Lemon Republic

A roadworthy certificate does not mean a used car is good. It means the car is legal to drive. In the gap between those two things, lemons hide: the engine about to fail, the welded subframe, the car that spent time underwater in a flood.

This book teaches you to do the inspection the roadworthy does not. You do not need to be a mechanic. You learn the anatomy of a lemon, then how to read panel gaps, paint and other body clues, and how to spot engine and mechanical red flags. You see how electrical gremlins and warning lights give themselves away, and you follow a test drive protocol that shows you what a car is really like.

You also learn to check the undercarriage for structural damage, verify microdots and VINs, and recognise when to walk away. The book ends with a master checklist you can carry in your hand and use on every car you view, using your eyes, your hands and your phone.