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Hyundai Santa Fe Prices Paid and Buying Experience

2973 messages,  Last post on May 13, 2013 at 6:38 PM

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What is this discussion about? Hyundai Santa Fe, SUV

Messages Page 100 of 298

#988 of 2973 Re: SE vs. Ltd. vs. VC [aepheme] by mpuzach

Jun 17, 2007 (10:40 am)

Replying to: aepheme (Jun 17, 2007 8:20 am)
I'd say they're great deals. Assuming that the Santa Fes have XM and that all of the vehicles you're looking at havethe optional carpeted floor mats (which the dealers seem to always order), invoice prices are as follows:
 
Santa Fe SE AWD: $25,290
Santa Limited AWD: $27,171
Veracruz GLS AWD: $27,364
 
(These numbers don't take the rebates into account.) You could take any one of those deals and feel good about it.
 
A month ago I, too, was trying to decide between the Santa Fe and the Veracruz. (I didn't even know the Veracruz existed until my wife and I went to the dealership to check out the Tucson and the Santa Fe.)
 
While the Veracruz is a terrific vehicle, we ended up buying a Santa Fe Limited AWD with Premium Package. It was largely a matter of size and cost. The Veracruz is a large vehicle; it's just my wife and me (no kids) and the Santa Fe is our 3rd vehicle so we don't have the need for one as large as the Veracruz. The Santa Fe's smaller size gives it a sportier feel makes it easier to park, etc.
 
In addition, had I gone with a Veracruz it would have likely been a Limited. (I prefer to "load up" my cars!) At that point (and considering that dealers typically aren't discounting Veracruzes nearly as much as they are Santa Fes), the price difference became substantial. For us, it became an easy choice.
 
If you go with your choice # 3 (Veracruz GLS AWD), in addition to the larger size you'll get the 3rd row seat, a 6-speed transmission (as opposed to the Santa Fe's 5-speed), and rear A/C controls. What you won't get in the Veracruz but would get with the Santa Fe Limited AWD are leather seating (with front row heat and driver's power lumbar adjustment), electronic climate control (as opposed to manual A/C), and the power driver's seat.
 
I haven't driven a Veracruz so I can't compare its driving experience with that of the Santa Fe. What I can tell you is that the Santa Fe Limited AWD is an absolute pleasure to drive. I consider myself a diehard "car guy" with high expectations of a vehicle. (My other current car is a 2005 Corvette; recent past vehicles include Volvo XC90 AWD and Audi A6 4.2 quattro.) I will say without hesitation that the Santa Fe is every bit as enjoyable to drive and every bit as high quality as the 2-month-old Volvo XC90 it replaced. (The Volvo was a company car. When I left the company, I gave back the car!) I actually look forward to driving the Santa Fe.
 
If I could, I'd make a few changes. (They'd apply to both the Santa Fe and the Veracruz so this stuff won't affect your decision.) I'd prefer to have navigation and xenon headlights but Hyundai offers neither in the U.S. Rumor is that navigation will be optional on the 2008 models; I'm hoping to retrofit a 2008 navigation head unit into my 2007.
 
Other niggles (and they're admittedly very minor) include no backlighting on the power mirror or moonroof controls, the rear hatch window can't be opened separately from the hatch door, the rear bumper lights (wired as rear fog lights on Santa Fes for other markets) don't do anything on U.S. versions. That's pretty much it. The Santa Fe is a great vehicle, period.
 
One thing to check if you end up buying a Santa Fe: On early-build Santa Fes the front overhead lights don't illuminate when you open the doors. It's a poor design that is quite annoying when you enter the car at night. Later-build versions incorporate a mid-year production change that corrects this. For me, not having the lights come on would have been a deal breaker; luckily, the one we bought was just delivered to the dealer just a month ago and it had the changed (i.e. "illuminating") lights. The good news is that Hyundai has designed a retrofit to correct this design flaw at no cost to owners of earlier versions who request it.
 
Sorry for the rambling post - hope this info helps. Good luck!

#989 of 2973 Re: OK New Owner Here :-) [jefferson1964] by drwoodr

Jun 17, 2007 (12:04 pm)

Replying to: jefferson1964 (Jun 17, 2007 7:12 am)
I'm always amazed at how many of these "great deals" involve a balloon loan in Texas. If you paid no sales tax because your trade was valued above the SF, then why are you borrowing close to $18K?

#990 of 2973 Re: OK New Owner Here :-) [drwoodr] by jefferson1964

Jun 17, 2007 (1:02 pm)

Replying to: drwoodr (Jun 17, 2007 12:04 pm)
yeah i thought about that this morning....they threw that at me last night when i was signing the papers at 11pm about no taxes. I figured thats how they made some of their money on the deal. Either way it worked out good for me and im happy. I dropped $475/mo payments on a 2 year old jeep wrangler i still had 41 months to pay on plus it only got 14mpg and i could not use my cell phone while driving due to noise..and no safety features at all....
 
