New Car: 56 T180

[bluevortex]

Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing my dad's 56 Rav4 D4D T180 in ltd green color. The car has covered £30k, been well maintained and just had 2x new RFT's fitted in Jan '10. My dad says the car is worth £14-15K but is willing to sell to me for £12K. This seems like a pretty good deal for such a cracking car!! I have had a look on various sites and this price seems very generous.

Now, I currently live just outside Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland with my wife and 4 month old son. We have been hit incredibly hard this year with snow. This has left me really needing a 4x4 vehicle as my drive has become blocked on many occasions this winter and driving in general has been down right dangerous. Both my wife and I commute to work and my current mondeo just hasn't been effective enough and we have had more than a dozen snow days between us.

My questions are:

# RFT's - my dad reckons they can be bought from dealer in Inverness for £175 fitted. Am I restricted to Bridgestone how effective are they in snow? Can a specific winter snow tyre be bought for these 18" alloys?

# How good is the T180 in snow/ice conditions

# Can the style/protection pack (side steps & front bumper mouldings) be fitted aftermarket - price etc?

# The reverse park sensors seem very sensitive - can these be amended?

# How does the Rav4 compare to other 4x4 in its class i.e Kuga, CR-V, Freelander 2?

Thoughts opinions welcomed

Cheers

Blue

[Big Kev]

Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing my dad's 56 Rav4 D4D T180 in ltd green color. The car has covered £30k, been well maintained and just had 2x new RFT's fitted in Jan '10. My dad says the car is worth £14-15K but is willing to sell to me for £12K. This seems like a pretty good deal for such a cracking car!! I have had a look on various sites and this price seems very generous.

Now, I currently live just outside Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland with my wife and 4 month old son. We have been hit incredibly hard this year with snow. This has left me really needing a 4x4 vehicle as my drive has become blocked on many occasions this winter and driving in general has been down right dangerous. Both my wife and I commute to work and my current mondeo just hasn't been effective enough and we have had more than a dozen snow days between us.

My questions are:

# RFT's - my dad reckons they can be bought from dealer in Inverness for £175 fitted. Am I restricted to Bridgestone how effective are they in snow? Can a specific winter snow tyre be bought for these 18" alloys?

# How good is the T180 in snow/ice conditions

# Can the style/protection pack (side steps & front bumper mouldings) be fitted aftermarket - price etc?

# The reverse park sensors seem very sensitive - can these be amended?

# How does the Rav4 compare to other 4x4 in its class i.e Kuga, CR-V, Freelander 2?

Thoughts opinions welcomed

Cheers

Blue

Hi Blue Boy,

Welcome to The Club.....if your dad can get the car to you through the present conditions you find yourself in, it will be true testament to just how great a car this actually is, with a four wheel drive system I never even knew I was buying into until explained properly on here to me by "Anchorman".

Only had mine since 9/09, just in time for that white menace this winter, and I have been totally astounded by the ease of driving in some really naff conditions.

With regard to the Bridgestone Runflats, just type in those two words on the search, take a week off work, and read on. The fact you have got two brand newies at least should help towards the timing of getting rid of them in the fullness of time....I will be too, but love the look of my 18" alloys, so will want to keep them on.

I will leave the techy questions to be answered by those better qualified/experienced to do so ,but rest assured, some good advice will be coming your way.

Anyways, if ma Da had a car I was interested in, I would insist on a weekend test drive, a tank of fuel, and also make him fit ye mudflaps and mats!!!!

Price seems pretty darn good too....can I be your big brother?

I had the nosey bit and side steps retro-fitted, so that's a yes on that score. Be warned....them sidesteps sure do carry around a lot of grit in the current conditions (for "grit" read a word which rhymes therewith....).

Oh, and you mentioned "Freelander" on the Rav4 Forum....prepare to receive muchos pelteros amigo!!!

Regards,

Big Kev.

[wardude]

Hey

I have just bought a T180 06 with the style pack on for £15k from a dealer. i reckon £12 is abargain. So far my only concern is the run flat tyres. I was told National Tyres could fit them as they had the right tools. I rang them up today and now they say only a few of the outlets can do it. Other than that I think its a cracking car.....so far lol

[MarsKy]

You got a great car there - and second best colour after red (you'll get everyone going on about the carbon quartz and black - nah).

# RFT's - my dad reckons they can be bought from dealer in Inverness for £175 fitted. Am I restricted to Bridgestone how effective are they in snow? Can a specific winter snow tyre be bought for these 18" alloys?

