[CardiffGiant11]

Hi All,
Just wanted to say hi. Recently got married and my new wife can't drive stick so it looks like we will be shopping for a new All Wheel Drive SUV and trading in my trusty, low mileage (66,500!), and paid off 2004 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. I'll be getting her old car since I work from home (2002 Civic EX 112,000 miled ...yay )

We are looking at certified preowned 2010-2012 Santa Fe's and also 2011 and 2012 Tuscons. No kids for us now but we may have one or two in the coming years so we want to make sure we have safe, reliable, and roomy vehicles (eventually I'll get a new car too but not for a bit). Just curious if anyone has any insights on the pros and cons of the Santa Fe vs the Tuscon. I wish we could spring for the new Santa Fe but I think it's just too far outside our budget.

 

[CardiffGiant11]

Thanks for the feedback. We definitely need AWD living in New England.It's actually one of the reasons we're getting the car since I've had to drive my wife to work in my Subaru on snowy days since she can't drive stick.

Our budget is anywhere from 17-23k max. I am a USAA member so I would be able to get a used car loan at 2.75% APR. We figure we'd throw a thousand down and hopefully get 4k-4500 for my Subaru so we'd be looking at keeping our payments below $300 a month if possible or just slightly above.

One of the dealerships we may go to has a few CPO 2013 Santa Fe's and there's one that's under 23k that could work for us and still be within our budget. Otherwise we may opt for one of the 2011 or 2012 Santa Fes or a Tuscon. Sort of depends on which one we like when we see and drive them in person. My wife isn't used to driving large vehicles so I have a sneaking suspicion the Tuscon may be the one she is most comfortable with. Her parents have a 1st gen Santa Fe and she's driven it occasionally and was ok with it so who knows maybe I'm wrong.

If we did go for an older Santa Fe we definitely would look for the v6 is possible since the gas mileage is about the same as the 4 banger.

Anything I should be aware of with any of these cars? For example, my Subaru while reliable has some annoying things that are common like loose heat shields, etc. The folks at one of Subaru boards I'm a member of have been really helpful over the years so hoping you guys can give me the scoop on Hyundai.

 

[CardiffGiant11]

Maybe you guys can help me. I've seen reference to the CPO program including the balance of the bumper to bumper warranty but when i looked at the brochure on Hyundai's web site it appears to only cover the power train. Is that the case or am I just missing something?

 

[CardiffGiant11]

I am a USAA member so I would be able to get a used car loan at 2.75% APR.

I might be a little biased, but the Tucson is a great vehicle and very reliable.
Saying that I have no idea how it would perform in the snows of New England......we don't get a lot of snow in Mississippi
Not to be disrespectful but I really think you can do much better that 2.75% for a loan. Have you tried your local credit union?

Thanks, yes I may be able to do better just have done some preliminary checking with USAA and Bankrate.com (I have excellent credit and that's the lowest I've seen). My wife's credit union is actually 2.99% for a used car loan.

Does anyone know about the CPO warranty question I asked above? It appears that it only carries the remaining powertrain warranty unlike some competitors where you get a year or more of bumper to bumper.