After owning the car for nearly 50000 miles, I have only invested about $500
keeping it serviced. This has included a timing belt, new brakes and rotors, and a driver side door lock cylinder, in addition to factory maintenance. My son works at Toyota, so he is kind enough to give his mother good deals on service. Other than that, nothing else.
The RAV-4 is not a performance vehicle; I knew that from the day I purchased it. However, it has been uncomparably reliable and the 4 wheel drive system has been spectacular on my winter road trips over the snowy mountains. The driver seat offers an impeccable view, not to mention excellent access to every control. Headroom is superb. Some of the minor quibbles I have pertain to the front seats and their lack of adjustability. Also, the transaxle shifts stiffly, more so than in a regular car. Other than that, it has driven long distances without giving me any trouble. I am looking into a newer model, (the new ones take the great style and make it softer on the eyes) particularly an automatic with cruise control so I can take it to the limit!
This what Wikipedia says about the RAV4:
The RAV4 was originally based on the Corolla platform, and was offered in both two and four-door versions. In the US, a 2.0 L I4 engine producing 120 hp was offered. Both Front wheel drive and Four-wheel drive were available, and the RAV4 could be had with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
Ken.
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