> You need to check recent topic on this (within last week). You can change, with caveats. Tyres are good in snow. But if I was in Aviemore and keeping the RAV for a few years (especially if you get the snow you have been getting), I'd take some of the money you saved and get proper studless snow tyres (Michelin Alpin) on another set of wheels, and change over to the Bridgestones come summer. And then you would have some emergency spares too.

# How good is the T180 in snow/ice conditions

> Pretty good. Recent snow gave me no problems. I went out on roads where owners were digging their cars out of and the T180 went on without a twitch. But read the other posts about the 4WD.

# Can the style/protection pack (side steps & front bumper mouldings) be fitted aftermarket - price etc?

> My T180 was an ex-demo and I got both packs and tow bar added as aftermarket freebies as part of the "negotiations".

# The reverse park sensors seem very sensitive - can these be amended?

> How sensitive - what distance are they reacting at/ giving a continuous tone? Might just need cleaning. Or you might just need to train yourself to get used to them.

# How does the Rav4 compare to other 4x4 in its class i.e Kuga, CR-V, Freelander 2?

> Never driven Kuga or Freelander. My dad gets a brand new Honda CRV every 6 to 9 months through work - it's not a patch on the RAV4. He had my old 4.1 for 5 years and would go back to it in a heart beat.

[wardude]

meant to say, my mate has just bought a new Ford Kuga and its crap in the snow. He HATES it

[anchorman]

The RAV is equiped with the most affective yet simple 4WD systems available. It is also linked into the VSC system. I think you might just be surprised how good it is.

Welcome to the club.

[wardude]

Hey Anchorman, you were right about the RFTs. I rang National tyres again today in Newcastle and they say they aint got the kit to do it and I have to go to Toyota. I e mailed Mytyres who advertise the tyres and they say while they have the tyres they need to see which fitting centres in my neck of the woods have the right kit.

[anchorman]

Hey Anchorman, you were right about the RFTs. I rang National tyres again today in Newcastle and they say they aint got the kit to do it and I have to go to Toyota. I e mailed Mytyres who advertise the tyres and they say while they have the tyres they need to see which fitting centres in my neck of the woods have the right kit.

Aye. Its one subject I wish I was wrong about but I can't remember anyone having much success outside the Toyota network.

If I were a tyre fitting centre and I needed to buy an item of equipment that was monumentaly expensive I would want RFTs through the door every day. In the same situation I just wouldn't bother and that is what seems to be the case and you can't blame them - they would never get their money back.

There is an opportunity for this to be resolved but it needs some open minded discussion.

[ratchet2112]

Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing my dad's 56 Rav4 D4D T180 in ltd green color. The car has covered £30k, been well maintained and just had 2x new RFT's fitted in Jan '10. My dad says the car is worth £14-15K but is willing to sell to me for £12K. This seems like a pretty good deal for such a cracking car!! I have had a look on various sites and this price seems very generous.

Now, I currently live just outside Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland with my wife and 4 month old son. We have been hit incredibly hard this year with snow. This has left me really needing a 4x4 vehicle as my drive has become blocked on many occasions this winter and driving in general has been down right dangerous. Both my wife and I commute to work and my current mondeo just hasn't been effective enough and we have had more than a dozen snow days between us.

My questions are:

# RFT's - my dad reckons they can be bought from dealer in Inverness for £175 fitted. Am I restricted to Bridgestone how effective are they in snow? Can a specific winter snow tyre be bought for these 18" alloys?

# How good is the T180 in snow/ice conditions

# Can the style/protection pack (side steps & front bumper mouldings) be fitted aftermarket - price etc?

# The reverse park sensors seem very sensitive - can these be amended?

# How does the Rav4 compare to other 4x4 in its class i.e Kuga, CR-V, Freelander 2?

Thoughts opinions welcomed

Cheers

Blue

Hi and welcome to the club,

Your questions on this vehicle are very justified and I understand your reasons for asking them, but rest assured as i am sure your dad must tell you this is a grat car and the best colour too (I know I am biased, it's the same as mine)

Despite the RFT fiasco you are still onto a winner, and yes you can get the bullbar and side steps fitted by toyota after all this time.

Don't hesitate for 12K

[bluevortex]

Thanks for your comments - very helpful indeed. My mind is made up ;) The car is in great condition, I should know it's me thats looked after it during the last 3 years!!! I am going to blag a half tank of fuel and the car for an afternoon so my lovely wife (plenty of sweet talking now required) can have a drive also. My dad has offered such a cracking price on this car, he's clearly trying to help us out. He told me today that he is looking into purchasing a new RAV 4 2.2 D-cat SR Style + Premium Nav 5dr Auto, so I know he rates the Rav highly!

