New Car Shopping-Rav4?

[CardsFan]

I am going to buy a new car to replace my 11 yo Altima.

I want a smaller SUV and the Rav4 is my first choice. Looks like Toyota is back logged about 4-8 weeks to get what I want. No dealing, but no dealer "adjustment" either. On site stock is limited. Price for what I want will be just under $36k, all in.

What other options would folks suggest. The Mazda CX-50 is in stock nearby, and you can get any color, as long as you want a black for the interior.

Other ideas?

I don't NEED the car any faster, so I can wait if needed.

Thoughts?

 

[njhowie]

Nice to see the dealer adjustment is going away. If you can wait, take your time and get exactly what you want for the price you want. You could also go through the company website and custom build it with exactly the options and colors you want and deliver to a local dealer.

Custom build Toyota:
https://www.toyota.com/configurator/

Custom build Mazda: https://www.mazdausa.com/shopping-tools/build-and-price#/

 

[homestead]

The Rav4 is a good choice. If you don't get the hybrid or Prime model the prices seem reasonable.
Another good one to look at is 2023 Honda CRV which is rated #1 at Car and Driver. They suggest getting the hybrid.

 

[CardsFan]

You could also go through the company website and custom build it with exactly the options and colors you want and deliver to a local dealer.

I am basically doing that with the dealer. He tried to change a vehicle already on order, but Toyota denied the change. So, I need to wait a little longer.

 

[CardsFan]

The Rav4 is a good choice. If you don't get the hybrid or Prime model the prices seem reasonable.
Another good one to look at is 2023 Honda CRV which is rated #1 at Car and Driver. They suggest getting the hybrid.

Seems like Hybrids are even harder to come by. And as a practical matter, I will put less than 7,000 miles a year on the car, so the gas savings are pretty small.

 

[COcheesehead]

My wife considered both of these and ended up with a Ford Bronco Sport, which she loves.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I love my 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport which I was going to trade in last year when Carvana was offering 13K+ for it but on the other side the dealer was not dealing and added a ridiculous market adjustment price. I decided to wait till prices stabilize and now they're e-mailing me again and they're ready to deal. I'll probably buy another one at some point, I really like the one I have and they come with a 5 year/100000 mile warranty.

 

[Lakedog]

I am basically doing that with the dealer. He tried to change a vehicle already on order, but Toyota denied the change. So, I need to wait a little longer.

I bought my Tacoma in December - the dealer was able to change/delete options on a truck that was already on order. I made a deal on a truck scheduled to be built in about 4 weeks but it actually arrived in two weeks. The dealer indicated that Toyota often moves them up in the build process once sold. I didn't get a discount but no markup either so I was fine with that.

 

[oscar1]

I was lucky. Got my name attached (via dealer) to a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid 2 years ago when it was on a ship suck in the Gulf of Mexico when all the ports were closed. Had to wait 8 weeks back then. I love the car, the 38 MPG, (2) electric motors, quiet as heck. Like driving a large golf cart.

 

[disneysteve]

We went shopping for my wife last fall with a RAV-4 in mind. After checking out the options, she actually didn’t like it as much as the Subaru Forester which is what she ended up buying. The Nissan Rogue was another contender but didn’t like that as much either. I don’t remember the details but the Forester was definitely the nicest of the three as far as we were concerned.

 

[DrRoy]

We much enjoyed our Honda CR-V. Good mileage, reliable, and great resale value.

 

[frayne]

I've got a 2020 XLE Rav 4 and really like it. Great for grocery getting, hauling guys to the golf course, misc errands, hwy. driving and city driving. That said, I have friends that have gone the Mazda and Subaru routes that seem to like their vehicles as well. Test drive them all, have fun and good luck. Think I paid around $30K brand new. Did the financing for 90 days to get the $1K rebate and then wrote a check for the balance. Milage is right around 34 MPG and I drive about 5K miles per year.

 

[4legsgood]

I'm looking too and I'm liking the 2023 Honda CR-V hybrid. It kind of throws me that it doesn't have a spare tire, and I think there won't be any great deals since it's getting good reviews, but it does look good.

