I wish to say Hello, and I have a question.

[scottiep]

Hi all,

I joined the forum awhile back, but haven't had the time to dive very deep. I've quickly become a Stinger enthusiast, but at this moment I can't afford a new one.

I've been driving a VW CC for nearly 8 years and it has become a money pit and my wife is on me to replace it. However, she is definitely in the category of "brand snob" and doesn't think much of KIAs. And to add fuel to her bias, the first thing she did was go to Consumer Reports and see that their "predicted reliability" is so/so.

I had hoped to get another year out of my VW and then get a used Stinger GT some time in 2020 (more miles, a little older and therefore more in my price range), but I think I won't have that luxury because of my VW problems.

I'd like to hear what Kia owners say about their experience with reliability/repairs. Should I post this question on the general "Kia Stinger Talk" forum?

thanks,

scottiep

 

[Socalstinga]

you can find pre owned 2018's for $28-30k and maybe even some new leftover 2018s GT1 in the $35k range

 

[scottiep]

you can find pre owned 2018's for $28-30k and maybe even some new leftover 2018s GT1 in the $35k range

thanks for the reply--yeah, that's basically what I've been finding as well.

I'm more curious at this point to know personal experience--specifically reliability.

 

[Billy M]

I have a 2011 Kia Forte purchased new, and it runs great and always has.... guys at work are after me to buy my stinger so they can draw straws for who gets to buy my dumb daily driver off me..... sure it’s “just a Kia” but it’s reliable, and it’s nice. We had a ‘01 Jetta purchased new before the forte, and it was a money pit. Transmission went out at 100k mi on the dot. This Kia has cost us so much less over the course of owner ship than that mighty VW.
Get the stinger and find a good service Dept, you won’t be disapointed. And if she’s worried about people seeing her in a Kia, just rebadge it and most will never know

 

[NismoDPB]

KIA puts their money where their mouth is as far as warranty. Even if the stinger has problems up to 100k you should be mostly covered. Certainly more so than it's natural competition. As someone who has made the switch from being a die hard VW/Audi owner enthusiast to a Stinger owner I can tell you I regret nothing.

My car is still a baby mileage wise so I am no help as far as long term reliability. What I can tell you is the biggest shock is going to be the dealership experience which varies widely depending on where you go. VAG has its stuff together from my experience, the KIA dealer/service experience leaves a little to be desired.

 

[Luminary]

All I can say is I have had 8 Kia's in the last 12 years and have never had an issue with any of them. The only time I had any type of an issue was with my first Kia, a 2005 Sedona that failed emissions.
It was due to the cat converter, so I took it to a dealership and they replaced it under warrenty at no cost to me. Otherwise, 0 issues in 8 cars.

2005 Sedona
2009 Rio
2012 Forte
2012 Rio
2014 Optima SX
2015 Rio
2018 Stinger Premium
2018 Stinger GT2

 

[scottiep]

I have a 2011 Kia Forte purchased new, and it runs great and always has.... guys at work are after me to buy my stinger so they can draw straws for who gets to buy my dumb daily driver off me..... sure it’s “just a Kia” but it’s reliable, and it’s nice. We had a ‘01 Jetta purchased new before the forte, and it was a money pit. Transmission went out at 100k mi on the dot. This Kia has cost us so much less over the course of owner ship than that mighty VW.
Get the stinger and find a good service Dept, you won’t be disapointed. And if she’s worried about people seeing her in a Kia, just rebadge it and most will never know

Great stuff Billy! Yeah, I’ve known some Forte and Soul owners and I’ve only heard them say good things.

 

[Socalstinga]

This is my first KIA and probably the only KIA i would've purchased. From everyone I personally know that has had one, they have had no issues. I'm 14k miles in to mine and no issues despite driving it hard at times. Some minor annoyances but nothing I haven't had on my previous BMWs and Infiniti - it's actually been quite a bit better in most aspects than those "higher end" sports/luxury cars.

Word of caution, forums are always filled with folks that only report the bad, but there are more people that don't have the same issues. It's not a perfect car, but for what I got on my GT1 @ $39k, It's so far exceeded my expectations by a large margin. I've been very nit picky with the car just b/c it's a first model year vehicle and it's still been excellent.

 

[scottiep]

KIA puts their money where their mouth is as far as warranty. Even if the stinger has problems up to 100k you should be mostly covered. Certainly more so than it's natural competition. As someone who has made the switch from being a die hard VW/Audi owner enthusiast to a Stinger owner I can tell you I regret nothing.

My car is still a baby mileage wise so I am no help as far as long term reliability. What I can tell you is the biggest shock is going to be the dealership experience which varies widely depending on where you go. VAG has its stuff together from my experience, the KIA dealer/service experience leaves a little to be desired.

Yeah, that’s a really good point. I’m in the capital city of Alabama and we have a terrific Hyundai dealer with a large Hyundai plant nearby.

