should I use 2000 toyota rav4 factory rack or other roof rack setup

[brendanS]

When I bought my 2000 Toyota RAV4 it didn't have any kind of roof rack on it all. Neither a Toyota RAV4 factory rack or any other brands I've seen offered at our local outdoor store. What is the recommended setup for this vehicle? Should I talk to the Toyota dealer about getting a RAV4 factory rack installed or go with one of the other car rack systems that are available?

[8seconds]

I wouldn't bother with trying to get a 2000 Toyota RAV4 factory rack installed at your dealer. It's going to cost plenty of money and more importantly the roof rack likely won't be compatible with any gear carriers you will probably want to end up installing on it. Also the rated load capacity of the factory rack crossbars are no where near the strength of after-market car rack systems from brands such as Yakima Racks and Thule Racks.

So for a 2000 Toyota RAV4 roof rack ssystem, I'd say your best bet is from Thule Racks. The Thule 400XT Aero Complete Roof Rack Base System fits the 2000 Toyota RAV4 roof top perfectly. No matter what gear carriers you plan to mount on your roof, you will need a multi-purpose roof rack base system. The Thule 400XT Aero system includes four Thule 400XT Aero Feet, four Thule 248 Fit Kit Clips (these Fit Kit Clips are specific to your 2000 TOyota RAV4) and two load bars (please note the 50" load bars are the recommended length for your rooftop). You can then attach any of the various Thule roof mount gear carriers to the front and rear load bars.

The Thule 400XTR Rapid Aero complete base rack system is also a highly recommended option for the RAV4. Works exactly the same way as the regular Thule 400XT Aero system (uses the same Thule 248 Fit Kit clips too) except that it uses the elliptical Thule Rapid Aero load bars (the RB47 Rapid Aero bars are the length necessary for your RAV4 model), which are very sleek and aerodynamic offering a more low-profile, modern and premium appearance. You can then attach any of the various Thule roof mount gear carriers to these front and rear load bars as well.