Anyway here is the car in question, i'm sure you will agree it is lovely:

I am going to look into side steps and front bumper protection as I really like the look of the protection pack on the Rav. Snow tyres I will look into at a later date. The only quibble I have is the reverse parking sensors being extremely sensitive and im certain its not dirt! Definately not a deal breaker though by any means.

Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum :D I have been a member of the fiesta, focus ST & Audi forums in recent years and now I look forward to hanging out over here for a while!

Regards

Andrew

[Davrav]

Cracking looking car Andrew

The reverse sensors are sensitive in that they give early warning of obstacles but, in my view, that's not a bad thing. They beep gets more insistent as you approach the obstacle and they have good radial coverage.

If you can't adjust it or live with it you can always switch it off with the towing override switch located in the left inner rear door frame trim [it's a round rocker switch]

Go for it, it's a great deal

[anchorman]

Get that bought!!!

What a cracking car and I'm sure you can't go wrong. Mine has reversing sensors and yes they make all sorts of "stray" bleeps but as Dave says, you will soon learn to ignore those and listen to the "business" bleeps! Before I got a RAV I thought they were more for old dear's who couldn't reverse but I soon realised that you could completely lose a small car like a Corsa when reversing. Those sensors complete with the "strays" are one of the best things I ever bought and when you are used to them you will be able to get really close to an obstacle without even looking - just give them time, you'll soon get used to them.

Enjoy the car and the club.

[Big Kev]

Nah Andrew,

Don't listen to DavRav and Anchs.....I have studied the photos carefully, and obviously the car has not been looked after well at all !!!!

PM me your Dad's phone number so I can tell him personally how ashamed of him I feel for actually asking for money for such a horrid looking vehicle.

I am willing to use public transport to visit him and explain how strongly I feel about this. I will not need public transport to return......

In fact, I would probably give him £12,001 just to make sure you didn't make the mistake of buying such an obviously malkept vehicle.

To echo the euphamistically put instructions of our esteemed Moderator somewhere in Englandshire......

GET THAT BOUGHT !!!!!!

Big Kev

[local hero]

Nah Andrew,

Don't listen to DavRav and Anchs.....I have studied the photos carefully, and obviously the car has not been looked after well at all !!!!

PM me your Dad's phone number so I can tell him personally how ashamed of him I feel for actually asking for money for such a horrid looking vehicle.

I am willing to use public transport to visit him and explain how strongly I feel about this. I will not need public transport to return......

In fact, I would probably give him £12,001 just to make sure you didn't make the mistake of buying such an obviously malkept vehicle.

To echo the euphamistically put instructions of our esteemed Moderator somewhere in Englandshire......

GET THAT BOUGHT !!!!!!

Big Kev

And believe me if a Scotsman is prepared to gazump you buy a whole £1 then it must be an absolute bargain,GO FOR IT that is a cracking motor Stew

[vivianM]

Hi all,

I am looking at purchasing my dad's 56 Rav4 D4D T180 in ltd green color. The car has covered £30k, been well maintained and just had 2x new RFT's fitted in Jan '10. My dad says the car is worth £14-15K but is willing to sell to me for £12K. This seems like a pretty good deal for such a cracking car!! I have had a look on various sites and this price seems very generous.

Now, I currently live just outside Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland with my wife and 4 month old son. We have been hit incredibly hard this year with snow. This has left me really needing a 4x4 vehicle as my drive has become blocked on many occasions this winter and driving in general has been down right dangerous. Both my wife and I commute to work and my current mondeo just hasn't been effective enough and we have had more than a dozen snow days between us.

My questions are:

# RFT's - my dad reckons they can be bought from dealer in Inverness for £175 fitted. Am I restricted to Bridgestone how effective are they in snow? Can a specific winter snow tyre be bought for these 18" alloys?

# How good is the T180 in snow/ice conditions

# Can the style/protection pack (side steps & front bumper mouldings) be fitted aftermarket - price etc?

# The reverse park sensors seem very sensitive - can these be amended?

# How does the Rav4 compare to other 4x4 in its class i.e Kuga, CR-V, Freelander 2?

Thoughts opinions welcomed

Cheers

Blue

The T 180 is a great car, mine is very good in the snow with the Bridgestone dueller tyres, the rear sensors are very sensitive and pick up the side of my garage whilst reversing out but as the other comments made about them, - you soon get used to them!

