Hunting down a used RAV4 mk5 AWD Excel with PVM, JML & Pan roof

[Packard]

An existing Toyota owner x2, now looking to move up to a RAV4 after hours of research and test drives in UK to;

Mk5 RAV4 AWD

BLACK LEATHER

PVM, JBL & Pan roof 

Sub 25k miles 

(Apple car play aware can retro fit £50/£150)

ideally in Grey, Black or pearl white 

yes aware it gains the extra tax 

 

is this the holy grail ?
 

 

[Lawnmowerman]

Holy Grail? Nah - it's only a car. Only kidding.

Under normal circumstances (and these are hardly normal) it would be a tough ask to pin down a specification like that.

But now? People are hanging onto what they have given the difficulty in replacing it. Given the car has been on the market more than 3 years now someone somewhere will be changing out of a lease deal so don't count it out.

If you really want that spec. you'll have to put in the hours looking.

Or you can have mine - but it isn't Grey, Black or Pearl White, or has Black Leather, or JBL, or PVM, or Pan Roof!!

But it is a Mk.5, under 25k miles, has Apple CarPlay and is AWD........this isn't helping is it?

Only kidding.........I'm not selling 😄

Good luck 👍.

 

 

[Packard]

Thanks thought that would be the case, if I’m spending that amount I want the right spec.  I don’t like leaving details with some dealers as it seems they always add that little bit extra on knowing you want THAT specific spec.

I’ve got numerous alerts sent up on auto trader and Toyota and lots of evening surfing.  Hoping to be part of the RAV4 club shortly.

Just hope if/when i get it the car is that good.

 

[Lawnmowerman]

36 minutes ago, Packard said:

Thanks thought that would be the case, if I’m spending that amount I want the right spec.  I don’t like leaving details with some dealers as it seems they always add that little bit extra on knowing you want THAT specific spec.

I’ve got numerous alerts sent up on auto trader and Toyota and lots of evening surfing.  Hoping to be part of the RAV4 club shortly.

Just hope if/when i get it the car is that good.

 

Oh, they're good. No worries on that score 👍.

[Flatcoat]

If you want it so badly I would be contacting the dealers. You are paying a premium anyway in the current market so is a bit more when you are spending £30k plus a deal breaker? and remember that whatever you will be selling also has a premium. 

[Packard]

Yep I think I will be going that route in a couple of weeks, as aware I’ve been lucky in past to get to see vehicles before they even hit relevant websites.

 

some of the Toyota main dealers websites are truly awful ! Also noticed many don’t list on main Toyota website only on independent own website. 

[Cyker]

Yeah you just have to keep at it - When I wanted to replace my Mk1 D4D with a 5-door one, I had to just keep an eye on Autotrader et al waiting for one to pop up that had 5-doors and was a T-Spirit spec; The Mk1 D4Ds are incredibly rare, esp. 5-door T-Spirits, and even then had to reject several due to e.g. missing keys, bad colour or wrecked interior. It was a good few months of just monitoring the ads before one finally popped up that was what I wanted!

 

Edit: Yeah was gonna say might be worth just seeing what you can get for new; The dealers have a lot more price flexibility on new models than used for some reason.

Maybe spec one up through Carwow for some idea?

 

[Firecycle]

That's my spec in my Excel in blade silver, love it but no way I would sell. Good luck with your search

[Flatcoat]

Given pricing in the market a new one will probably be about the same price as used. However the new car will possibly not arrive until next year……. 

[Packard]

Pricing is strange - I often drive across UK to purchase cars as in my area it’s £4K more for same car than up north - so a day trip it is

I’ve found red in above spec (even with black leather etc), though wife doesn’t want a red car … I really like that colour !

[Roger_N]

14 minutes ago, Packard said:

Pricing is strange - I often drive across UK to purchase cars as in my area it’s £4K more for same car than up north - so a day trip it is

I’ve found red in above spec (even with black leather etc), though wife doesn’t want a red car … I really like that colour !

The Tokyo red can look very dark on a dull day or in the twilight but changes dramatically when you get it in the sun light.

