2003 Toyota RAV4 - Suggestions on a replacement

My RAV4 is on it’s 2nd transmission. My 3 year warranty on said trans. is about to expire. I bought a Toyota, because they are supposed to last 200,000 miles or more. Can you recommend a small to midsize SUV with a reliable engine/transmission? Honda is using CVT Transmissions. I have been reading up. They are basically, disposable. They may last 5 yrs. & cost 5 to 7 G’s to replace… I need help finding an SUV with a reliable engine & transmission that will last for more than 12 years. Do you know of any possibilities? Your input/assistance would be greatly appreciated… Thank you.

Not a chance of anyone saying any brand can last that long . After all they are machines and subject to wear and not all will have the same problem . Almost any vehicle will last 200000 miles if properly maintained and does not fall victim to the Cancer Rust.

I’d suggest you consider the Mazda CX-5. It is one of the last crossovers, or affordable vehicles of any type, that still uses a geared transmission. We are sorry that your 17-year-old RAV4 had transmission issues, but the RAV4 made in the past generation did not have any widespread transmission issues. You can check out owner-reported complaints at CarComplaints. Another option to consider would be a vehicle that has no transmission in the sense that we usually refer to them. The Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Niro EV would both that fall into that category. There is also no engine to fail. Both come with a warranty that lasts 100,000 miles and 10-years.

The Rav4 still has a conventional automatic and if properly cared for will be reliable and last more than 12yrs. A co-worker is thinking about replacing her 2003 Rav4 but hasn’t figured out what yet so she’s still driving it. On the original transmission as far as i’m aware.

A now retired colleague of ours has a 2007 Toyota Camry which is one that received new pistons and rings on Toyota to fix oil burning at around 100,000 miles and now has over 300,000 miles and aiming for 400,000 miles.Second owner though.

The new RAV4 hybrid, with the proven durable Toyota hybrid drive system, just might have what it takes to outlast anything else in its category, and use a lot less fuel as it does so.

Your initial transmission failure was likely a fluke, not the result of a poor design. There should be no problem with the replacement transmission if you have been giving it proper maintenance and no abusing the vehicle. What is the condition of the rest of the car?

One idea, choose a vehicle w/a manual transmission instead of automatic. An SUV with a manual trans may be hard to find, that’s gonna be the main challenge. Manual transmissions still require repair from time to time, but the part that needs repair is usually just the clutch, not the transmission’s innards. My Corolla’s manual transmission and clutch are original to the 27 year old/200k miles vehicle. My truck’s automatic, with few miles than the Corolla, the trans had to be rebuilt at around 100K miles.

The new RAV 4 has the 8 speed automatic and I see a lot of complaints on its shifting both on the RAV4 community and also on the Camry forum. A friend who has bought the Camry also complains of its shifting.
The Hyundai/Kia base models use a 6 speed transmission that has been around for a while and has worked fine for me with regular ATF changes. Their engines are tricky, you have to get one with the 2.0 engine that is not the Theta II.
As suggested the Mazda is a good choice but in my case the local dealer closed and the closest dealer is 30 miles away.
I will also look at the Ford Escape esp without the turbo engines.