2006 Toyota RAV4

jimd4

So what were the 36mo lease payments on the RAV without state taxes? Did you put money down?

flyingn

congrats!!!! You will LOVE your new Rav. Wait till u see the gas mileage as compared to your old 4runner too.

Frank

weakland

Has anyone heard of dealers tacking on a charge of about $2,000 because the 2006 RAV4 is in such demand??? We are planning on purchasing one today and are wondering if we can
get around this!

raybear

Read back on some of the posts in here and you'll find yourself shopping for a new dealer.

harryb1

I'm as tall as you and we had the same issue as you do although we have no kids. We looked at both, the Highlander and the RAV4, bought the RAV 2 weeks ago.

We had a Mazda Tribute before and we're so happy that we went with the RAV. Very comfortable drive and plenty of space for grandma in the back.

thecat

A.M.V. (adjusted market value) of $2k, or any amount for that matter, is absurd. It's pure dealer gouging. You need to put your purchase on hold for a few days and find another source. Go rent a car from Hertz for a week if you need immediate transportation and shop elsewhere for your new car. When dealers start out with an AMV they act like they have made some hugh concession just to negotiate the AMV off the table. Buy your car someplace else.

abbiem

Without tax it was 399. I didn't put any money down other than first month's payment, title/registration fees.

jimd4

Don't but under those circumstances even if your desperate. Look at www.fritzmall.com to see what prices are available. You may have to pay a little more than they ask but not MSRP or MSRP+$2000!
The dealer is just trying you on for size as he takes you to the cleaners.

beantown

A Rav4 LTD with charcoal interior? Did you mean to say "Sport"? Quite a few people here wanted the charcoal interior with the LTD, but were told it was impossible.

bobw3

Best thing is try & see for yourself. I've read some posts where 6'3" guys have plenty of legroom in some car, while some 5'10" guys are complaining about the lack of legroom, so you really got to get all the car seats in, get yourself in, and then really see. Are you only in the market for a Rav or Sienna?

andrelaplume

never assume a high rating. We assumed our (then new model) 02 Camry would test high. It got 2 stars on side impact.

abbiem

I know - I had read that in prior posts and I am confused as well. My car is definitely a Limited. The interior was described on the dealer's inventory list on their website as Charcoal, but perhaps that was an error. The dash and side panels are very dark grey - almost black, and the cloth seats and door panel armrests are a lighter grey. Maybe it is Ash - I have not seen the interior of the Sport model so I don't know how this compares.

Sporin

Other then a few extra body color peices on the outside, and the 18" Alloys as standard on the Sport, with 17" steelies standard on the base ($340 package gets you 17" alloys) what are the differences??

Is the Sport's suspension tuned differently? Is the Sports interior a darker color?

Is that it?

jimd4

Sport dash is dark grey, seats what I would call dark grey also. I have driven two of them.

jimd4

I have driven 2 Sports and one base. Suspension seems tighter to me than base. Toyota site mentions tuned shocks and springs. I found the handling and ride of the Sport very good. I had the impression the Sport shifted differntly than base but do not see that in specs. One dealer said Sport had different shift points. No third seat in sport and I thought the gauge trim was darker. Also dash and cloth seem darker. I found Sport handling very crisp with no body lean and fairly quiet. You do feel ruts and bumps more than base though. Drive one, there are at dealers now

jimd4

Also Sport tires wider, lower prifile 235/55/18"

rsaltus1

If someone did get a Ltd with dark charcoal, I may have to have them killed. I loved it in the Sport I drove, but we ended up getting an Everglade Metallic Ltd with taupe, which is way too light for my taste.
RS in Boston
Drives like a dream, though.
Someone I work with RENTED a midnight blue Ltd over the weekend from Ira Toyota in Danvers, north of Boston. She absolutely fell in love with it, but may have to settle for the base or even a Mazda3 for financial reasons.
RS in Boston

rsaltus1

I'm thinking of adding XM to my new RAV4 Ltd, but don't know where to start. How much should I pay for a basic unit; where do I mount it; does it plug into the AUX port? How is it powered (DC outlet?) How much more do the ones cost you can remove from the car?
Any advice much appreciated
RS in boston

snagiel

That's fitzmall.com, as in FITZgerald, not fritzmall.com.

raydahs

Be careful what you wish for, I have this same material and color in my 05’ SE Camry! I have 31K on it in 16 months. The driver and passenger seat and seat back lateral edges are fading (the Black dye is wearing off and is turning a light Gray) due to a high volume of entry and exit in those seats. The rear still looks okay due to limited entry and exiting……….YMMV.