 

[aaronc879]

The Rav4 was also my first choice but I didn't like the leg room for my right leg due to the center counsel being too wide. If your legs are longer or wider than normal I would not buy without test-sitting in one first.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm looking too and I'm liking the 2023 Honda CR-V hybrid. It kind of throws me that it doesn't have a spare tire, and I think there won't be any great deals since it's getting good reviews, but it does look good.

We recently bought a 2023 Honda CRV, gas model. A couple of reasons for our choice:
1) We drive very little. Only about 5k per year per car. Our carbon footprint is kind of minor compared to others.
2) The hybrids are hard to get now. The dealer did not mark up the gas model but did mark up the hybrid. That made the break even on gas savings way out there. So far our combined is 29.5 mpg. Decent but not exceptional.
3) On road trips we often go to some trails that are out of the way. The lack of a spare tire on the hybrid would make me nervous. On the last road trip we were in Death Valley and the cell reception is pretty flaky there.
4) The RAV4 hybrids are also very hard to get especially if color is a issue.
5) The CRV reviews are solid. The newly designed model is great but we would be wowed by any new SUV model as it replaced a 2002 Toyota Camry.

Some day we will replace our 2004 Honda CRV. That will be a "city car" with better gas mileage.

 

[REWahoo]

I thought of you folks shopping for new cars when I ran across this:

This is one of the worst times to buy a car in decades

Vehicle transaction prices — the price you actually end up paying after any dealer discounts or markups — have been climbing higher and faster since 2020 than any other point in more than 35 years, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The average transaction price of a new car has jumped nearly $12,000 in the past five years

 

[pacergal]

My brother got a RAv4 hybrid a couple years ago. He loves it, replaced his old model Prius.

 

[Lsbcal]

I thought of you folks shopping for new cars when I ran across this:

This is one of the worst times to buy a car in decades

Well one could wait and hope. In our case we were sick and tired of the supply constraints and driving around in a 21 year old car was not going to cut it.

 

[OnTheBeach]

My daughter looked at the RAV4, Honda and the CX-50 and decided to buy the Nissan Rogue in 2016. Last year we needed another car for the kids and bought a 2019 Nissan Rogue. My inlaws liked it so much that they bought a 2020 Nissan Rogue. Everyone is delighted with their vehicles. I looks like a used Rogue parking lot when they are all in the driveway.

 

[robls]

Bought a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid. Absolutely love it. No issues yet(knock on wood).
Got 43.1 MPG on a trip to Indianapolis last Labor Day weekend.

 

[homestead]

Seems like Hybrids are even harder to come by. And as a practical matter, I will put less than 7,000 miles a year on the car, so the gas savings are pretty small.

That is about the same miles we put on in a year.
Seems like if we buy a hybrid we are paying for the all the gas savings on the front end.
And if we buy a EV we are paying 5-10k on top of the hybrid price to be able to brag we don't buy gas anymore.

 

[robls]

That is about the same miles we put on in a year.
Seems like if we buy a hybrid we are paying for the all the gas savings on the front end.
And if we buy a EV we are paying 5-10k on top of the hybrid price to be able to brag we don't buy gas anymore.

Was getting about 20 MPG with my 2003 Toyota Highlander. Now getting 37.5 MPG with my 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Saving about $900.00 on gas, based on 10,000 miles driven and $3.65/gallon. Hope my quick math is correct.

 

[freedomatlast]

If you're looking for something small and 4WD, I'd take a look at the Subaru Crosstrek. I was driving my wife's 2018 over the weekend. On a 160 mile round trip, we averaged 43.7 MPG, and this is not a hybrid.

 

[mf15]

Looking rav4 or cx-5 later in the year, no CVT or turbo in these.
Drives me nuts,go upscale with the trim then get 19 inch lower profile tires,
don't really want them.
Inventory on rav still poor,almost think they are holding them back.
Rav probable best engine,has port injection along with direct.

 

[Out of Steam]

I'm looking too and I'm liking the 2023 Honda CR-V hybrid. It kind of throws me that it doesn't have a spare tire, and I think there won't be any great deals since it's getting good reviews, but it does look good.

Is there a space for a spare tire if you buy your own? I'd grumble and buy one myself, but having no dedicated place to put it would be a hard no.