Lemon!: Sixty Heroic Automotive Failures

I had my library obtain both this book and Crap Cars through interlibrary loan. I have to say Lemon! is a far superior book. Each junk car is usually profiled in 2-3 pages plus a photo. A few cars only get a paragraph. However, this author explains what made each car a failure. He didn't single out one failing, but conveyed all the failings of the car. The author of "Crap Cars" was very abrasive, snarky, and did a poor job of explaining what made a car bad. There is a bit of sarcasm and snark in Lemon!, but it isn't as acerbic. Lemon! was a fast and fun read. It took me down memory lane and also taught me a few things I didn't know about these automotive failures. Lemon! informs. "Crap Cars" was just mean-spirited criticism. Perhaps I have a different sense of humor than most, but that book was crude and not at all funny or informative. Lemon! does refer to some European cars that did not make it to the US, and there were also references to some Australian market cars. However, I thought the book had a good balance of cars from around the world. In summary, Lemon! will be a fun informative read. Don't know that I would buy it, but I definitely recommend reading it if you are a car buff or just enjoy reading about market failures.

Funny writing I guess. Buyers of these cars probably are not laughing. He defines lemon as the whole line, not just an unfortunate accident off the assembly line. Yes it is possible to build an entirely horrid car. And an expensive one with a famous name. Yes the yugo and Trabant are here but so are Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Cadillac and Jaguar. Just because it offers mink seats doesn't mean it runs as well as a Hyundai. Engines fall apart in 12,000 miles, cars rust in a few months, exhaust pipes set the carpet on fire. One can say ...happens but did some of these designers ever drive a car? Lacking a back entrance would anyone want to take out all the seats just to put their groceries in the back? Why would you want a car that you had to turn the engine off and then turn it on again to shift into reverse? Or lacking a door need to crawl over the side. Did they think anyone would trust a car that shed doorhandles and wipers or in the case of the jagxjs that had a carpet that slid away to reveal a mass of wires and plastic pieces? Didn't the Jensen-Healey makers notice that parking the car on a slope caused the gas to slop into the sump? Rust, pealing and fading paint, dashboards turning green in sunlight....it goes on. Fun to read and hard to stop reading. Would make a good gift for the guest room but it is hard to put down.

What a fun book! I enjoyed it very much, I may not agree with some of the automobiles, but it is a fun look into history. I recently went to an Auto Museum and a few of these cars were there!