The Savvy Woman's Guide to Cars

An all-purpose car book written by a woman for women demystifies the car through step-by-step instructions in buying, selling, maintaining, and repairing, offers solutions to common problems, and gives readers a sense of control over their cars. Original.

In this concise and clearly written book on cars, Chapman, the president of an automobile dealership serving women, aims her advice specifically at women since they traditionally have less knowledge about cars and are therefore more susceptible to scams. Her philosophy is that maintaining a car is a skill every woman can and should learn. She brings together information on how cars run and how a woman can become aware of how her car sounds, feels, and smells so that she can discuss knowledgeably with mechanics what repairs are necessary. Besides the excellent chapter on how cars work, Chapman covers car safety, a maintenance schedule, insurance, finding a trusty mechanic, and buying and selling a car. Many charts, checklists, and diagrams are incorporated into the book. Highly recommended for public libraries.
Judith M. Nixon, Purdue Univ. Lib., West Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Women, savvy or not, are often given inferior treatment by our friends engaged in the automotive arts and sciences. In some exceptionally cosmopolitan environments (Iowa City, Madison, Berkeley, etc.), there may be women mechanics who are less likely to routinely mistreat female customers, but they are a tiny minority among extant car salespeople and mechanics. Chapman strives to improve the odds of a woman getting a fair deal when buying or maintaining a car and succeeds wonderfully, explaining the inner workings of automobile and showroom cogently and incisively. Although she aims it at women, her advice will make anyone who feels disadvantaged when dealing with either the grease-and-power-tools set or the blow-dried gods of FANTASTIC DEALS IN PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION! grateful. Featuring tips like "use a credit card for repair fraud protection" and such features as handy monthly payment tables for comparing financing options, this is one of the best consumer guides available. Mike Tribby