[redforever]

I owned a CR-V before my present Santa Fe and I would take a Santa Fe any day of the week. The CR-V is under powered and it doesn't get any better gas mileage either. Also, the tires that came with my CR-V had to be replaced at 40,000 km. I have never had a flat tire in my life but a tire on my CR-V blew out...a grapefruit sized hole too.

The insurance for my present 2009 Santa Fe is about $300 cheaper per year than it was for my 2002 Honda CR-V too. The reasons the insurance company gave me were the Santa Fe has better safety standards and cheaper parts if they have to be replaced.

So when considering resale value, you not only have to take into account what you pay up front, you also have to take into account insurance costs over the years as well.

I considered the Rav4 as it was a bit peppier on the test drive. However, the back interior storage was not quite as big as the Santa Fe and I am forever getting oats for either the horses or deer, or hauling around garden supplies and I needed the extra room. Also, in 2009, the Rav4 changed their back hatch door to opening sideways instead of up, something my Honda CR-V had and that I did not like.