Want to Buy: Used Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, What to Be Careful of? Advice Most Appreciated

Lgalrt1 on 04/04/2023 - 01:24
Last edited 04/04/2023 - 11:45 by 1 other user

Hello

I'm new to the country and looking to buy a commuter around the city for work/home/my wife to share taking a stroller with our single 1 year old. sometimes on weekends drive for a few hours to sight see and carry lots of camping gear/inflatable kayak and etc so I'm after a nice boot size, safety, economic and reliable. dont care about anything else like looks or gadgets.

My budget was around $40-$55k~(even though I was hoping for $30-$40k ideally at first), i was suggested to go with the rav4 hybrid as a better economical solution than a kia sorento or sportage i thought of originally (petrol to remain roughly within the budget range~). I preferred to buy them new for the warranty of 7 years but with a 1 year wait time i have no choice but to get a used one (sydney, NSW) and sacrifice what i can buy in order to function, can't wait too long without a car sadly.

so I was suggested to buy a used rav4(toyota in general) rather than anything else as the quality level is one of the highest, hybrid for fuel saving and it should sell easily with a good retained price in a few years as they are quite in demand, in case i want something newer or even bigger later on.

right now buying a used 2020-2022 with 50k~ miles sell for the same price as new nowadays around 42-49k sadly.

my biggest concern is that i'm worried (and quite unfamiliar) buying a used hybrid with certain amount of years/miles on it and i don't know what would be considered too risky in terms of age or milage, as i'm not a car guru(far from it) i don't know what to look out for and be careful of…for example, i read battery replacement could be between 3-8k easy.
so my questions are: is a hybrid more prone/more expensive to deal with, if the previous owner abused the car(how could i tell even)? or if it's older than x amount of years? would it be better to buy it from a dealership that ran a checkup/tune up on it or does this not really mean anything? should i pay more and get something within the last 3 years in order to retain some warranty time leftover from the manufactor? would it be better to get a demo car from a dealer with low milage instead?(10k) ,would a petrol version be less risky/costly for repairs down the road?
is it smart to get a used rav4 hybrid at all for around 40-45k 1-3 years old with around 50k miles? can i even go older/more miles for a cheaper price?

i'm a tad lost, thing is i can't wait/shop around for months as i'd need a car to commute to work with in a few weeks sadly.
any tips, suggestions, even other options of brands/models or the best course of action would be most appreciated.
thank you

Automotive Car SUV Toyota

Comments

  • kerfuffle on 04/04/2023 - 06:15
    +2

    Toyota warranty is 5 years, not 7. And more like two or three years wait time for the Cruiser hybrid

    • Ryanek on 04/04/2023 - 09:00

      My mum ordered a Hybrid Rav4 in Oct 22 and got it delivered by Mar 23. A 2-3 year wait is not a blanket time frame, it helps to shop around.

      • kerfuffle on 04/04/2023 - 09:02
        +2

        $50 says it wasn't a Cruiser hybrid she ordered but a trim below the Cruiser trim.

    • Xistn on 04/04/2023 - 09:30
      +1

      5+2 on the drive train.

      • vince088 on 04/04/2023 - 20:09

        5+5 on battery also

  • ChatCPT on 04/04/2023 - 07:12
    +1

    Just bought a non hybrid rav4
    Ordered Jan 2023. Delivered Mar 2023

    The wait times/premium price on hybrid isn’t worth the 2L/100km saving.

    2.0L petrol in rav4 was already class leading at 7L/100km. Others higher around 10L

    • netjock on 04/04/2023 - 10:34
      +1

      Especially when the hybrid premium is now $2.5k not the $1.5k pre 2021

      • ChatCPT on 04/04/2023 - 11:39
        +1

        All that effort getting a Hybrid just to save around $230/year - for me anyway
        I'd need to drive the Hybrid for 10+years just to break even!