jmcmannis

You also get the fog lamps on the Sport (and Limited). I picked my Classic Silver Sport 4WD up Moday night. They had to get it from a dealer 4 hours away so it already had 270 miles on it. I love it! The delear they got it from put a 2-tone gray pinstripe on it. Although I'm not a big fan of pinstripes, I really like it on the Rav. Helps to break it up some. Speaking of lease payments, mine is $239. That's for a 36mo, 12,000 mile/yr lease with $3000 down and $3800 for my trade.

jpnewt

Just wanted to confirm you put down $6800.00 on a 36 month lease? Why? :confuse: Never a good idea to put that much down especially trade since 3 years from now you have nothing for it! If this is the first time you leased need to ask questions before you ever do it again.

jimd4

Why nothing down? If nothing down, don't you end up making bigger payments and more interest each month and year so you have "nothing to show for" them either. What am I missing?

jimd4

That $239/month is without sales tax?

defrance

There should not be any interest on a lease. If you don't put the money down, you can keep that money in a 3 yr cd getting 4.75%. You'd do much better.

jimd4

You better read the lease guide. On a lease you pay interest on the part of the car you use and on the residual part. Interest is a very big part of your lease payment. That is what the term "money factor" is for. I don't know if a down payment makes sense but if you don't make one then you pay interst(3 to 6% now) on the $6800 or whatever you esentially borrow.

snagiel

I just recently installed the Delphi XM2Go receiver/player in our RAV4. It's pretty straightforward, and took me about three hours. The antenna I mounted on the roof out back, and ran the cable between the headliner and window seals (and door pillar covers), down the A-pillar, under the passenger-side dash (glove compartment), and brought it out and straight up along the center tunnel. The DC power and aux (via ground-loop isolator) are plugged into the center storage bin, and snake out back (the external rear of the compartment is a plastic door that can be easily removed), and down through the central tunnel, so that all three (power, aux, and antenna) come out of the same place. The unit I mounted against a small, flat metal stint I picked up from Home Depot for about 40 cents, glued to the inside wall of the center console (adjacent to the other power plug), and I bent the stint along the dash's contours so that it faces out, and I affixed the radio's ball-joint mount against this stint face.

Works like a charm

stever

There's a Leasing Tips page here as well as a Toyota RAV4: Lease Questions discussion you may be interested in.

Edmunds recommends a zero down payment (link).

Steve, Host

jimd4

Yes Steve I see that but there is on explaination as to why that is best. In my previous post, I was not really commenting about a lease down payment I was addrssing the issue where the writer says there is no interest on a lease. Of course there is as the "rental charge" . The finance company is not going to eseentially loan you $20000 worth of money on a $30k car with no interst for 36 months.

stever

Car_man explains the no down payment issue better than I can:

Car_man, "Lease Questions - Ask Here" #23858, 19 Sep 2005 2:00 am

For the interest question, you can ask him for more details in the RAV4 lease discussion linked above. There's also GAP insurance to roll into the equation and cap cost and other stuff that just drives me to pay cash. :shades:

Steve, Host

hit_the_road

Picked it up yesterday. Having a great time with it with absolutely no problems (or as they're now called "issues").
Doing surprisingly well in 7" of snow in the fields out
behind my house. It's got the Yokohama tires with the wider
tread (compared to the base & limited tires). On the way
home with it yesterday, I went around the long way using the
highway. All I can say is, it is quiet in the cabin
at 70-5 mph. Much less wind noise than my folks' Highlander!
And this thing moves out. I would imagine that with a V6 it would probably fly off the pavement if you were going over a hilltop. Anyway, I'm sure most of you have test driven one (if you don't own one yet) so I won't bore you with any more details.
Some Pictures

barnowl

congrats on the new RAV !

just a couple of questions

1. What is the RPM at 70 MPH ?

2. Any comments or thoughts about the 4-Speed Automatic Transmission ? Is it responsive to downshifting when you step on the gas ? Does the RAV "lurch" when the Transmission is downshifting during acceleration ? Does it shift well ? Did you wonder about the 5-Speed Auto with the V6 ?

Thanks.

hit_the_road

RPM at 70 was in the upper 2000 range. The tranny is smooth with no jerking around when it downshifts. I thought about the V6 before & after test driving a base model last month.
My decision to go with the l4 was reinforced when driving home
with the Sport yesterday. If you're going to be doing alot of
towing or hauling heavy loads, then check into the V6 when it
comes out. I wanted to make sure I was squeezing the most
possible MPG. On paper (in the EPA lab) the highway
mpg figures between the l4 & V6 are supposedly comparible.
In real life everyday driving that's a bit questionable.
Especially in stop & go driving.

jimd4

Hello, I had driven the Sport I4 a week ago. RPM at 70 was about 2800. Transission is very smooth. I4 is pretty nice. From the Car and Driver test the V6 with 5 speed should be just under 2000 RPM at 70 so this should help hwy MPG if nothing else. I am waiting for V6 test drive since I am not in a hurry to buy.

jimd4

Hey great looking Sport. Same color as the one I drove. What did you get on it and what did you pay? I am in NY also and am waiting for V6 test drive and letting the dealers here on Long Island get beyond..."you have to pay MSRP"!
Thanks,
Jim D

flyingn

I believe that the rpm at 70 is about 2300-2500.. If I remember corrrectly. The 4 speed is VERY nice.. no lurching and no harsh downshift.. Its very responsive. No complaints at all..
Its a sweet combo.. the 2.4 twin cam and the silky 4 speed trans..

