1998 Toyota RAV4 Soft Top | Retro Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ต.ค. 2022
- The super rare RAV4 Soft Top still checks all the boxes. C'mon Toyota, let's have a revival!
Show 1751 | Original Airdate 08-26-1998
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Love my soft top rav. Handles like a dream but the awd + 5 speed helps in that regard. Super fun vehicle that you will NEVER see anyone else driving.
I had one of these in a hard top. Was one of my most loved cars I’ve ever owned. It’s an amazing and perfect car for anyone in a northern climate.
Why did you sell it?
@@DiaperSNiFFER if I recall I think I was looking for a fuel efficient daily and this isn’t bad but being awd all the time and a very solid built car it was a bit low mpgs. But in hindsight I’d wish I kept it. Was just a great feeling little truck.
@@gryphon123456 oh I thought this were 4x4 and you can switch to 2wd…?
@@DiaperSNiFFER this generation was fwd or awd w a locking dif.
@@gryphon123456 ohhhhhhh thank you 🙏 didn’t know that
Alright! Got my Ace of Base cassette ready. Time to hit the road.
That's All That She Wants!
I miss 98
@@oliverdelgado6952 Sadly you're not the only one!
@@oliverdelgado6952 I miss the 90s and early 00s also, we live in terrible times now
I sure wish that "Compact Sport Ute's" stayed this size...
Now they are the size of the Full Sized Units!
I wish they stayed that price!
It isn't just a problem with SUVs. What passes for a compact pickup truck nowadays is comparably sized to what was considered full-size 20 years ago. Even the sedans that still exist have gotten ridiculously wide. A 2023 Camry is only a few inches narrower than a 2003 Escalade.
@@mediocreman2 Very nice this Toyota RAV4. This version is never sold in Brazil, the T-TOP
Back in the days when Toyota cars were bulletproof!
The non-convertible 2-door had dual sunroofs: one for the front seat and one for the back seat.
That is super cool. Both panels come out just like on this one?
I had one of these, a 1998 in blue.
Fun little car, but ended up selling it.
Highly missed it, but couldn't find another in the same condition so I bought a jeep tj wrangler instead and thankfully it gives me the same love the rav4 did.
thye are selling for a good price now days
@@siamiam that's why I sold it. Bought it for 1500 and got rid of it for 8000. If it was in even better shape it would've easily been 10k+
My aunt still has her 2 door hardtop rav4. 325k miles on the clock, only scheduled maintenance and wear/tear parts. She says she will only trade it for a convertible rav4 of good condition
im currently driving a 1999 rav4 convertible with a lift kit , it is a great little run about. though not the warmest for alaska winters
I never knew RAV4 has a soft top. I wonder why they don’t offer this anymore.
They have this. Also an EV version
Because of stupid government regulations.....few fun cars made anymore, lack of interest at the time. Thus very few convertibles today.
@@mrpoohbearlvr That or coupes are no longer popular that can also do it
These are cool but ultimately they're not a practical or universal as a 4 door hardtop.
Plus the jeep wrangler would probably beat this in sales again making it moot, again.
First 4Runner was a hard top convertible as well. Eventually Toyota removed that feature in the 90’s and turned it into what it is now.
I have never seen a 2 door RAV4 in real life. Only the 4 doors. I guess they’re super rare.
It's really common in my place. And are really in good demand. Still going for 5000$ 🤯
@@fj717 I’m assuming ur in either west or east coast since RAV4 are more popular.
I mean it’s a geo tracker…
@@suicideking302 I’ve seen a few Geo trackers and the Isuzu 2 doors before.
@@GalenlevyPhoto have you ever seen a car before?
I rarely saw a convertible or rag top version, buy always liked the styling whether 2 or 4 door. Simple maintenance though.
I never realized this was a separate model from the regular RAV4 2-door.
I'd kill for a 5-speed convertible 4×4 in good shape. Capable, fun, economical, and unlike every brand new car, can't be hacked by some troll with a laptop.
Bring it back Toyota please! Just more capable off- road
"Super rare" ain't no understatement. I think I've seen three of these ever. And I lived in SoCal when these were new.
Bring back the manual RAV4!!
In 98 I was still in my misguided muscle car phase. I wish that I appreciated these quirky, limited editions of mainstream Japanese cars back when they were new.
Here in Austria I think I've seen more 2-door first gens than 4-door lol. To be fair I did only see like 2 4-doors at most.
wish they still made the 2 door
They were super cute. I wish I had one today.
I had a two door Rav and looked at a convertible one but it didn’t have AC. And was black.
No ac no buy 👎
They are still running today. TANKS. ❤️❤️❤️
While I still see 1st gen 4 doors from time to time I can't remember the last time I saw a 1st gen 2 door on the road.
Lolololololol let us a car chanel discuss matters of cars privately LOL derrrrrr
These RAV4s are amazing and pretty damn reliable. I love all gens of the RAV4, but starting from 2015-onwards, I love both the gas and hybrid versions of the RAV4, and let's not forget the RAV4 Prime PHEV! This is why I absolutely love Toyota's cars.
Yes first gen RAV4 was extremely reliable.
The rav4 prime is a gift 🎁 from god soo fast and so reliable
Bring this RAV-4 back.
And make it a PHEV! If you go to Europe, they sell RAV4 with diesels.