        Calcs if anyone is interested

        Assumptions
        Kms per year: 10,000km
        Petrol price $1.80

        Economy
        2.0 Petrol vs 2.5 Hybrid
        Urban 7.1 vs 4.8 L/100km
        Highway 5.4 vs 4.7 L/100km
        Combined 6.0 vs 4.7 L/100km

        10,000 km Fuel used
        2.0 Petrol vs 2.5 Hybrid
        Urban 710 vs 480 L
        Highway 540 vs 470 L
        Combined 600 vs 470 L

        Fuel cost per year at $1.80 per L (near me in NSW)
        2.0 Petrol vs 2.5 Hybrid
        Urban $1,278 vs $864
        Highway $972 vs $846
        Combined $1,080 vs $846

        Saving for driving Hybrid (not including power bills)
        Urban -$414
        Highway -$126
        Combined -$234

        Saving $126 - $414 per year, then you have to take away power bills

        • netjock on 04/04/2023 - 11:51

          take away power bills

          In a RAV4 which is an enclosed hybrid you talking about money saved charging your battery banks?

          Got a 2020 Corolla sedan hybrid ($30k purchase price). Sitting on between 3.6L - 4L / 100km U91 which makes sense. Can't make $ sense buying any of the other ones.

        • pao2x on 04/04/2023 - 11:51
          +1

          what power bills are you talking about? its not a plug in

          • ChatCPT on 04/04/2023 - 12:01
            +1

            @pao2x: Head was elsewhere, ignore power bills comment
            Hybrid savings - $126 - $414 per year.

        • spackbace on 04/04/2023 - 12:15
          +2

          Drive the pair and you'll realise it's not just about fuel savings

          2.5L Hybrid shits all over the 2.0L petrol engine

          • ChatCPT on 04/04/2023 - 13:54

            @spackbace: that's true - hybrid is more power but im quite happy with the 2.0 petrol.
            This isnt a sports car so expectations are adjusted but after getting used to CVT it felt good for a 2.0 non turbo. Also I used teh manual mode if I wanted to rev it out a little longer and stay on the power

          • loropy9 on 04/04/2023 - 17:03
            +1

            @spackbace: I test drove Corolla Cross in both petrol and hybrid 2L. The hybrid acceleration is acceptable, the petrol one is a turtle.

          • brad1-8tsi on 05/04/2023 - 11:50
            +1

            @spackbace:

            Drive the pair and you'll realise it's not just about fuel savings

            I have to agree with this. I detest Camry with a passion but when we had Camry Hybrids with Michelin tyres at work they were a very enjoyable drive.

            • spackbace on 05/04/2023 - 13:14
              +2

              @brad1-8tsi: Yep, Camry hybrid is the best driving car we sell. Colleagues agree as well

        • Baysew on 04/04/2023 - 12:24
          +1

          Fuel cost per year at $1.80 per L (near me in NSW)

          Pretty unlikely that fuel cost would remain static at $1.80 for ten years.

          It's rising to $2.03 today in inner South East Melbourne.

  • May4th on 04/04/2023 - 07:25

    there's a significant premium on used RAV4 hybrids due to the 2-3 year wait times. I'd buy a petrol RAV4 if you really want the toyota badge or another hybrid option if you really must go hybrid such as Honda/Mitsi/Nissan
    a ready to buy RAV4 hybrid edge new/demo costs more than a tesla model Y at the moment the value doesn't quite add up

  • SBOB on 04/04/2023 - 07:27

    While the RAV4 is a good car, it perplexes me how people see the value in either waiting up to 2 years for a new one (and paying the price increases that happen over that time) or paying over the odds for a used one.

    I would seriously just visit a bunch of car yards and see what's out there with in stock or soon stock arrivals, before I'd pay over the odds for a used vehicle. (Just did this for the vehicle size up, and the Kluger didn't even get a look in)

  • mskeggs on 04/04/2023 - 07:27
    +2

    If you are very hard working and call around all the car yards several times a week, you might capture a cancelled order. The wait times are so absurdly long some people are placing multiple orders to see who can deliver first.

