High mileage 5th gen buying advice?

[elmariachi]

Hi all.

I'm considering switching from a BEV when the lease expires to a used 5th gen RAV4 but my budget (up to around £17k) will only allow for something with high mileage of around 75k+.

I wouldn't normally consider spending that much on a car with those miles, but give the well-proven drivetrain and the fact it's a Toyota, I'm tempted.

Is this a silly idea? 🙂 I like the styling, space and the hybrid nature of the RAV4 - the main alternative is a Skoda Karoq but there isn't a hybrid version.

What should I look for given that budget? I'd love things like heated seats but appreciate I might be lucky to find an Excel (?) in scope. Apple Carplay/Android Auto are essential and I understand these weren't fitted to the earliest cars?

TIA.

[Hadrian1]

High mileage shouldn't be a problem, but for added security I would purchase from a Toyota dealer.  You'll get a 12month warranty every time it's serviced, until it's 10 yrs old or done 100,000 miles.  The warranty will still apply wherever you bought it.  As long as Toyota service it.
In the US they would consider a car with 75,000 mile on the clock, just about run in.

We have a 2020 model, it has voice control of the navigation even without the Android Auto.

[elmariachi]

That's a good point, I'd heard that Toyota now offer a 10yr warranty although if the limit is 100k miles then I might not have that warranty for a lot longer after purchase 🙂 Presumably the warranty is only valid if serviced by Toyota and not 3rd party?

Edit - also worth getting Toyota MD servicing for the 15-year hybrid Battery cover.

[philip42h]

The warranty is effectively for twelve months / 10,000 miles after each service by a Toyota dealer up to 10 years / 100,000 miles whichever comes first. In practice, it is probably good for up to 110,000 miles if you were to time the last service 'perfectly'.

To be sure of AA / ACP you'd need to be looking at 2020 models and later - it's a bit of a lottery for 2019 models.

And the rest you pretty much know. Having lurked around here 'forever' I'm not aware of any mileage related weaknesses. A quick look at Autotrader suggests that you'll be pushed to get what you want within budget. And even at £18k you'd probably have to settle for a Design spec.

But then, rhetorically, why do you think these cars hold their value quite so well? 😉

Out of idle curiosity, why the switch from BEV in your case?

[elmariachi]

Is Design the entry level spec? Wasn't sure if it's that or Icon. But yes, it's a bit of a squeeze finding one in budget 😬 I just think it's 'more car' than a Skoda Karoq (even though they seem perfectly good) for not a lot more money - plus historical scepticism re VAG group cars in general.

Re switching away from BEV, it's mainly cost - for the same budget I can get a Niro but we need something slightly bigger and that quickly becomes out of budget, plus the whole EV market volatility at the moment means it's a risk. Seems mainly linked to fears over Battery longevity - what will it be worth once the car hits the ends of the Battery warranty? Range practicalities are also a minor consideration - we like long road trips and with the best will in the world, an EV does require more planning/time for charging - it's just easier with a hybrid which doesn't have that limitation.

Ideally I'd have a PHEV RAV4 since we already have a charging point installed at home but they're too pricey.

[philip42h]

18 minutes ago, elmariachi said:

Is Design the entry level spec? Wasn't sure if it's that or Icon.

No, and yes! The Design is effectively the "everyman" spec - it's got pretty much everything that you really need but not everything that your heart might desire.

The Icon was the entry level grade for the 4.5 but has since been discontinued, so the 'cheapest' grade that one can order today is the Design. There are, effectively, three grades:

• Design
• Excel - Design with more 'toys'
• Dynamic or GR-Sport - Design with more 'style'

[elmariachi]

Thanks @philip42h, I'll bear that in mind.

[DRS300]

There is a good article in AutoExpress this week on buying a second hand 5th gen RAV4.

I have had two Toyotas go well over 100000 miles with no problems with reliability, just one exhaust replacement needed. These are extremely well screwed together cars and the current RAV4 just carries on the tradition. We have come back from a 1500 mile trip over quite a variety of roads and this edition is just so comfortable and sure footed.

