Sidelining the 31-year-old Trooper Orphan

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't doubt that. My folks are both over 70 and both continue to drive. I figure if the cars aren't beat up it's probably fine. I can only imagine what it would be like to lose your "mobility".

At present -- a terrifying thought. Of course you have the senior buses, Insta-cart or similar options. But when that happens, I will want to shoehorn myself into some sort of assisted living situation. I live in a gated community on a hill. Grocery and pharmacy are at least a mile down the hill, and coming back, it's uphill.

I went for my walk today on our hill. I'm getting better! Really steppin' it out there on the steep part to the top. But sooner or later, the improvements will not be noticeable or they will stop.

My contemporary 78-something friends all say to get the alloy wheels on the XLE. They say we're all half-past dead, so take what you can before you punch your ticket.

I try to notice how I've changed since 70 or 75, and I can't see how my driving has worsened at all.

Lucky for that.

 

[Fenixgoon]

There's an end to all of this. I was going to be stranded at home until maybe next Thursday. Then the rep at the dealership called today, and I said to myself "F*** it!" And I said to him "Seal the Deal on Saturday Noon".

Everything looks good on paper. By "paper" I mean my Excel spreadsheet. Nothing really changes. My investment portfolio shrinks by 20%, but that's not a catastrophe.

This should FREAKING end my stressed-out car crisis. Damn . . .

So what will you be getting?
Congrats in advance!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

So what will you be getting?
Congrats in advance!

I just don't think I want this beautiful paint color of Ruby Flare Pearl because it would tempt thieves and attract Smokey's eye. The Blueprint hue really gets me going. Magnetic Gray Metallic attracts less attention. There is a Woodland Edition in a green shade.

I was looking at the 2025 RAV4 Hybrid LE. I'm tempted to spend more and get the XLE for the alloy wheels, but there are features like "dual-zone auto climate control" and "power adjustable driver's seat" I don't need. Of course the XLE has "integrated fog lights".

But I'm trying to contain the dollar damage. I could probably save $5,000 to $10,000 with a 2023 or 2024 -- even older.

The final decision will be made Saturday, and based on their inventory. I'll compromise on the paint. I need to see what the XLE would cost extra.

A friend suggested "Arctic White" or "Chalk White", so I quoted Robert Shaw in "Jaws" as he scrapes his fingernails across the blackboard. There was a white one parked out in front of my house today. I should like white -- So-Cal in summer -- you know . . . But I don't like White that much.

Now my cousin just came in the house to tell me she can't drive me down to the dealership because her ABS light on the truck went on and she wants to get it diagnosed and in the shop right away. I'll have to download the UBER or LYFT app to my cellphone and learn how to use it if I want to go to the dealership.

What else? Oh, my kitchen light's ballast resistor is on the fritz and my handyman is coming tomorrow.

Could I just wait another week for the Trooper? Well -- I've got an appointment. I will learn to use those apps. Damn.

 

[NutBucket]

Get the red. Don't be boring

 

[lxskllr]

I don't like white, or metallics, but what I like less than those colors is being hot. I'd want a light exterior, and maybe even more importantly, a light interior. Comfort > appearance.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't like white, or metallics, but what I like less than those colors is being hot. I'd want a light exterior, and maybe even more importantly, a light interior. Comfort > appearance.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

First, I'm cancelling or postponing my "appointment" with Toyota. I'll send e-mail tonight, make cell-phone contact tomorrow. It's a Saturday appointment. I'm just being polite. This stuff happens to them all the time.

The Trooper is coming back next week. I tried to get in touch with the shop-owner to suggest replacing the engine rear-main-seal while the tranny is removed. He didn't get back to me all day, but I just wanted to confer for about 3 minutes. Well, he was just organizing his business day -- false alarm for me possibly pissing him off.

YES. New rear-main-seal. And also . . .
YES. Replace the worn flex-plate on the tranny.

After I assess the damage to the wallet, I will move forward on picking a new (or just newer) vehicle. Toyota's sales rep was trying to convince me I should only buy a new one. But I'm also looking at CARMAX and the model just a step above the Hybrid LE. See -- I don't need the automated seat adjustment or the dual climate control, but I might like the roof rack or bars, and the alloy wheels. I might be able to save about $10,000 versus spending an extra $4,000 or so. What I save may cover the repair bill on the Trooper. Then I just have to worry about my taxes next year, and I'm home free.

