I've been a Toyota guy for years, literally drove my 2005 Corolla into the ground with 300k miles on the clock so I know my way around a wrench and the basic maintenance stuff like doing my own oil and spark plugs. But man, trying to find a decent RAV4 lately has been a total nightmare. I thought I knew what to look for but every time I go to look at one it’s either way overpriced or has that weird transmission flare or the roof leaks I've been reading about on the newer ones.
I'm specifically looking for something solid for my weekend trips out to the trails near Bend. My current sedan just isnt cutting it for the forest service roads anymore and I need the clearance. I was looking at the 4th gens because I heard the 2.5L 2AR-FE engine is basically immortal but then I started seeing stuff about the torque converter shudder on the 2013-2015 models and now I'm second guessing everything. I even looked at a 2016 last weekend but the guy didn't even know when the diff fluid was last changed and it had this weird musty smell in the headliner like he tried to cover up a leak.
Here's what I'm hunting for if anyone is looking to part with theirs:
I've been scouring Craigslist and Marketplace for weeks but it feels like everything is either a scam or sold within five minutes of being posted. I'm really trying to avoid the dealerships and their crazy doc fees if I can help it. Does anyone here have a lead on a well-maintained one or maybe you're thinking of upgrading to the Prime and want to sell your old one? I'm ready to pull the trigger pretty much immediately if the car is right. Just really curious if anyone knows of a specific year I should actually be targeting instead because some people say stay away from the 2019s due to the first-year-redesign gremlins and I really dont want to deal with transmission hunting issues while I'm trying to get to a trailhead...
Regarding what #2 said about "Quick reply while I have a sec! I..." - the 2018 is definitely the safest bet for reliability imo. If you grab one, keep these tips in mind:
Quick reply while I have a sec! I totally get the struggle... Ended up grabbing a 2018 XLE last year and I love it so much! Honestly the 2017 and 2018 models are the absolute sweet spot. After putting on some Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail 225/65R17 tires it handles those gravel roads near Bend like an absolute dream. The transmission is way smoother than the 2019 redesign, just watch those roof seals!
Unfortunately, finding a solid XLE is getting tough. I think the 2016+ models addressed the torque converter shudder, but IIRC, they still had issues with the roof rail seals failing prematurely.