2018 Rav 4 good deal ?

[giffardo]

in the market for a new family car and seen some good deals on now older model 2018 RAVs, is the 2.0 petrol a bad choice? it will be thirsty I guess.the hybrid is probably a good option if I can find one with a decent spec for the budget.

don't really want to pay 10k extra and go down the finance route for a 2019, or is it a bad idea buying an old model now ?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Depreciation is heaviest in the first year, regardless of whether it is an old model or current model. 

[Avalon]

It’s also often the case that you get the best value on the run-out production of an older model than the initial run on a new model - the quirks have generally been worked out and they usually throw a load of options at it to clear stock and sweeten the deal to make space and because demand is expected to fall in anticipation of ‘new’ spec. This is why I own what was one of the last and cheapest 4.2’s sold in the UK, it was even better after the finance contribution offer knocked another few grand off it and was cleared after one payment, those were the days...

[PeteB]

Should be a good deal as long as you intend to keep it for a few years (and actually do!).

I made that mistake when I bought one of the last 2011 Yaris before the new 3rd generation came out for 2012 model year.  It was a T-Spirit (top spec) 1.33 petrol with 6-speed multimode transmission.  It cost me a whisker under £14,000 with the protection pack and came with a £500 petrol card.

Sadly I couldn't get on with it, because after 9 years and nearly 200,000 miles in Gen 1 & 2 Prius Hybrids, I couldn't get used to the engine running all the time again, plus a loan car I'd driven just a few months earlier still had the Yaris brilliant digital dash, but they had quietly sneaked in a very backward analogue dash, which I also hated after 11 years of digital ones.

When I ordered the Yaris I planned to keep it for quite a few years, but I got the chance to buy a 6 month old Gen 3 face lift Prius demonstrator  in exactly the spec I wanted the following year and was offered just £7,000 for the Yaris!  I did get the Prius for about £5k below list price though, and it was in perfect condition with just 3,500 miles on it.

[Heidfirst]

11 hours ago, giffardo said:

in the market for a new family car and seen some good deals on now older model 2018 RAVs, is the 2.0 petrol a bad choice? it will be thirsty I guess.the hybrid is probably a good option if I can find one with a decent spec for the budget.

don't really want to pay 10k extra and go down the finance route for a 2019, or is it a bad idea buying an old model now ?

The old model is, of course, just that - an  old design/platform & the new one is much improved. However, if you are happy  with the old model & it does what you expect that you will need it to, for however long that you think that you will need it to, you should be able to save a lot against a new model (in another thread on this forum I mentioned that I once got offered -56% off list price for a brand new, but just out of production Vauxhall). Of course when you come to sell/trade it in you will also be offered less than if it were the new model - it's up to you to do the sums & work out whether it suits you.

It also would appear that the new model RAV4 is basically sold out for the next 6 months anyway unless you can find one that a dealer had ordered for stock & not a specific customer ...