At $9,800, Would You ‘Pack ‘Em In’ In This Seven-Seater 2008 Toyota RAV4?

According to the seller, today’s Nice Price of No Dice RAV4 is the only one west of the Mississippi sporting the seven-seat option. Let’s see if its price makes it the one to buy.

My First Car: Randall Park Cruised LA in His New, Gifted 1992 Toyota Corolla

One of the biggest anticipatory thrills in the Mad Max movies is when the titular character yanks the red lever on the shifter, activating the blower poking out of the hood and filling viewers’ ears with an orgasm of adrenaline-pumping turbine whine. Carnage generally ensues each one of these acts. The 2005 Jaguar XJR we considered yesterday offered supercharged hijinks, but not in quite so crude and ostentatious a manner as Max’s Ford. That iron fist in a velvet glove approach was probably a better route, considering the car’s substantial $33,000 asking price. Unfortunately for the seller, few of you were willing to entertain such a heady amount, dropping the Jag in a 78 percent No Dice loss.

How do you differentiate what is a car and what is a truck? What are your selection criteria for either? Regarding vehicle sales here in the U.S., the top three sellers in 2023 were pickup trucks, a form factor that’s pretty self-explanatory and easily identified. The best-selling car, however, could be considered a toss-up. Toyota’s RAV4 comes in at number four on the list, but considering it’s considered a crossover, does that make it a car, or a truck? In fact, if you want to find an uncontested car to wear the sales crown, you’d need to drop to eighth place, where the Toyota Camry sits. The next car on the list is Tesla’s Model 3, all the way down in 12th place.

Regardless of how you categorize it, the RAV4 has been a hit for Toyota almost from the start, seemingly beloved by owners and enjoying a somewhat cult-like following for its now-classic first generation. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.

This 2008 Toyota RAV4 XLE seems to have most of the factors that make it a fan favorite. Under the hood, it has Toyota’s economical and yet stout 2.4-liter 2AZ-FE four, offering 166 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. That’s matched to a standard four-speed automatic and, in this RAV4’s case, a no-fuss, no-muss AWD system.

That AWD system is balanced heavily toward the front wheels, with the rears only coming into action when major slipping is detected. That means understeer fetishists should still be pleased. According to the seller, this capable setup gets 26 miles to the gallon.

That’s not too bad when you consider that this RAV4’s party piece is its third row of seating. With that in use, this tall wagon seats seven in an overall footprint so small you might not think such a feat possible. Truth be told, the third row is for kids or amputees only, and it does encroach (i.e., eliminate) the cargo space in the back when employed.

Another cargo-related issue is the rear door. That handily mounts the spare tire in a hard candy-coated shell on the outside for extra room in the cabin and space underneath for the AWD. Unfortunately, it’s hinged on the right, perfect for its home market where the curb is on the left, but a frustration for those of us right-curbers.

That’s really all that I can find to complain about with this very tidy RAV4. The gold paint appears to have only suffered some minor scratches on the rear corners of the rear bumper, while the handsome factory alloys look to have no blemishes whatsoever.

Other plusses include an interior that presents as clean overall, with just minimal brushing of the seat bolster and wear on the carpet to call out. An aftermarket stereo head unit offers both a more modern big-screen experience and a backup camera while looking pretty OEM.

As to the remaining specs, there are 150,000 miles on the clock, a clean title, and the seller boasts that the truck/car/whatever is in EXCELLENT CONDITION. They even suggest that buyers “bring your mechanic,” as though we all keep one of those at our beck and call. The asking price for this excellent seven-seat SUV is $9,800.

Now, normally, you, being a car enthusiast, wouldn’t even give something like this RAV4 a second glance or celebratory fart. They do sell, though—like gangbusters. And because of that, we should really decide what makes them so popular and, more importantly, whether this one is people-pleasing enough to ask two Benjamins shy of ten grand for the honor of its ownership.