aowRS

As the title states. My wife is considering one of these in the Spring to replace her '00 Subaru Outback. We've checked a few out on dealer's lots, but have yet to drive one.

For those of you who own one, what problems, if any, are common to this little beast, and what is the overall reliability record?

Thanks in advance!

Andreas

jimbo74

i havent owned one and wouldnt own one, but they are pretty reliable... not bad for a cute ute....

EDGE

Why not get another Subaru, the Legacy, Forester and Outback all out perform the Rav4 in every way possible, plus for a loaded model they come with more features and are Lexus like

EDGE

http://rav4world.com



when you get their you will see why I laugh

Bigblock

i had to repair some corroded batt terminals on one,but i've done that to my three a dozen times;untill i went all Optima!best batt on earth.

gwhayduke

We looked at and drove one (RAV4). Also drove the Subaru Forester, Outback and WRX (ZOWIE). Subaru clutches have recently earned a bad reputation (40K-70K miles). Seems like I'm hearing more and more Subaru problems on CarTalk. Liked the Outback over the RAV4 for its comfort, utility and room. RAV4 just seemed like a kids car. Which one did I choose? A used '99 4Runner.

FilthyRich

or get a used 3rd gen 4runner.

Mikey

my mom has a 96 Rav. It's got a 130K on it and runs real good. no problems. I like the new style personally. I'd would buy one over a subaru. I'm not impressed with the sub's. The all leak. That boxer motor is prone to leaking with the heads at a 180 degrees. And remember .......the rav is a toyota.

tombothetominator

i would never own a rav4, i worked for a rental company that had one, and it required the most service out of all our cars. Plus my dad drove one for a couple months, and absolutely hated it, lots of rattles, and on both ravs, the exhaust pipe came loose and would rattle up and down. Buy an older 4runner, would be my vote.

CoedNaked

My mom has a 97 Rav4 (1st year it was introduced in Canada) Automatic, 4 door, Rav4. She has 180,000 miles (roughly 290,000 KM's) on it and it has been very reliable. Still original everything so far. Just regular maintenance essentially. Considering this is just about a 1st year model, I think that's pretty good.

The 2004/05 is a little bit more peppy - 161 HP versus the 148 it had in the 00-03. I'd at least take a look at it.

kevin444

It has no balls my friends rav 4 i think 96 couldnt get up a hill without going WOT.. id get a CRV or get a used 3rd gen.

kevin444

It has no balls my friends rav 4 i think 96 couldnt get up a hill without going WOT.. id get a CRV or get a used 3rd gen.

Dryheat

Why don't you post on the rav4world.com forum or the rav4oz.com forum and get some opinions of people who actually own them. The forum is back after a hiatus unfortunately, all of the older forum messages were lost when the hosting companies server crashed. You can also try the edmunds.com forums. I own a '96 and have 113,000 mi on it. It does have a few rattles and is noisy but then again it was the first year it was sold in the U.S. The newer ones do have more power and less rattles right off the bat. the RAV has better acceleration than my '90 4runner and generally gets 23-25 mpg(its AWD, AT). So far I have only needed to change the oil and transmission fluid and change the battery and tires. It has no leaks. I have owned a subaru loyale 4x4 wagon. It did leak alot. Cam seals and valve cover gaskets leak frequently. Right front inner CV boot always tore prematurely because of its proximity to the exhaust. If you plan on actually wheeling it on anything other than dirt roads, I wouldn't recommend the Subaru or the RAV. Good luck with whichever you choose.

Paul

bulldog-yota

Consumer reports rate the Rav4 top of the small suv chart for reliability. The 4R is like 7th for mid size SUVs. Both are way more reliable than the average for their respective segment. The RAV4 get good ratings with the 2.4 engine and seem to have been very reliable for the last few years. Check out Edmunds and Car and driver for direct consumer feedback. I found Consumer reports to be pretty good as they base their stats on user feedback to them. You can also check the JD power ratings on KBB.

Overall they have a good rating, but I dont know whether you want to own one. My GF liked a Freelander because it looked cute, now she keeps driving my 4R. Beware of falling into this trap with the RAV4

tweeker4X4

Girlfriend has a 96, 3rd exhaust, 2nd transmission, still 1st clutch though. Cant remember miles but they are up there. Little sucker goes in the snow with cheapie road tires though. I personaly dont like them....too small. I vote for 3rd gen too.

aowRS

Thanks for all the responses!

Another 4Runner is out - I have tried that angle multiple times. It's just too big for my wife. Believe it or not, she is interested in selling the Outback as the car feels too long for her. She loves our 4Runner, but does not need that amount of space for herself.

It's no rush, so we'll probably make the rounds in the Spring. The ones I'd like to drive are: A4 Avant, RAV4, Outback XT (boosted version may cause her to forget the length...), Highlander, and Lexus RX (off-lease variant). Will report back

Andreas

Paul H.

Also consider the Honda CRV. My wife has an 04 and absolutely loves it. She considered the RAV but the dealers around here would only stock ones that were bare bones. She wanted side airbags. She gets 20 to 22 around town and recently got 28mpg on a trip. No problems so far.

Mikey

my wife has a 04 CRV and loves it too. It's a little bigger than a Rav and for a 4 cylinder, I was surprised with the power at how big the CRV is. It's a stick though too which helps. THe only thing I don't care for is the ride. It rides rough. Plus it has a lot of road noise.

Paul H.

It does have some road noise, but it passes way better than my 4Runner. I believe it has more power and torque than mine.

kevin444

rav 4 turbo? HHAHAHAHAHH http://www.compact4wd.com/rav4oz/for...p?TOPIC_ID=982