There were no two ways about it -- I fell in love with the RAV4 the moment it hit the market several years back. My husband and I drooled over them at the dealership, practically shredded the brochure from looking at it over and over again, and number-crunched time and again to find a way to afford one. Unfortunately, the first few years a new car is on the market, it is almost impossible to find one used, and we just couldn't afford a brand new car.

Well, last May, we finally did it. My husband and I -- after months of deliberation -- purchased a gently used 4-door, full-time 4-wheel drive RAV4 in black. It was one of the best decisions we've ever made.

The RAV4 is perfect for someone who craves the features of a sport utility vehicle (SUV), but who doesn't want (or can't afford) something as large as a Blazer or Cherokee. With most models offering full-time 4-wheel drive, the RAV4 is perfect for gentle off-road driving, and ideal for those who live in areas with rough winters. My RAV4 has handled beautifully in the worst of driving conditions, plowing through several inches of snow with ease, while cars around me spun their wheels, hopelessly stuck.

I worried when we decided to purchase the RAV4 whether it would handle like a car. I can now safely say that it does, with one exception. You do have to take corners just slightly slower. The RAV4 is both fun to drive and responsive. It's roomy in the front, has good acceleration, and the back seats fold down with ease, extending the cargo space significantly if needed. I particularly like the height and the visibility of the RAV4. It has driver and passenger side airbags, and I, personally, feel very safe behind the wheel.

Toyota has always had a good reputation for reliability which is another reason we purchased the RAV4. I don't want a car that is constantly in the shop. In the year that I've owned my RAV4, I haven't had a single problem with it. It runs quietly and gets decent gas mileage (in the low twenties per gallon). On top of that, when you purchase a Toyota, you get a coupon book good for a year's worth of road service and free oil changes. It might sound like a small thing, but it's something that I've appreciated.

If you're looking for a used RAV4, check out both your local dealerships and the Internet. Many of the dealerships have websites, so if you're looking for something specific -- a specific color, feature, or price range -- this is a great way to find it. Toyota has a wonderful certified used car program, where each car is checked over thoroughly and given a certified used warrantee on top of any warrantee that may be left on the car from when it was new. Since Toyota also has a rental and lease program, you have a good chance of finding a RAV4 (or any other Toyota model you may have interest in) in hardly-used condition, with very few miles on it. We bought our car when it was less than a year old. It had only 9000 miles on it. For the price of a used car, we had a car that felt new.

My one warning is this: As with any car company, there is a huge difference between dealerships, so do your homework, go prepared, and don't settle for what you don't want. My husband and I had a horrific experience at the first Toyota dealership we approached. They sucked us in under the promise that they would have the RAV4 we were interested in transferred from another dealership. Once we were there, however, they insistently tried to sell us a different car -- in purple, no less -- no matter how many times we protested or flat out told them "no". It turned out that the car we really wanted had been sold days before, and they knew it well before we'd come in. The experience was so bad that we almost gave up on the idea of owning a Toyota. Thankfully, we got in our car and just tried another dealership. Though the second dealership was much further away, we had a wonderful salesperson who sold us the car of our dreams, and even though we have less-than-perfect credit, we got a loan through Toyota with ease.

I wouldn't trade my RAV4 in for anything. Honestly, I plan on keeping this vehicle for a very long time, and I know that the next car we purchase will just be a newer Toyota RAV4. Maybe brand new. Maybe in silver.