proper – All about car

I’m glad the majority of you see the sheer good sense in not ruling out those dirty diesels from your used car deliberations. Certainly, recent diesels have a pretty clean bill of health. Richard is one of you correct thinkers who liked my diesel saloon piece. “A used diesel saloon really is a shrewd commuter car but an estate is even better!” he says. “My philosophy is to have a cheap-as-chips Citroën C5 diesel estate as the daily driver, which is economical, smooth, quiet and comfortable, and is the ideal calm and tranquil commuter. What’s more, it’s only worth insuring third party, and it’s no slouch on long journeys either. This lets me afford a luxobarge for the weekend and my Mercedes S600L fulfils that role to perfection.” Richard is clearly doing Bangernomics right and I am glad that the C5 is serving him well. He’s dead right about estate cars. The SUV is apparently killing them off but just for now there are plenty around and, in practical terms, they are unbeatable. Not least because they are not carting around tons of extra metal, propshafts and other space-robbing, economy-sapping ballast. I would be inclined to go for the nominally more reliable product with a Japanese badge, even though they are not fully on board the diesel train, because the engines are damned reliable. The Honda Accord may have a sloping roof, but here is one of the prettier estates in circulation. If we only want to spend £1500, then that will buy a 2006 two-owner 2.2 i-CTDi EX with 150,000 miles. The combined consumption is officially 47.9mpg, so it ought to do a solid 45mpg. Otherwise, a Toyota Avensis is the rather more blunt-fronted affair and, again for £1500, you will get a 2007 2.2 D-4D T-Spirit with 150,000 miles. The one I came across was all ready to roll with a full MOT from a dealer. Then there is the Mazda 6. A 2004 2.0 TD TS2 with 106,000 miles and an absolute ton of history from a dealer was a tempting £990. Alternatively, a much more recent 2010 2.2 D TS with 165,000 miles is a realistic £1794. One of the biggest and most practical of all the real-world diesel estates has to be the Ford Mondeo. There is such a huge classified ad choice, which is always good news. I rather liked the fact that it is possible to get a 2008 2.0 TDCi Titanium with 159,000 miles, also for £1500. Unless you want an old-shape 2006 2.0 LX with 101,000 miles, which is a part-exchange clearance. I sort of love both and am sure Richard would too. What we almost bought this week “Always had oil and filters changed yearly.” It’s a good start to any used car ad and certainly caught our eye. The 2004-reg Clio Extreme has done 100,000 miles and, says the private seller, “has never let me down and is mechanically fine”. Begs the question why sell it – but, at £250, it’s got to be cheaper than taking the train. Tales from Ruppert’s garage Just to let you know that the fuel line was fixed. I got so covered in gunk patching it up, I let my local garage finish the dirty work and also make the headlamps work again as there was a rogue earth connection. Meanwhile, the driver’s side sliding window popped out again. My mistake: I slammed the door without the window being shut. I remember 99% of the time, but I forgot just the once and there it was on my lap again. Hopefully that is it for the Lorry, as there are now so many stories to tell about the other sorry members of the fleet. A to Z Bangerpedia J is for Honda Jazz: What we have here is a compact hatchback that nonetheless has lots of flexible space inside. Yes, the Jazz is such an ingenious little car, it is hard to find a rival model that is any better. The well-proportioned small-people-carrier styling is a key reason why the Jazz works so well. At the back is a very large boot and the load area can be changed easily. Simply fold the rear seats into the footwells for a completely flat floor or just fold the seat bases forward to effectively create two separate boot areas. It is very clever and all passengers appreciate the extra head and leg room. The high driving position is great for the driver and there is lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. Under the bonnet is a highly efficient 1.4-litre petrol engine that delivers almost 50mpg across the range. A 2003 1.4 i-DSi SE is £490. Readers’ questions Question: My four-year-old Peugeot 308 is starting to develop problems, but is almost at the end of its PCP. Am I tied to Peugeot for its replacement? Donald Stewart, Kirkcudbright Answer: Fortunately, under the terms of a PCP, you can offer your Peugeot to any car dealer in part-exchange for another – be it a new or used Peugeot, or another make entirely. Peugeot Finance, or whoever stumped up your loan on your 308, is only interested in getting back the money it’s owed. Whichever dealer you go to will contact it to establish the car’s so-called settlement figure. Assuming they think your 308 is worth this sum and that you plan to buy
