RAV4 - advice needed please!

BandMember

I hope that this is the right place to post this, but I am seeking some advice/help.

Due to personal circumstances, I have been advised to replace my current car and get something more suited to accommodate this. I believe the term "something higher off the ground" was used.

So, I've had a look around and settled on a RAV4 (probably a 15 or 16). I would do a bare minimum of at least 300km a week, there's always more mileage and I would regularly undertake long journeys so comfort is important.

I've looked into the tax situation (€270, cheaper than what I'm paying now on an older car with a smaller engine!) but in terms of the engine, they all seem to be 3.0 diesel. A hybrid or electric car would not be an option at the moment, so it'll have to be either a straight petrol or diesel.

I suppose, what I'm wondering is, in light of all the current "noise" about climate action, carbon taxes etc., is this a good buy? Am I likely to be hit with substantial increases in diesel and motor tax in the budget? Will it have any resale/trade in value (plan to keep it at least five years)? Am I crazy to consider purchasing now or should I wait until the budget in October to see what happens?

I'm not really into cars and haven't gone for something like this before so if anyone has either any personal experience of the RAV4 and/or any thoughts or advice on the questions posed above, that would be great!

Just as a sidenote, my back up choice would be an Avensis but, again, I would end up facing the same potential problems and decisions as above.

Carpentry

Friend has it. Its loud and plasticky inside. Suspension is pretty stiff as for SUV, you can feel every crack in the road. If you do motorway driving you will hear engine and wind noise inside. Also the finish inside is far from refined. Cheap plastics that squeaks and cracks. Seats could be more comfortable also. Santa Fe maybe ? 2013 Audi Q5 ?

bazz26

The diesel engine in that model Rav4 is 2.0 litre, not 3.0 litre.

BandMember

Carpentry wrote: »

Friend has it. Its loud and plasticky inside. Suspension is pretty stiff as for SUV, you can feel every crack in the road. If you do motorway driving you will hear engine and wind noise inside. Also the finish inside is far from refined. Cheap plastics that squeaks and cracks. Seats could be more comfortable also. Santa Fe maybe ? 2013 Audi Q5 ?

Jaysus!! That doesn't sound too good at all!! :eek:

I hadn't considered either of your suggestions to be honest but I might do so later (Edit: Had a quick look, but just on the asking price alone, they are beyond my budget I'm afraid). Just as a matter of interest, what year/model is your friends one? How do they find it in terms of costs, reliability, comfort, practicality etc.?

BandMember

bazz26 wrote: »

The diesel engine in that model Rav4 is 2.0 litre, not 3.0 litre.

Apologies, must have misread it - you are correct. That makes a difference in my thinking now in terms of a 2.0 litre RAV4 v 2.0 litre Avensis (as in there isn't really any in terms of fuel cost or consumption).

fastrac

Honda CRV or VW Tiguan would be a more refined car than the RAV. SUVs will never be as economical as a saloon /estate.I doubt any government will suddenly rise fuel tax massively as it would cost too many votes but will do it in lots of small bites.

BandMember

fastrac wrote: »

Honda CRV or VW Tiguan would be a more refined car than the RAV. SUVs will never be as economical as a saloon /estate.I doubt any government will suddenly rise fuel tax massively as it would cost too many votes but will do it in lots of small bites.

Many thanks for those two suggestions. I had looked at them, but they are not suitable I'm afraid. I don't expect an SUV to be as economical as an estate, my query regarding diesel is more in relation to what they did back around 2008 with 1.6+ cars - i.e. increased the road tax, diesel prices went up etc. leaving a lot of people with worthless cars as their value went through the car. With all the talk about abolishing diesel and the whole "Green" plan, I'm wondering if something similar could happen with diesel vehicles this time around?

MontgomeryClift

BandMember wrote: »

Many thanks for those two suggestions. I had looked at them, but they are not suitable I'm afraid. I don't expect an SUV to be as economical as an estate, my query regarding diesel is more in relation to what they did back around 2008 with 1.6+ cars - i.e. increased the road tax, diesel prices went up etc. leaving a lot of people with worthless cars as their value went through the car. With all the talk about abolishing diesel and the whole "Green" plan, I'm wondering if something similar could happen with diesel vehicles this time around?

