We've been following this page for a while and wanted to share our experience so far.
It took a while to prepare for the trip but finally we are on the road. Choosing the right car for this trip was not easy...we had to consider a few things:
- Reliability
- Spare parts availability
- Fuel economy
- Space
- Four-wheel drive option
First, since we were buying the car in the US, not many options available when you consider fuel economy. Most engines for SUV's are usually V6 with 18/22 mpg or less. Rav4 07 is 21/27. great deal, specially when crossing Central American countries at about $5 per gallon!
Second, the fact that Rav4's would be found in any single country we were visiting, was a big advantage.
Third, we owned both previous generations of Rav4, with great results.
So we started our trip with a 2007 Sport version, 4 Cylinder, 2.4 Litre engine, 18" alloy wheels.
We added Sears 21 cu.ft Cargo Box for extra storage and a stainless steel bull bar with 2 extra fog lights.
After driving 16,000 miles. we realized we made the right decision:
We've been doing scheduled services every 5,000 miles (1 in LA, 1 in Mexico city and 1 in Colombia) and never had a mechanical problem with the car so far.
Four-wheel drive option was great to have. Specially in Costa Rica during the rainy season, driving on dirt roads all over. However, 90% of the roads were paved or in pretty good conditions.
Things I would change:
Rims: I would recommend having a higher profile to withstand the pot holes on secondary roads. 15" or 16" at least. It was my intention to switch them but it was very costly to get steel rims and a set of new tires in Central America, not to mention I had to get rid of my 18" since they were hard to sell. Also, it became really hard to find a new set of tires for this size.
Tires: I had the standard Yokohama Geolander G91 and drove 36,000 miles without much trouble. They performed great in highway. However, I would get a more offroady version to withstand the pot holes.
Clearance: driving in highway is a pleasure. but not too good when dealing with gigantic speed bumps every mile! I finally installed the Firestone Air Bag kit but still sometimes is not enough. Keep in mind that the car is loaded (+400 pounds) and it sags a lot.
Please feel free to check our blog or email me if any questions.
www.NYtoBA.com
NYtoBA@gmail.com
|
