Anyone been through a Lemon Law Repurchase?

[Somedude]

I've posted a couple of times about the trouble I have had with my 2021 GT (purchased May, spent a month at the dealership. Back to dealership a few days after getting it back and it's still there).

I was initially offered a goodwill settlement equal to 2 of my monthly payments, but I had to sign an agreement to release them from all (past, present, future) claims and I wasn't comfortable with that. The car died again and had to be towed. It's still at the dealership waiting for a Kia engineer to show up and check it out.

In the meantime, I have hired a lawyer and he has presented Kia with all of the facts, etc and is trying to work on a resolution. Apparently, they (Kia) is putting together a repurchase offer to buy the car back.

My issue is this - If I agree to the repurchase, I'm going to get screwed unless they account for the fact that I can't go buy another equivalent car. I chose the GT trim because I wanted the bigger engine, etc but didn't want to spend the extra $ for the GT1 or GT2. I bought the last black 2021 GT that was available in my area. Right now, my only options are to step up to a GT1 (which runs ~$4-5K more than my GT) or step down to a GT Line, which I would prefer not to do. On top of all of that, inventory around here is low. There are very few black Stingers inventory (a couple of GT Lines, and a few GT1 and GT2s, so I may even have to go with another color, which I'd rather not do.

I can also opt to keep the car and have my lawyer push for a better goodwill settlement with no claim release clause. My concern is that it's had at least 3 fuel pump/sender issues so far, and who knows if they'll fix it right this time.

Has anyone been through a goodwill or repurchase with Kia? Were they reasonable?

Any thoughts on keeping the current car and taking a decent goodwill settlement vs going the repurchase route?

 

[MerlintheMad]

I would ditch THIS car, after what you've said about it: and having proceeded this far with legal help. What would be the point of keeping a car you don't trust?

Several members of the forum have successfully rid themselves of their lemons: I don't remember any who took compensation and kept it.

 

[jthrelf]

I hear you on the '21 GT being the last chance for not having to spend on the GT1, that's exactly what I did. I'd see if you can work out a price reduction on a GT1 close to GT pricing. Even if you pay a bit more, you get the GT1 features and '22 updates (badging, bigger infotainment screen, etc.). Instead of the 2 payment settlement, ask for GT pricing in a GT1, who knows.

Either way I don't think I'd want to keep your current car.

 

[Helo58]

Fixing the car doesn't seem to be the prudent choice at this point. Mechanical parts are one thing, but electrical parts can be far more buggy and elusive when it comes to diagnosing. As for Kia being reasonable, they typically offer 3 things to "fix" the situation... 1) to continue fixing the car with some kind of compensation, 2) they offer to move you into a comparable new model (price is lawyer negotiable), or 3) they will simply buyback the car. In many states, obtaining legal representation for a lemon law claim can be done at no cost if you win. Selecting a good lawyer who accepts to take your case based on the merits is important. Be sure to ask what his/her fee is in the event that you lose. Get a dollar amount in advance for their services and hold them to it. As for court, Kia has no interest in taking this to court. I have seen various figures but suffice it to say that court costs (lawyers, expenses, travel, etc.) are usually more expensive than a settlement/buyback with you. Whatever you choose, what they will do to discourage you is to drag it out forever. This seems vindictive to me. Who knows, maybe it actually takes that long. Many think that you contact a lawyer, the lawyer contacts Kia, and in a month or two, they buy your car back. From stories I heard, this process took 10-12 months to complete PRIOR to COVID, not sure what it takes now. If you are happy with the car, service depts, ownership experience, etc., I would suggest going with the swap route. This can happen much quicker than the court route and you get to keep a car that you like for a good price.

 

[thenciek]

I've posted a couple of times about the trouble I have had with my 2021 GT (purchased May, spent a month at the dealership. Back to dealership a few days after getting it back and it's still there).

I was initially offered a goodwill settlement equal to 2 of my monthly payments, but I had to sign an agreement to release them from all (past, present, future) claims and I wasn't comfortable with that. The car died again and had to be towed. It's still at the dealership waiting for a Kia engineer to show up and check it out.

In the meantime, I have hired a lawyer and he has presented Kia with all of the facts, etc and is trying to work on a resolution. Apparently, they (Kia) is putting together a repurchase offer to buy the car back.

