sante fe base vs gls

hi all,
i'm thinking of buying a sante fe in the next couple of weeks and
would like to tap you all for some info....
do you think its worth the extra money to get the gls v6 2.7 liter vs
the base model?
also would like to know about how much you paid for either model
i've been researching for some time and think i've settled on the gls,
but still would like some feedback

thanks
Bo

 

At a minimum get the 2.7 V6, preferably the 3.5 V6. In the long run it
will be well worth it. The 4 cylinder is gutless, the 2.7 is adequate and
the 3.5 is excellent. The difference in gas mileage is negligible unless
you drive 30,000 miles a year, and then the difference is only about
$30/month. My personal theory/opinion is that the little 4 bangers get
much more wear and tear because they are working so hard compared to the
larger V6. Not a big issue in a 2000 lb car, but in a 4000 lb SUV with
more wind resistance and all, it is very significant. Even more so if the
vehicle is loaded all the time with stuff/passengers. I assume you also
want 4WD. Another good reason to get the V6. Go to any of the websites
and you can get the price differences. nadaguides.com is a good one.

 

Don't get the 2.0L engine. That's a bit too small for an engine that
pushes a medium Suburban Useless Vehicle around. Use
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search to search this newsfroup
for keywords "Santa Fe power", and you'll see a few posts from people
complaining about it being difficult to pass people on the highway in
the 2.0L Santa Fe.

Can't help you there; I bought a Tiburon with the same 2.7L engine that
you can get in the Santa Fe.

Buy what you like. HTH,

 

<also would like to know about how much you paid for either model

Bought 2003 Santa Fe LX, 4WD, tow package, auto temp control, etc....Paid
$21,000

Can't beat the power in the larger V6 as opposed to the 2 lower models.

Mythtery


My life IS my fantasy...!

 

thanks for the advice but we ended up purchasing a Saturn Vue..read
too many negatives on the sante fe

thanks again

 

bo said the following on 2/7/2004 8:43 PM:

Where did you read the comments that made you change your mind? Being a
100% satisfied SF 2002 owner, I am curious.

 

jd powers gave it a horrible score for overall reliability
on yahoo, in the message boards, there were a lot of people talking
about problems, now i understand that lot of people just talk shit and
half may or may not even own the car, but it was still enough to scare
me off...friends of ours have a Vue and they love it, so we went in
that direction...

 

bo said the following on 2/8/2004 7:53 AM:

Got it. Well, I don't know the first thing about jd powers, but I read
Consumer Report and Hyundai ended 2nd in reliability, which was a
tremendous jump in 2003. Anyway, enjoy your vehicle and all the best.