[Soulus]

Hello all!

So I just bought a 2012 RAV4 yesterday (upgrade from a 2005 Toyota Corolla) from the local Toyota dealership and I absolutely love it. I was on the fence with multiple vehicles, and the complete underdog won.
It's the 2012 4WD I4 model. I'm looking forward to the experiences I'm going to have in this car. Looking forward to meeting and speaking with all of you other RAV4 owners!
I managed to score a really good deal on the car for a minor flaw (in my opinion), so I have no complaints so far with this vehicle!
I apologize if my car is not clean. It just rained last night and I wanted to show it off right now. haha.

 

[Blogson]

Welcome, and enjoy your RAV (rain on it is fine - usually have lots of rain here!)!

 

[rav4system]

Welcome to the party...nice looking ride you have there...

 

[Soulus]

Thank you both for the warm welcomes! Very glad to be apart of this family.

I'm unsure if I should make a separate thread about this, but where do you suggest I buy extra things for my RAV4 such as grill guards, extra lights, and interior accessories? I'm looking around Amazon and Ebay, although I feel like there may be something else out there I can utilize.

Thank you in advanced!

 

[Beaumont67]

Welcome Soulus & nice pick on a 2012 RAV4.
- you'll love the added cargo area, over the 2005 Toyota Corolla, to start with
We got a nice 2008, this summer (also black, with 55,000 miles) and in 40 years of driving...Toyota SUV is just a pleasure to own & drive, perfect for our needs (mom, dad & dog here) / replacing a 2002 Volvo V70, we had for 8 years with 300,000 Km.

The one thing I will order ahead of time, is a high end brake kit (see below)...ours is a Limited v6, bigger brakes.
- our Limited was pre-safety checked at dealer / $470 Canadian just to replace rear pads, at dealership
Buying the brake kit before I need it, will eventually save me a few thousand dollars & using my friends independent garage.
- in a months time, the winter rims & tires are going on / so I will measure the rotor diameters, etc. to confirm I'm ordering correct brake kit

For brake kit with slotted rotors and ceramic pads, purchase Black Elite xDS Series Rotors and Ceramic Pads.
MAX Brakes: MaxBrakes.com - Brake Rotors, Brake Pads, Brake Drum, Brake Shoes Order: (888) 835-2399, Free Shipping, company out of Richmond Hill, ON.
- Elite Black xDS higher grade of anti-rust coating than Silver Zinc xDS
- Elite Black xDS is made from G3500 grade iron vs. Silver Zinc G3000

I also buy AMSOIL true synthetic oil (ahead of time) & a WIX GOLD filter from NAPA/UAP...my local garage, charges me $15 labor (for oil change)...but I'm getting a premium job & saving $$.

Next year will order a REESE class IV tow hitch...seem to be made the best (for aftermarket), while Toyota exact one is overly expensive.

 

[Soulus]

Incredibly helpful. That's very good to know. I'll definitely look into all of that. Thank you very much for your help!

 

[rav4system]

i purchase items from ebay, amazon, toyota, craigslist and various other places...decide on things you want and then search for them...and always research the items you plan to buy...

 

[Louzcruz]

Congrats and welcome! Lots of good information here already and lots of owners ready to share what they've learned and know. I'm in the same boat as you wanting to do multiple mods. Be patient, your wallet will thank you! I haven't found any one place that has everything I want so you will have to dig and search on the interweb. Check out the classifieds here. Enjoy your ride!

 

[Matt N]

I bought an 06 black a while ago and i'm in the same boat as you kind of. i came from an older camry and i love how the rav4 drives along with the cargo area, it's so nice and spacious.

The only thing that sucks about mine is i realized it had the piston ring issue with i4 models from 06-08, so now i'm gonna keep an eye out for a good deal on an 09-12 rav4 like yours

 

[kessac]

Congrats on your purchase Rav 4. enjoy and lots of idea,s
and help on the Forum