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She's in her 80s, and has had some health problems. I think a set of used tires will likely outlast the vehicle, and perhaps her driving years. Walmart has closed most (all?) of its auto centers here. However, Canadian Tire has all-seasons in the correct size (225-70R16) for C$135.78. But...

Thank you, good thought - there's a set of four all-seasons, on Hyundai rims, on Kijiji for a good price. We'll take a look.

She is widowed, in her early 80s, and doesn't have a lot of money. I suspect it's keep this vehicle going, or do without. Kal Tire quoted C$1000 all-in (mounting/balancing/new valve stems/eco fee/taxes) for four all-weather tires (i.e. winter-rated). It does drive well, and the rust appears...

Perhaps instead of nitrogen they used ozone. 😉

And just because, here are shots of the CV boots: Cracked but still intact: Split open, and slinging grease

Yesterday I did a bit of a mechanical inspection on an elderly lady's 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. There was a sloppy ball joint, one cracked CV boot, and one split-open CV boot, but the really scary thing was the tires: Adequate tread left, but those sidewalls are scary! 😳

It has always been hard for me to get my head around, but time is not absolute - it actually does slow down as you go faster. This was theorized by Einstein early in the 20th century, and confirmed empirically decades later when very accurate atomic clocks were available. In one very clever...

I'm trying to visualize what's happening here. Is the part that the shaft runs through a hanger bearing located immediately after the transmission? Have you successfully pushed the splined end of the shaft out of the wheel hub?

The famed cloud cars ... 😁

Ach, der Wasserboxer, ja! I love that gen of VW van. They started out as air-cooled c. 1980 or '81, and the water jacket was added around the boxer engine a couple of years later. Yup, that was the Previa's predecessor, called, I think, simply the "Toyota Van" here. During our year in NZ we...

That would have been an evolved Volare/ Aspen, right? RWD/Torqueflite 3-speed automatic.

Was that the sister car to the Plymouth Acclaim? A friend had one, an '89 or '90. It was a pretty good car.

A friend's 3.0 Aerostar wouldn't start one cold winter day. This was c. 2002. I removed the distributor cap and rotor through a weird little access panel on dash, and cleaned them up with sandpaper. Then I was able to pull and clean the two front spark plugs. That was enough to get it...

I could see those being rented out to movie studios for period pieces.

Certainly more interior room, and better for towing.

I would guess that Winnipeg is about halfway between southern Quebec (worst rust) and BC's lower mainland (least rust). You're right, the chemical processes that lead to corrosion slow right down during our cold winters. However, salt is mixed in with the sand to keep the sand from clumping...

Here they had a reputation for having problematic AC that failed often and was expensive to repair.

Most of the early minivans were available with a (rarely chosen) MT option, but I haven't seen one in a long time. I think even the base Astro was available with a manual back around '85. For sure the early Aerostar, Toyota Van, Previa, Caravan and Voyager, and the Mazda MPV offered a 5-speed...

I'm often out for a walk or on my bike, so it's easy to stop if I see something interesting. My wife is generally accepting of my pathological need to stop and look at old/weird/interesting cars. 😁

Sorry to hear about the crash, but it sounds like she's recovering. I hope the move goes well.