Undecided - Please Help

[CASA]

Hi,

I will soon be purcahsing a Toyota RAV4, presently I have 2 offers for Toyota Approved RAV4, which are more or less the same price. 1 offer is for a Toyota RAV XT4 2006 39k miles while the other is for a Toyota RAV4 XT-R 2007 50k Miles, not yet 3 years on the road.

I am unsure on which is the best buy, since the XT4 has slightly more extras less mileage but a year older, while the XT-R is a year "younger"

What are you opinions?

Thanks

Stefan

[anchorman]

Steffan

Some of the features of the XT4 are nice but there are several mechanical modifications on the XT-R that might save you some inconvenience with garages in the long run. These are by no means inevitable on the XT-R but are almost guaranteed risk free on the Xt-R. Things like oil leaks and head gaskets which can be large and expensive jobs if you are unlucky enough to have them fail. It needs to be a late 2007 which it seems the XT-R is.

For me these are the deciding issues and not the features.

[CASA]

Steffan

Some of the features of the XT4 are nice but there are several mechanical modifications on the XT-R that might save you some inconvenience with garages in the long run. These are by no means inevitable on the XT-R but are almost guaranteed risk free on the Xt-R. Things like oil leaks and head gaskets which can be large and expensive jobs if you are unlucky enough to have them fail. It needs to be a late 2007 which it seems the XT-R is.

For me these are the deciding issues and not the features.

Thanks for this input Anchorman, yes the XT-R is late 2007, specifically November.

So if I understood you well, the 2007 XT-R has some mechanical improvements over the XT-4 2006 which make it less prone to garage expenses, right?

Thanks Again

[anchorman]

Correct - yes.

There were many improvements to the engine to stop oil consumption, head gasket problems and oil leaks. There were also improvements to the air bag system, and sound insulation. The gear change was made somewhat smoother to.

The 2006 had all the little bugs you might expect with a brand new model and drive train. Most of them were ironed out by May 2007.

You will probably lose the spare wheel (but a few had one).

[local hero]

Hi,

I will soon be purcahsing a Toyota RAV4, presently I have 2 offers for Toyota Approved RAV4, which are more or less the same price. 1 offer is for a Toyota RAV XT4 2006 39k miles while the other is for a Toyota RAV4 XT-R 2007 50k Miles, not yet 3 years on the road.

I am unsure on which is the best buy, since the XT4 has slightly more extras less mileage but a year older, while the XT-R is a year "younger"

What are you opinions?

Thanks

Stefan

Hi + welcome, Are both these ravs petrol or diesel? The "slightly more extras" on the XT4, leather a £1500 option, sunroof, £700 option, spare wheel on the back, bloody priceless in my opinion plus a few others, you've already seen that a 2006 xt4 is the same price as a 2007 xtr so less depreciation, get the best warranty deal that you can + even try to negotiate a discounted extended warranty, not that i think anything will go wrong with either car, I am not aware that Anchs had any probs with his 06 xt4 and touch wood I have had no probs with my 07 xt4, would you sooner drive around with a can of tyre gunk in the boot or a nice shiny spare on the back, or as most have done buy a spare + lose half your boot space

I am obviously biased, but to me its a no brainer Stew

[CASA]

Hi,

I will soon be purcahsing a Toyota RAV4, presently I have 2 offers for Toyota Approved RAV4, which are more or less the same price. 1 offer is for a Toyota RAV XT4 2006 39k miles while the other is for a Toyota RAV4 XT-R 2007 50k Miles, not yet 3 years on the road.

I am unsure on which is the best buy, since the XT4 has slightly more extras less mileage but a year older, while the XT-R is a year "younger"

What are you opinions?

