I purchased a 2002 Santa Fe LX with all of the options on October 1 for $25,500. I loved it in the 2001 model when it was brand new, but felt a manufacturer needs a model year to work out the "kinks". Before you say that's too much to pay for a Hyundai- look again. That includes HEATED leather seats, all-time 4 wheel drive, traction control, ABS, automatic climate control, SHIFTRONIC transmission (auto w/clutchless manual shifting override), darkly tinted windows, fog lamps, premium sound system, and the LOJACK system- added in by dealer.
I did a lot of research on the other vehicles in this class- Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV. The Ford and Mazda have 15 more horses under the hood (200 vs. 185 in the S.F.), but none of them can hold a candle to the Santa Fe when it comes to style.
I immediately fell in love with the unique bronze/gold color called Sandstone. It accentuates the interesting curves of the vehicle. I've had it for four weeks and it continues to turn heads on the road. I get comments about it all of the time. Some of my neighbors have Escapes, Tributes, and the RAV4. All of them now wish that they had purchased a Santa Fe. In addition to its SUV functionality, it's built on a jacked-up frame of the Hyundai Sonata sedan so it handles like a car.
Finally, the most important selling point to this line of SUV is the Hyundai warranty. How can you argue with 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain coverage; 5 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper; and 3 years unlimited roadside assistance???? By the way, the roadside assistance includes everything from breakdowns, towing due to accidents, empty fuel tank, lockouts, etc. which is WAY better than Ford's useless assistance plan that only covers towing for up to 10 miles due to breakdown.
In short, if you're worried about buying a car from the "newcomer" on the market than you obviously haven't driven a Hyundai before. Like their commercials say- "Driving Is Believing"
Amount Paid (US$): 25,500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: LX- fully loaded (see my report for details)