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Rav 4 - Petrol Or Diesel


nigel.a
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Hi, I'm new to the TOC forum and am hoping for some advice.

We sadly had our 2002 Rav 4 D4-D GX written off in a crash just before Xmas, and with our insurance settlement wish to buy another Rav because we really loved that one. We'd had it 2 years and, annoyingly, just two months before the accident we'd forked out over £1000 to have the flywheel replaced (at 70,000miles), which I've since learned is a common problem with this model.

This flywheel issue is one of the reasons I've thought about maybe getting a petrol model this time (I hear it only affects diesels), but I'd like some feedback on how they compare. Ignoring for a moment the flywheel, opinion seems to be weighted towards the diesel:

• It's about 8mpg more economical

• About 20g/km lower CO2 emissions

• Much better longevity (200-300k?) - possibly double that of the petrol?

• Generally better to drive

• Better resale value

Would anyone dispute this?

Given that diesel costs more than petrol, and we only do about 10k miles a year (mostly urban motoring) the economic benefit may be marginal.

From my test drive of a 2.0 VX petrol today I'd say its 'pokier', quieter and nicer to drive than the diesel. Petrols are also much more plentiful.

One dealer told me the petrol will still comfortably do over 100k (well, they would say that). We plan to keep the car a long time.

Our budget is about £7000-8000k so again I'm looking a 2001-2003 cars, and questions I'm wondering include:

If I go for a diesel is there a way to check on the flywheel status, as this worries me. Were only some batches affected and is there a way of checking (eg engine numbers?)

If I go for a petrol does it have its own equivalent to the flywheel problem which could end up costing me dear?

Are the petrol and diesel equally reliable? Are servicing/repair costs comparable?

I'm tempted by an automatic (2.0 GX) I've seen. Is this a good move? Are there any problems with the auto I should be aware of?

Is there a way to make the petrol engine greener? eg is there an LPG conversion possible (this would be a longer term idea)

Any help/opinion anyone can give to help me decide which way to go would be much appreciated. I've got my eye on two cars at the moment: a diesel D4-D GX (65k) and a petrol 2.0 GX Auto (50k) at much the same price.

Thanks,

Nigel

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Hi Nigel and welcome to TOC, like you I have been pondering the petrol V's diesel scenario recently. I also do similar mileage and journeys

to you. When you look at Ravs about a year to 18 months old the difference in prices for the petrol can be up to 3K cheaper. So for me its

definitely worth thinking about.

Most issues you have with Dual Mass Flywheels can be answered by looking at Anchormans pinned thread at the top of the page. ;)

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I can put a different perspective to your questions

Being a petrol nutter, and having had my 1994 RAV4 from new, I've just purchased another 1994 one....not to replace the original but to replace one of my other cars!!! I am VERY active in the environmentally responsible arena in that I re-use old tyres for sports projects, for example!!

However getting back to your questions:

1994-6 RAVs still sell for around £2,000+ depending on condition. My RAV has done 167,000 miles - albeits had a lot of work done to take it up to a racier spec. The engine at that time was called the 3SFE - an engine that had been about in the Corolla and others for a while. Not a robust engine as some Toyotas but was still good for 160,000. The only reason the engine failed was that an oil leak went ignored by my daughters when they were using the car and the engine seized. Had the oil leak been fixed, the engine would still be running.

As far as mileage, I do up to 6,000 per car, get a hefty insurance reduction (my second RAV will also have the 3SGTE engine implanted cos its much faster and will cost me £40 a year fully comp!!)

The 3SFE engine of the earlier models was around 127bhp but was one of the lightest cars in its class hence had sportier performance than most jeeps and many cars.

Moving to more recent petrol RAVs, they inherited the Variable Valve Timing engine which allowed more bhp, and was derived at the time when emissions were becoming a central part of car design. I have never driven one of these - cos I believe in maintaining my older RAV thus saving it.....etc However, the newer RAV was slightly heavier, but ably compensated by the additional power. From the early days I put alloys onto my RAV which helped widen the track and helped cornering....maybe that would help younger models; I don't know. However the longevity of the VVTi engine should be better than the 3SFE. Do the engine swap that I have done and the 3SGTE is a long proven very robust engine which was over-designed so it could be used as a racing engine! The VVTi will still give brisk performance.

Rust - same on any RAV4s but the 1994 models are generally very very good. Those RAVs that do find their way to the scrap are normally accident results which the insurance company write-off being cheaper than repair. Sad.

10,000 miles is not a lot and I'd see no advantage in using diesel...by the time we have eco-diesel widely available, we'll probably also have eco-petrol as well. Propane - you'll see that I have a propane powered minibus. great cos I use it for longer journeys as its so cheap - around 45p a litre cheap. However in the past year the price has risen from 37p per litre to 45p-50p a litre and there is no guarantee that the Government won't add tax onto it. they have already removed the £1600 subsidy to fit the tank and equipment. And to be honest, having also owned a propane Jaguar, all you get is a lot more to go wrong and it does....and few mechanics know how to fix it. In fact some dealers won't touch it with a bargepole!! Renault refuse to allow my minibus onto their forecourt as its been fitted with propane. Result is the engine management fault I have with the Renault gives me 240 miles on 80 litres of propane instead of 400!!

I've never had a flywheel break on me. The clutch is good for 60,000 to 80,000 miles or more depending on how you drive. Clutch replacement can be done by a non-dealer.

If you are looking to keep the car a long time then re-sale value doesn't enter.

I'd be surprised if the VVTi didn't go past 200,000 miles.

there we are!

Good luck

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I just bought a 2003 Rav4 2.0 GX VVTi in sexy black, and I'm very pleased with it.

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I just bought a 2003 Rav4 2.0 GX VVTi in sexy black, and I'm very pleased with it.

That engine is very good and you will have no problems. Enjoy the car and don't forget to post some photos.

Don't forget to change your profile to VVTi ;)

Regards.

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I just bought a 2003 Rav4 2.0 GX VVTi in sexy black, and I'm very pleased with it.

Aye, its braw tae have a wee bit balance entering this den o diesel.....

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:toot::toot: WHOO HOOO....another Petrol Rav on the site...Excellent!!!! :toot::toot:

No doubt you'll find this website very entertaining and full of usefull information...

You've already met one of the resident chaps who is full of usefull info (Bothy), however you do need to have some good understanding of the "north of the wall" lingo to understand him at times or use a bable fish to decypher his entries at times hey Bothy ;) .

A word of warning tho!!!! (this is more than what I got when I arrived....)

There is a certain...vehicle...if you can call it that... which is frowned upon on this website...

If the, what ever it is, is mentioned then the lads/heavies :ph34r::ph34r::ph34r: will turn up and after a bit of... :boxing: and :bash: and depending on how much you go into detail of this 4 wheel thing some :bangin: and :gun_bandana: you could end up like this.... :crutchy: and I'm sure no one on this site likes to end up like that soooo never :nono::nono: mention the ugly wheeled one and all should be rosy.... :thumbsup:

And on that note I'd like to welcome you to the funny farm :help:

The most informative website I have come accross since I've been motoring :thumbsup:

happy Ravvin

Regards

Rob

B)

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