My Rav with the Geolandar is great in the winter only problem was floating on some serious slush one time. The car body/cabin is heavy. The gas mileage is not very good, like 24 hwy If I recall and that's not going fast either. Some vehicles power right over the mountains without you even noticing it, this isn't one of those cars. I bought a $180 new battery and the sunroof will never ever close properly I have it taped up with electric tape. My windshield leaked and that gets caulked up couple times a year. My sway bar link broke in half going like 1 mile per hour on the main road.

 

must say it does pretty damn well with stuff in the back. I just grabbed some 150 pound each speakers from Jersey and it was fine just watch the breaking distance.

 

I have found several 2008 models for sale in my area, all AWD with 4cyl engines around 70-80k miles in my price range. I would be curious to hear from some of you who have experience with this or similar model years. With good maintenance, have you experienced any major issues? I have read some have had troubles with the engines, but that seems to mostly be with the V6.

Exactly the opposite on the engines! The V6 is bulletproof and mountain proof too. Plenty, some would say excessive, power. The only issue has been transaxle whine but most have probably been fixed by now as I haven't heard any reports lately.

The '06-'08 2.4L I4s have been problematic with oil burning - that is some have and of course forums like this tend to bring out the bad ones. So if you're looking at an '06-'08 4 cylinder make sure to get either a history on it's oil usage or confirmation Toyota has rebuilt it. To be safe you have to go with the '09 which has the 2.5L I4 engine. Probably be quite a price jump from an '08 tho.

My advice, my 16-year old granddaughter notwithstanding, is get a V6, pay the one-mpg penalty, and go climb mountains loaded down with all your stuff. Our '06 (bought with 75,000 miles) has nearly 140K, and other than the standard '06 ignition coil issues fixed long ago, a muffler replaced under warranty has had no significant issues. It's ready to race any time :thumbs_up: ALA the wife isn't riding shotgun. :wink

 

Exactly the opposite on the engines! The V6 is bulletproof and mountain proof too. Plenty, some would say excessive, power. The only issue has been transaxle whine but most have probably been fixed by now as I haven't heard any reports lately.

The '06-'08 2.4L I4s have been problematic with oil burning - that is some have and of course forums like this tend to bring out the bad ones. So if you're looking at an '06-'08 4 cylinder make sure to get either a history on it's oil usage or confirmation Toyota has rebuilt it. To be safe you have to go with the '09 which has the 2.5L I4 engine. Probably be quite a price jump from an '08 tho.

My advice is get a V6, pay the one-mpg penalty, and go climb mountains loaded down with all your stuff. Our '06 (bought with 75,000 miles) has nearly 140K, and other than the standard '06 ignition coil issues fixed long ago, a muffler replaced under warranty has had no significant issues. It's ready to race any time :thumbs_up: ALA the wife isn't riding shotgun. :wink

Learn something everyday! I thought I had saw somewhere that the 4cyl were more time tested than the newer V6 for 06-08. Shows how much I know! The models I've been looking at are through authorized Toyota dealers, not used car lots, so I appreciate the heads up and I will check with them to make sure oil burning issues have been fixed before I buy (if its had any at all). Any other issues I should know about before buying a 4cyl?

As of now, not seeing many '09 or V6 models in my range without much higher mileage. I bought my last car at 160k, not sure I wanna do something like that again :doh: Its largely going to come down to what is available when I get back to Pittsburgh next week, as I'll need a car to get to and from work. But, I don't think I'd be upset with a little more horsepower if the opportunity presents itself, so I'll keep on the lookout :smile

 

If you drive in the mountains, GET THE V6. No question about it. At all. Especially if you'll have the back loaded up with stuff and/or people.

As the dear Doctor said, the '06 -'08 4-cylinder models can have MAJOR oil burning problems. Either they didn't burn it, or they drank it like gasoline. Getting one that's been rebuilt should be fine, but unless you can verify with 100% certainty that it has been rebuilt, I'd say run away. Fast.

While I love to promote the V6 for its fun, towing capacity, etc. I'd say living in the mountains by itself is reason enough to opt for the V6.

