Which 2001-2005 Rav 4 Shall I Buy?

[bigbrownbear]

My wife and I live in Sydney, Australia and have been looking for the last month at buying a Rav 4 Automatic. (Although we can drive manual)

In that time we have been looking purely at black or silver 3 doors.

However I only noticed today how much similar the 5 door is and it doesn’t appear to be that much longer and thinking maybe if we get a 5 door now this will save us the hassle of changing when we have kids in 2 years time.

Anyhow our general rav4 criteria so far is:

• Lot less than 100K,

• Full log books

• Good service history

• Ideally 2003-2005 (as most of their depreciation has gone).

• Good resale value.

So my questions are:

1. Do you think it matters which model I go for in terms of reliability and resale i.e edge/cv /cv sport/ cruiser?

2. Does the 3 door have better resale value over the 5 door?

3. Is there anything to look out for when buying a Rav4?

Any other tips/recommendations are very welcome

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience in advance

BBB

[Hoovie]

Hi BBB,

specs and model names in Oz are different to UK, so hard to make any specific recommendations, but this is my 2 cents worth

Look at all the features of the different trims and decide what you want and what you can live without and what you really want - I ended up buying the near entry level model and then spending time and money adding things that would have already been in place on a higher-spec model - didn't think I would miss them at the time for the extra money, turned out I did.

reliability is more mechanics then trim levels, so probably makes very little difference. Have you got choice of 2WD and 4WD in Australia? 2WD could be more reliable as less to go wrong? prob cheaper as well.

I think the 3Dr had a MUCH smaller boot then the 5 Dr - if you are looking to keep the car long term, then makes sense to buy the one with the space you will need now instead of changing later on, IMO.

the 3Drs are probably quicker to sell on as rarer.

HTH

[Plutus]

IMO 5 door is better if you have children.

Make sure the boot will hold everything as when little ones appear space shrinks.

[chatman]

I would if I was you look at getting the 5 door as the 3 door has a very tiny boot... If in the furture you want to carry passengers and all there kit and caboodle, then your struggle in the 3 door.... but the 3 door is the pretiest out of the two... but looks aren't everything....

As Hoovie say's the trim levels here are different to the Aus models.... Look at what you must have and need and what's nice to have... The model range your looking at comapratable over here would be...

Look HERE for UK specific model range but I'm sure they will be in comparison with the Aus models just not named the same.....

[bothwell_buyer]

You're lucky as in Aus, theres a lot more suppliers of RAV bits to pimp yer ride. I even look at Aussie websites for stuff!! Its quite a popular car over there.

With kids in mind, the only car you can consider is the 5 door. I got rid of the back seats in my number 1 3-door so I can't take passengers....but then I use it for racing.

Number 2 RAV still has back seats, but theres not much room for anything in the rear.

Both my RAVs are 1994 models; one has done 178,000 m iles and the other has 80,000 miles. Dunno bout your economy, but used car prices have slumped over here so you can buy cheaply - but then the resale price will probably be affected too.

[bigbrownbear]

Thanks for the responses.

I dont really mind if i get the extra trims or not - none are a priority.

I am interested though to know if manual would be a better option over automatic.

Thx Stephen

[bothwell_buyer]

Thanks for the responses.

I dont really mind if i get the extra trims or not - none are a priority.

I am interested though to know if manual would be a better option over automatic.

Thx Stephen

As far as I've read, there have been issues/problems with the auto box on some cars.

The manual box generally seems to be stronger, although a clutch change can be a bit expensive. You will have read about the DMF problems on diesel engines.

I enjoy driving an automatic as its less hassle, but whilst I still have the use of my left leg, also enjoy thrashing about in high revs!!

[vivianM]

My wife and I live in Sydney, Australia and have been looking for the last month at buying a Rav 4 Automatic. (Although we can drive manual)

In that time we have been looking purely at black or silver 3 doors.

However I only noticed today how much similar the 5 door is and it doesn’t appear to be that much longer and thinking maybe if we get a 5 door now this will save us the hassle of changing when we have kids in 2 years time.

Anyhow our general rav4 criteria so far is:

• Lot less than 100K,

• Full log books

• Good service history

• Ideally 2003-2005 (as most of their depreciation has gone).

• Good resale value.

So my questions are:

1. Do you think it matters which model I go for in terms of reliability and resale i.e edge/cv /cv sport/ cruiser?

2. Does the 3 door have better resale value over the 5 door?

3. Is there anything to look out for when buying a Rav4?

Any other tips/recommendations are very welcome

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience in advance

BBB

Hi BBB,

My earlier 2.0L petrol RAV was absolutely trouble free, only part exed it, after 5 years, as I was offered a deal I could not turn down - my only problem with RAV's and of course similar is that they can be like a greenhouse even in the cold UK on a sunny day so I would avoid black in AUS, they look great when very clean but show the dirt!

My T180 is silver and does not need cleaning very often and is much cooller. The non auto box seems to have a better long life as far as I know.

Best wishes with your purchase,

Guy

[bigbrownbear]

my only problem with RAV's and of course similar is that they can be like a greenhouse even in the cold UK on a sunny day so I would avoid black in AUS, they look great when very clean but show the dirt!

My T180 is silver and does not need cleaning very often and is much cooller. The non auto box seems to have a better long life as far as I know.

Best wishes with your purchase,

Guy

Thanks for the response

Is the black effected that much by the heat? I did think about that but as the black is a lot more stylish this was my number one over the fact the silver is probably more heat practical and looks cleaner.

However i will try and avoid the 2001-2003 RAV4 due to some ECM problems that can occur.

[Dippy]

Black is only stylish when it's clean. Have you owned many black cars, or talked to enthusiasts who do? Of course you're welcome to, just be prepared for what you're getting into! [bTW on a different BBS I knew a Brit who had a black RAV4, said something about the paint dissolved with bird poo and Toyota didn't want to know - put him off the marque for life. I've never seen that here]

5-door not very long, it was one of my criteria, it's a remarkably short car when put against the competition. As all have said, go for it.

Happy hunting!