Hey Scotty,
I'm looking at 2 different used cars. A 2009 Hyundai Santa fe limited 3.3L with 141k miles and a 2008 Honda crv lx with 182k miles. Both are priced the same which would you suggest?
All else being equal (that is, neither is a salvage vehicle and both check out as OK by a mechanic) I'd say the Honda hands down. Although 2009 predates Hyundai's recent terrible quality problems it's still not a good long-term vehicle.
The Honda, assuming both are in close to the same shape. A friend had a 2008 Kia Sorento, which is nearly the same car, and it was one of the least reliable vehicles I had ever laid eyes upon. It was constantly needing repairs, rusted like crazy, and just had glitches all over the place. On the other hand, I've seen lots of those CR-Vs hitting 300,000 miles with simple maintenance. Plus, the Santa Fe has a timing belt that can be a pain to change, while the CR-V uses a chain, which should last as long as the engine.
The names might both start with an 'H' but they are worlds apart in quality.
Honda all the way. No question.