 

[Hadrian1]

On 5/2/2024 at 12:19 PM, philip42h said:

 

The Icon was the entry level grade for the 4.5 but has since been discontinued, so the 'cheapest' grade that one can order today is the Design. There are, effectively, three grades:

• Design
• Excel - Design with more 'toys'
• Dynamic or GR-Sport - Design with more 'style'

I didn't even look at what spec our 2020 model was when we bought it. It was a case of "That's nice, we'll have that one"  , On the Used Vehicle Order it says Rav4 Dynamic, Dynamic Sports Seats, I didn't even realise it was "Bi-Tone"

There are more bells and whistles which can be added I believe, such as Leather seats, heated steering wheel etc.

I wouldn't see me ever using a heated steering wheel, as I've never used the heated seats in any vehicle I've owned.

I'm not a big fan of leather seats either.

[Hadrian1]

On 5/2/2024 at 11:20 AM, elmariachi said:

That's a good point, I'd heard that Toyota now offer a 10yr warranty although if the limit is 100k miles then I might not have that warranty for a lot longer after purchase 🙂 Presumably the warranty is only valid if serviced by Toyota and not 3rd party?

Yes , it needs to be serviced by Toyota.  That's not cheap, but  worth it

[ColinB]

18 hours ago, Hadrian1 said:

I wouldn't see me ever using a heated steering wheel, as I've never used the heated seats in any vehicle I've owned.

I love the heated steering wheel in my Excel, a boon on cold mornings as I don't like driving wearing gloves

[elmariachi]

On 5/2/2024 at 8:43 PM, DRS300 said:

There is a good article in AutoExpress this week on buying a second hand 5th gen RAV4.

I have had two Toyotas go well over 100000 miles with no problems with reliability, just one exhaust replacement needed. These are extremely well screwed together cars and the current RAV4 just carries on the tradition. We have come back from a 1500 mile trip over quite a variety of roads and this edition is just so comfortable and sure footed.

 

@DRS300 - i don't suppose you have a link to said article, do you? Had a search for it and couldn't find one that matched, only one from last year.

[DRS300]

Hello elmiriachi. I can't find it online either I am afraid. I get the mags and it must be only available there. I think it was in the 'Buying Cars' section.

[Mead]

Hi Elmiriarchi, have you considered a Suzuki Across?  - These are essentially the same car as a RAV4 PHEV and although 2020 models may start at nearer the £20000 price mark  second hand ( I accept that this is above your budget but you did say you would prefer a PHEV) -  they are considerably cheaper than the RAV4 PHEV. You don't need to worry about different specs in an Across since they are all the same apart from colour but Specs are actually very good anyway if you look at them - I would say better than the Toyota Design model. With servicing at a Suzuki dealer they can gain a 7 year warranty rather similar to the Toyota 10 year warranty scheme. Main disadvantage to some of the standard hybrid Toyota RAV4's is they do attract the much higher road tax - also they do not have Sat Nav but if you use Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze that need not be a problem.  They are actually made by Toyota in the same factory in Japan I believe but just have Suzuki badging outside and inside the car plus different front styling. Currently there are around 30 on Auto Trader but the lowest is nearer £22000, however I have seen some below £20000 a few weeks ago. It might be worth checking availability over the next few weeks if you are tempted to see if some lower price ones appear.

Note- RAV4 Buying Guide was in AutoExpress Edition 1829    1st-7th May 2024

[elmariachi]

Thanks both, shame it doesn't appear to be available online, would've been useful - maybe I can order a back issue if that kind of thing still exists!

Re the Suzuki Across, I completely agree but the cheapest I've seen them as ~£21k and that's just still a bit out of budget. Good shout though.

I'm trying to work out which RAV4 trim level to go for - I think the cloth seats look a bit plain and am not a fan of black leather on the Excel. The Dynamic trim appears to have what might be a good compromise but I think it comes with a black roof lining and I've found in the past that these make cars too dark 😬

Still unclear re which cars have android auto or, perhaps more pertinently, which don't. This one is pretty much a dealbreaker as I don't want to go back to having an old-school entertainment setup again after having had wireless AA and CarPlay in my lease car for the last 3 years.

 

*update* - got access to issue 1829 of AE via Zinio for fairly cheap. Also, in another thread apparently it's possible to add Android Auto/Apple CarPlay at a dealership if the car doesn't have it, and for not much money. So that's good.

