Was 1997 A Good Year For The Rav4

[GT4 BOOSTER]

hi guys - looking at a 1997 r plate rav 4 , anything to look out for and listen for , was this a good year for the rav4 are the engines still good over 100,000 for not burning oil ???

[Darrenp]

I had a 1997 3dr. When I sold it it had just over 110 000 miles and was burning a little oil due to valve stem seals :( . It did not burn a lot of oil at all but it would need topping up at least once between services. ( Saying that a one of my buddies has a 1996 with just over 180 000 miles on his and his is still running strong. All he has done to his is one clutch and 3 cam belts. )

Stand behind the car and get someone to start it up. Give it a good hard rev ( nothing too hard about 3500 -4000 ). If blue smoke comes out the exhaust the valve stem seals are leaking or worse :o :o :o :o .. Also try and start the car from cold as it will then have let oil seep through the seals if they are leaking.

My 1997 had much better fuel consuption than my 1998 ( mind you it was a 3dr and my later one is a 5dr ) but I was getting 394 miles to a tank ;)

Hope this helps

Cheers

Darren

[sjrainsford]

I'm very pleased with my 98 model. It's got 99000 miles on the clock now, and the engine sounds like new even when started from cold. It doesn't burn any oil and feels like it is built like a tank. The interior is very dated on them, and the road and engine noise is quite intrusive.

But they're a very practical car and recommendable. And when I say a car, I mean a car. They really do drive like one, rather than like a typical 4x4.

My only advice would be just to check the usual stuff like history etc. If you can stretch to a 98 model then they were facelifted and in my eyes look a bit better.

Otherwise, happy Rav4ing!

[Uncle Bob]

1998 is the facelift model so has a better spec over the early models, so should be a good choice :) .

[GT4 BOOSTER]

cheers men.that helps a great deal

[shutty]

cheers men.that helps a great deal   

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I would have a look underneath

Some are starting to show there age with corosion if used hard

Suspension, fuel & brake pipes corroding. Brake disc corrosion and check the exhaust mounting bracket on the catalyst. They break off and fail an mot. They can be welded back on if its still there to weld back but if not its a £600 part

The engines are bullet proof with good servicing