$4000 car. Rav4 or similar

safreek

safreek

*******
Hi guys, it's time for 2nd hand car time so am looking for a reliable yet fuel efficient car that will carry Burt.
Had a look at a couple of early 2000 ravs, swb, I recon if I pull the seats out the dog would fit in fine, anyone had one and can give me an idea of what they are like.
Other cars I am looking at are Hyundai Santa Fe and similar.
Looking for around 10 to the hundred.
Cheers for any ideas, prefer not station wagons
355523
 
S

Shredden

Knows his goats
I've had two '97 Honda CRVs and they have both been rock solid despite serious neglect on my behalf. Get about 10l per 100 driving normally. I really highly recommend it for a cheap car with a bit of room.

The first one was $3500 with a years reg and RWC - I drove it into about a meter of water and flooded it. Cost about $350 for a second hand replacement ECU coded to work with the key and getting the injectors cleaned out. Drove it for a year or so after that with no issues at all.

The current one I have was less, ended up paying $2000 with a years reg and RWC. I've done about 50,000km in it and heaps of shuttling/jumps and only had really minor maintenance items.

My sister had a '99 one that was great too, no issues in a year with 25,000km.

The only issue I've had on both mine is the rear diff can get a bit whiny/squeaky when turning. You just buy a bottle of the Honda "dual pump fluid" for like $40, replace it, and it'll be good for another 100,000km apparently.
 
fatboyonabike

fatboyonabike

Captain oblivious
Haakon said:
Renault Koleos can be cheap and good value if youre insisting on an SUV. Ignore the french badge, its just a Nissan Xtrail thats built in Korea - but people just freak at the badge and as a result theyre cheap. Nifty two part tailgate. Manual or CVT. 2.5 Nissan engine is decent.

Nissan service parts, cheap.

2008 Renault Koleos Dynamique Manual-OAG-AD-17246525 - carsales.com.au

www.carsales.com.au www.carsales.com.au
Click to expand...
Wrong!..Xtrail engines blow up, just like all other Nissan engines
the car its self is pretty good, but they will let you down mechanically!
90's Toyota corolla AWD wagon, they go forever...not very kind on the eye, but no one will want to steal it!
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
fatboyonabike said:
Wrong!..Xtrail engines blow up, just like all other Nissan engines
the car its self is pretty good, but they will let you down mechanically!
late 90's Toyota corolla AWD wagon, they go forever...not very kind on the eye, but no one will want to steal it!
Click to expand...
Really? I just assumed japanese = must be reliable... I do know Renault engines are indestructible, maybe they should have used that.

I have no experience in either SUVs or japanese cars... I know a few Reno peeps who had good runs with Koleos, even though we teased them not having a proper reno :)
 
safreek

safreek

*******
mas2 said:
For that price you should be able to get a pretty good second hand bike.
It really depends on where you ride and what you riding style is.
Click to expand...
Hoping to sneak a bit aside for another vintage dh bike or similar , that would be cool, the asx is near running so need another projo
 
Calvin27

Calvin27

Eats Squid
You're bang on the money for a rav. They are basic machines that go on for a long time. Honda is up there too albeit slightly less capable off road (they're all soft roaders right?). But the hondas will command a higher price because once you get to the $4k mark those k24s start looking real juicy for the honda rice boys.

Stay away from an xtrail or koleos - or anything cvt. I'd recommend a subby but the fozzys of that era is pot luck wrt head gaskets. My oddball recommendation is suzuki range. The grand vitara's were a real piece of kit.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Yeah no CVT - I linked the proper gearbox version ;)

But this is a rough and tumble manly man truck right? No real man would want an auto... I've heard good things about vitaras too, mate has one with proper tyres and a lift kit and its apparantly quite capable in the bush.
 
Calvin27

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Haakon said:
Yeah no CVT - I linked the proper gearbox version ;)
Click to expand...
To be fair I know a lot of CVTs that have lasted well beyond 150,000km mark with no issues. However the problem is when you think that the box is actualyl sealed for life like they say, and then you also want to tow!
 
Flow-Rider

Flow-Rider

Burner
Great another thread of "internet experts"
@safreek it's actually illegal to remove the rear seats without a mod plate but I would be going for an old hilux over a rav4.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Calvin27 said:
To be fair I know a lot of CVTs that have lasted well beyond 150,000km mark with no issues. However the problem is when you think that the box is actualyl sealed for life like they say, and then you also want to tow!
Click to expand...
Sealed for life is madness, great for the manufacture though.

Our old Megane has the clunky old 4 speed auto in it that has an awful reputation for being fragile (and for crappy shift logic in the software...), few made it to 100Kkm. Under specced heat exchanger for warm climates and “sealed for life”. We got it virtually new and it’s had fresh fluid every 30000kms or so - still it’s perfect sluggy clunky shifting self at 100K now, feels good for another 100.

Change the oil kiddies.
 
link1896

link1896

Mr Greenfield
don't touch an older Subaru. GUARANTEED to have head gasket issues. I ran a side business years ago repairing subarus on weekends. Open deck blocks, 10mm wide gasket sealing faces between coolant and oil, and blocks machined at the factory with a lump of rock.
 
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