Maybe I'll get this done before December 20. Then I'll ride up the US 395 in one vehicle or the other.

All I have to do is get some more groceries tonight and again early next week. Even without these grocery trips, I can "rough it" on the freezer, fridge and pantry until the super-duper-pooper Trooper returns.

 

[lxskllr]

I doubt I'll ever own a new car. I don't think I could bring myself to eat the depreciation. IMO, anything with a couple tens of thousands miles is functionally brand new, only cheaper.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I doubt I'll ever own a new car. I don't think I could bring myself to eat the depreciation. IMO, anything with a couple tens of thousands miles is functionally brand new, only cheaper.

You mean that you'll never incline to buy a new car off the lot. I probably agree insofar as I see it as a very reasonable possibility.

If I give myself a couple weeks to look around, I may find something I want with maybe 10K or 15K on the odometer. The Trooper likely to be reliable ride on its return. Did I say Spirits are High? They're high enough that I may ingest some THC to be higher.

So I may have to wait up to 7 days. Pantry full. Freezer full. Refrigerator full. Do I want carry-out? Grub-Hub, then! I can even make some sugar cookies, diabetes be damned.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

TROOPER HAS RETURNED FROM THE SHOP --

AND -- Here's a story. just forward of the driver door, there is a vinyl panel that covers an interior fuse and relay box. In 2019, I replaced the signal flasher relay with an adjustable unit for the flash interval. Somehow, jerryrigging the vinyl panel with its lost or destroyed connectors, I created a situation where the tech who wanted to access the TCM relay, in pulling apart my jerryrigged klooge, pulled the signal flasher relay out of its socket. I had no signals on the drive home.

But seeing that the vinyl panel had not been restored, I figured it out even before looking for and finding the relay and its socket holes.

Plugged that sucker in. Hazard lights -- Check! Signal flashers -- CHECK!

We Be Back In BIDNIS! It rainin' cats and dogs here tonight in so-Cal. The diabetic wants a big-ass apple bear claw. The Donut Shop is still open.

Ah Feel good! Like I knew that I would, now! I feel good . . . [I got dat James Brown]

 

[lxskllr]

So, what's the word on a new car? If it were me, I'd drive the Trooper into the ground. It's the environmental choice. Keep looking at cars every so often, and if/when you need one, just order it and have it delivered. You're old enough to not worry about $1k here or there. Maybe the Trooper will outlast you, and you clearly love it. I'd want to see it through to the end.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

So, what's the word on a new car? If it were me, I'd drive the Trooper into the ground. It's the environmental choice. Keep looking at cars every so often, and if/when you need one, just order it and have it delivered. You're old enough to not worry about $1k here or there. Maybe the Trooper will outlast you, and you clearly love it. I'd want to see it through to the end.

I like your encouraging advice. And I had the inclination you suggest all along. It is interesting how your judgment of pending decisions changes with the insecurity of feeling stranded, irritation at needing to use UBER or pressure to rent a vehicle for a week or so.

I talked to a dealership rep this morning. So far, if I tell someone not to call back, they honor that request, but I have been annoyed -- just not by this particular guy. I'll drop by there on Monday.

But I really have until maybe middle January, and then again I might just postpone and delay some more. But would I take the chance of going through 2 + weeks of being home-bound?

So I don't want to specify the damage. It was $600 more than I had initially planned, because we put in a new rear-main-seal and a new flex-plate. Nothing -- NOTHING! -- is going to leak for a very long time. I can wrap my brain around this, knowing what others spent on engine rebuilds in the past with their old cars and adjusting for the annual CPI. An engine rebuild is in the same class of labor and parts as a transmission rebuild, I would think. My Tranny got a lot of new parts!

If I buy the new car in the next month or more, I expect to kick back about $10,000 to the investment fund from whence I withdrew it last month. I still have the insurance to pay if I buy new or pre-owned. I'm figuring the annual bill will be between $1,400 and $1,800 -- I've already got it in the budget spreadsheet.

The good news: December after-tax income required scheduled transfer to my savings account. Canceling that, the saving withdrawal needed to cover the repair-shop credit card charge is what I had originally thought it would be. And I got the main-seal and flex-plate.

