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2004 Toyota RAV4 consumer reviews

$18,450–$20,900 MSRP range
side view of 2004 RAV4 Toyota
(23 reviews)
95% of drivers recommend this car
Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.4
  • Interior 4.3
  • Performance 4.5
  • Value 4.6
  • Exterior 4.5
  • Reliability 4.6
Explore the 2004 Toyota RAV4

This car checks nearly all the boxes for a great first

This car checks nearly all the boxes for a great first car. Mine has seen periods of being absolutely babied and periods of being absolutely thrashed and stays strong through both. This was my first car I've had since I was 15, and now I'm 17 and I still absolutely love this thing. It's probably one of the most practical cars you can buy in the US, the seats fold down, it has plenty of space, and overall tons of quality of life features, and it does all this while being very compact, I've parked next to some of the newer Mini coopers to find out they're about the same size. Great for people who love the outdoors since it comes with 4wd, but even my fwd model can hold its own on the dirt, mine is 150k miles going strong with absolutely ZERO issues. The car is amazingly easy to drive yet not at the sacrifice of fun, as you'll be surprised to see how quick it can move as it shares an engine with a Scion sports coupe. While the interior shows it's age, if you're like me and don't want an ipad as your center console it's quite nice, but even for the time it was rather just on par, as this isn't a luxury vehicle by any means. The stiffness of the suspension will also reflect that as it can be a little bit of a rough ride at times. But despite those issues, this car do about it all and I'm proud to say I will own this car for a whole lot of time to come.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 3.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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I love my Toyota 2004 rav4.

I'm a first owner of a 2004 Toyota rav4, almost 19 yr old and 176000 odo in it. I can't praise this car enough, this car is nothing but good to me all this years. This car has never failed on me, betrayed me or leave me behind.Like other people have mentioned it's going to be very very hard to part from it. My car has a soul . Even after hurricane ian, when the car got flooded, my car is still running strong. When the insurance company came out and checked it out they totaled my car.i Remember calling my husband crying and telling him , how the insurance will take my car away because it's totaled. So I told him, no matter what they will offer me, that car is going nowhere. Just thinking about , how they would take my car to the junk yard and press it flat, no I don't think so! So there you go, that's how much I love my Toyota rav4.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a New car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
16 people out of 18 found this review helpful. Did you?
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The perfect vehicle for Hawaii

The only negative I have to say about our 2004 RAV4 FWD is that it will be extremely difficult to replace if that time ever comes. It is as close to the perfect vehicle you can get for driving on Oahu because it is so compact with a high driving position for visibility. RAVs are not the same since they enlarged them in 2006. The 2004 is well thought out with lots of cubbyholes for storage plus folding and removable rear seats. The a/c still works fine, which is important here. The accelerator is a bit touchy but it has surprising get up and go. The white pearl finish still looks brilliant after 19 years (garaged) and the seat upholstery has held up quite well. The design is timeless so it could pass as a much newer vehicle. My wife thinks it rides a little rough over the broken pavement that is common here. No surprise with the short wheelbase and sprung for AWD. But it's fine for me and I value the ground clearance. I am 6-3 and fit well. Lots of headroom and the driver's seat adjusts enough for me to find a comfortable position. I would not want to drive it for many hours at a time but that is another reason it works so well in Hawaii. Our car has been completely reliable with and exceptionally low cost of ownership. I will keep singing the praises of this car. There is nothing out there today that is quite like it.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
6 people out of 6 found this review helpful. Did you?
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Toyota has our vote for reliability & value

Great size vehicle for a teenager, very happy with safety features and convienence of folding rear seats . Gets great gas mileage & has 4WD to get through any snow!

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
15 people out of 17 found this review helpful. Did you?
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VERY DEPENDABLE, versatile, anyone would enjoy.

I used it for 14 years, one major repair, otherwise change the oil, put on tire. Hold luggage for five and comfortable on long rides.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 4.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
12 people out of 13 found this review helpful. Did you?
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Most reliable car I have ever owned.

This vehicle was the best that I have ever owned and still love it! It has always been totally carefree with regular maintenance and is going on 150,000 odo without any abnormal issues.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a New car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
8 people out of 8 found this review helpful. Did you?
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This is a very reliable car to own.

Car is awesome! It drives well and the AWD system never seems to fail! Overall, the make/model is a great one. The vehicle that I bought from the dealership was simply not the best but not the worst either.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 3.0
  • Value 3.0
  • Exterior 4.0
  • Reliability 3.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
1 person out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
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Good for work

This car is good for my winter I'm happy to have the car with me I'll recommend the cars .com good to fine nice cars for. Decent price

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 3.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 3.0
  • Exterior 3.0
  • Reliability
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
3 people out of 3 found this review helpful. Did you?
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Great all around car...totally reliable

Excellent car.. Drive it everyday...we have 3 rav4 vehicles and they prove themselves reliable everyday.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
4 people out of 4 found this review helpful. Did you?
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Best car I have ever owned.

This car has 213,000 miles on it and no major repairs. It is very reliable and I love it. I can haul more than you would think. The back seats can be removed very easily and there is more room in the back.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a New car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
3 people out of 3 found this review helpful. Did you?
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