Thanks

Stefan

Hi + welcome, Are both these ravs petrol or diesel? The "slightly more extras" on the XT4, leather a £1500 option, sunroof, £700 option, spare wheel on the back, !Removed! priceless in my opinion plus a few others, you've already seen that a 2006 xt4 is the same price as a 2007 xtr so less depreciation, get the best warranty deal that you can + even try to negotiate a discounted extended warranty, not that i think anything will go wrong with either car, I am not aware that Anchs had any probs with his 06 xt4 and touch wood I have had no probs with my 07 xt4, would you sooner drive around with a can of tyre gunk in the boot or a nice shiny spare on the back, or as most have done buy a spare + lose half your boot space

I am obviously biased, but to me its a no brainer Stew

Thanks Stew,

Really confused --Anchor Man's points are all valid and make a lot of sense,since most prob a mechanically overhaul must have happened a year later on the 07 model.

with ref to spare wheel, the XTR has no spare tyre? no even the weight saving ones? What happens if one tyre is punctured?

[local hero]

Hi,

I will soon be purcahsing a Toyota RAV4, presently I have 2 offers for Toyota Approved RAV4, which are more or less the same price. 1 offer is for a Toyota RAV XT4 2006 39k miles while the other is for a Toyota RAV4 XT-R 2007 50k Miles, not yet 3 years on the road.

I am unsure on which is the best buy, since the XT4 has slightly more extras less mileage but a year older, while the XT-R is a year "younger"

What are you opinions?

Thanks

Stefan

Hi + welcome, Are both these ravs petrol or diesel? The "slightly more extras" on the XT4, leather a £1500 option, sunroof, £700 option, spare wheel on the back, bloody priceless in my opinion plus a few others, you've already seen that a 2006 xt4 is the same price as a 2007 xtr so less depreciation, get the best warranty deal that you can + even try to negotiate a discounted extended warranty, not that i think anything will go wrong with either car, I am not aware that Anchs had any probs with his 06 xt4 and touch wood I have had no probs with my 07 xt4, would you sooner drive around with a can of tyre gunk in the boot or a nice shiny spare on the back, or as most have done buy a spare + lose half your boot space

I am obviously biased, but to me its a no brainer Stew

Thanks Stew,

Really confused --Anchor Man's points are all valid and make a lot of sense,since most prob a mechanically overhaul must have happened a year later on the 07 model.

with ref to spare wheel, the XTR has no spare tyre? no even the weight saving ones? What happens if one tyre is punctured?

Me getting in to a mechanical argument with Anchs, would be like me trying to beat Bjorn Borg at tennis so i am not going down that route, however I am a bit suprised, the incidence of headgaskets + oil leaks has only affected about 4 people on here (I stand to be corrected) + indeed at one point Anchs said and i quote "he has only heard of headgaskets going on hard worked vehicles like police cars" which they have in Derbyshire.. Drive both cars is there a noticeable difference in noise levels? The spare wheel thing.. the XTR has NO sparewheel whatsoever, not even sure if you get a jack you get a can of tyre gunk which will fix a nail hole etc, but will not mend a tear, or blowout, I am told using it ruins the valve + the rim has to be cleaned before a new tyre can be fitted, Do not confuse the tyres on the Xtr with the runflats on the T180 which are completely different.. The gearchange, this varies from car to car, we all agree 1st to 2nd is a notchy change it has now been improved but is still not perfect, again drive both cars + see if ones better, These are just my opinion + others may differ, I DO prefer the cleaner lines of the XTR without spare, but that extra wheel to me is worth its weight in gold, However to turn the argument on its head, i read somewhere that the average car gets a puncture every 80,000mls so do we really need a spare? Its your decision only you have seen both cars go with your feelings is one in better nick than the other? nicer color, whatever you decide, THERE ARE NO BAD RAVS good luck Stew

[Ravi Shankar]

Is it just me finds the idea of a car with no spare wheel a stupid idea ?

[Davrav]

Is it just me finds the idea of a car with no spare wheel a stupid idea ?

Believe me, you are not alone..................................

Seems to be the way things are going though.

[rangermastiffs]

Believe me, you are not alone..................................