Honestly, those performance stats are very, very admirable for 127HP.
the car weighs like 2 pounds
Lol. Sounds very low but I suppose it goes a long way with its low curb weight
I never knew these existed.
I remember seeing these. They look stunted!
I made a promise to myself that this would be my 1st car ill update you guys if i ever bought one its very difficult to find one in our area in manual
I wish they had shown more of the front seats with the sunroof panel removed as well, since they did show that it can be removed and stowed.
yeah i always thought it was enough sun and wind in your hair without being overwhelming with the top and windows down and sunroof out
Best car ever built, but where the hell can you find them?
Given it's 25 years old I suggest a junk yard. High quality or not Father Time always wins.
👨🔧These were pretty good small suvs....the Rav4 is still a great suv today probably one of the best
I need a time machine. Go back and get one!
wow a cool Rav4
I remember these. I thought they were super cool
My late aunt, who recently passed, had one of these when new. She was the youngest aunt any far and always had cool cars. As usual, she had it in a stick shift.
@@Wasabi9111 that is awesome!! Is the Rav still in the family?
I don't think I've ever seen one of these.
I really miss the 1/2 “Rag Top” 2dr Rav.
It’s too bad Toyota doesn’t bring it back.
The rear visibility (at the C pillar) on the current Rav is horrible, just like the Venza. I suppose that’s why to insure a new Venza will cost (on average ), $1K per year and $700 per year on the Rav.
The Outback is only $300 more per year.
Como eu pura nastalgia automotivo retrô me faz volta no tempo 🎤🎤👍 parabéns pela postagem
🎼OH WHAT A FEELING, TOYOTA!🎵
It would be great to see what a modern one would look like from toyota.
The first gen RAV4 is a beautiful and timeless design really.
I have a 4 doors manual 5 speed 1999 , the best !
Absolutely wild.
Remember these in the UK, same as the soft back Freelander and the Suzuki Vitara/jimny, nobody ever bought them because it's a right pain unless you're in Hawaii or California lol
Shoulda been called the Roll-over.
Geo tracker is worse. I remember them tip over easy in tests years ago.
I would love to have one of these. I’m willing to bet that they’re aren’t too many of these left in the road though, not in the northeast anyways.
In the snowy areas nothing lasts too long. Salt is a bitch on cars.
id consider selling mine but that would a heck of a drive lol
@@siamiam that’s ok, I don’t have a place to put another car at the moment lol. Even if it was a long drive, it would be a fun road trip!
@@danteisme i have made the drive to the west and east coast from and to Alaska a few times its always an amazing trip, the sights and stories to be experienced is well worth it
My wife's uncles has 2 door hard top but they got in a wreck and totaled it few years ago. It was still in great condition
i only see 2 in my hole life here in Puerto Rico.
Rav4 always looked like a Geo Tracker to me
Yall gotta get one and swap a 3sgte haha aint nobody gapping me anymore
Semi-Soft Top
It’s hard to believe there was a time in American, when small efficient vehicles sold, un like today Americans obsession for larger and larger vehicles.
It WAS A FUN Vehicle ! ……….
[Suzuki X-90 has left the chat]
I guess this kinda compared to the geo tracker and Suzuki sidekick
My buddy John Rings had a nice Rave4 but he totaled it.
The '90s was My teenage years, i know most car on the road. But i have never seen a 2 door soft top rav 4. This rav4 look like a Suzuki x90.
The RAV came out a few years before the X90
At 70mph this thing shakes like crazy
I was never brave enough to drive mine over 60 lol, one of the scariest feelings with that little car
My 2dr vert does great at 80+mph besides screaming for it's life. Its rides very smooth for a 20+ year old car with such a short wheelbase.
mine never shook at all at any speed. i used to tow a trailer with my dirtbike at 70mph for hours at a time
Let's discuss privately....🤣😂😅
Would have been better if Toyota threw T-tops or a targa up front!
So basically no structural rigidity from the roof?
@@bmstylee
To be fair pretty much all full convertibles are unibody so going with a t-top configuration on this RAV would not be unusual.
@@bmstylee theoretically, Toyota would reinforce the A pillars and incorporate a roll bar into the B pillars/roof line...
You can take the sunroof panel off
The start of the crossover SUV plague ruining modern cars.
Today that car would be $35,300. Today you can get an XLE Premium AWD that has more horsepower & torque & a base add on for $35,785. I’d say you get more today for basically the same money.
Its so tiny
Good ole geo tracker…
The Geo Tracker was an Isuzu, not a Toyota.
not a geo tracker. which was a suzuki sidekick.
@@damilolaakanni The Tracker was made by Suzuki.
This was only similar to the Tracker in looks. The Tracker was a body on frame design, while the Rav-4 was a unibody.
Not good looking and definitely not fun, but unique and reliable!
Speak for yourself. Mine rips and is a ton of fun. It's like a unibody Jeep so it handles well.
Easy to say when you havent driven it
Ahhh, the good old days. Now we are forced to drive in small expensive Tesla’s 😉
The tesla I'm forced to drive is actually a 97 gmc yukon with a tesla badge glued to it.
*Laughs in 1995 Land Cruiser 😂
My Silverado identifies as a Plaid.
For $20k in 1998 it's too expensive
0-60 in 9.6 seconds is not reasonably quick 😂.
I'd say it was for the time. This is when Camaros and Firebirds were doing 15 second quarter mile runs.
Never a fan of them!