1st Gen RAV 4 ?

Stryker · June 14, 2018

Hello all,

i have already searched the forum regarding this but no one has asked any of the questions i'm about to ask...

i have recently decided to buy a 1st generation Rav 4 (1996,1997, 1998) considering my budget, which is around 2.3 milion MAX (i'm keeping a buffer of 2 more lakhs for any surprise repairs, insurance and few mods)

1. I would like to know what kind of repairs i can expect in a vehicle of this age? , roughly 200k+ on the odo... (most ads say they are under 160k but i call BS)

2. and if any issue arises will i be able to find parts easily? and please recommend a good repair shop/service center in Colombo, which isn't too costly to maintain this?

3. how reliable would a car like this be in this day and age? i will need to drive 400km trips up North and back, hopefully without breakdowns.

4. How good is the AWD system? i own 100 acres of land in the North, which is part muddy rainforest and part sand dunes, where i intend to take my Rav4 and have fun with (unless i get blown up by a land mine)

Yes, i am also aware that the Hilux is the obvious choice, BUT for my budget i can only afford a mid 80's Hilux and i really don't like the interior in those, a bit too "ancient" for my liking..

Note - this would be my 2nd addition to my garage (already own a 3rd gen Prius for daily driving) and will be used mostly on weekends and occasional trips out of Colombo.

and yes, i'm a Toyota fanboy.

Thank you for reading this far and appreciate your answers.

iRage · June 15, 2018

96..97..98 ? Which one are you looking for ? 1997 got the facelift which mostly has some body upgrades. The facelift also got a FF model (before that all models were AWD)...so look out for that...seen a few people (even on AL) buy FF thinking they are AWD !!! The facelift came with the 3S-FE from the older RAV4 as well as a more powerful 3S-GE (if possible et one of these which has 170hp..hard to find though).

The most desirable variant is the facelifted G grade. It comes with the 3S-GE engine and rear disk brakes plus some goodies.

Things that need to be done:

Change the timing belt....if it has done 200K then its time for a change anyway whilst you are at it the water pump needs to be attended to. Apart from that....look for oil leaks and strange valve knocks, make sure compression is not lost. The engine in the first gen RAV4 is mounted at an angle (it is leaning towards the firewall). As a result the side that is on the front of the car can get starved of oil resulting in drying up the seals and breaking off and starting to have issues with the cylinder walls getting "grinded-out". This will not happen if the car was maintained properly (i.e. oil properly changed and filled). So depending on the condition you miht have to look in to these soon....but at the very least try to change the oil seals all around.

As with any SUV/Cross-over...check for the wheel hubs....they have a tendency to wear out easily... and look for oil leaks around the rear diff and make sure the rear diff still works properly, listen for grinds, whines, etc...(a lot of people disconnect the rear by taking off the prop shaft in an attempt to "save fuel" but end up screwing up the system). A lot of people misdiagnose the rear diff in these things. People know that the rear has a LSD so they mount it up and spin arear wheel to see if both sides turn in the same direction...and t their surprise it doesn't. The RAV4.1 has a Torsen LSD...so the general test for a mechanical LSD will not apply. If the diff works then the LSD part of it will work....So...depending on the condition this might need to be taken care of.

Suspension components are pretty rugged in these things..however most people only replace the shock absorbers ad the fairly obvious bushes....consider changing things like control arms bushings, linkages, sway bar bushings, etc...usually the operational life time of these components are anything from 5 to 10 years...so..yeah...personally I would go the original route where things like the entire control arm needs to be bought but for things like control arm bushes you can buy just the bushes and pack it in.

In addition it would be just like any other car...transmission maintenance..body repairs, etc....again..all depends on the condition.

Engine parts, transmission parts and running components (brake pads, filters, etc..) should be easy to find as these were used in quite a few models in SL...okay..some parts for like the 3S-GE engine might not be that easy as walking in to any shop in panchi and buying it..but it will be available. Body parts might require a bit walking around. Most of the components are mechanical so you can find a way to get things to work most of the time.

How reliable ? Well..depends on how well it was taken care of...so none of us can say anything about it. The RAV4 and the 3S series engines are pretty robust. I have seen RAV4s that have done 225,000+MILES on it with nothing but general/running and pre-emptive maintenance. Needless to say, any mechanical device wears out with age and they will need to be taken care of...so if you find a well maintained unit and do all the necessary fixing ups (seal changes, suspension bushing changes, etc...) it will be a relatively good runner. But don't expect it to be a complete "just pump-fuel and run and forget everything else" kind of ownership.

As for the AWD system...its relatively capable...the mechanical system has a full time 50:50 power split (actually it has a small range but generally considered to be 50:50). It will get you through some light to moderate muddy and sandy situations and in most cases quite a lot more capable than the new cross-overs. The rear has a torsen LSD...it is useful on slippery roads but off road it actually means jack squat. The manual transmission variant comes with a center diff lock which is actually quite useful and makes it a bit more capable. So try to get a manual transmission one if you can find one.

Twin Turbo · June 14, 2018

Hi and welcome.

In asking your detailed question, you have answerd your self partly.

If you decide to buy it, get the timing belt looked at.as a clocked odo- meter dosn't recondition the belt.

As for off roading, your car is as good as it's tyres. sio geta new set. better suited for light duty work, and make sure you have a trackter handy to pull you out when you get stuck in mud.?

Cheers,..

TT.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Twin Turbo

Stryker · June 15, 2018

Thank you iRage for that detailed answer!.

whichever rav4 i purchase i intend on replacing entire suspension (shocks, springs, bushes, mounts, hubs) - reserved 1 lakh just for this

how do i find out what engine is on the vehicle? 3S-FE and 3S-GE? the last two owners of a 1996 and 1997 rav4 that i inspected were clueless...

Stryker · June 15, 2018

On 6/14/2018 at 9:30 PM, Twin Turbo said:

Hi and welcome.

In asking your detailed question, you have answerd your self partly.

If you decide to buy it, get the timing belt looked at.as a clocked odo- meter dosn't recondition the belt.

As for off roading, your car is as good as it's tyres. sio geta new set. better suited for light duty work, and make sure you have a trackter handy to pull you out when you get stuck in mud.?

Cheers,..

TT.

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Thanks, if/when i go offroading, it will be with friends, one of whom has a 1992 Pajero and the other a 2007 L200... so no need for a tractor but i might have to also invest in a winch for them

iRage · June 15, 2018

On 6/15/2018 at 1:20 PM, Stryker said:

Thank you iRage for that detailed answer!.

whichever rav4 i purchase i intend on replacing entire suspension (shocks, springs, bushes, mounts, hubs) - reserved 1 lakh just for this

how do i find out what engine is on the vehicle? 3S-FE and 3S-GE? the last two owners of a 1996 and 1997 rav4 that i inspected were clueless...

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Hmmm...1 lakh might just be enough....depends on the brand etc.. you will go for. If you go to the agents to buy the shocks in a Toyota box it will be over 100K just for the shocks....KYB sets usually go for about 60 on average....as for bushes....in control arms Toyota recommends putting the entire control arm....if you go through that route just one control arm will be nearly 40 or 50K cheaper alternative would be to get an OEM bush packed in....also, you should get the steering linkages swapped out.

The engine type will be written on the ID plate.