Im New, So Be Gentle

[Chris_Halford]

Hi

As you may have guessed im new to this forum, and having been a very happy Mazda RX8 driver for the last two and half years, im now thinking of changing over to a Toyota RAV4.

I seem almost settled on a 2.0 D-4D XT3 (53 reg with 34,000 miles) and have seen one for sale (in black) at a localish Toyota Dealer.

What would people suggest I look out for when viewing the vehicle, and would you recommend one of these to someone who has never owned a 4x4 before.

I did test drive a blue one (same spec and age but with 72,000 miles) but wasn't very impressed with it. The clutch felt very spongy and so did the brakes. It also had been used for towing (what, I don't know as it didn't have an electrics on the tow bar).

However, I have just driven the black one and what a difference. Everything felt taught, clutch brakes etc and it felt a different car. There are the usual scratches which as its black show well (although my RX8 is also black and has the same problem).

Having read the forumns, I noticed that people have had problems with the flywheel which the salesman has ensured me has been changed on the black one (how can i tell?)

He has also said for peace of mind hes willing to give me 24 months waranty instead of the usual 12 months given with second hand cars, would you say this is a fair deal?

I did find one thing which made me think. Although the vehicle has been serviced on time, only the first service was done by a Toyota Garage, the other two were done by and independent who have nothing to do with Toyota. Is this cause for concern bearing in mind the garage will do an assurance check anyway before I pick it up.

Any poniters to a newbie owner would be appreciated and any advice would be great.

Cheers

Chris

[anchorman]

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

I prefer to think that the flywheel issue shouldn't effect you but I will bow down to the experience of those running that particular vintage.

I don't think you can go far wrong and you will enjoy your vehicle.

Good luck

[Chris_Halford]

Thanks anchorman!!!

However, I now have a bit of a dilemma. I have now also been offered a 2004 '04' plate with 23,973 miles on it (in lagoon blue), except this one is petrol and is £500 cheaper. It does however have the side steps, bull bar and rear step and as I was thinking of putting side steps on the black one, hmmmmmm!!!!

When I think about what i will be using the car for which includes a 3 mile drive to work in the morning and then another 3 mile drive back in the evening with the odd occasional longer trip at the weekend followed by a 3 or 4 hr journey down to see my parents once every few months, would I be better off keeping to the diesel version or going for the petrol version? Would I actually save more money by opting for the diesel version?

I've never owned a diesel before but you always here there cheaper on the fuel side of things, arrggghhhhh!!! Which do i now go for?

I am aware that this can be a very subjective subject, but any comments would be welcomed.

Should I go for the 2003 '53' plate diesel in black with around 10,000 more miles or the 2004 '04' plate petrol with the extras mentioned above for less money?

Come on peeps, give us some guidance on this before I annoy the salesman even more and I start pulling me hair out ;)

Cheers

Chris

[Steve@Aberdeen]

With your relatively low mileage, fuel cost doesn't really come into it, especially as you have such a short daily trip - neither a diesel or petrol will hardly get warmed-up in 3 miles.

The diesel vs petrol choice should come down to which do you prefer driving - I prefer diesels, as does my wife (who insisted that whatever car she bought last year had to be diesel - she bought a D-4D Yaris and loves it); neither of us would choose to buy a petrol engined car. Diesels (especially the modern ones) are so much nicer to drive - especially if you do higher mileages.

[Fizz]

Chris, welcome to the club firstly. :)

My work mate who sits next to me has only just recently sold his RX8 which he had for 3 years and has bought a 2.2D 06 Civic so it looks like thats the way for you Rex owners. :P

As Steve has said, for your limited milage that your doing it wont matter which type of fuel you go for. So in saying that i would be tempted with the newer one with the bull bars etc. :)

[Kev Mc]

Can't help I'm afraid but welcome to the club

[anchorman]

Thanks anchorman!!!

However, I now have a bit of a dilemma. I have now also been offered a 2004 '04' plate with 23,973 miles on it (in lagoon blue), except this one is petrol and is £500 cheaper. It does however have the side steps, bull bar and rear step and as I was thinking of putting side steps on the black one, hmmmmmm!!!!

When I think about what i will be using the car for which includes a 3 mile drive to work in the morning and then another 3 mile drive back in the evening with the odd occasional longer trip at the weekend followed by a 3 or 4 hr journey down to see my parents once every few months, would I be better off keeping to the diesel version or going for the petrol version? Would I actually save more money by opting for the diesel version?

I've never owned a diesel before but you always here there cheaper on the fuel side of things, arrggghhhhh!!! Which do i now go for?

I am aware that this can be a very subjective subject, but any comments would be welcomed.

Should I go for the 2003 '53' plate diesel in black with around 10,000 more miles or the 2004 '04' plate petrol with the extras mentioned above for less money?