Origin: James Ruppert: big, old diesels are proper pocket pleasers

Moose on the shores of a river in Alberta.Vince Crichton Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam. Here’s what you missed while you were away. A guide to hitting animals with your car to avoid injury Crash victim Michelle Higgins’ car is seen May 23, 2012, at the local bodyshop in Gander, Newfoundland, following a visit to the crash site where she hit a moose. Doctors told Higgins she went into shock, explaining why she continued to drive to work oblivious of the damage. Victoria Higgins / Supplied In Canada, motorists don’t just share the road with other drivers, but also often with wildlife. Obviously precaution is the best strategy here, but when a collision is inevitable, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of avoiding injury. Considering some 236 Canadians were killed following collisions with moose between 2000 and 2014, it’s probably worth taking the crash course, no pun intended. Tips include limiting speed, avoiding swerving and releasing the brakes at the last second. Can you be a distracted driver if your phone is dead? This week the Driving staff got into a heated but always civil debate over a recent conviction of a B.C. man who was booked for distracted driving because he had earphones in that were connected to a dead iPhone. Now, it’s not illegal to drive with two earphones in in B.C. like it is in the rest of Canada, but according to the justice deciding the case, the phone was “in a position in which it may be used.” A real puzzler, mainly because, as Lorraine Sommerfeld points out, “Why would anyone have two earbuds in to listen to nothing?” These are Canada’s new federal EV incentives An EV electric vehicle charging parking spot in a parking lot at UBC, Vancouver, February 20 2019. Gerry Kahrmann / Postmedia It’s no secret that the Canadian government wants people to think about the environment when choosing what car to buy. This week, the feds outlined the details of its EV perks plan, including a list of 27 models and trims that qualify for the $2,500 incentive for “shorter-range plug-in hybrid vehicles” or the $5,000 incentive for “battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, or longer range plug-in hybrid vehicles.” The update comes as the federal government moves toward its goal of having 100 per cent of new vehicle sales to be zero-emission cars by 2040. Ontario’s licence plates get a new look A new look and a new catchphrase! “A Place to Grow.” That’s the slogan that will appear on the new Ontario license plates slated to arrive once existing stock runs out. The plates feature the line from the old Canadian tune written to celebrate Ontario at the ‘67 Expo, with flattened white lettering on a blue background, and the crown in the corner. Commercial vehicle plates will also be updated to read “Open for Business,” a phrase borrowed from the Ford government’s favourites. Why you need to be careful when fuelling up your classic A detailed view of the rear gas cap on a Austin Healey 100M during the 40th Antwerp Classic Salon on March 3, 2017 in Antwerpen, Belgium. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images Owning and caring for a vintage vehicle is a big responsibility. Often special care is needed, sometimes even at the pump. Because as Jil McIntosh details, modern fuel can be hard on old vehicles. Potential issues include the presence of the corrosive, rubber-eating chemical ethanol in modern fuel, and the absence of lead, which helped raise octane levels and protected valve seats. Take a read and make sure you’re parking at the right pump next time you’re out with your classic. Chevrolet finally put a date on the mid-engined Corvette Chevrolet has announced that its much anticipated mid-engined C8 Corvette will debut on July 18th and will head for production later this year. We’re still learning more, but the engine that’s to sit in the middle of the new ‘Vette is expected to be a version of the outgoing model’s 6.2-litre V8, tweaked to the tune of about 500 horsepower. Chevy is expected to introduce it in Stingray format and then follow that up with a Z06, ZR1 and some 1,000-horsepower line-topping trim allegedly named Zora. Basically all good news except that there’s no option for a manual transmission. Keanu Reeves give GQ a tour of his bikes At 54 years old, Keanu Reeves is aging like a fine wine. He’s still rocking the same haircut and t-shirt-suit-jacket combo he had in the ’90s, but it somehow looks super-stylish and current on the John Wick-era Keanu, as it did the Bill and Ted-era Keanu. Speaking of stylish, the man owns some seriously sweet bikes, which he showed off to GQ in this recent YouTube video. There’s the Matrix Ducati special, a 1973 Norton Commando 850 MK2A (the second bike he ever owned) and a selection from his own company Arch Motorcycles. Keanu takes
Origin: News Roundup: The proper way to hit a moose, Keanu Reeve’s bike collection and more super Canadian news