[2015RAV4LEAWD]

Hello,

I'm new to the forums, and to owning a Toyota actually. In what can only be described as a very unfortunate set of events, my girlfriend lost her car, furniture, and a fair number of belongings in the flooding in Houston last month. I happened to also be in Houston for the fun, we left in waste deep water at 5:45am and it only got worse from there... Anyway, that is just the background of how we ended up needing a new car.

Friday (3 days ago) I returned to Houston and we were able to get a 2015 Toyota RAV4 LE AWD model from a local dealership (Honda dealer) near her (new) place. I moved to Colorado at the start of this year, and she will be joining in March 2018, thus our desire for the AWD model. We were working on a budget, and were quite happy to find a 2015 with ~39k miles.

I started browsing the forums Sunday morning after we picked up the car, and have been reading through the various sticky's and some other posts. I look forward to being a part of the community, and thank you all in advance for the help I'm sure you will give

Cheers,
Geoffrey

 

[Blogson]

Welcome, Geoffrey! The flooding in Houston obviously was a costly event for many people. Hope that you enjoy your RAV4 and that it hasn't been flood damaged.

 

[2015RAV4LEAWD]

We were working the CarFax reports overtime. The one we settled on had been a "fleet" vehicle in Georgia, with no reported accidents or claims. One of the reasons she waited a month to get the new car was to try to let some of that sort itself out.

Going over the car all looks good mechanically (as much as I can tell/see), and the wear and tear items are minimal... we have 2 matching tires and 2 mismatched others, eventually we will probably get 4 matching all-season tires to deal with the light snow we may have to deal with. Scratches, dents and dings were minimal, and the interior was quite nice. Fingers crossed that the Toyota dependability lives up to its reputation.

Topics to address in the next 6 months prior to her move:

- Floor mat (All-Season ones ordered and in route)
- Cargo cover (possibly)
- Trailer Hitch (mostly for bike rack, but possibly for a small trailer during the move)
- Roof Rails (mostly for ski-rack once in Colorado, but possibly for a cargo box during the move)
- Tires (4 matching all-season)

 

[Blogson]

Sounds like you've done your homework! From experience the all season/all weather floor mats are a must. About the cargo cover, I got one for my wife's car via Ebay for less than half of the cost for an OEM one, and it works just fine.

 

[2015RAV4LEAWD]

Great to know on the cargo cover, that's what I was thinking.
My girlfriend says she does not intend to leave anything in the car, so I guess its a lower priority, but I would like one in the future. Will go with the Ebay option.

Picked up the Toyota floor mats, based on never being impressed by cheap options my friends had picked. Might as well pay up for good, well fitting, floor mats.

 

[Jfeld]

Ya the cargo cover is amazing, I don't use it often but it's still nice to have it! I have a 2015 XLE and love it!

 

[FramerKat]

Welcome! I'm a newbie also...and came to my Rav4 in a similar manner. A massive tree limb dropped by hurricane Irma totaled my Toyota pickup. We were thankful that was all the damage we had...and were thinking about the people of Houston who had so much more to deal with than we did.

 

[2015RAV4LEAWD]

FarmerKat, Sorry to hear that you lost your truck, but glad you came through Irma alright.
I have friends in south Florida and having just dealt with Harvey I was pleading with them to leave ;-)

 

[FramerKat]

Was most definitely one of the scariest I've been in since living here 22 years. Wilma was worse for us, because we experienced the eye wall, but Irma was crazy because the entire storm and hurricane force winds were massive.