Seems to be the way things are going though.

Really, I just bought a 'brand new' subaru forester diesel and it comes with "full alloy spare wheel"

[abraxas]

As luck would have it, I've had both.

My 2006 XT4 got replaced by a 2007 XTR after one thing too many went wrong with it. In fact, at the time, I was offered the choice of older XT4 or newer XTR.

I absolutely loved the spare wheel on the XT4. Spec, otherwise very similar. My one has the sunroof, and I don't think that was the optional extra. It did came with leather and bluetooth, that were extras, making it only the spare wheel short of an XT4. I'd still love that spare back though.

On the plus side... As much as I dislike the dodgy diy-tinted Novas, the dark back windows are quite nice. Even if, like me, you are indifferent to the aesthetics of it, it is still practical. I feel more confident to leave stuff on the back seat (like my laptop rucksack). Well for short trips to the shop, anyways. The other "bling" - some chrome door sill thingies, I couldn't care less about...

Having been in a very similar situation, I'd go for XTR [again]. Particularly if it comes with any OEM warranty so that you can do a hard day searching on this forum and fix all the outstanding TSR's before that expires :) And also because I never had a flat yet.

Hope that helps. Good luck with whatever you choose. As Stew says, no bad RAVs (except for my old one that is :P ) .

[webleymk3]

Ok folks. Your breeding concern here.. Having just bought a 2006 xt4 with 40k on the clock I'm worrying I should have bought a 2007 xtr to avoid the seemingly extensive list of potential problems that might occur with an 06 rav. I bought the car assuming reliability. In terms of prices paid I was looking for a lower mileage car and the 07 xtr was a good bit more than what I bought hence the decision.

Have I made a bad call?

[abraxas]

Sorry about that, I didn't mean to worry you there.

You have to bear in mind that this is a RAV forum where people generally ask for advice / vent their spleen about problems with RAVs. And for every post here, there are thousands of people who don't even think of coming to a RAV forum as they have no problems/need to visit. (or, unlike us, have a life :) So, with that in mind, problems on RAVs are few and far between. They are just statistically exagerated here on this forum. I am sure your one is fine.

Now, if you are still worried, as you just bought it recently... IIRC, If it is "Toyota approved used" you got a month to change your mind. Having dropped in on your post earlier, I thought the pic looked "staged" in a fashion of a particular dealer (not-easterly Toyota of EH:).

There are a few TSBs that relate to the 2006 models that are cheap/easy to do yourself, if the dealer won't do under warranty. Try to find a post with a TSB for "cowl panel leak" and see if that applies to your RAV. That was the one that upset me a bit as it was a v. cheap piece of foam/seal and half-an-hour job that could have prevented fair bit of water damage.

In any case, don't worry, I am sure you will enjoy your RAV for many years to come.

[webleymk3]

Thanks.

Car was bought from Western Cars in Enniskillen and had both the 30 day return as well as the 1 year Toyota warranty. As such the picture was very much staged however she is in immaculate condition. I am absolutely loving it. Will be taking good care of it so hopefully have no big problems.

[anchorman]

This is exactly why I am always reluctant to put these things on the web but I will try to quantify this lot after work later. You have got a good car Web so enjoy it

[webleymk3]

Cheers anchs!

[anchorman]

I guess we could go through all the different variants and find common themes for faults but I personally think that generally we are better off being Toyota owners than many others.

To try and put this 4.3 thing into perspective, we have to remember that this particular variant is probably the most complex and most sophisticated. When it was launched in March 2006 it came with a new 2.2 multi valve low emmision engine, a new 6 speed box, a new auto rear axle drive unit and a bundle of new electronics which in many ways has made it one of the most cutting edge compact SUVs. However, we have to face some facts about the evolution of this variant based upon what we have learned here on this forum.

