2006 Toyota Rav4
I acquired this Rav4 in 2019 from my mom, who had been driving it for a while. One day, she heard a "clunk" and saw a chunk of metal fly out from the rear of the car. A mechanic confirmed that half of the rear coil spring had flown off and suggested the car needed a full suspension overhaul. Despite the issues, the car was still running. My mom considered getting another used vehicle from the dealer, who was a family friend.
Interestingly, both the dealer and I were skeptical of how "totaled" my mom claimed the car to be. He offered her $500 sight-unseen, willing to pick it up himself. In contrast, I vehemently told her I'd pay $1,000 to properly fix it. With the dealer backing me up, she finally sold it to me. I immediately invested around $8,000 in a new suspension. I have a penchant for older cars and wanted to keep this Rav4 going.
Fast-forward to a couple of years later. I took the car to a mechanic for new fuel tank straps, only to be told the car would be completely rusted out within a year or two. Ignoring suggestions to scrap the vehicle, I imported a pristine rear subframe from Texas and sourced various other parts, including new fenders, trailing arm brackets, and more. I then collaborated with another mechanic who works with a body shop.
Despite repeated warnings that it wasn't worth the repair, I persisted. Multiple components needed replacement, from drive-shafts to door frames. The body shop had to disassemble the entire frame and weld in new metal due to extensive rust. After nearly $16,000 in body work, the Rav4 was almost like new. The mechanics even threw in a free windshield, sympathizing with my passion project.
The final hurdle was a malfunctioning airbox that prevented me from changing where the air blew inside the car. I approved a $2,500 new airbox from Toyota, making the total investment around $30,000. Now, I own a fully functional 2006 Toyota Rav4 V6 Sport 4WD, worth approximately $8,000 on the market. However, I have no plans to sell; you can't lose money if you don't sell, right?
The Rav4 parked in my driveway.
The rust around the trailing arm, before it was fixed. Both sides were the same.
The disintegrated rockers.
The rear subframe from Texas that's now in the car.
October 1st, 2023, a picture of the underbody a month or so after repair.
October 1st, 2023, another picture of the underbody.
I gave the engine bay a quick clean, October 1st, 2023.
October 1st, 2023. New FRAM filter, and Mobil1 synthetic truck & SUV oil.