This Guy Got Sued A Whole Bunch So Car Buying Would Be Better For Canadians

"NickMaronese" (NickMaronese) 05/02/2016 at 13:19 • Filed to: Canada, Lemon-Aid, Phil Edmonston, car buying

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Several months ago, my brother Matt, a.k.a. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , was searching for his first real car, and of course turned to me and fellow Oppo Clayton, a.k.a. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for advice on what to get.

After discussing reliable, good-value options with him for several hours, he waited for the one weekend Clayton and I were out-of-town – visiting Chicago for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! – and bought—a 2013 Dodge Avenger Blacktop.

As my posts might make clear, I’m a classic-Plymouth-owning, Hemi-Orange-blood Mopar fanatic, but even I wouldn’t wish an Avenger on just about anybody. In the end, as his Oppo handle suggests, our joint efforts to dissuade him from following through with the sale were fruitless.

Part of that effort included my buying a copy of the latest Lemon-Aid to show him just how bad the Blacktop is. The Lemon-Aid guides, by consumer advocate Phil Edmonston, are a car buyer’s staple in Canada, and have been on shelves here for as long as I can remember (full disclosure: I’m 27, and the guide has been on sale for the past 45 years).

I noticed the cover mentioned this was Edmonston’s “Last Ride,” and was confused: was Phil finally hanging up his keys? I reached out to Edmonston, with whom I had previously spoke for an article on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , to find out.

Turns out—yeah. The resulting three-hour interview – Phil has lead an extremely interesting life as Canada’s version of Ralph Nader, and I like to indulge his stories – turned into this feature, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! into an institution by getting sued by automakers over and over.

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If you’ve ever picked up a Lemon-Aid and wondered how it all started, I suggest you check it out. Or if you just want to read about the incredible career of a consumer advocate who made car-buying in Canada roughly thirteen times better than it used to be.

Oh yeah, the Avenger Blacktop? It gets a “bad buy” from Lemon-Aid .

CalzoneGolem > NickMaronese 05/02/2016 at 13:29

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You can’t tell the heart what it wants.

NickMaronese > CalzoneGolem 05/02/2016 at 13:30

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This is true.

Future next gen S2000 owner > CalzoneGolem 05/02/2016 at 13:41

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No, but you can rip it out when it acts up and replace it with something that doesn’t want an Avenger.