Hi, It has been about 4 years since I last posted on here.
I used to have a 2005 2.0 2nd Gen auto 3 door which my wife used - I had that for about 50k miles over 4 years, and the only issues I had were a cracked rear spring, and alloy wheel corrosion. It was a great car, but I sold it as we were having a baby, and the 3 door did not lend itself to carrying push chairs and the like. So, we bought a Honda Insight, and it has a CVT auto, which needed replacement at 46K miles - and I wasn't all that impressed with that.
We are about to have a second child, and it is probably time to change the Insight, and the two cars I am looking at are the CRV and the RAV4, but of the 2006-2012 model years, petrol/ gas and auto (again this will be for the wife). I favour the RAV4, as I have already had one, and the 4.3 looks quite similar in buid - and so that tells me it is a sound choice.
The main question I have is that in 2008-9 I think there was a mid-life facelift, and the old auto on the 2.0 petrol was replaced with a CVT. My main question is therefore whether the CVT has any known problems, if I should look for the regular auto, and the extent to which the 2.0 engine was changed for the CVT. I know the CVT version has slightly better MPG, but I'm not too bothered about the difference.
On one hand I know that Toyota do generally make reliable mechanics, while the other tells me that a CVT will not last as long as the regular auto. This will mainly be used around the suburbs I think. The cost difference between the two is not an issue - I just want to ensure I select the best model variant.
I should add that though I was an avid Honda fan through the 90s-mid 00s, I don't think their newer stuff appeals as much, and I prefer the RAV4 I think - though I do prefer the 4.3 to the 4.4.
I used to have a 2005 2.0 2nd Gen auto 3 door which my wife used - I had that for about 50k miles over 4 years, and the only issues I had were a cracked rear spring, and alloy wheel corrosion. It was a great car, but I sold it as we were having a baby, and the 3 door did not lend itself to carrying push chairs and the like. So, we bought a Honda Insight, and it has a CVT auto, which needed replacement at 46K miles - and I wasn't all that impressed with that.
We are about to have a second child, and it is probably time to change the Insight, and the two cars I am looking at are the CRV and the RAV4, but of the 2006-2012 model years, petrol/ gas and auto (again this will be for the wife). I favour the RAV4, as I have already had one, and the 4.3 looks quite similar in buid - and so that tells me it is a sound choice.
The main question I have is that in 2008-9 I think there was a mid-life facelift, and the old auto on the 2.0 petrol was replaced with a CVT. My main question is therefore whether the CVT has any known problems, if I should look for the regular auto, and the extent to which the 2.0 engine was changed for the CVT. I know the CVT version has slightly better MPG, but I'm not too bothered about the difference.
On one hand I know that Toyota do generally make reliable mechanics, while the other tells me that a CVT will not last as long as the regular auto. This will mainly be used around the suburbs I think. The cost difference between the two is not an issue - I just want to ensure I select the best model variant.
I should add that though I was an avid Honda fan through the 90s-mid 00s, I don't think their newer stuff appeals as much, and I prefer the RAV4 I think - though I do prefer the 4.3 to the 4.4.
