Buying A Used Rav4

[blackcoffee]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum but i hope i will be an active member very soon.

Looking to buy a used RAV4 because i always liked the way it looks, it has a good reputation

and it's not very long(Honda CR-V would be a strong candidate but it's too long).

Owned a Freelander before and loved it but it broke down and wasn't worth fixing it.

Will use the car for trips in the nature, longer road trips and even commuting and some city driving.

I want a diesel for this reason.

My budget is around £3000, maybe a bit more if necessary.

It is a good idea to buy a diesel RAV4 for this money or i should just get a different car and save more money.

Obviously for this money i would get something 10-11 years old but with good service history and in good conditon.

I found this, for example:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/toyota/toyota-rav-4-d4d-gx-53-reg-5-doors-mpv-diesel-%C2%A32200-only/1088259733

I try to avoid gumtree but this is just as an example.

I would greatly appreciate any help.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Andrei - welcome to Toyota Owners Club

[JeffreyR]

Hi all, I too am new and looking for a Rav4.

My budget is probably going to be about £5k.

I have done a fair bit of research but finding exact details is difficult or sometimes a little misleading.

So far I am looking at a Rav4 no older than 2007 with under 100k miles. This seems to be about the newest I can get for budget but I am reading lots of horror stories of head gaskets on the diesels. I have been stung with a busted head gasket on a previous car which came to thousands for repair and left a sour taste with any mentions of head gaskets!

For this reason I would like to ask your opinions on options. Should I look at the petrol version instead? Should I only get a 2.2 D4D if the engine has been replaced already? Is there a particular year/model when the head gasket woes were eliminated?

I am itching to get a Rav4 as I really like them but I want to find as much info as possible on known issues first and you guys seem to be the pros to ask. As the OP also said, a Honda CRV is the other option and TBH I want the one with the most reliable engine.

Many thanks,

Jeff

[FROSTYBALLS]

As regards diesel Rav4's the following gives information on the head gasket issues - http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/132178-charliefarlies-guide-to-the-toyota-2ad-diesel-engine-and-its-issues/

Rav4's that were affected had production dates between July 2005 and December 2008 (note that the production date is different to the first registration date). Cars with production dates after December 2008 should have the modified engines. So if you're considering a Rav4 with the 2AD engine (2.2 litre), it would pay to check with a Toyota dealer whether it has had a replacement engine. If not, then the car would be a gamble - not all Rav4's have had head gasket issues, but if it does occur it is an expensive fix.

[152bobby]

Buy a petrol Rav!!

[sich1]

with a d4d rav4 4.2 era its important to check for any vibration/noises on the clutch.

this could well be dmf failure in the early stages. another area is the brake discs as they tend to corrode on this vehicle

so have a good look at them. make sure there is no sign of oil leaks on any of the diffs under the vehicle.

plus the obvious stuff like wet carpets etc. good luck

[bonjo]

I have never been a fan of diesel engine despite the media hype and fuel costs. They are what I call dirty engines and their emission is far worse than petrol engines with catalytic converter. I was told by a Japanese guy years ago that diesels were banned from the cities (or something like that!)

A lot depends on the type of motoring you do. I am happy with my petrol one which give away about mpg to the diesel version.

One point (important for me) is that RAV 4.2 is a permanent 4 wheel drive (/ split front to back) whereas the later model is a front wheel drive with on demand rear wheel drive (like most other soft roaders made nowadays) and drives with all the steering feel and handling on a front wheel drive car

ONe problem common to 4.2 is rear wheel alignment adjustment. The adjusters tend to seize. So check rear tire wear, if they need alignment, you may have to budget for some rear suspension parts replacement.

[firemac]

At those sorts of budgets (3K & 5K) a nice 4.2 would be possible. 5K will get a very early 4.3 but it's going to be very high mileage and of questionable history, I'd have thought.

3-door 4.2s seem to be going up in price, especially the petrol autos. We bought our latest one in Nov '14 (46K miles, one owner FTSH, 54-reg) and I'm glad we did given the way prices are going up now; you'll pay anything up to 7K for a 3-dr auto at the moment. 5-drs are more reasonable.

I've had both diesel & petrol RAVs, 4.2s & 4.3. I prefer the 4.2 as it has more 4x4 character than the 4.3 although the 4.3 is roomier and more economical. My diesel Granite was an excellent car that gave no trouble but there are instances of DMF failures. The petrol engine is bombproof and one of the nicest powerplants ever produced especially when mated to the autobox; the downside is that it is not particularly economical. However it depends upon the kind of use you put it to. We've had a 5-dr auto that could never get above 25 MPG but my last 3-dr auto regularly averaged 33 MPG. The only real problems are oxy sensor failures (but, in fairness, any modern car with a cat & ECU can suffer as well) and autobox ECU failure on 4.2s up to about 2003 - if any car you're looking at has round front foglights and the indicators incorporated in the headlight then it's a 4.2.5 face-lift model which has a modified ECU which doesn't give any problems. The earlier cars (with the fogs & indicators adjacent each other under the bumber) are the ones affected but the ECU can be reflashed for less than £300 and is a permanent cure.

[bonjo]

Very interesting info firemac.

I am very curious about the indicator issue you referred to as my RAV had the fog/ indicator together arrangement. And what does the ECU flashing do?

thanks

[redlew]

My 2005 Mark 2 diesel has done 107000 miles. If I was selling it (which I'm not) , you the buyer would need to aware that it needs a new cambelt in a years time (not cheap), the exhaust must be on borrowed time (not cheap) and the alternator and water pump won't last forever. If the turbo goes , say goodbye to around £1500 and ditto the clutch/ DMF is around £1500.

There is also a strange noise coming from a pulley which I'm, living with but could be very cheap or very expensive to fix .

All cars need new tyres, batteries and brake pads and discs from time to time so I wouldn't worry about that -but factor that into the price -tyres are whatever price you want pay but you get what you pay for. Pads and discs are about £180 for each end.

If I was buying for the reasons above, I think I'd go for petrol.

[firemac]

Very interesting info firemac.

I am very curious about the indicator issue you referred to as my RAV had the fog/ indicator together arrangement. And what does the ECU flashing do?

thanks

My comments about the ECU refer only to the 4.2 petrol with autobox (the 4.3 has a CVT and doesn't suffer this problem). From your description, your RAV is not the facelift model and therefore could experience the gearbox/ECU problem if it is an automatic. However some cars don't experience it but there have been a few on this forum.

Re-flashing the ECU involves sending it off to someone like ECUTesting in Derby (10% discount to TOC members) who check if it is faulty and if so, they load updated software which cures the problem and return it to you. They give a lifetime warranty on the work and so far I've only heard of one member on here who had to send it back for a further re-flash after which theirs was OK.

If the problem occurs it involves the gearbox misbehaving badly, e.g. jumping out of gear or not "knowing" which gear it should be in, thumping/banging noises from the box, etc. The really important thing to note is that, should this happen it's essential that the car is not driven as the box will destroy itself very quickly. If it happpens it seems to occur from about 70K miles onwwards.

Despite that however the autobox is very good: smooth changes, well-chosen ratios and robust.