Like I’ve been saying, sometime before too long I gotta buy a car so as to have it paid off before retirement. This is a need rather than a want as I have never got all that excited about vehicles and my two high mileage (270,000 and 360,000 miles) Corollas still start up every time I turn the key
Probl’y gonna go Carmax, price $20,000 to $25,000 range, maybe 50,000 on the odometer. Need something with decent ground clearance and some towing capacity (seven years from now I might hit the road with a simple trailer). Plan to keep it past 250,000 miles.
Subaru is out of the question on account of their CVT transmissions.
That price would get me a decent basic 2WD Tacoma, or a bells-and-whistles AWD Rav 4 Adventure; better mileage, better off road, more versatile, similar towing capacity.
My question is this; in order to wring out all that versality and capability out of the RAV4 Adventure they have to computerize the heck out of it with respect to the drivetrain and allotted traction. They even have three different push-button drive/traction modes for sand, mud and pavement
I know Toyotas generally run forever, but how about all those electronic/computer doodads they use now, in spades on that Rav Adventure version, do those systems last forever too?
If you want to tow something, look at the Highlander. It's kind of a 4-Runner light. It's built lighter than the 4-Runner but does have decent clearance and the 6 cyls have a 5000lb towing capacity. For towing, it's much preferable to a Rav4. The Rav4 is too light to be pulling anything heavier than a little utility trailer. The rated towing capacity is 3500 and I wouldn't pull more than 70 to 80% of any vehicles rating. It might pull it but slowing down the trailer takes more weight.
The Highlander has 8 gears, not a CVT. I don't know about the Rav4.
I don't know of any cars these days that aren't electronics nightmares.
