Advice please

[bryan78]

Hi all, hopeful you might be able to point me in the right direction either of a guide on here that I havent found yet, or some pointers. 

Contemplating dipping my toe into the Rav4 market at around the £2k mark, which according to what I can see brings me in around the 2003 period. If anyone is willing, would you be able to give me pointers on what mileage the respective engines can reasonably be expected to do (petrol or diesel) as most I see are high milers around 90k. Is an auto of that age going to be problematic, or better sticking to a manual? I know every car is different, so generalities would suffice, I dont know enough about cars or engines but am under the impression toyotas are quite well built. I have heard the exhaust can be problematic (as in expensive to repair on the petrol having two cats, might be wrong), is there anything else I should look for or listen for specifically on a test drive that is common to Rav 4's? Apologies if this has already been done to death, I had a quick shufty but didnt see anything, grateful for any help. Bryan

[firemac]

The vvt-i petrol engine is bombproof and will go on forever as long as it has been serviced properly. Like all modern engines, it is full of sensors that can fail occasionally but I've found that if you use branded quality fuel and avoid supermarket pee, the incidences of sensor failure drops dramatically, in my personal experience, having owned 5 RAVs in the past 15 years. The fuel quality issue is even more relevant with diesels! The drivetrain on the petrol is very refined and with the automatic, it is sublime; one of the best engine/box combos I've ever experienced. The only real problem to watch out for applies to the early 4.2 autobox where a software fault causes jerky and increasingly violent gear ghanges which will totally destroy the box if not repaired. Fortunately there is a very quick fix whereby the ECU is removed and sent off to a specialist such as ECUtesting in Derby who re-flash the software which fixes the problem permanently - cost about £300. The only cars affected were the early 4.2s up to about 2003; these can be identified by looking at the front lower bumper where it will have square combined indicators and foglights. The later 4.2.5 model has revised software which prevents the problem - these are identified by having round foglights under the bumper and the indicators integrated within the headlamp unit (plus a few other refinements). The petrol engine, especially in the automatic, is not known for its fuel economy but that is made up for by its great reliability and ease of maintenance. I had one catalyst failure on our first 4.2, at about 80K miles, which I put down to the fact that the car was fed a diet of supermarket fuel almost exclusively; this has been confirmed in my mind by the fact that our subsequent two RAVs were run on quality branded fuel and had no such problems. The replacement cat wa £600.

The D4D diesel is generally a fine engine and drivetrain but the drivetrain is susceptible to DMF failure, as in any modern diesel.

RAV4s, especially the 4.2 that you are looking at, are excellent, robust 4x4s and any car you're looking at that doesn't drive nicely, i.e. quiet, smooth ride, no vibs in the steering, no smoke from the exhaust (apart from a bit of steam on a cold start-up), no engine rattles, then walk away. There'll always be another one. Bear in mind that you are talking about 13 year-old cars + so they will be the products of how they've been treated over the years. Toyota's build quality is second to none so, as long as you can see a genuine service history and an honest seller, the car will be as good as any and better than most, IMHO.

Good luck with your search.

[bryan78]

Hi Firemac, thankyou very much for taking the time and writing such a comprehensive reply, it is very much appreciated. I had discovered the issue on the auto box since I made my initial post but the fog light pointer is very useful indeed, will be more aware of potential gearbox issues with those now instead of all auto boxes. Is always good to have confirmation from someone with experience that in general the engines are bomb-proof, depending on how the car has been treated. I will be able to approach with a little more confidence and hopefully dip my toe in the water when I find a suitable candidate. Thank you once again

[firemac]

I don't know what your requirements are re 5-dr or 3-dr, but it's worth noting that the 4.2 3-dr is becoming somewhat iconic. Whilst that means their prices are higher initially, consequently their value downstream will be better. I must admit to having a soft spot for the 3-dr, having owned two of them in the past but they are a cracking little 4x4 with almost hot hatch levels of handling. In the right hands they can show most cars a clean pair of heels on a twisty road. Great fun.

[Grumpy stumpy]

Totally agree with above mine has now done 91k and been superb, only other point I could add if you go for a manual like mine check the fifth gear is ok, drive it and place in fifth and see if gear lever vibrates badly if so it will need a new fifth gear assembley around £300 if you do it yourself, apart from that the odd o2 sensor. Brilliant motors and great in the winter !

[bryan78]

Hi, apologies for taking so long to write back, I know people have a habit of asking for advice then not letting the forum know how they got on. I was appreciative of the advice at the time, so thought it worth saying I managed to find a Rav 4, plumped for the 2.0 manual, a 2004 with just 67k on it, great interior and structurally sound but the bodywork/paintwork a bit of a mess, bad scratches, bit of bumper trim missing and a few small dings, paintwork swirled and dull (previous owner had a dog, and used the bumpers as parking sensors lol) with a cracking private plate attached which I can sell before/if/when I sell the car for a bit of extra cash. Spent the past few weeks restoring the paintwork (still needs more work but looks smashing now), tinted the windows, fitted reversing camera, replaced bumper mouldings (as an aside, bought them in plain plastic from well known auction site and vinyl(ed, 'd, not sure), by sheer fluke bought black gloss vinyl which is perfect match for the black paint, can give details if anyone interested), side steps coming this week, running lights to fit and possibly some chrome detailing to do. Is a great runner, smashing to drive, comfy, a surprising turn of speed for a lump of car, would thoroughly recommend if you're thinking about dipping toe in water. Thanks once again to those who responded, you tipped the balance towards diving in, and very pleased I did. 

[firemac]

Glad to hear that you had a positive result. Good luck and enjoy your new wheels!