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Canadian Tire has the Mastercraft Maximum 1/2" click-type torque wrench on sale this week for $65. Lifetime warranty. I just picked one up and noticed the calibration certificate reads up to 4lbs off at 20% and 100% loading. Its range is from 20 - 250 ft.lbs.

They also have a deflection beam type torque wrench. A bit "old school", but it's $20. Made in Taiwan for Trileaf Distribution. Just an importer of cheap goods for the chain stores, I'm sure. Range is 0-150 ft.lbs.

Looking at Princess Auto, I see they have a 3/8" click type wrench on sale for $17.77 this week. Up to 80 ft.lbs.

What do you suggest for intermittent work on my 02 EL? I'll be tightening wheel lugs, brake work, fluid changes and those sorts of things - maintenance, basically. I'll leave the suspension and engine/tranny work to the pros with the right shops and equipment. Am I limiting myself with the 20-250 wrench?

 
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well if it was me i would obviously get the mastercraft.. i have a husky 3/8s drive 20-150 wrench and its awesome.. i do all the major engine work on my car though. for some of the smaller work i have observed that 20ft lbs is too high in some cases where i would need to torque something under 20ft lbs, but IMO most bolts torqued under 20ft lbs are not vital bolts... most vital bots in the car are almost always 20+ft lbs. i would personally get the mastercraft.

in addition.. depending on what type of work you are doing, a 1/2 inch drive may be too big for the work your doing. since you said small maintenance jobs there are some tight spaces a torque wrench must fit in and if you have a 1/2 inch drive it might not fit.

 
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for general BS work, a cheapo torque wrench is fine. The first time you drop it, it falls out of spec anyways, and they're never perfect. If you're doing engine internal work, get a good one, but otherwise a cheapie is fine. My everyday torque wrench is a $20 china special from Harbor Freight... it gets the job done. I dont think you need more than 150 lb ft. I cant think of a bolt on the car thats got a spec of more than 110.

 
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agreed, i got a $20 ampro for the wheel lug nuts and it works just fine. also have a beam style up to 50 ft lbs for the spark plugs cause its easier to use.