My issue is this - If I agree to the repurchase, I'm going to get screwed unless they account for the fact that I can't go buy another equivalent car. I chose the GT trim because I wanted the bigger engine, etc but didn't want to spend the extra $ for the GT1 or GT2. I bought the last black 2021 GT that was available in my area. Right now, my only options are to step up to a GT1 (which runs ~$4-5K more than my GT) or step down to a GT Line, which I would prefer not to do. On top of all of that, inventory around here is low. There are very few black Stingers inventory (a couple of GT Lines, and a few GT1 and GT2s, so I may even have to go with another color, which I'd rather not do.

I can also opt to keep the car and have my lawyer push for a better goodwill settlement with no claim release clause. My concern is that it's had at least 3 fuel pump/sender issues so far, and who knows if they'll fix it right this time.

Has anyone been through a goodwill or repurchase with Kia? Were they reasonable?

Any thoughts on keeping the current car and taking a decent goodwill settlement vs going the repurchase route?

Im in the exact situations you. What route have you took?

 

[thenciek]

I've posted a couple of times about the trouble I have had with my 2021 GT (purchased May, spent a month at the dealership. Back to dealership a few days after getting it back and it's still there).

I was initially offered a goodwill settlement equal to 2 of my monthly payments, but I had to sign an agreement to release them from all (past, present, future) claims and I wasn't comfortable with that. The car died again and had to be towed. It's still at the dealership waiting for a Kia engineer to show up and check it out.

In the meantime, I have hired a lawyer and he has presented Kia with all of the facts, etc and is trying to work on a resolution. Apparently, they (Kia) is putting together a repurchase offer to buy the car back.

My issue is this - If I agree to the repurchase, I'm going to get screwed unless they account for the fact that I can't go buy another equivalent car. I chose the GT trim because I wanted the bigger engine, etc but didn't want to spend the extra $ for the GT1 or GT2. I bought the last black 2021 GT that was available in my area. Right now, my only options are to step up to a GT1 (which runs ~$4-5K more than my GT) or step down to a GT Line, which I would prefer not to do. On top of all of that, inventory around here is low. There are very few black Stingers inventory (a couple of GT Lines, and a few GT1 and GT2s, so I may even have to go with another color, which I'd rather not do.

I can also opt to keep the car and have my lawyer push for a better goodwill settlement with no claim release clause. My concern is that it's had at least 3 fuel pump/sender issues so far, and who knows if they'll fix it right this time.

Has anyone been through a goodwill or repurchase with Kia? Were they reasonable?

Any thoughts on keeping the current car and taking a decent goodwill settlement vs going the repurchase route?

Don't know if you got the first message. I'm going through the exact same thing. Interested to find out where things went for you.

 

[chattanoogastinger]

Haven't done it with Kia, but I've done it with Ford... twice.

Agree with the others, you need to get out of it for sure, I know you can't replace it for the same price, but this thing is a lost cause.

You can always negotiate the buyout, and I have seen examples of people who got discounts off of new cars in extreme circumstances.

 

[n8hegr8]

that's what happened with my first stinger. that car was definitely a lemon. i complained enough to kia Customer care and two dealerships that i traded it in and got an ok deal on a new one that i wanted anyway, (until the scorpion came out! lol)

 

[pkarandi]

Whatever you choose, what they will do to discourage you is to drag it out forever. This seems vindictive to me. Who knows, maybe it actually takes that long. Many think that you contact a lawyer, the lawyer contacts Kia, and in a month or two, they buy your car back. From stories I heard, this process took 10-12 months to complete PRIOR to COVID, not sure what it takes now. If you are happy with the car, service depts, ownership experience, etc., I would suggest going with the swap route. This can happen much quicker than the court route and you get to keep a car that you like for a good price.

^^ this

I was involved with a lemon law lawsuit back in 2000, and it took over 18 months to sort out. We ended up settling out of court, and after all was said and done, I probably lost like $5k. The suit was for about $15k for a motorcycle worth about $8k. Honestly, after all that headache, I wished I had just taken it to a dealer and traded it in. I probably would have lost the same amount of money, but been back up and riding within weeks instead of a year and a half. When it's your primary mode of transportation (my bike was my commuter into Washington DC) and you have thousands of dollars on the line, each day is painful, but for the company you are fighting, it's nothing. They can drag it on for 2 years without any real inconvenience to anyone on their side. This is what makes the lemon law so problematic. In theory it's great, but in practice, it sucks.