WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BAD CAR

With the help of (i.e. based on) letters from 4000 irate owners of a shiny new buggy which is bugged, the authors (Mr. Nader, one of his associates and a lawyer) have itemized what a car should have, raised taillights, or be, white or yellow rather than red or black. And for about the first quarter of the manual they explain various features and parts and why they are inadequate (interestingly enough these gentlemen are against air-conditioning for what it does to the car, rather than for the driver — cf. Fales' Book of Expert Driving — p. 1068). The second part consists of what to do after the trouble starts which consists of beginning with your dealer and ending up writing to the President of the U.S. ("You should not fear that your letter to the President will distract him or his staff from more important concerns") plus all kinds of attention-getting devices. The third section deals with suggested reforms for the industry, and there is a quarter of the book devoted to notes and additional apparatus. All together, there is relatively little material on the car itself and one gets the impression that it's assembled in not too sturdy a fashion, but then the Nader name and consumer-directed good intentions assure a certain market where it will do well.