[lunchindabox]

Hello,

I am new to the site and new to the car but not new to forums and not new to cars. I just wanted to show you off my little Rav4. I bought this for a friend to ship overseas but my wife liked it so much she decided to unload her Sienna for this little guy.

I drove about 3.5 hours to Ocean City Maryland for it a few months ago and its' been sitting since July or August. The Trans was doing it's weird thing so I sent it to Sergio in NY to resolder it and it runs great now!

This came well loved from a wholesaler who got it from the dealer. The car fax shows all the oil changes and the tire rotations and everything else that was done it it at the dealer so I think I scored! The carfax shows no accidents and I see all my panels are original but I also see the thing has been repainted, they did a solid job on the paint so I am happy.

My biggest issue is that the wife decided she wanted this car before the actually looked inside closely and she is totally missing the extra space...so we are going to see how this goes and possibly get her another van soon. if so, this will be a great little car for my pops. I been meaning to take away is Avalon anyways.

Future plans:
-Maybe HID's, wife loved them.
-replace spare tire cover
-fix a little steering issue maybe (see other thread)
-add a hitch for a basket (extra storage on long trips)
-Maybe some all weather floor mats
-head unit with BT.
----suggestions?

2003 L model with AWD and just over 100k miles:

 

[Blogson]

Congrats - looks great!

 

[cutthroat22]

If more space is needed you can fold up, or simply remove one of the back seats.

 

[lunchindabox]

Thanks guys!

If more space is needed you can fold up, or simply remove one of the back seats.

The reason for the 'space' is we have two kids, 4 and 6 and both still in carseats. So, sadly, we can't remove the seats.

It's not the seating we miss from the van or even the cargo area (yet) its the double glove box, the huge center console, the big old pockets in the doors, the trash bag hanger, the over head storage...etc...etc that she misses.

The woman is crazy. I bought this for something else (overseas) and she spotted it in the driveway and told me she wanted it, so I gave it to her and sold her va---as she asked. The Rav4 sat in the driveway since Aug 2nd and she never looked closely at the interior. Or drove it. But it was "cute" and gas efficient so she wanted it. I told her she has to keep it a month and then she can decide what she wants to do. If she doens't want it, I will give her my Avalon and drive this to save gas on my commute.

 

[ronbo1313]

Great looking vehicle:smile But I don't understand your comment as follows; " Trans was doing it's weird thing so I sent it to Sergio in NY to resolder it".

 

[lunchindabox]

oh, there is a seemingly well known issue where the transmission starts to act funny and jerk around between the lower gears. Commonly mistaken for a transmission issue but turns out it just needs a quick solder job on the ECU board. Surgio is the guy who does the fix, he runs a shop in the bronx. You ship him your ecu and he returns it ready to plug in and runs smooth as butter....

 

[aetius757]

Looks almost new for an '03! I like the color too. I use my old '97 RAV for forest runs due to its forest green color. Blends in the woods nicely. Good you got the autobox fixed. I heard the 00-03 auto's had that weird problem. Other than that these RAV's are pretty good. They are also excellent in the snow, my '05 model has plowed through snow covered dirt roads at least 16" deep without a slip. Of course good winter tires help. Have fun!

 

[cutthroat22]

Great looking vehicle:smile But I don't understand your comment as follows; " Trans was doing it's weird thing so I sent it to Sergio in NY to resolder it".

Sergei @ Check Engine, Brooklyn , NY has saved many 4.2's including mine.

 

[FixIt]

I'm paranoid, so put a wheel lock on the spare.

 

[lunchindabox]

I'm paranoid, so put a wheel lock on the spare.

Although I live in a super safe neighborhood I do go to WalMart and other shady places to yeah, I was thinking the same thing...