OK folks. I figured this would be a good place to plop a question Im researching. I know there are a lot of mechanical minds here on this forum and folks who have owned lots of vehicles and have have some good experience that I would like to draw from.
My wife is due for a new vehicle. She has been looking and researching SUV's for weeks now finding what she wants. She has narrowed it down, with my input along the way, to a Toyota Rav4. My wife has never owned a car that she got to pick for herself - it was hand me downs from her parents and the like, and the current car she has was also given to her by her parents. She has always driven a bare bones little corolla. She has put herself through nursing school, graduated top of her class, worked hard, and in the 9 years of being with her I have watched her go from a low point in life when we first met, to running a medical facility as a competent nurse administrator. I'm so proud of how far she has come. I say all that to say that I want my wife to finally have the car she wants. Her income has of course drastically increased in the last many years, so she can afford what she wants. She hit a dog months ago in the current car, after being called in to work in the middle of the night, and busted the front plastics of her car all up, even pushed the radiator back (no leaks). I had to cut portions of the plastics away with a reciprocating saw, as it was all hanging and dragging in the road nearly. At 200,000 miles and with the damage, the car looks ragged at this point. Toyota obviously wants a lot of money to fix it all, but we have no interest in dumping that into this car. Its time for the new vehicle to happen. We are going this weekend to visit the lots - may even make a deal who knows. She is relying on me with regards to the engine, transmission, etc, as she knows nothing about those things. So, I've been researching the options of the Toyota Rav4.
I am familiar with the various transmissions and how they work, but not in which is better or if one has a lot of more problems compared to the other. I have never driven a vehicle wit ha CVT transmission. There is a lot of positive online about them, and a lot of negative, depending on who you talk to it seems. I like many aspects of the CVT on paper. I think my wife would like the CVT in terms of drivability. What Im trying to avoid of course is buying into a transmission that maybe has lots of problems and then we end up regretting it down the road. I would love any input or opinions or experience on this front. We are looking at some loaded rav4's with all the bells and whistles. Often I have the option between an 8speed automatic trans or the CVT. Im also looking at regular rav4 vs. hybrid rav4. Most ofthe fancy rav4's seem to all be hybrids. They say people fear what they dont understand - and I have always looked at hybrids and such with a little bit of a dirty look. Now that I am actually researching them though I find a lot of great stuff about these rav4 hybrids. They are faster, snappier, better acceleration, and much better gas millage. I am not a mechanic however, nor have I had lots of experience with lots of vehicles. My last truck was a 98 tacoma and I drove it from 18 years old to 35 years old when I bought my most recent Ford F-150. So, any and any feedback, opinions, and insights welcome.
My wife is due for a new vehicle. She has been looking and researching SUV's for weeks now finding what she wants. She has narrowed it down, with my input along the way, to a Toyota Rav4. My wife has never owned a car that she got to pick for herself - it was hand me downs from her parents and the like, and the current car she has was also given to her by her parents. She has always driven a bare bones little corolla. She has put herself through nursing school, graduated top of her class, worked hard, and in the 9 years of being with her I have watched her go from a low point in life when we first met, to running a medical facility as a competent nurse administrator. I'm so proud of how far she has come. I say all that to say that I want my wife to finally have the car she wants. Her income has of course drastically increased in the last many years, so she can afford what she wants. She hit a dog months ago in the current car, after being called in to work in the middle of the night, and busted the front plastics of her car all up, even pushed the radiator back (no leaks). I had to cut portions of the plastics away with a reciprocating saw, as it was all hanging and dragging in the road nearly. At 200,000 miles and with the damage, the car looks ragged at this point. Toyota obviously wants a lot of money to fix it all, but we have no interest in dumping that into this car. Its time for the new vehicle to happen. We are going this weekend to visit the lots - may even make a deal who knows. She is relying on me with regards to the engine, transmission, etc, as she knows nothing about those things. So, I've been researching the options of the Toyota Rav4.
I am familiar with the various transmissions and how they work, but not in which is better or if one has a lot of more problems compared to the other. I have never driven a vehicle wit ha CVT transmission. There is a lot of positive online about them, and a lot of negative, depending on who you talk to it seems. I like many aspects of the CVT on paper. I think my wife would like the CVT in terms of drivability. What Im trying to avoid of course is buying into a transmission that maybe has lots of problems and then we end up regretting it down the road. I would love any input or opinions or experience on this front. We are looking at some loaded rav4's with all the bells and whistles. Often I have the option between an 8speed automatic trans or the CVT. Im also looking at regular rav4 vs. hybrid rav4. Most ofthe fancy rav4's seem to all be hybrids. They say people fear what they dont understand - and I have always looked at hybrids and such with a little bit of a dirty look. Now that I am actually researching them though I find a lot of great stuff about these rav4 hybrids. They are faster, snappier, better acceleration, and much better gas millage. I am not a mechanic however, nor have I had lots of experience with lots of vehicles. My last truck was a 98 tacoma and I drove it from 18 years old to 35 years old when I bought my most recent Ford F-150. So, any and any feedback, opinions, and insights welcome.