Frank

abbiem

I do not know anything about the technicalities of leasing, but I can offer this: My last car, Toyota 4Runner, was leased with no money down. I was about 20mos into the 3 yr lease when a very big tree fell my car and totalled it. Geico has paid off the leasing company, and I am leasing a RAV4, with no money out of my pocket (other than the usual license and registration fees). Also, my 4-Runner was on a 12K/yr lease, but I was averaging closer to 15K/yr, and I had a big scratch on the side that I was going to have to either repair or pay for at the end (along with a broken drink tray in the back seat). I am thinking that I came out of this ahead, PLUS I got to move into the RAV4 which is better on fuel and so far a lot more fun to drive. I lease my cars on the advice of my accountant - I am a self-employed computer consultant and use the car primarily for business - apparently the write-off is easier with a leased vehicle. And I get a new car every three years! (In this case 20 months) So, if a big tree is going to fall on your car, leasing is the way to go - but please make sure you are not in the car when it happens.

hit_the_road

Jim,
It's that option package that's got the moonroof, 6 CD changer, DRL etc. plus matching floor mats & rear bumper
protector. I didn't have time to mess around that much
since I just sold my '02 Explorer a couple weeks ago.
Besides, I wanted to hurry up and buy one before the price
goes down! :P From what I hear, all the NY dealers charge
the same. Hey, listen.....they gotta eat, right?

jaxs1

The leasing company will only be fully paid off in the event you have gap insurance which is sometimes optional. Otherwise, you would owe the difference since you don't make large enough payments to ever owe the leasing company than the market value until the very end.
Leasing can be have tax advantages for people who use their vehicles for business, but I don't know that there isn't some basically equivalent write-off for business (depreciation etc.) if you purchase instead of lease.

thecat

Buying is, IMHO, a better write off. I purchase my cars and lease them to my company over a period of time that completly repays my investment. In the end, I own the vehicle and the company paid for it. The money received from the company isn't income since it's the exact amount of the expense.

edgor

Has anyone installed mudguards on the rav? If so, how hard is it to do? Also, it looks like two types are being sold, one with "fender flares," one without. Is the difference between the two cosmetic? We have a Limited.

hit_the_road

You'll have to wait for Frank (flyingn) to reply on here.
He's installing some on his Limited this weekend.

flyingn

hopefully they will be here by when I get home tonight to install saturday

Frank

lys078

Just wondering if anyone has seen this color in person and if it's true to the picture at toyota.com. Looks like a dark charcoal to me. I'm going to test drive tomorrow and possibly buy, but the dealership doesn't have Flint Mica in stock and I'd have to order it. Thanks.

hit_the_road

Got back out on the highway & paid a bit closer attention to
the rpm's this time. With the cruise control set at 70mph,
the rpm was 2500 on a level road.

raydahs

I saw a sport like you're talking about last Saturday. It looks Black from a distance but when you get close up, it has a very rich metallic look to it. Different angles in the sun make it unique. Seek out the 4Runner, it's just like it.

jimd4

I have looked at and driven the mica Sport I4. Very dark color and dark charcoal is the best I can say too. I only saw it late in the day when it was overcast. I have seen Sports in black, silver, red and the mica. Black seemed to look the coolest to me but everyone tells me black shows all the dirt. I want to look at a red one again but in the sun when I can. The Sports seem to sell fast. Check the www.fitzmall.com site before you buy to get an idea on a reasonable price. Where are you located?

Keep us posted on your purchase.

pretzelb

I just test drove a sport and it did have the 1 touch fold and flat seats. I think all models have this in fact. I can also assure you it, and all of them, have the under floor storage.

pretzelb

I just visited my dealer and the sales guy said it will probably be 3 months before they get any v6 RAV4s. I was hoping to test drive one next month and then decide but this really has me wondering what to do. I wonder if it's a regional thing or if the v6's just aren't getting here any time soon.

mcswine

I don't think that's right. I've seen a couple of different places that the V6's will start showing up at the dealers in the middle of Feb. Maybe he's trying to get you to buy one now.