Advice Needed Please-buying V Reg Rav4-novice At This

[soon to be owner]

Hi there-I am new to these forums, and am not a car expert, but thought you lot might give me some good advice!!(please!)

.I have had the offer of a vreg 2ltr gx rav4 (petrol, automatic) the present engine is dead on it, so will need a 'new' engine- how reliable are these cars -especially one that old? Is it worth going for (only need to pay for the engine repair?) what type of things are likely to go wrong in the near future-and what should I look out for?(basically-is this gonna be a costly venture/)

Sorry for all the questions-just feel a bit lost!!would appreciate some help.

thanks, Chris

[bothwell_buyer]

Hi there-I am new to these forums, and am not a car expert, but thought you lot might give me some good advice!!(please!)

.I have had the offer of a vreg 2ltr gx rav4 (petrol, automatic) the present engine is dead on it, so will need a 'new' engine- how reliable are these cars -especially one that old? Is it worth going for (only need to pay for the engine repair?) what type of things are likely to go wrong in the near future-and what should I look out for?(basically-is this gonna be a costly venture/)

Sorry for all the questions-just feel a bit lost!!would appreciate some help.

thanks, Chris

The engine in the RAV is likely to be the 3SFE. The RAV itself is good and solid - as my 2 1994 models testify. However I did have problems with the 3SFE engine - 1 was leaking oil from the crankshaft seal and eventually seized. I replaced it with another 3 SFE engine which worked ok but was slightly smoky.

I then replaced the engine with a major refit of a 3SGTE turbo.

The 3SFE engine outputs 127bhp and is a well tried engine fitted in many Toyota RAVs and other models.

Thus you can pick up a full engine quite easily and quite cheaply. I think I paid around £250 for one. The 3SGTE engine fit needs a donor MR2 turbo as the loom etc needs done....and you can expect to pay £900+ for a good donor....+ fit costs.

If fitting another engine, do the clutch and timing belt too. Other than that, you can expect the suspension bushes to be knackered by about 90k miles. The petrol tank breather tube is prone to rot in the wheel arch but its a simple job to replace it yourself. What mileage has the car done??

[soon to be owner]

Thanks for that-I will find out the mileage when my mechanic comes back from holiday next week.

Having done a bit of research-looks like it could be a good deal-(but as a female-never sure if I,m being 'had' or not-although I amon first term names with my garagist!.

Chris.