When Richard Walsh took delivery of a Toyota RAV4 hybrid early last year, he had visions of it being part of his garage for years to come. The car was to be predominantly driven by his wife, and the sensible size and fuel-sipping petrol-electric drivetrain made plenty of sense to the Sydney butcher.
Within months, Toyota announced an updated model with new features, including a larger 10.5in infotainment screen and 12.3in digital instrument cluster. “I’d been planning to hold onto the car for years, but I found the smaller screen a disadvantage … I wanted the new tech,” says Walsh.
Even though there had been price rises with the updated model, Walsh investigated the cost of trading up.
Solid demand for used hybrids meant he was able to sell the then