The TROOPER RIDES AGAIN! Hi-Ho-o-o-o! Hi-yo SIL-ver! [But it's Bronze Blue Pearl].

 

[BonzaiDuck]

UPDATE. My financial advisor seems less enthused about my professed need to keep a "backup ride", or she observes the option of continuing to drive the Trooper without purchasing the new RAV4 is an equal choice.

My insurance policy has a "multi-vehicle" feature that gives a premium amount for which the average-per-vehicle is lower than either car alone. A friend sent me a Kiplinger Newsletter web-page with a listing of new vehicle models with the lowest insurance premiums. The Toyota RAV4 was in the top five for being the lowest.

So. Why shouldn't I have a "back-up ride"? Because I sure as hell am not giving up the Trooper with it running like it does now! On the other hand, I think I should buy a new or recent-model pre-owned now, because the Lunatic-in-Chief will screw up the economy with his dim-witted tariff predilections. How much will a 2027 RAV4 cost? I haven't bought a new car in 46 years. I have a two-car garage. I explained the insurance. Registration and tags on the RAV4 will understandably be more than double the same annual expense of the Trooper, but that's not a major factor.

I'm keen to hear any other thoughts about it.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm holding on to my previous comment. I'm skeptical of a "backup" ride also. "Backup" means a dust collector, and entropy seems to work harder on things that don't get moved.

End of the day, you're rolling dice on the trooper. Might last the rest of your life, might die next week. How lucky you feeling? I've pretty much spent my whole life on the edge, and many of my vehicles were a day to day thing wondering if I'd get to my destination. They almost always did, but I'd sometimes have to turn a wrench on the side of the road. When I'm done with a vehicle, it's done. Next stop is the junk yard. I try to get everything I can out of it.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm holding on to my previous comment. I'm skeptical of a "backup" ride also. "Backup" means a dust collector, and entropy seems to work harder on things that don't get moved.

End of the day, you're rolling dice on the trooper. Might last the rest of your life, might die next week. How lucky you feeling? I've pretty much spent my whole life on the edge, and many of my vehicles were a day to day thing wondering if I'd get to my destination. They almost always did, but I'd sometimes have to turn a wrench on the side of the road. When I'm done with a vehicle, it's done. Next stop is the junk yard. I try to get everything I can out of it.

What you're saying and advising is rational. You and I would agree that it has a caveat about "information available". I've got a spreadsheet on the Trooper -- mileage, repair/replace expense, description of work and who did it. There is documented life-expectancy for parts and subsystems. At this point, the only thing I can imagine is that the engine dies. But from the way it runs, the time it takes for oil to get dirty, the lack of noise and the full level of compression -- chances of trouble in that regard are currently low.

Would there be some sort of trouble with the wiring harness? Doesn't seem likely.

Like my brother's old 95 Nissan truck as "backup ride", I'll have the expense of registration and insurance. IF! IF! I hadn't sold the truck to my housemate-cousin, I would've been in better shape during the last Trooper extended visit to the repair shop. Will I have such dire needs with the RAV4? Probably not.

But keeping the Trooper is not going to hurt me nearly as much in terms of the asset damage of purchasing the RAV4. In the long run, it's a short-run expense item.

 

[manly]

I'm holding on to my previous comment. I'm skeptical of a "backup" ride also. "Backup" means a dust collector, and entropy seems to work harder on things that don't get moved.

End of the day, you're rolling dice on the trooper. Might last the rest of your life, might die next week. How lucky you feeling? I've pretty much spent my whole life on the edge, and many of my vehicles were a day to day thing wondering if I'd get to my destination. They almost always did, but I'd sometimes have to turn a wrench on the side of the road. When I'm done with a vehicle, it's done. Next stop is the junk yard. I try to get everything I can out of it.

It's a simple math problem. Calculate annual repair and maintenance costs for current vehicle, then estimate repairs for the next few years. If those costs are too "excessive," a replacement vehicle is warranted. We can appreciate OP's fondness for his old ride but it doesn't take a PhD dissertation to figure this out. He just said he has a spreadsheet, so the data is already collated.

IMHO, I'll rank the two worst options and OP can figure out the rest on his own. Or not.

