Every since late 1995 when the two door Rav4's started showing up in dealer's lots here in Canada, I've thought it would be really fun car, but at the time I had a really nice 1981 Supra and wasn't looking for another car. Now 2-door Rav4's are quite rarely seen on the roads here anymore and I think many people have forgotten that they existed.
Fast forward to a bit more than a year ago, I saw this 1997 Rav4 at a used car lot. The paint was a kind of rough (scratched and oxidized), and it needed a bit of care and maintenance in a few areas but it seemed to be in decent shape overall and decided to go for it. It was apparent that someone loved this car before and generally took care of it. I spent the next few months fixing up details, catching up maintenance tasks, and much polishing and waxing of the paint in my spare time. I used all Toyota parts and fluids to bring the car back to its former glory, and now it is a fantastic and reliable little car.
Now that I have some experience with a variety of tasks with this car and put a lot of miles on it already, I've decided to join to help others keep up their original Rav4's.