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[bunjovi]

Hi im new to the forum

Im looking to buy my 1st RAV4 Im wanting to get something around a 2005 model with satnav and leather seats.

should i go for diesel or petrol, do they have timing belt or chain. i will be doing short mileage during week and trips out

at weekends.i will average around 8000 per year.

I would appreciate any advice from members

cheers 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello John - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Short journeys/8,000 per year - I'd go for petrol.

[Grumpy stumpy]

Petrol has a timing chain, diesel has a timing belt. Petrol ones are bullet proof, diesel ones are good also but at some point you may need a turbo or dual mass flywheel @£1200 , petrol for me.

[bunjovi]

Cheers forum members for the advice on Timing belt/chain engines also info on petrol/ diesel engines for low milaege use.

Any more info would be grateful whilst im choosing our first rav 4.

looking for a 5 door around 2004 to 2007. looks like it will be petrol.

 

[firemac]

If you're looking at 2004 - 07 then it will be a late 4.2.5 (facelift: round front fogs, some interior changes, XT_ model designations, etc.) or an early 4.3. We've owned a number of 4.2's both petrol (all automatics) and diesel, and they are brilliant, robust, reliable cars. We also owned a 12-reg 4.3 diesel automatic and it too was a lovely car. The 4.3 is certainly roomier and benefits from being a much more modern design but they only come as 5-drs (the 3-dr 4.2 is becoming a bit iconic now). Whilst the 4.2 is permanent 4WD, the 4.3 uses a very sophisticated intelligent AWD system whereby it always starts off from rest in 4WD but reverts to FWD as speed builds; however, if it detects any loss of traction at the rear, it instantaneously reverts to 4WD. It can also be locked in 4WD if required but only below 25 MPH IIRC (you'll see a large black button in the middle of the centre console for this function). I have taken the liberty of pasting a previous response of mine from another similar thread below, which will hopefully give you a bit more useful info.

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 2.0L 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 4.3 continues to use the vvt-i engine in the petrol model.

The only thing to watch out for on the petrol engine 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. Also, check very carefully that the car you are looking at is indeed 4WD; if you're buying from a Toyota dealer then there shouldn't be a problem but some non-franchised dealers don't really know much about RAV's (or lots of other 4x4's for that matter!) and will simply assume that they are all 4WD. They're not. Some of the low spec 4.2's with the 1.8L engine were FWD only (badged "NV", IIRC). You shouldn't have a problem with these as they pre-date 2004 - the 4.2.5 was only 4WD - but that doesn't mean that badges couldn't have been changed in the past or the powertrain replaced by a previous owner. The 4.3 up to 2007 (they came out in 2006) should always be intelligent 4WD although a FWD only model was introduced late in that model's life, i.e after about 2010. Always get down on your kness and look under the car; you should be able to see two driveshafts at the front, a single propshaft going to the rear diff and two driveshafts to the rear wheels.

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

[bunjovi]

Cheers Firemac your info has answered my questions,I will search for a good petrol model.

again thanks.