This desire to change
The lease of our 2018 Toyota Tundra expires in June 2023. The cash value is $20,500. We need it to tow a 7000 pound trailer in which we spend our winters in the South. We intend to keep this trailer or change it for a heavier one. Should we buy our current van or lease a new one?
Guy H.
Heavier ? Of how many ? Your current vehicle has a maximum capacity of 10,200 pounds. You don’t specify the mileage or your satisfaction with your Tundra. We’ll assume you’re happy since you’re considering purchasing it. If your Toyota gives you satisfaction, why not keep it? It’s more environmentally friendly than driving another brand new one on the road that won’t be much more economical. This also applies to the hybrid version of the Tundra currently on sale.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HYUNDAI
The Hyundai Kona
Lame comparison
I want to change my car. I have a 2008 Hyundai Tucson which I am completely satisfied with. I’m looking for a smaller SUV. I want to downsize my vehicle because of gas prices. I’m hesitating between a Kona or a Mazda CX-30, can you help me?
James V.
If fuel consumption is THE ultimate criterion, the Kona is a better choice than the CX-30. The latter consumes less than your current Tucson, but more than the Kona. In fairness, the comparison between these two models is lame since the CX-30 operates in a different category. To establish a fair comparison, it is better to compare the CX-3 to the Kona. And in doing so, the Mazda turns out to be a bit more economical, which will save you about $35 at the pump.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VOLKSWAGEN
The 2012 Volkswagen Golf
More great years
I don’t know anything about car mechanics, so I follow you assiduously to find out which model to switch to. I currently have a 10 year old Volkswagen Golf with 100,000 kilometers on the clock. I like the robustness of the Volks and its maneuverability. I feel safe there and love driving it. To which electric model should I turn? My budget is modest. This would probably be my last car that I want to stretch for a long time. An electric Volkswagen? Do you have any other suggestions?
Elizabeth P.
It’s all very well to think about making the air we breathe cleaner, but your Golf still has many good years ahead of it, you know. Considering the waiting times for a new vehicle, the interest rates, the rates charged, the technological evolution and the arrival of new models, why not wait for all this to calm down a bit? You love your Golf, don’t you?
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
In the dark, like in snowstorms, headlights make it possible to see and be seen.
O laziness when you hold us
I am always surprised to come across or follow cars traveling on our roads and highways without headlights on at night. Why are only the daytime headlights automatically switched on and not the evening ones? It’s so dangerous. What’s more, how do we alert these drivers when they forget to turn on their headlights? With all the electronic gizmos and multiple sensors that are part and parcel of a car, it should be automatic, right?
Richard A.
It used to be said that driving a car was a privilege, not a right. The times have changed. You’re right, this is one of the few responsibilities still vested in every motorist: make sure that the headlights and lights are on when night falls. Obviously, that’s too much to ask.