If it's a Toyota, it's good. Pretty much all there is to it.
I absolutely love my 1998 RAV-4.
It thinks it’s a jeep driving along fire breaks and over pastures, or up to it’s rocker panels in snow. Ground clearance about the same as an Army T-38.
It thinks it’s a tractor hauling wood around the ranch or camp with the trailer, and it handles like a sports car on the highway... well, up to about 60 anyway, when it gets a bit jittery.
Then again, how many tractors will do 65+?
Not the greatest mileage (about 25MPG) but it’s built like a little narrow gauge locomotive so I don’t expect much. The roof racks probably don’t help any, but I can tie a load of lumber or the 17’ canoe on up there.
About the only money I’ve put into it over the 11 years or so I’ve had it is preventative maintenance. At nearly 145K it still runs like a top and burns hardly any oil.
Despite our hard winters and salty roads, it has hardly any rust. Most GMs and Fords would have disintegrated by now.
Toyotas are probably built as much in America as any of them are these days. Fine vehicles as near as i can tell.
Domestic Management drives a Honda CRV which is just about as good. She does not let me use it as a tractor though.