Car recalls and real estate secrets: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Recalled cars on road

Are you about to buy a lemon? Millions of vehicles on Canadian roads have an outstanding safety recall, about one in six.

Even worse, there's nothing stopping dealerships from selling a car with an open recall that hasn't been fixed. So drive (really) safe, friends.

Real estate secrets

A home's past sales prices, how long a home sat on the market: It's all inside information. And the real estate industry is fighting to keep sales data secret.

The secrecy is not great for consumers: A few weeks ago we showed how real estate agents sometimes break the rules because bidding wars are kept private.

Holiday budget tips

Here's what we want for the holidays: Not to go broke.

And here is some expert advice that might help: Embrace the second-hand economy. Return stuff you don't want. Save in advance for your holiday budget.

Want more? Watch our investigation on tricks retailers use to get you to spend more.

Grab and (Amazon) Go

Lots of stores have self-checkouts these days. But how about a store with no checkout at all? Just pick up what you need and leave: That's how shopping works at a small grocery store that Amazon opened in Seattle.

It's just an experiment, but it could give us a look at the future of shopping.

In other news …

- You may get "Trumped at the grocery store" and spend $420 more on food next year.

- Ransomware isn't just a problem for companies: here's what you need to know about the growing digital threat.

- And this week in scams: a 92-year-old self-made millionaire says he got taken by his own kids.

Where not to park

We'll be back in January with all-new shows, but ICYMI, you can watch our investigation on parking tickets again this weekend.

We analyzed parking ticket data from major cities across Canada, more than 15 million tickets total, and reveal the top ticket traps you should avoid.

Catch it on TV or watch it online now.