Come on peeps, give us some guidance on this before I annoy the salesman even more and I start pulling me hair out ;)

Cheers

Chris

Chris

I have a similar opinion to Steve.

Drive them both and see which you prefer. I personally paid another £1000 for the diesel because they pull like a train. The petrol seems hard worked in such a big car but if that doesn't bother you then go for the cheaper option.

I don't think you will have much trouble choosing if you drive them both.

Regards

[dave.m]

Chris,

Hi and welcome to the club, will give you my 2'p worth which may or may not help you. As for your diesel

quandry, I have had a 2.5 V6 freelander in the past which went like stink but drank like a fish so I decided

any 4X4's in the future would be diesel. My current car is Rav D4D XTR.

In your case I would go for the newer better spec'd petrol as your mileage is low. Another point in my own

opinion to consider, I have had a black car in the past and would never another one. Murder to keep clean

and every mark and scratch shows up.

My Rav is lagoon blue like the the one you are looking at and being an XTR is colour keyed on bumpers etc.

When you see this with chrome accessories it looks great. Especially if you have the privacy glass or if you

intend to tint.

Good look with whatever you choose, you wont regret buying either Rav.

Cheers,

Dave.

[Sussex_Paul]

Chris,

Hi and welcome to the forum!!

The point that you may also want to consider in addition to the ones already posted is resale value.

The diesel Rav's seem to command a better price at both private sale and/or trade in. This is partly due, I'm sure to the fact that when new, the diesel costs more to buy in the 1st place (about £1000 I think), but also I think that more and more people are turning to diesel cars these days, so there's more of a market for them.

Having previously owned a 2.0 petrol 3 door Nrg and a 2.0 diesel 5 door X-TR, I think both are great cars with excellent engines. Clearly, the petrol version pips the diesel for performance, although both were about the same in the mid-range. I found the fuel economy on the petrol to average 27mpg and the diesel 37mpg, but with the relatively small milage you anticipate, that may be academic when you take into account the cost difference between petrol and diesel at the pumps!!

Have you test driven both back to back? That may be your best option if not.

Either way, whatever you choose, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[Steve@Aberdeen]

Clearly, the petrol version pips the diesel for performance, although both were about the same in the mid-range. I found the fuel economy on the petrol to average 27mpg and the diesel 37mpg, but with the relatively small milage you anticipate, that may be academic when you take into account the cost difference between petrol and diesel at the pumps!!

Interestingly, when looking at the brochures for the 06/07 Rav4 range, the petrol model is the poor relative - 3mph faster top speed than the 140 diesel, but 0.1 sec longer to 60; maximum bhp is 12% more but only 62% of the torque; combine that with the diesel's significantly lower CO2 (173 vs 202 g/km) and better fuel consumption (42.8 vs 32.8 mpg). Compare it to the T180 and the difference is even more stark.

Petrol will usually boast higher bhp but you rarely drive a car to take advantage of it - the diesel's grunt is lower down and in a more useful rev band. Almost all modern diesels are turbocharged and inter-cooled with sophisticated engine management systems that overcome the older diesel weaknesses of all pull but no acceleration (it could cruise all day but need a calendar to measure how long it took to get to cruising speed)! Like for like, petrol engines will always rev higher and have greater max bhp so their ultimate performance potential is greater but we're not buying track cars.

Finally, for those who distrust turbos, diesels don't suffer from lag in the way petrol engines do - largely due to the lack of a throttle control on the former.

[sywy]

Hi Chris (or should that be Hot Dog ;) )

Welcome to TOC. Sorry can't help you with your decision. Test drive them both, and get which ever one you prefer. I went for the T180, because it was the closest I could get to my 230 RX8. Although not as quick as the 8, it does satisfy my needs :)

Good luck, with what ever you chose.

Cheers,

Simon (aka Torpedo :) )

[Chris_Halford]

Hi Simon

Yeah, after running the RX8 for two years its bled me dry so I can't afford a T180 (yet).

To be honest, the first 8 months was fun in the REX but i got bored, not only that but living where I do, you can't do more than 40 miles an hour as your always stuck behind lorries so it didn't seem practical in keeping it. Not only that but the £10 per month cost of oil, along with the £120 petrol bill for doing 600 miles was killing the bank account.

As people have pointed out, I need to drive the petrol version and see how it compares to the diesel one, and make my mind up that way, although to be honest I like the style pack on the blue one anyway and I'm not going to save a huge amount running the diesel over the petrol. Just gotta wait whilst the dealer brings it halfway across the country for me to test drive.

Just curious, but what do people think of the £11,995 price tag of the petrol version (XT3)? Its done 24,000 miles and has the style pack (04 plate). Does it seem about right/too cheap/too expensive?

Thanks to everyone who has commented, and hopefully within a week I'll be driving a RAV and saving me some money at last.

