Hello everyone,
I've been a fan of Scotty for a while but this is my first time posting here. I was hoping to get some opinions/advice on buying a manual transmission 2004 Toyota RAV4 with 53,000 miles for $10,000 as a daily driver. It's being sold at a dealership and has only had one owner that resided in Maryland.
I think the price is high but my main worry is the age to mile ratio. There are no real maintenance records but according to the Carfax it was at least driven to emission inspections every 2 years since 2007. What are your opinions on buying a close to 20 year old vehicle with such low miles on it? Since the car is from the salt belt I would inspect it for rust and the usual checks but is there something I should look out for on mostly stationary vehicles like this one? I plan on taking it to an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection but wanted to know if any of you had any experience with older cars with low mileage. I appreciate any advice you guys have, thanks for the time.
- Alan
In the Carfax report, check the reported mileage for emission inspections. If they seem logical, the mileage could be legitimate. The price is too high for a 17 years old Toyota, especially with manual transmission. try to lower the price as much as you can.
I thought they would've reported the mileage in the emissions report but surprise surprise it's not in there. Not sure if that's a red flag but I don't think there's a way to confirm the miles. I figured the price was too high, will probably wait since I'm not in a rush but wanted to know where people stand on buying older cars with unusually low miles. Thank you for the response though, I appreciate it.
That's weird that the mileage is nor reported on the Carfax report. Wait if you don't need a car since the market is still unstable.
Will do, it was just that low mileage that had me considering it lol
I actually prefer the older cars with low mileage. There is much less of the electronic junk on them and I prefer the manual any day over an automatic. Having done it many times, replacing a clutch package is a snap compared to diagnosing and fixing a modern, auto trans.
I agree 100%. Having a car with less things to go wrong and with the added reliability that Toyota is known for is a no brainer, only problem is the current "bubble" we're in that is affecting car prices so much. I'm not so worried about the clutch as those are relatively straight forward and common to replace. I think the bigger issue is going to be the rubber components (piston rings, gaskets/seals, hoses, etc.) having cracks from sitting in the heat and not being used. I think these parts might need to be replaced and I'm not sure to what degree the engine will be affected or how difficult it would be to fix. Have you had any bad experiences from buying an older car with low miles on it or have had to immediately replace any components?
I try to access the condition of the soft parts first, looking for tell tale leaks, etc. Low mileage cars, in my experience, are in fairly good shape IF they have been properly maintained. I generally change out ALL fluids just as a matter of course and for my peace of mind and to get a starting point for my own maintenance schedule. Keep receipts for EVERYTHING.
Sounds like a plan. Yeah the Carfax doesn't have any real service records but I would definitely change all of the fluids out. Will do, thanks!
I have had good luck buying older vehicles with low miles. Just like the others have said, less computers and electronics is a good thing. It's a Toyota so that is a good thing. You are on track by thinking about seals, tires, etc. Take a good look under the car for leaks and you will see if there are any seal problems. I had an F-150 that sat for a long time and by the time I started driving it again EVERYTHING leaked. It was an old $1,000 truck so it didn't matter to me but you should be able to see any problem like that.
Check the year on the tires. They should have a 4 digit code stamped on the sidewall, example 2617, that means they were manufactured on the 26th week of 2017. If they are more than 5 years old, a lot of tire shops won't repair them. The only way they will take them off the rim is if you buy a new tire from them. Make sure all the tires match and aren't dry rotted. If they are over 5 years old, dry rotted, don't match, use those points to get the price down. If it has 4 brand new cheap Chinese tires, that could be an indication of worn suspension parts that they are trying to cover up, Scotty just had a video on that.
Make note of every scratch, dent, any imperfection. You don't have to be a butt about it, just at least note all your findings so they get piled up in the salesman's mind. All said, I would feel comfortable buying this car, the price is just bad because of the market and because you are buying it from a dealer. Good luck and happy car buying.
The tire tips were huge, thank you for that. I will look out for the age code and any flat spots as Scotty has said before. Yeah the price is hard to justify so I plan on waiting till at least November and hope other car sales will bring the price down. I run the risk of losing this particular Rav4 but I'm sure there will be other cars out there. Thanks again for the response, I got way more replies than I expected this community is awesome.