Buying A Mk1 Rav4

[morgie]

Hello,

I know there are a fair few threads like this, but I can't find one that answers all my q's. Considering buying a mark 1 Rav 4, interested in owners experiences on the following:

1.) (Petrol) MPG - what is seen in general around town or longer journeys? What size is the fuel tank?

2.) Reasons not to go petrol? I seem to find lots of threads on the fly wheel issues on the diesels?

3.) Cost of servicing?

4.) Common faults? I can't see any listed in particular apart from the fly wheel on the diesel.

5.) Tyres - any advice of average cost of budget or brand tyres would be good.

6.) Models - I'm not at all familiar with the model range for Rav4 - what's best to look for or avoid? Not sure what comes as standard?

Thanks for any thoughts! B)

[rambler]

hello morgie

welcome to the club. :D

well generally they are one of the most reliable vehicle on the planet, a recent poll i believe says that the 2nd generation (mine) looks the best...other may beg to differ.

i currently get about 38mpg on a 2.0 d4d,my tax is £215 a year,ive covered 60'000 miles so far in 4 years in mine,so far totally reliable...its now got 84'000 on the clock.

think im right in saying 4.1's had switchable 4wd,4.2's(mine) are full time 4wd ,and the newer ones use a torque sensing 4wd system.

im not over keen on the newer shapes..lost its 4x4 image a bit...mind you lots more toys though,'anchorman' on here is full of knowledge though.

either way..buy with confidence,DMF failures in comparison to all rav's sold worldwide are few.

diesels are far more torquey for off road use,obviously noisier,servicing prices are 'set' by toyota,very reasonable...minor service £85 ish,major service £180-200 from what i remember.

i choose all terrain tyres for mine,yokahama geolander..£105 each,road tyres may be cheaper

generally look for a toyota FSH ,not been off roaded if possible and looked after.

loads out there to choose from..take your time

rambler

[morgie]

Thanks Rambler - that's certainly a lot of useful info. Think I'd definitely be looking at a petrol mark 1 Rav4. I see a lot advertised as "estate" - even in 3 door?

Anyone with experience of fuel consumption in a petrol mk1 Rav4?

[bothwell_buyer]

Thanks Rambler - that's certainly a lot of useful info. Think I'd definitely be looking at a petrol mark 1 Rav4. I see a lot advertised as "estate" - even in 3 door?

Anyone with experience of fuel consumption in a petrol mk1 Rav4?

I could go on for pages -

anyway - I have a 4.1 which I bought new in 1994 and still running. I liked it so much I bought......

another one!

Both are 3 door silver.

MPG - depends on how you drive but maybe around 25-28mpg? I get 22mpg but then I use one for racing and the other for thrashing.

The drivetrain is good for 3 times the engines 127bhp output so the thing is bulletproof. Things to look for is corrosion on the petrol filler pipe and breather pipe; suspension bushes and rear diff mount. Not that expensive.

The 3SFE engine should be checked for oil leaks.

[morgie]

Thanks for the info and pointers. Just so I can understand some context on the MPG - what size is the petrol tank? Thanks.

[local hero]

Pretty sure its 12gal, I used to get about 25 mpg around town + near enuff 30 mpg on a trip.. Incidently they never made a Diesel 4.1 it wasn't introduced until the 4.2 (series 2) most will have had any DMF issues sorted by now Stew

[thatman]

petrol tank 12.8 gallon. ;)

[bothwell_buyer]

Or about 60 litres, but you won't get much more than 55 into it.

Tyres can be had from about £45.

The Falcens I use on the racing jeep cost me £90 - the other jeeps tyres are cheaper, but still able to withstand 100mph+

Other things to look for is rust on the footwells - if its there then the windscreen seal is leaking, or was.

The early 4.1s had a recall to replace the front springs - and I guess most would have been done by now. A dealer would be able to tell if it needs done or been done.

[morgie]

Thanks all for the info on the petrol tank and mpg as well as the additional information, very useful.

Any particular info out there on the models, I see the GX showing up quite a bit?

[anchorman]

Thanks all for the info on the petrol tank and mpg as well as the additional information, very useful.

Any particular info out there on the models, I see the GX showing up quite a bit?

This is quite good. You can find it in the pinned section at the top of thepage;

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/equipment/De...spx?deriv=10277

[bothwell_buyer]

At the beginning there was the GS and the GX. The GX being a model with a few wee extras - think the main was the double sunroofs. Various additional accessories if wished - like bodykits, flared arches, towbar, metallic paint.

One point - 5th gear sometimes slips out... caused by the left hand resting on the gearknob. A fairly simple fix - so if test driving, get into 5th gear to try it out. You could negotiate £400 off.

[morgie]

Thanks both for the updates, especially the Parker's link and 5th gear tip! One thing I can't tell - is the 5 door model always referenced as an "estate" or are there different size 5 door mrk1 Rav4's?

[anchorman]

Thanks both for the updates, especially the Parker's link and 5th gear tip! One thing I can't tell - is the 5 door model always referenced as an "estate" or are there different size 5 door mrk1 Rav4's?

No just one size of 4.1 and 4.2s. There are long wheelbase 4.3s for the US market but they often refer to our 4.3s as estates in such documentation as log books and insurance.

Just terminlogy!

Just a quick word on Bothy's good reminder - you will have to do £400 of work to correct 5th gear jumping out so keep that in mind!