[Eddiefh]

19 hours ago, Mead said:

Hi Elmiriarchi, have you considered a Suzuki Across?  - These are essentially the same car as a RAV4 PHEV and although 2020 models may start at nearer the £20000 price mark  second hand ( I accept that this is above your budget but you did say you would prefer a PHEV) -  they are considerably cheaper than the RAV4 PHEV. You don't need to worry about different specs in an Across since they are all the same apart from colour but Specs are actually very good anyway if you look at them - I would say better than the Toyota Design model. With servicing at a Suzuki dealer they can gain a 7 year warranty rather similar to the Toyota 10 year warranty scheme. Main disadvantage to some of the standard hybrid Toyota RAV4's is they do attract the much higher road tax - also they do not have Sat Nav but if you use Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze that need not be a problem.  They are actually made by Toyota in the same factory in Japan I believe but just have Suzuki badging outside and inside the car plus different front styling. Currently there are around 30 on Auto Trader but the lowest is nearer £22000, however I have seen some below £20000 a few weeks ago. It might be worth checking availability over the next few weeks if you are tempted to see if some lower price ones appear.

Note- RAV4 Buying Guide was in AutoExpress Edition 1829    1st-7th May 2024

Hi bud isn’t all Suzuki across’s plug in , I’ve been visiting dealers looking at used rav 4 but was put off by the plug in version as I don’t have ability to charge at home or at work , but I can see that the Suzukis do seem good value 

[Mead]

Hi Elmiriarchi, yes its hard to find a Suzuki Across below £20,000 at present although at the time of writing this there is one for £17,495 on eBay. It is a category N which means there was no structual damage and it appears to have been repaired well if you look at before and after pictures. However, a category N may be more expensive to insure. I'm not sure if it would qualify for the Suzuki extended warranty and of course buying on eBay may not be as reassuring as buying from a dealer. Also if you live in Surrey its a fair way to travel up to Barnsley to see it. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204792491086?

Anyway good luck looking for your replacement car.

[FROSTYBALLS]

If it is an insurance write off, probably won't be eligible for the service generated extended warranty.

[Mead]

Hi Eddiefh.

Yes all Suzuki Across's are plug in. However they can be driven as a hybrid when the Battery is empty or if you just want to maintain a certain level of charge. Although not as efficient as topping up with electricity the Battery can be charged by the engine when its being driven. I recently went on a longish trip and topped it up whilst driving fom 8 miles up to 25 miles range over a distance of maybe 40 miles although I cant remember the exact distance. It is possible to drive it in hybrid mode quite economically and maintain a steady Battery range and from my experience average 50mpg or even more - depends how you drive it. It does however always start in EV mode by default so if you want to maintain some battery range you have to quickly set it to hybrid mode. If you did ever get the chance to fully charge it the range can be over 50 miles. There are probably many RAV4 PHEV owners on this forum who have more experience of this system who could give their views on driving the PHEV without regularly charging the battery. Might be worth trying an Across test drive to see what it is like with an uncharged battery. I see that you live in Yorkshire and there seem to be more used Across's available in the North than in the South

[rbrtsn]

You can have the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto retro fit at a dealer, will cost you no more than £300. 
 

You need to have the sat nav updated before that can be installed which you can do for £119 through Toyota.co.uk. I just sold my wife’s uncle a Rav 4 that doesn’t have CarPlay and I’m sure the local main dealer said they’d do both for £150 in total but he hates them. 
 

 

[Oscarmax]

Our 2023 Suzuki Across has CarPlay to be honest it is nothing special I could easily live without it, we have an old Garmin satnav with free life time updates, we find it more reliable without losing a smart phone signal.

[Paul john]

8 minutes ago, Oscarmax said:

Our 2023 Suzuki Across has CarPlay to be honest it is nothing special I could easily live without it, we have an old Garmin satnav with free life time updates, we find it more reliable without losing a smart phone signal.

Carplay doesn't rely on smartphone signal as a number of the satnav apps can download maps locally. 
my monthy map update for tomtomgo costs £7.99 a year. 

[Oscarmax]

10 minutes ago, Paul john said:

Carplay doesn't rely on smartphone signal as a number of the satnav apps can download maps locally. 
my monthy map update for tomtomgo costs £7.99 a year. 

Did not know that, we have considered using our Apple iPhone 15 and CarPlay we can use Google Maps or Apple Maps for free might give it a try.

[Paul john]

17 minutes ago, Oscarmax said:

Did not know that, we have considered using our Apple iPhone 15 and CarPlay we can use Google Maps or Apple Maps for free might give it a try.

The tomtom go app also has the advantage of a traffic bar (which is why i like it) so you can see in advance if you will have delays on your journey.