.

 

Dyno- thank you for the advice! I must have confused the two engines around:doh: The 4cyl models I'm looking at are mostly through authorized Toyota dealers, not used car lots, so I'll make sure to check the records or see if its been rebuilt before I buy. Any other notable issues with the 4cyl I should know before buying?

I am in no way opposed to an '09 or V6 model. I just haven't been able to find one in my price range ($10k or less) without higher mileage. I worry about spending that kind of money on something with over 100k miles on it, which is what it looks like the V6 would run me. Its largely going to depend on what's available when I get back to PA next week, as I'll need a car for work asap. But, I'll keep on the lookout! Also, I feel that I should clarify, I will not need to drive in the mountains on a regular basis. My town is actually in a valley and pretty flat until you hit the outskirts, so that would only be on occasion when driving to other parts of the state or Colorado. The point I was trying to get at was, at 7,220 ft elevation, we get snow. Lots of it. So I was curious how well the AWD worked in the Rav4. Not that I plan on taking a road trip in a snowstorm anytime soon, but it'd be nice to be able to make it down the road if needed.

So, assuming I found one with a rebuilt engine or good service records, would the 4cyl model be worth it? If not, other suggestions in my price range? I've looked into CRVs/Foresters and Escapes/Xterras on the V6 end, but they seemed to be less highly reviewed than the Ravs.

Thanks to everyone for the help so far!

 

The RAV4 is very, very good in snow if you have good winter tires. All-season "hockey puck" tires will cripple any vehicle's performance in snow.

But with very good winter tires, the RAV4's 4WD system does very well indeed (it snows where I am too).

The RAV should do pretty well in snow up to about 10-12" deep, depending on snow density. Beyond about that and you'll almost certainly get high centered.

The Subaru Forester and Outback tend to do very well in even deeper snow, because they have more ground clearance and some would say a superior 4WD system. Again, tires play a critical role. Reliability will depend on the model year, though. I believe I heard that some older ones had problems with head gaskets, for example. I've never cared for their transmissions, though (at least for the last 10 years or so).

It might be worth keeping your eyes open for one, at any rate, at least as an alternate choice.

Best of luck!

.

 

I'd strongly advise test driving whatever vehicle you're considering in Laramie at altitude to see how significant the lower air density power loss is.
Turbo engines such as the turbo Subarus lose less power under the same circumstances. If you look at them be VERY sure the head gaskets have been replaced.

When my niece and I were looking for an Outback (non-turbo) back in 2012 I found many at very inexpensive prices. They were all around 5-7 years old, all had just under 100,000 miles, and so were due for their head gasket & timing belt replacements. After looking at a few sad ones we found just what she wanted, an original owner 2007 for private sale in flawless condition even with 99,800 miles (the magic number again). Everything looked new UNTIL we opened the hood and looked at the covers under the engine - totally soaked with oil. Having already checked on the repair costs ($1300 at a trusted mechanic) and having cash in hand, we were able to get the sale price down from the $9,000 listed on Craigslist (with a $10,000 For Sale sign in the window) to $7,700. She had it repaired, still has the car and it's running fine. But I don't know what other issues the 10-year old turbo models have.

Back on the RAV4 options we've had many members find the suspension on the Sport model annoyingly rough after some time living with it. Our Limited rides just fine for us.

 

I spent 16-17 winter in Mammoth and my all season Geolandars got me everywhere. They would go until the ground clearance hit zero and would just grind to a halt. Got towed out the hot springs by a 4-Runner going not very slow, that was fun. I've tried to drift the back end in snowy parking lots with very poor results

 

Just make sure you run the Vin through SaferCar.gov vin check to see if the Rav has any unrepaired safety recalls. There were quite a few on this year.

