Help to buy a Rav 4

Completely off topic but there's a very clear view of the BSR logo on picture 4 - only problem is that it really shouldn't be there!

CRACKING SPOT.......Exactly what I warned aboot months ago........perfectly good, serviceable tyres for the hard of hearing, but should NOT still be in circulation if the pun can be pardonated. Betcha most indie tyre retailers are unaware of this, but got them from Bridgestone at a reduced rate. Baystirts........

I bought my car five years ago. I was undecided whether to go for a White late SR circa 2012 or one of the then new 4.4 models.

i am very particular and wanted the top spec car with all the extras like Navigation and Style pack . Plus even a minor dink dent or any body repairs having been carried out would have immediately rendered any car un buyable . I am ultra fussy.

it took me likely six months to get what I wanted. The only compromise was the mega rare sunroof. 

Patience is not a virtue I have but my stubbornness not to buy anything that was not up to the mark I think paid off.

from your opening post I think you really want as late a car with as low miles as you can get. That would be my plan anyway. So peg the board and you will get what you want in the end. 

But it I think you like I did and do will have to travel ... These cars can be the other end of the country and usually are. For instance that silver one at Stratford Is a long way from you but about 25 miles from me. If that car filled your criteria I would go over and inspect it. Trust me I do know my way round a car. But it would have to be something that really interested you or it would be daft.

I is very easy to sort a proper deal from anywhere subject to a proper inspection. 👍

sellers market ? Well not really. Try narrowing your search to private sellers. They because of PCP deals might be struggling to sell. Everyone now just looks at how much a month and don’t even consider handing over lumps of money.   99 quid down and 200 quid a month is all they understand, So while dealers just price match each other the private seller can struggle. Find one that is considering robbing themselves by selling to WBAC and you might end up in clover.. 

As for bieng at the mercy of a dealer I approach with that in reverse. I haggle bloody hard and will give them the runaround if needed and usually get my way. It’s just the way I am which is a result of nearly 40 years in business . 

Thank you Charlie, that is really kind of you to offer. My car knowledge is average at best, I'm well past the age where I work on cars. I used to in the 80s, but I prefer to let mechanics do it now. Thats why I want to buy a later, low mileage model, hopefully the risks will be minimised. Plus, Toyota's five years warranty gives you that extra piece of mind. Patience is not my virtue either and it's going to be really hard over the next few months. So I'll just keep reading the forum and hopefully my patience will pay off. Thanks again to everyone for your advice, it's certainly helped me.

Yes one of a few problems! I paid over £1000 for the mid section of an exhaust  but I think you can get them cheaper now! The fuel filler pipe was another area to watch. The biggest problem was with the engine on some of the diesels - it was only certain years and often seemed to be on the T180 but wasn't confined to them. So worth asking on here before you commit.

To be fair Toyotas are usually very good and they are better than many manufacturers at sorting problems out at their expense.

I have moved to Honda so probably should be on the Honda forum rather than this one. I am sure there will be problems with Hondas too but I would rather remain oblivious until something happens! I also don't do a high mileage and swap my car frequently (which is also expensive!). 

They don't ... any more. Toyota introduced the BSR "run flat" system on the T180 and SR180 models of the RAV4.3 so that they could remove the rear mounted spare. The RAV was to only vehicle ever to use the system and it was discontinue before the introduction of the RAV 4.4. 4.4s have either a space saver spare or a bottle of gunk and inflator system.

My earlier post referred to the fact that that particular 4.4 should NOT have been running on those tyres.