[philip42h]

12 hours ago, Packard said:

An existing Toyota owner x2, now looking to move up to a RAV4 after hours of research and test drives in UK to;

Mk5 RAV4 AWD

BLACK LEATHER

PVM, JBL & Pan roof 

Sub 25k miles 

(Apple car play aware can retro fit £50/£150)

ideally in Grey, Black or pearl white 

yes aware it gains the extra tax 

 

is this the holy grail ?

Mine's Red - the best colour by far - but otherwise would meet your requirements ... 😉

I bought it in Sept 2020 on the then 2 year 0% PCP deal - I suspect most cars that weren't company lease cars that were bought about that time were on the same PCP deal. So, my PCP contract won't be 'up' until this autumn.

At the time I bought it, my dealer told me that Toyota weren't taking new orders while they attempted to sell the cars that were already in the country - mine was one of those. If you remember were had been in lock-down in 2020, folk were cancelling car orders rather than going through with their purchases, so I would imagine that the number of cars registered in 2020, and that might come available through 2022, might be relatively low - hence the silly second-hand prices we are seeing today.

And then followed the chip shortage etc, etc ...

But I suspect that the supply of two year old cars should improve over the coming months - good luck.

[Packard]

Thanks I really do like the red and went to it immediately on forecourt.  Luckily with two existing Toyotas under warranty we’ve no worries with motoring but when you want that new toy especially after the test drives it’s an absolute want 

[Lawnmowerman]

10 hours ago, Packard said:

Pricing is strange - I often drive across UK to purchase cars as in my area it’s £4K more for same car than up north - so a day trip it is

I’ve found red in above spec (even with black leather etc), though wife doesn’t want a red car … I really like that colour !

My wife didn't want a silver car - too bad - I got a Silver Blade! Having said that, there is a hint (OK very tiny hint) of Lilac about it (or just how I justified it 🤣).

They can be contrary though. Red cars have always been a no-no. Until we visited a dealer for her TT - in Denim Blue. When she saw it she hated it. One week later she collected her new Brilliant Red Audi TT - and she loved it. You know what they say - happy wife, happy life 😄.

[Packard]

Hunt continues, a couple of false hopes with main dealers advertising as “premium pack” then when contact made “oh no it doesn’t have the panoramic roof”… frustrating. 

[Packard]

Still looking so annoyed that so many dealers (often the same few) keep listing “premium pack” when they actually mean “protection pack” when challenged.  I am amazed Toyota don’t crack down on blatant false advertising (mini rant over)

 

Anyway hunt continues …. 

[Lawnmowerman]

33 minutes ago, Packard said:

Still looking so annoyed that so many dealers (often the same few) keep listing “premium pack” when they actually mean “protection pack” when challenged.  I am amazed Toyota don’t crack down on blatant false advertising (mini rant over)

 

Anyway hunt continues …. 

Yup, you really do need to know EXACTLY what you are buying. Notwithstanding that it must be quite difficult to be au fait with the nuances of every model and variant they sell and having to have knowledge of competing products, you would think the basics should be easy enough to know (being charitable that it was mistakenly advertised rather than a deliberate ploy - although if you see numerous instances perhaps it is deliberate).

[ernieb]

When I bought mine there was the ‘protection pack’ and the ‘premium protection pack’ I got the premium version, rubber mats rather than carpet.

[FROSTYBALLS]

3 hours ago, Packard said:

 I am amazed Toyota don’t crack down on blatant false advertising

Probably more to do with the motor industry's self regulation body - The Motor Ombudsman - and their code of practice on vehicle sales.

[Packard]

So the hunt has ended…. A Honda CRV has arrived !

 

Auris remains.

[Strangely Brown]

It would be worth paying attention to the price when new as there was a price increase in Jun 2021. If you can find an Excel with Premium Pack registered before then you would slip under extra tax hike and quality for £155.

As at April 2021:
Excel AWDi - list price £37490
Premium Pack - £1645

My maths says that's under £40k.

I was fortunate that my May 2021 Excel is exactly as above without the Premium Pack.

Edit: It's also worth noting that is the time that the 5yr warranty was reduced to 3yr so you also get the remainder of that on an approved car.

[Packard]

CRV is now in drive, also got so fed up with so much mis information from main dealers over spec

 

[Firecycle]

Good luck with the CRV, if its hybrid hope you are aware of the transmission problems some of them have!!