How Much Should I Pay: 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe (Updated)
This Is An Update To A Previous Question
Follow Up Comment: Thanks for your response about my shopping 
I feel like I spent the day in a shark tank looking at several cars and wondering how to play the buyer’s market game to not get eaten alive.
I would be the 3rd owner of this 2007 GLS if I buy. It has 15,820 miles. Engine size 2.7. The dealer who has it now showed me the carfax report that it was part of a rental fleet near NYC. The first 10,000+ were put on it there in 6 months.
The rest were acquired as driven by one of the current owners of the dealership. I test drove it and looked it over and inspected the service record. Nothing seemed outstanding except a few cosmetic issues –mismatched floor mats and missing covers for the cigarette lighters.
What do you think of $18500 for this car?
A similarly appointed new Santa Fe with rebate $2500 was offered at 22900. I wonder what the best long term purchase is?
Queen of the Road: Hi John. Yes, it’s quite intimidating knowing you’re bargaining with car salesmen. They are professionals when it comes to manipulating your decision. To answer your question: $18,500 is a ridiculous price to pay. Especially for a rental car. You know it was driven to the max. That car is a sour deal.
For a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD V6 2.7L GLS with 15,800 miles, prices range from $15,300 (being in above average condition) to $14,700 (being in average condition) and $14,000 (being in below average condition). Keep in mind that the numbers above are the wholesale prices. A dealership will usually aim to sell it for +12%-14% more than wholesale, so their estimated retail prices could range from $15,500 to $17,000.
As for the NEW Santa Fe, is $22,900 the ‘after rebate is applied’ price OR ‘before rebate is applied’ price? I found deals that were offered at $21,900.