  • pao2x on 04/04/2023 - 07:29
    +1

    Buy a used car, and wait for your hybrid/ electric car

  • pegaxs on 04/04/2023 - 07:42
    +5

    Just get a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and pocket the difference.

    • Muzeeb on 04/04/2023 - 09:39
      +1

      10 year warranty to boot*

      *Conditions apply

      • Euphemistic on 04/04/2023 - 11:43
        +3

        10years for the boot? What are the conditions for the rest of the car.

  • GourmetFoodie on 04/04/2023 - 07:54

    We wanted the hybrid too and it just doesn’t add up right now. The market is too distorted. Hyundai sante fe is probably your better bet for something with availability.

  • netjock on 04/04/2023 - 10:37

    Might want to check out Camry hybrid or Corolla sedan hybrid. If you are happy with standard white there will be plenty of stock, they will just get one off the fleet order.

    Friend runs Camry hybrid on E10. Corolla is U91.

    • kerfuffle on 04/04/2023 - 10:38

      sometimes on weekends drive for a few hours to sight see and carry lots of camping gear/inflatable kayak and etc

      Also brand new Corolla hybrid sedan is a two-year wait.

      • netjock on 04/04/2023 - 11:52

        Fleet spec I can guarantee you it won't be that long.

        • spackbace on 04/04/2023 - 12:16

          Up to 12 months here for Corolla Hybrid

          2+ years for Camry hybrid

          Both regardless of spec

  • galrt1 on 04/04/2023 - 11:05

    Thank you, so what would you recommend as a good alternative for 3~ years (new or used) that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, a safer bet for reliability while i wait for the market to go back to normal or while i wait for a new order in a year or 2 when i'll decide to buy?
    i'm most worried about buying a lemon or a money pit vehicle that in the end will cost me more than new, brand/model and age/milage?
    thank you

    • May4th on 04/04/2023 - 11:30
      +2

      any japanese/korean compact to midsize SUV/wagon. eg. RAV4 petrol, Kia Sportage (7yr wty, car of year 2022), Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V (which is on run out with a new much more expensive model coming out soon) / Mazda CX-5 CX-8 CX-9 /6 wagon

      • SBOB on 04/04/2023 - 11:33

        yep, you could easily buy a new 'no-wait' vehicle like a Mazda CX-8 in the budget the OP is talking about without much effort

    • Euphemistic on 04/04/2023 - 11:44
      +1

      Buy 5yo Japanese or Korean. Anything with under 100,000km will be plenty reliable enough.

  • abear on 04/04/2023 - 15:05

    Mazda CX5 and Subaru Forester Premium are available now if you look around .Price around $45k
    Contact one of the online car brokers like Motorscout ,Online Auto etc,they will tell you what you can get now

    • SBOB on 04/04/2023 - 15:43

      car brokers like Motorscout

      did nothing for me except get me an RRP quote, and on a vehicle where there is some stock around/short wait times.

  • Drakesy on 04/04/2023 - 15:49

    Have ya looked at a haval h6 hybrid?

    Longer warranty
    Although still chinese
    Not a bad fit and finish

  • Benoffie on 04/04/2023 - 21:42
    +1

    Consider an unpopular colour or combo.

    Be willing to go country. When I was looking for mine (ordered, 9 month wait mid pandemic), I found a few country dealers had stock (and not the dealers demo).

    Go to the Toyota website and start searching. Make a list and call.

    Edit - just had a quick look, found a 2WD Cruiser in Atomic Red Hybrid, another in Silver and a Mineral Blue Cruiser 2WD Petrol. All country NSW.

  • brad1-8tsi on 05/04/2023 - 11:59

    Personally, I'd buy a 2-3 year old Sportage, equivalent Hyundai or an Outlander. Even a 3rd Gen (2012-2019) Octavia wagon or a Superb. Keep it 3-4 years and do it again.

    Everyone has a boner for battery cars at the moment but given the price premium for the vehicle how much money do you save over the ownership period? Are you doing a lot of Km?
    Also, current models of various vehicles have been de-specced because of the chip shortage.

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