I have the protection pack on the doors (the black trim) and it does save damage in supermarket car parks - I like them but not everbody does. I also have the plastic cover in the boot area and it certainly protects the carpet very well.

I have the clear plastic film on the rear bumper top - it is all to easy to scratch the top of it dragging things out of the back so it is worthwhile getting that done if it does not have it already.

I am not too concerned about the runflat problems, but to be fair I do have a spare wheel but only use it on very long trips from home, I have been assured that my local dealer does have the kit and spare tyres in stock to replace worn out tyres.

Having had two high speed blowouts on motorways I think the percieved hasstle is worth the safety factor - though I think Toyota should lean on their dealers to ensure a stock of tyres is always available in each area.

I live on a hill and only once all winter have I not been able, when I back out onto my lane, to drive forwards up the hill - this once I had to back down a short distance to a flatter part and then it flew up !

Go for it I am sure you will not regret it.

Guy

[bluevortex]

Ha ha brilliant! Thanks Big Kev very funny!

My mind is made up just relying on my dad now. He is going to see local Toyota dealer tomorrow to get some quotes on a new Rav4. Fingers crossed he gets the right deal as I am now sold on buying his T180. If that all goes to plan I have a VW Golf I need to sell - I would expect it won't happen any sooner than the end of March and that is dependent if he goes factory ordered, could be longer. We had a brief look on Toyota UK and an auto SR with 1900 miles came up - looks promising however, he had is mind setup on a brand new version.

Keep you posted on developments. Fingers crossed. Thanks for your comments

Cheers

Andrew

[anchorman]

I know you are itching to get your hands on it but tell your dad there are further revisions in June.

[bluevortex]

I know you are itching to get your hands on it but tell your dad there are further revisions in June.

Hi Anchorman

I agree and would be happy to wait....

what are the main revisions in June?

[anchorman]

I know you are itching to get your hands on it but tell your dad there are further revisions in June.

Hi Anchorman

I agree and would be happy to wait....

what are the main revisions in June?

Well it gets quite a significant facelift but we have to wait to see what else.

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.p...howtopic=107212

[shcm]

I'm bet it has been mentioned here before and perhaps those that keep fully up to date with these things can correct me, but, isn't it essentially short wheel base vanguard styling? :

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/02/2011-...celift-for.html

I guess we may find out more within the next few days, with the Geneva show running.

[Davrav]

I'm bet it has been mentioned here before and perhaps those that keep fully up to date with these things can correct me, but, isn't it essentially short wheel base vanguard styling? :

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/02/2011-...celift-for.html

I guess we may find out more within the next few days, with the Geneva show running.

Well, if it is as photos, at least the driver side window switches are to be illuminated

[shcm]

Probably not quite the right thread, but about 4 more pictures of the facelift in the flesh from geneva here:

http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/en-images/zoom...idContent=20421

(obviously use ">>" and "<<" at the bottom of the page to flip through the pics).

(Oh, I've just become a rank poster :D).

EDIT: more here:

http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/03/01/2010-...ok-and-quality/

Based on that, looks like just leather/Alcantara seat upholstery changes for the interior.

[bluevortex]

Probably not quite the right thread, but about 4 more pictures of the facelift in the flesh from geneva here:

http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/en-images/zoom...idContent=20421

(obviously use ">>" and "<<" at the bottom of the page to flip through the pics).

(Oh, I've just become a rank poster :D).

EDIT: more here:

http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/03/01/2010-...ok-and-quality/

Based on that, looks like just leather/Alcantara seat upholstery changes for the interior.

Thanks for that. My father is looking into several different new 4x4's at the moment. If he decides to purchase a Rav4 then I will have to tell him about the June revisions or I couldn't live with myself - even if it means I have to wait that bit longer to get my hands on his T180 :(

[anchorman]

I think I would have waited - I think it looks quite nice. It looks like there is provision for headlamp washers - could be a HID option available???

I must say that if this version does get illuminated switches and HID then that completes the wish lists that we have talked about over the years. Sorry to keep banging on about it but the have got the driveability right too. Can anybody think of anything missing?

[MarsKy]

Well, if it is as photos, at least the driver side window switches are to be illuminated

I wouldn't hold my breath - remember the old T180 in the ads and the driver reviews had stuff like a reversing camera, but when the UK versions came out, we were shortchanged.