Decisions...Help!

[olitaylor07]

Evening, my old man is wanting a cheap 4wd run around too and from work as he now walks and doesn't like getting wet when it rains.

He has narrowed it down to a Rav4. I have looked into things and where going for a 2004-2005 wanting to spend around £3500 max and with the 2.0VVTI engine.

 

He won't be doing hardly any mileage so reason for the problem. I have seen a few EML sensors fail quite often?

Which model would you recommend as I have seen XT3, XT4, XT5, XT-R (there's quite a few) Also are they all 4wd? And how does the 4wd work - is it constantly on or does the front work when the reatrslips ect?

 

As far as I know it will be a 4.2 or is the facelift a 4.3?

 

Can any suggest a reliable Rav4 with what we need

 

Thanks.

[olitaylor07]

Come on somebody must want to help a newbie! Lol.

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[Heidfirst]

patience, it's dinner time

 

[olitaylor07]

Haha. True. However men can multitask...... [emoji106]

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[redlew]

Once you get to that age, repairs can cost a high % of the cars value and reliable thought they are, things do go wrong. Check out the costs of a new power steering pump, alternator, exhaust -they are not Fiesta prices. Why does he need a 4 x 4 to avoid getting wet? 

[olitaylor07]

He lives half way up a steep hill and when it's icy and snow they can't go anywhere so wanting 4x4 for that reason aswell. Where going to look at 2 one is 64k miles and the other 72k mile. To me that doesn't seem a lot.

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[redlew]

If going up and down a steep hill is the only perceived need for 4wd, I'd buy a cheap 2wd with a set of wheels with winter tyres and a set of wheels with summer tyres. Strange but true is that a 2wd with winter tyres outperforms a 4wd with normal tyres. Google it because it is hard to believe but there are videos of tests going up ski slopes. Of course the ultimate is 4wd with winter tyres.Don't get me wrong , the RAV is a great car but not a cheap car to run -I've the diesel which is now over 10 years old and stuck in the cycle of I've spent £500 on a repair and want my money's worth but just before I get it, something else goes wrong. 

[firemac]

The car you're looking for will be a 4.2 facelift model (i.e. from 2003 - 2006, sometimes referred to as a 4.2.5) and can be id'd by having round front fog lights, front indicators in the headlamp units, slight changes to the interior fittings and XT_ designations rather than the old NRG, GX & VX labels. The spec that you go for depends on how many toys you want, XT3 being base model and XT5 being the all singing toyshop; having said that the XT3 has all the stuff you'll ever need - aircon, elec windows, etc. You should be able to source a nice 5-dr for your budget but 3-drs are in bigger demand with higher prices for nice ones.

The 4.2 is, IMHO, the best RAV in that it has all the 4x4 ability but still has the purposeful, chunky looks rather than the anonymous blobbiness of most SUVs these days. They are also uber reliable. We're currently on our 4th 4.2 (also had a 4.3 in the midst of all these) and have always found them to be excellent cars, esp for reliability. Having said that, the vvt-i petrol engine whilst being a brilliant thing dynamically (esp when matched with the autobox), is not brilliant in terms of MPG. But I've always found that the additional fuel cost is more than outweighed by the first-class reliability and very reasonable servicing costs. EML sensors are something that can be problematical with any modern car but IMO fuel quality has alot to do with their longevity. We ran our first 4.2 (an 02-reg auto) almost exclusively on supermarket petrol and it went through quite a few sensors (plus a catalyst) in the 11 years and 90K miles that we owned it. The subsequent 2 vvt-i's that we've owned, including our current 54-reg 3-dr, have all been run on branded fuel (mainly Shell Nitro) and they've not needed any EML sensors and their economy has been better, as well.

The only thing to watch out for on the 4.2 petrol is the serpentine belt, essentially a very long fan belt, which runs the water pump, aircon compressor, alternator. etc. Although these are very robust and can last for the life of the car in some circumstances, if it breaks, the car is immobilised until a new one is fitted and it is usually a dealer-only item that is seldom available immediately. However, if they are changed every, say 5 years (60K miles) or so, they'll never give a problem. When you're looking at a prospective purchase you can gauge the condition of the belt by running your fingers across its width - if you can feel ridges or tramlines then the belt should be replaced, so get £100-£150 knocked off the purchase price to allow for a replacement. You can see the upper portion of the belt when you open the bonnet and look down on the left side (Off side) of the engine. Other than that, the vvt-i is virtually bombproof as is the rest of the car assuming it has been looked after properly. The vvt-i has a cam chain, as opposed to a cam belt, which makes it that bit more reliable and less costly to maintain.

As with all second-hand cars do your homework and check it out thoroughly; if you come across one with a full Toyota service history, that is the ideal. Watch out for non-Toyota dealer ads which claim a FSH on the basis of services every 10K miles even though the car in question may have only covered, say, 5K miles per year. The service schedule requires a service every 10K miles or EVERY YEAR, whichever comes first.

The 4.2 is permanent 4WD.

Good luck in your search and let us know how you get on.

[olitaylor07]

Brilliant firemac. Just what I wanted to know. Where going to look at 2 at the weekend by us. One has full Toyota history aswell.

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