Early 2006 models used oil and in some cases drank it. The first revision to fix it came later the same year and the next in May the following year virtually eliminated it. Some of these very early RAVs let water into the saloon via the heater intake - again modded. By this time we were seeing oil leaks get raised but in most cases these were only weeps or damp patches but to fix the timing case and sump leaks the engine was removed. Most of these have now been completed under warranty. Also by this time notchy gear changes were addressed with a new cable bracket and gearbox noises reduced with added sound insulation. By 2008 we started to see EGR valves sticking but again these were often on 2006 models (where the oil consumption added to the sooty residue). At about this time we started to hear of the first head gaskets going especially on vehicles driven hard and the modded parts with new coolant came almost immediately. Lower mileage RAVs were starting to pop up with brake judder which needed new discs and pads. Some water pumps were being changed but this was due to a weep and not a leak - probably unnecessary in my mind. Some earlier models had a creak from the steering. Early T180s could have some snags with the EGR/5th injector/DPF but this was exacerbated by cheap diesel and extended oil changes.

There have been a few electrical problems but not many. Some radio displays (Stew seems to be suffering at the moment) and Maria has had an irritating intermittent misfire which has proved unstoppable. There have been a few climate control control units.

I may be tempting fate but we have had NO DMF failures!!!

This all makes these RAVs sound like nails but in fact compared to most other makes, this list is tiny. I have changed to the 2009 encarnation which is a spectacular success in terms of how much it has evolved and how hard Mr T has worked to sort out the early gremlins. But having said that, it cost me £9k and a very clean 2006 model to get it. The owner of my old vehicle is absolutely delighted with it and apart from it still using oil, absolutely nothing has gone wrong. I pushed to have all the mods and TSBs done but it has never had a water pump or an oil leak (it is bone dry underneath) so these snags did not apply to every vehicle. I am very pleased with my RAV and what owners run is dependant on what they want to spend on a vehicle so there are all these different models and variants dating back to the mid 90s. For the most part we are all happy and so we should be. They are cracking cars. If somebody gets a snag, we usually get to the bottom of it

[CASA]

Thanks for this comprehensive explanation Anchs. With ref to the oil drinking phenomenon, when was this revised. say RAv4 issued in July would not have this problem?

[local hero]

Thanks for this comprehensive explanation Anchs. With ref to the oil drinking phenomenon, when was this revised. say RAv4 issued in July would not have this problem?

Excellent reply as always Anchs, Can we tell by engine/chassis/vin Nos whether our cars have the improved engine?..Stew

[mrp]

Anchorman, a very enlightening reply as I have just bought a mid 06 XT3 which suffers from a couple of the issues you mention. My main bugbear is the gear change going from 1st to 2nd which can be a bit crunchy, can the cable modification be retrofitted and if so would it be very expensive?

thanks

mrp

(and sorry for cutting in on the thread)

[benxt5]

I find that if you rev to about 2.5k then ease the lever into second, letting it find it's own way, it usualy slots in without so much as a grumble. I was only revving to about 1800 before and it was quite a crunchy change.

It works for me but I guess each box will be different... may be worth a try?

[anchorman]

I'm off to see the Highlander (Big Kev) for the weekend but if I get back alive I will answer all your questions

[MarsKy]

I find that if you rev to about 2.5k then ease the lever into second, letting it find it's own way, it usualy slots in without so much as a grumble. I was only revving to about 1800 before and it was quite a crunchy change.

It works for me but I guess each box will be different... may be worth a try?

Yep - me too. Needs high revs. Still clunky, but more bearable.

[mrp]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a go and see if it helps.

mrp

[anchorman]

OK - quick then I'm off to bed.

This is the first mod (Aug 2006)

4.3 excessive oil consumption.pdf

Then there is one in May 2007 and another in May 2008 but the files are too big.

For the gear change I find it is best at very low revs and just feel the change from 1st to 2nd. You can buy the gear change bracket off Kingo. It gives less of a clunky feel and also reduces the amount of noise transmitted up the cables.

tran-noise-CP-0030T-0808-EN_IR.pdf