be able to order them online via http://www.fitzhenry.ca or through some of the major multinational booksellers.
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Make the
Executive Hotel your headquarters in Panama City --- http://ww.executivehotel-panama.com Find the boat of your dreams through Evermarine --- http://www.evermarine.com |
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