1. lease a brand new 2026 RAV4
2. purchase a new 2026 RAV4
...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

It's a simple math problem. Calculate annual repair and maintenance costs for current vehicle, then estimate repairs for the next few years. If those costs are too "excessive," a replacement vehicle is warranted. We can appreciate OP's fondness for his old ride but it doesn't take a PhD dissertation to figure this out. He just said he has a spreadsheet, so the data is already collated.

IMHO, I'll rank the two worst options and OP can figure out the rest on his own. Or not.

1. lease a brand new 2026 RAV4
2. purchase a new 2026 RAV4
...

From the spreadsheet, the projected annual repair cost would seem very high, except for the items that have been fixed in the last 5 or 6 years and their expected reliability and longevity. Expectations for more trouble are low. Those items tell me there isn't much left to go wrong and get fixed -- just the engine. If I have an annual repair expense exceeding $1500 other than brakes, tires, and other routine minor things, I'll get ready to junk the car.

The engine's published expectation is 200,000 miles. You have to listen to it to gain optimism. Techs tell me it could go to 300,000.

Why are the 2026 RAV4 options "the worst"? I need to know what you're thinking. I'm getting ready to buy a 2025 Hybrid LE. Friends and family say "You deserve it" and "You can afford it" -- as does the investment advisor. I'd prefer to own as opposed to leasing a vehicle.

The only short-term good of having the new vehicle is lack of repair expense expectation, and gas mileage "in-town" that's three times better than the old car.

I think I kept the old Trooper longer than I should have, but I didn't have the assets five or six years ago that would've made a new car purchase a comfortable fit for controlling month-to-month expenses. Because of the other family vehicles, there was always a "backup ride". Or I would've bought a vehicle old enough to require increasing annual repair -- even at considerable saving before watching the repair bills materialize. Look at it another way: I was taking care of two elderly family members, and avoiding incurrence of loan obligations. However, now that I've attended to just about every life-cycle component on the car except the engine, I can actually retrieve some of the sunk cost of keeping it.

I STILL THINK I could put this off for at least another year -- maybe two -- but all I need to do is watch the news, listen to my brother and friends, and even the investment advisor -- and I'm inclined to pull the string on an almost-new vehicle by year's end.

Of course manly and isxkllr are giving me pause with their comments. With reliable wheels now, I can take a little more time -- or more time than that.

I JUST DON' T LIKE HAVING ONE USED CAR AT MY DISPOSAL. Two used cars would be better. I could spend maybe $20,000 on a 6-to-8 year old used car, or I could shell out up to $35,000 (reluctantly more) on a new one. I could temper my desires: Get a very recent model PRIUS, or a Corolla Hybrid. That could save me more than $10,000 either way.

But my interests veer toward the RAV4 Toyota model. I don't want to rent one.

 

[manly]

From the spreadsheet, the projected annual repair cost would seem very high, except for the items that have been fixed in the last 5 or 6 years and their expected reliability and longevity. Expectations for more trouble are low. Those items tell me there isn't much left to go wrong and get fixed -- just the engine. If I have an annual repair expense exceeding $1500 other than brakes, tires, and other routine minor things, I'll get ready to junk the car.

sorry, this doesn't make sense. You're saying the repair costs could be very high, but somehow the "expectations" for more problems are not. 🤷‍♂️ I realize we can't exactly predict the future; but the point is your spreadsheet helps you make some reasonable estimates.

I realize you have the money for a brand new car, but you don't have to spend it that way.
Since you're unclear what I meant, eating MY2026 new car depreciation is not the best play.

If you want a RAV4, that's fine. Get something lightly used, like 2-3 years old with very low miles.

 

[Fenixgoon]

If you want a RAV4, that's fine. Get something lightly used, like 2-3 years old with very low miles.

100% this, especially if its a mature platform/generation where the kinks have been worked out. Usually the "brand new for XXXX year" is going to have some issues, regardless of brand, because of new components and suppliers.

 

[WilliamM2]

I JUST DON' T LIKE HAVING ONE USED CAR AT MY DISPOSAL. Two used cars would be better.

Since you have the money for a new car, why do you need a backup car? How many miles do you drive a year?

Even if it was $1500 a year to keep the trooper going, that's going to take 20 years to equal the cost of a 2 year old RAV4. Which of course will also eventually need some type of repair.