Cheers

Chris

[Sussex_Paul]

"Just curious, but what do people think of the £11,995 price tag of the petrol version (XT3)? Its done 24,000 miles and has the style pack (04 plate). Does it seem about right/too cheap/too expensive?"

From what I've seen, you're getting a good price on the XT3 at £11,995.

Most of the Toyota Network Dealers are pitching similar models with slightly higher miles at the mid to high twelve grand mark.

The price quoted in buying guides shows a non franchised dealer price, so with the dealer back up and warranty and the one year Club Toyota membership too, I think it's a good price!!

That doesn't mean to say that there's no room for further negotiation though!!! - A nice set of interior mats are always handy!!!!

[Chris_Halford]

Ok, im visiting the dealer tomorrow with the view to test driving the petrol version which I honestly think I have set my heart on.

I haven't seen it yet as its only arrived at the dealer this morning (they had to pick up from another branch 130 miles away). The sale guy im dealing with has said the wheels are in perfect condition (you should have seen the ones on the black one, sissshhh), the body work is perfect along with the tyres.

It appears after test driving 2 rav's (diesel) with the view to test driving the 3rd tomorrow, I have finally found the RAV im after

I've asked about the mats ;) , we'll see on that one. I have 3 years extended warranty and have been offered the tint package for £199.00.

Now im aware that there not just throwing in the extended warranty, but if you were me would you accept the extra 2 years worth of warranty on top of the free first year warranty? It is being included in the finance package somewhere along the line at a price, not sure how much but its in there somewhere.

Still this time next week, all going well, I'll be driving me RAV at last B)

Chris

[dave.m]

Hi Chris,

Seems a fair deal to me mate, as I said earlier in thread I dont think you will regret it. My own Rav's in

body shop at the moment (see my own thread) and I have a rental Nissan X Trail which I really dont like

and cant wait to get my Rav back. Let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

Dave.

[Chris_Halford]

Ok, drove the petrol version today. I have to say that it isn't quite as good as the diesel version to drive, but its less miles, in blue, with stylee pack and with only 24,000 miles on the clock.

Its the low down grunt of the diesel I enjoyed, put yer foot down and off you went, where as the petrol was more of a slow steady pick up but doesn't run out of puff at around 4,000rpm like the diesel.

I've decided I can live with this (bearing in mind im coming from a RX8), and will probably look at the T180 in around 3 - 4 years time when I come to change. That should give me that RX8 feeling again (crickey, its on 10bhp less than the RX8).

Can someone explain to me why these RAV's seem to be poorly looked after? All three I have tested had some serious scratches on the body work with the black one having a dent in the front as well, but the one im buying is the best overall and what scratches there are will be sorted as best as they can without a re-spray, oh and as its still under toyotas warranty (just) im getting a new set of alloy's. The ones already on there aren't in bad shape at all, but corrosion has started to creep in so might as well have that sorted before I pick it up.

I also had a look under the car and its as clean as a whistle under there, unlike the black one which really was in a poorly state (had it been driven off road/beach maybe?).

So as from next weekend its farewell to the RX8 and hello RAV

Thanks to everyone who as replied to my posts, its been helpful in choosing the car I've been after for a while

(P.S. Im sure you've been watching this post Jason (you know who you are), so thanks for all you have done m8 ;) )

[Sussex_Paul]

Don't forget to post a pic of your new arrival if you get the chance!!! :)

[dave.m]

Don't forget to post a pic of your new arrival if you get the chance!!! :)

Thought you might like a look at mine.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa57/ailrav/rav.jpg

Cheers,

Dave.

(still in bodyshop and missing it like crazy).

[chatman]

Temptation is too great............

Here's my 4.2 model VX D4D

[Sussex_Paul]

Thats what I like to see - A pair of fine Rav's there if I may say so

And here's another one of mine, with my neighbour's T180 thrown in for good measure too!!

[dave.m]

Chatman / Paul,

Bloody awesome, two T180's as neighbours, whats the chances ? If I was'nt such a PC numpty I could

have the picture up like you two rather than the link. Anyway how's about more pics from other members

reading this thread !

Cheers,

Dave.

ps, thought Kevin Mc's avatar was hilarious.

[Sussex_Paul]

There you go Dave!!!!

[dave.m]

Thanks Paul, now spill the beans !

Cheers,

Dave,

[Sussex_Paul]

Dead easy Dave, just cut and paste the photobucket url for your pic into the box that appears after you click on the insert image key at the top of the reply section!!!

Looks like you've got the same chrome side bars on yours as I do on mine too!!!!

[dave.m]

Paul, thanks for that I will try another photo when I get Rav back from body shop.

Re the bars, these ones are non Toyota type, I got them from direct 4X4. I had a look at the Toyota ones

they are approx the same price. But I wanted to use as side steps as well (they stick out a bit further and

have rubber steps) so went for this type. I think the Toyota ones are more like rock sliders, not that you

would want to try that in a T180.

Cheers,

Dave.