I wouldn't bother trying to predict the tax situation. If it changes, it will change suddenly before car owners have a chance to rid themselves of the vehicles that will be subjected to increased tax. The only diesel engines likely to be penalised severely are those that pre-date Euro 5 regulations (2009 or so).

In any case, the target of practically all government penalties is not diesel, but carbon, simply because carbon remains Warmism's original sin. This is how they intend to tax our existence, and that is not going to change.

I'm just wondering why something like the Suzuki Vitara is not suitable. It should be reliable without being very expensive or very large.

Carpentry

BandMember wrote: »

Jaysus!! That doesn't sound too good at all!! :eek:

I hadn't considered either of your suggestions to be honest but I might do so later (Edit: Had a quick look, but just on the asking price alone, they are beyond my budget I'm afraid). Just as a matter of interest, what year/model is your friends one? How do they find it in terms of costs, reliability, comfort, practicality etc.?

He's got 2016 model. Dont know about fuel efficiency, but my 2004 Vectra was 10 times quality than his RAV. They just not as good as they used to be.
I was looking for SUV/Crossover myself not so long ago. Ended up with Volvo V60 Cross Country. 4x4, risen of the ground like SUV without being heavy or not aerodynamic. Love the comfort and quiet inside as well as quality ride. Look it up.

Hurrache

Why not anything like a Tucson, Qashqai or Sportage? I'm sure the road tax on them are all cheaper than what you're seeing for the Rav4?

bazz26

When spending that sort of money on a new car the cost of motor tax is pretty insignificant in the overall scheme of things. Also it's not like any of these crossovers are costing huge money to tax. Most newish cars these days are well under €500 to tax so I would not be letting motor tax being the deciding factor here.

Hurrache

€500 is way up on the scale, current 1.5 DCi Qashqais are only around 180.

bazz26

My point is that these cars are costing tens of thousands of euro to buy. The majority have chump change motor tax rates yet people are ruling this model or that model out because there is €100 or €200 difference in motor tax over 12 months.

AMKC

You do not have to buy and SUV if you do not want to. You could buy an MPV or a 4x4 estate or even just a high up estate. The Skoda Octavia for instance can be got as a cross country estate or even with 4 wheel drive as a proper off road estate. Volvo also do the same.

The Ford C-Max and Toyota Verso are two good MPV's worth checking out.

BandMember

Can I just thank everyone for taking the time to respond and offer some really helpful thoughts, it's great.

For reasons I would prefer not to get into here, I am limited in the type of vehicle I can buy and have looked around and think that the RAV4 is the most suitable. I thought there might be more owners on here (or people with experience of them, apart from one helpful poster! ) who could offer some insight on their personal experience.

As regards the tax, I'm not overly hung up on it - although if, say, they doubled it, it would automatically drop the value of the vehicle as per my example of what happened in 2008.

It's the diesel aspect and the trade in value I would be more concerned with.

However, I have taken every post on board and will think about some of them, but, I suppose I am drawn towards my current selection.... Feel free to try and change my mind though!

R.O.R

Why is a hybrid out of the question?

The Rav4 hybrid sounds like it would be a perfect option for you. Forget about the hybrid gubbins and consider it a petrol auto - thats how it works.

MarkN

My experience of Toyota hybrids (and I’ve driven quite a few) is that if you’re doing stop start, city driving you’re regularly in hybrid and they can be gentle enough on fuel. It’s a new model but I’m driving a Camry at the moment and the 2.5 petrol is doing 5.8-5.9L/100 no matter how hard I drive it.

BandMember

I'd love a hybrid to be honest and would definitely go for one if I could, but, unfortunately, my budget won't stretch to one......

_Brian

There are other options like VW Touran, Ford CMax that have more upright positions without moving onto suv type fuel consumption.

slave1

Don’t know why you’re discounting the CRV due to fuel consumption, regularly getting 58mpg on our diesel CRV