And even with multiple car discounts, it still cost more to insure 2 cars than 1.
I drive what I have until it's not worth fixing, and then buy a new/used vehicle. I don't need a spare.
When the last car I drove died, I bought a 3 year old used one three days later. A very minor inconvenience.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Since you have the money for a new car, why do you need a backup car? How many miles do you drive a year?

Even if it was $1500 a year to keep the trooper going, that's going to take 20 years to equal the cost of a 2 year old RAV4. Which of course will also eventually need some type of repair.

And even with multiple car discounts, it still cost more to insure 2 cars than 1.
I drive what I have until it's not worth fixing, and then buy a new/used vehicle. I don't need a spare.
When the last car I drove died, I bought a 3 year old used one three days later. A very minor inconvenience.

I don't disagree with you -- not at all. When I was still working, I had a fleet of Honda Civics -- two 1200s, the CVCC, CVCC station wagon. I moved back to California and bought the 1986 Trooper from my friend in Albuquerque when I was passing through on my way here. A year later, I was bringing my brother down from the mountains (where he worked as a chef) and a local college girl, distracted on her cellphone talking to her veterinarian about her sick cat, totaled that Trooper. I found the current 1995 LS model in maybe two weeks of searching.

When my brother died on New Years 2022, I inherited the 4WD 1995 Nissan Pickup SE that I had bought for him in 2009. THAT became my backup ride. But in July, my cousin (housemate) insisted that I sell it to her. With the Trooper subsequently in the shop for two weeks, I was really reminded that I wanted a backup ride if I could have it.

Ordinarily, I could wait a few years to buy the RAV4. But with the economy, the ignorant Chucklehead playing with his trade war and tariffs, I don't think I should wait.

I've run the numbers in my spreadsheet and portfolio projections. It's going to be A-OK.

I can still follow my own advice of two months ago -- postpone buying the RAV4 for at least a year. But I like having two vehicles. I can afford this. Car repairs will practically disappear from my budget, and I can use the bigger vehicle when I take stuff to the recycler or deliver old furniture to Good Will.

It is perhaps a luxury to have two vehicles when you live on a modest fixed income. But I don't think it will be a hardship for me.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

sorry, this doesn't make sense. You're saying the repair costs could be very high, but somehow the "expectations" for more problems are not. 🤷‍♂️ I realize we can't exactly predict the future; but the point is your spreadsheet helps you make some reasonable estimates.

I realize you have the money for a brand new car, but you don't have to spend it that way.
Since you're unclear what I meant, eating MY2026 new car depreciation is not the best play.

If you want a RAV4, that's fine. Get something lightly used, like 2-3 years old with very low miles.

I was saying that I put more money into the car during the last 5 years so that a statistical extrapolation would vastly overestimate likely near-term future expense. There's very little left to do to it. Except for engine work, it's been totally restored, and the engine at the mileage I cited is running great -- better than it was when I bought the car at 96,000 miles. We replaced all the engine sensors and the Heated Oxygen sensor on the cat-converter. Another Trooper enthusiast who prepares them with heavy-duty suspensions and tires for off-road told me that this was exactly the right approach to that engine. All the techs and my cousin-retired-mechanic say that the 3.2l SOHC V6 engine by GMC is tops. Never uses any oil, and I change out the oil before 3,000 mile interval. It's easy with an oil drain valve. Oil is not a major expense item, and you can do an oil change wearing a tuxedo with a waste oil container at the ready.

I just got an ad from CARFAX trying to sell me a year-2000 Trooper for $5,000. I'm just not planning to put my own up for sale now. And how does CARFAX -- which I find very useful -- how do they know that I'm looking for another ride? How do they know that?!

You're right about the new-car depreciation, and I'm going to keep an eye out for pre-owned low-mileage. My confidence in the Super-Dooper-Pooper-Trooper is rising again, but I need to be practical. Elderly friends my age are replacing their 2007-something vehicles with 2-year-old pre-owned. I'm just replacing the truck I sold to my cousin. To me a truck is great if you have a big-assed travel trailer, or you haul stuff like farm equipment or auto parts. I just minimally tolerate the turn radius, and the new trucks seem to emulate big-rigs -- it seems like a cultural fad. They won't fit easily into my garage, and don't handle as I'd want. To me, truck rhymes with another word! No -- two other words . . . I don't HATE trucks or the people who like driving them everywhere. But it's not my "cup of tea" and if I need one -- I'll rent one. The Trooper can still accommodate a lot of similar possible cargo, even if I need to spread out a drop-cloth to save the interior.