 

RAV4 Get the V6 if you havent already

I have to agree with the other RAV4 owner on this message board that it is worth the 1mpg penalty to get the V6 versions : whether they're the Basic, Sport or Limited. The "Bomb proof" RAV4 3.5L V6 engine is so because it comes directly from the much more expensive Lexus RX350 of the same model years of RAV4s with V6 - that in itself is a Huge factor. I'm onto my second RAV4 V6 4WD now ( Limited version this time ) as my other recent SPORT V6 hit a pipe on the hwy, causing the water pump to crack and leak and eventually as i got home, caused my engine to cease up when all the warning lights finally lit up the dashboard RED & I got close to hom. I had no choice... there was gonna be no help for 50 miles in the middle of nowhere at night on a two lane hwy in the freezing winter - in short, it saved my life and gave up its own.
My experience is this: My 2007 SPORT V6 lasted to 165K miles and was driven hard by me for most of its life. Yes I've kept up the maintenance with oil changes religiously every 3000-4000 miles and my oil in its 11 years never went dark. The spark plugs never needed changing ,nor did the timing CHAIN - this is big, the 4cyl has a timing belt and thats a hugely expensive maintenance. The power and smoothness of the V6 allows 4 adults and cargo full to accelerate up mountain passes like Rogers Pass without any problems , all the while passing most other vehicles. The gas mileage for a 4700Lb RAV4 V6 is incredible since I got 330miles on a single tank going from San Ramon, CA, over to the I-5 hwy and all the way to LAX to pick up a friend. ONE tank full...with the truck empty except me driving. i was amazed. and still am. I'm looking forward to my replacement 2008 RAV4 V6 to last to 200K miles - Easily. By the way , in California, the V6 4WD versions are snapped up within 3-4 days of posting on the internet and they often cost the same or Less than a comparable 4 cyl. So consider the long term reliability - and gas savings (V6 gets better mileage on Hwy vs 4cyl hands down - it only revs at 2000 rpm at ~75mph.)
Just out of curiosity if you already bought one , which was it? Good luck.
.RollsRAV

 

My experience is this: My 2007 SPORT V6 lasted to 165K miles and was driven hard by me for most of its life. Yes I've kept up the maintenance with oil changes religiously every 3000-4000 miles and my oil in its 11 years never went dark. The spark plugs never needed changing ,nor did the timing CHAIN - this is big, the 4cyl has a timing belt and thats a hugely expensive maintenance.
.RollsRAV

Spark plugs requires replacement at 100,000 miles. So you went 65,000 miles beyond the life of the plugs. Were there no performance and fuel economy issues or just got use to it?

 

The spark plugs never needed changing ,nor did the timing CHAIN - this is big, the 4cyl has a timing belt and thats a hugely expensive maintenance.

From 2006 forward the 2.4l RAV4 had chains not belts.

mjs31 ---

Aside from the 2.4l engine gulping oil like I would chocolate milk there were SCADS of recalls. Do check to see if they have been done should you decide on that year model.

 

Don't know why you're defending the 6 when he's looking at the 4.

Defending???? Hardly....he is giving the advice that the OP is asking for.

 

Have to agree that for your conditions/use (mountains, long road trips) the V6 is clearly the way to go. City MPG will be lower but as has been stated the highway MPG will be a nice increase over the 4, amazingly enough, thanks to gearing of the tranny.

However, as the second owner of an '07 Limited 4 cyl. that was rebuilt by the selling dealership the month before I got it two years ago (83k miles, Craigslist, $7,800), and that uses no oil whatsoever (142k miles now), it has a surprising amount of power and cruises nicely at 65, thank you very much (I'd prefer 70-75 but the RPMs do jump up at those speeds.)

So keep looking and find a V6 RAV, you'll be happier in the long run. Overall, amazing vehicles! Good luck with your search!

-kj-

p.s. one thing - I got a set of Blizzaks mounted on OEM steel wheels and with those installed, the vehicle is UNSTOPPABLE in snowy/icy conditions!

 

Correction, car had 113k when I got it two years ago.

 

x ice3 on mine on rims. new last winter. result was great.

over all mine is a 2008 v6 and has needed some repairs. most costly was rack and pinion.

also did recently front struts and springs... but that's more wear from the 175kms on it.

good winter car.