Now at $248/mo 24 months and IM DONE!!! will trade in for a elantra or sonata in 2 years i will not refi...and who knows what gas prices will be by then...3, 4, 5 a gallon.
 
If i had of known about no taxes due to my trade being valued more i would have probably negotiated for less...but i had to take the ballon to get the additional $1,500 but they took $5,500 off sticker...dont know how and dont really care but i could not even buy an elantra SE for 72 months no money down for less....Its not the best deal but i dont feel like i got taken...but maybe a little on the tax portion you refered to but still happy overall....

#991 of 2973 Re: SE vs. Ltd. vs. VC [mpuzach] by aepheme

Jun 17, 2007 (2:42 pm)

Replying to: mpuzach (Jun 17, 2007 10:40 am)
mpuzach, just wanted to say "Thanks!" for the thoughts. As a single guy, I feel that I'm in agreement with the choice of the Santa Fe based on size. It would be nice to be able to toss a bike or two in, but I'll probably appreciate the leather seats more than the flexibility the extra space gives.
 
Major thanks for the heads-up on the dome light! I had no idea... that's a good thing to know.

#992 of 2973 Re: SE vs. Ltd. vs. VC [aepheme] by mpuzach

Jun 17, 2007 (3:16 pm)

Replying to: aepheme (Jun 17, 2007 2:42 pm)
You're welcome! BTW, when you fold down the rear seats in the Santa Fe the storage area is large and completely flat. In addition, you can also fold the front passenger seat completely flat. I'm betting that you can easily fit a bike or two. Good luck and please keep us posted.

#993 of 2973 Re: SE vs. Ltd. vs. VC [mpuzach] by slateblue

Jun 17, 2007 (5:50 pm)

Replying to: mpuzach (Jun 17, 2007 3:16 pm)
"In addition, you can also fold the front passenger seat completely flat."
 
Really! Yours must be unique, mine doesn't have this feature.

#994 of 2973 Re: SE vs. Ltd. vs. VC [aepheme] by roudy1

Jun 17, 2007 (6:12 pm)

Replying to: aepheme (Jun 17, 2007 2:42 pm)
I've gotten my bike in the rear by folding down half the rear seat (behind the driver); although I haven't tried, I'm sure you could get two bikes in there with a couple of blankets for padding.

#995 of 2973 Re: New Santa Fe [js06gv] by rangersrock

Jun 17, 2007 (9:27 pm)

Replying to: js06gv (Jun 13, 2007 4:48 pm)
I'm the one who paid $22,800 in March. There was no trade-in involved. I did finance with Hyundai to get an extra rebate, but the finance rate was 4.35%.
Sounds like you got a really good deal too. I hope you also have a good experience with Allen Samuels. Our salesman was a pleasure to deal with. Also, the dealership sent us a booklet for several free oil changes, and they activated the auto-lock feature for free at our first oil change. I have been very pleased with the dealership and with the Santa Fe. Anyone interested in a Hyundai in the north Texas area should at least see what Allen Samuels Hyundai in Ft. Worth can do for you.

#996 of 2973 Oops! My mistake. by mpuzach

Jun 17, 2007 (10:00 pm)

Replying to: slateblue (Jun 17, 2007 5:50 pm)
"In addition, you can also fold the front passenger seat completely flat."
  
"Really! Yours must be unique, mine doesn't have this feature."
 
Sorry about that. I was thinking of the Tucson; its front passenger seat folds completely flat but the Santa Fe's does not.

#997 of 2973 Re: New Santa Fe [rangersrock] by jefferson1964

Jun 18, 2007 (6:04 am)

Replying to: rangersrock (Jun 17, 2007 9:27 pm)
Allen Samuels Hyundai has been terrific on the phone and now my father is working with them on getting a Sante Fe or Vera Cruz, and wish i had gone to them to check on the SF.
 
Lesson learned for me was not having to pay sales tax if trading in a vehicle with a higher value. I could have walked in with no trade and done the same deal for the same money. So they got me for roughly $1,100 on the taxes they rolled into the SF. So i should have been able to step up to the next package or a little lower payments...
 
I still think I worked on OK deal even with being taken on the taxes, but with all the negotiating games and taking several hours to complete i would not recommend the dealer. They should have been upfront, and not throw the no tax at me at 11pm only for me to figure out the next day...its a shame i would have been 100% satisfied, but i will have to live with 90%.
 
My wife and I are completely satisfied with the SF and luved the Veracruz. Our SF came with more features on a GLS than many competitors mid level models. W really like the firm feel on the road, power options, very quite V6 and the total airbag curtains and ESC. Congrats to Hyundai for bringing the best valued vehicles and some of the safest to market.
 
Im now talking to Allen Samuels about trading in my Vibe for a Sonata...it might just work.. Thanks Again...Jeff

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