Anyway, I have an idea for a California "custom" license plate: "SPRDUPR" or "SUPRDPR". "POOPER1" is deprecatory and would upset the vehicle's Gitchi Manitou. Less risky than fitting in the string "8647". And that would probably make the Manitou nervous.

 

[NutBucket]

I'm also in the camp of having multiple vehicles.

Currently it's really saving my bacon as the deer collision repair saga continues to drag on.

 

[Greenman]

The engine's published expectation is 200,000 miles. You have to listen to it to gain optimism. Techs tell me it could go to 300,000.

I don't understand this part. What published expectation is 200k? Aside from that, I've never had a vehicle that hasn't gone 250k reasonably trouble free miles.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I don't understand this part. What published expectation is 200k? Aside from that, I've never had a vehicle that hasn't gone 250k reasonably trouble free miles.

It popped up in a query from a reliable site, but I don't remember exactly where it was. that's what I saw "in print". It's a statistical expectation, and if accurate, is below what one might expect if the vehicle hasn't been abused. In fact, for other reasons, it could be lower than the average, but let's say it's an average. That's because the quality control estimation is equivalent to an average with a tail on the distribution, so you might expect more. A warranty-supporting estimation would be far lower than the average. I also know what you are saying about more modern vehicles and their engines. I met a guy in 2020 with a beautiful red-white two-tone 75 Chevy Blazer, and I asked him about engines and mileage: "500,000 and four engines". That was the old days. With vehicles newer than that Blazer, you can expect more. But you cannot circumvent or defeat eventual metal fatigue.

If I had a friend who kept a 66 Karman Ghia running for 57 years, I could also see overhauling the Pooper's engine after hopefully many more trouble-free miles. [She got $16,000 for that thing, too.] I could do anything I want. I could call the junk yard and a tow-truck, but my friend who owns the repair shop told me "Somebody will buy it!" Who knows?

Finding parts for an orphaned vehicle has been much easier than the myth I'd heard from this or that mechanic. There's even an Isuzu Warehouse in Washington State and another one in Missouri. They have every single part and part number listed for a 1995 Trooper LS, and "Add to Cart" buttons. More often than not, they return a message that "this part is no longer available", but for parts I've sought which could only be OEM, they've turned up new stock in Japanese warehouses and I acquired them. First, the 12-CD Changer I obtained (2020) for $90 new in the original Isuzu carton, and then a front bumper part known as a "back-bar" (2021) for $125 -- an S-shaped item that attaches to the frame, two of them holding the metal bumper and the vinyl piece that people see.

This has all been quite an education for me in my experiment to take a used car to 31 years of reliable road travel. I want to say that the experiment has been reasonably successful.

For after-market, I'd originally noted that there was a grille-guard or "bull-bars" you could get for the Trooper back in 2005, and I thought for the price I would forego it. It reminds you have the same sort of assembly you find on Ford Explorer police vehicles. I happened to find one in stock with a company up in Bakersfield for half the '05 price when I bought it in 2019.

So you can see how my attachment to the vehicle had gradually grown, selecting and installing enhancements, like a rocker-switch with USB ports, an MP3 player and an Android tablet mounted to the dashboard. I added fog lights to the grille guard. I could put up my photos of these projects, and I guess I was planning eventually to put a picture of the vehicle in a link or insert here.

I have to call this "a hobby". While I believe in application of capital-budgeting logic regarding the possession, maintenance, salvage and replacement of cars, "Hobby" is a significantly different dimension to my ownership and experience with this SUV.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK -- here's a pic circa 2020. This pic shows the car needing a wash and polish. I've also got pics of the center console and dash, making the vehicle a rolling concert hall with voice nav and recognition. It's a "21st Century Android Trooper". Commander Picard would love it. Everybody else does, when I take them for a ride. Rear-view night-vision! The paint-code or color is Bronze Blue Pearl. Toyota has a slightly brighter hue named "BluePrint" for the RAV4.