However, the Kia dealer seems to be an afterthought—it’s part of a group that also has Jeep, Dodge, and BMW.

We do have a tremendous dealer about 55 miles away. And I think it benefits from being less than an hour away from the Kia plant in West Point, GA.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Howdy and welcome. Here's my one year in "review": NAV and I have our anniversary today

 

[GenesisG70]

Well comming from a VW whats the big deal about buying a Kia, I would understand if you are going from an R8 to a Kia...LOL
Plus Kia is the 5th car maker on planet earth and has earned to be one of the most reliable brands out there.

 

[Rango]

Have you or your wife test driven the Stinger? Sweetest car I have ever owned, and having the best warranty in the industry is icing on the cake. I rest my cake ... opps! I mean case!

 

[eljay]

I don't have a lot of miles on mine but have had it for 15 months, and it's been perfect.

Consumer Reports admits they need 3 years of data for a rating to be accurate. The reliability rating first appeared when the Stinger had been on the road less than a year, so heaven knows how they came up with it. They say, "We . . . include a prediction for a [new] model . . . based on . . . the manufacturer's track record, and our expert knowledge of similar models and/or one that share components." Given the talent that went into designing the Stinger, I don't think you can judge it by others in the line. That said, last I looked, other Kias (and Hyundais) that share components with it get good reliability ratings. I think CR just goes on the conservative side with reliability predictions. I'm guessing new models don't get excellent ratings until they've been out for 3 years (but I'm just guessing).

 

[NismoDPB]

I don't have a lot of miles on mine but have had it for 15 months, and it's been perfect.

Consumer Reports admits they need 3 years of data for a rating to be accurate. The reliability rating first appeared when the Stinger had been on the road less than a year, so heaven knows how they came up with it. They say, "We . . . include a prediction for a [new] model . . . based on . . . the manufacturer's track record, and our expert knowledge of similar models and/or one that share components." Given the talent that went into designing the Stinger, I don't think you can judge it by others in the line. That said, last I looked, other Kias (and Hyundais) that share components with it get good reliability ratings. I think CR just goes on the conservative side with reliability predictions. I'm guessing new models don't get excellent ratings until they've been out for 3 years (but I'm just guessing).

Perhaps they based it on "similar models" from those German competitors. Or they just expect we are going to beat the piss out of our V6TT sport sedans

 

[Flameangel]

I have owned my Optima Platinum since new (2013 ) it has done over 120,000 kms and never put a wheel wrong. My hubby has a little Cerato a year younger than mine but has done much more kms because of his work and his has been totally reliable as well.
The Kia service department where we get them serviced is really good too. I went there once to have a bulb in front light replaced, it was a special order because apparently it is the same bulbs they put in Mercs. I didn't know this and was shocked when they told me it was going to cost over $400, they contacted Kia and even though my car was out of warranty, Kia paid half the bill for me.
My hubby and I think " if we're onto a good thing, stick to it ", which is why I will be getting an upgrade this year and will trade my Optima in for a Stinger.

 

[Ozstung]

10 year warranty there in the States says it all. You can't afford as a business to offer that sought of warranty if your product is likely to fail regularly.

What turned my Kia biased positive is when my regular local mechanic said to me in passing" If all cars were like Kia's i'd go broke" Before that i assumed like many they must be sub standard. Im now reaping the rewards for being smart enough to listen to the experts.

 

[brancky3]

Well comming from a VW whats the big deal about buying a Kia, I would understand if you are going from an R8 to a Kia...LOL
Plus Kia is the 5th car maker on planet earth and has earned to be one of the most reliable brands out there.

VW is still leaps and bounds ahead of Kia in terms of brand perception by the masses. Kia is still lumped in with the super cheap hot garbage economy cars that they used to make 10+ years ago no matter how nice they are now. VW's have been pretty nice and reliable for decades

 

[mldavis2]

I stand by my concerns that Consumer Reports is more reliable on can openers and vacuum cleaners than as a source of vehicle reviews. Yeah, I know they have their "car experts" but I'd sooner trust C&D, Motor Trend, Edmunds, etc. than CR. JMHO.

 

[GenesisG70]

VW is still leaps and bounds ahead of Kia in terms of brand perception by the masses. Kia is still lumped in with the super cheap hot garbage economy cars that they used to make 10+ years ago no matter how nice they are now. VW's have been pretty nice and reliable for decades

Lol after the criminal lies with the diesel gate disaster guess wich company has a better image now...

 

[Flameangel]

VW is still leaps and bounds ahead of Kia in terms of brand perception by the masses. Kia is still lumped in with the super cheap hot garbage economy cars that they used to make 10+ years ago no matter how nice they are now. VW's have been pretty nice and reliable for decades

Some of the VW vehicles had reputations over here of the engine's catching on fire ie the VW combi van and the Beetle