Considering Stinger GT for next car

[Hammy]

Hi everyone, I currently own a 2016 VW Golf R but have the new car itch. I haven't found many interesting replacements but drove a BMW M240i and Mercedes AMG C43. The M240i was very nice but I'm not sure I want a small coupe and didn't really enjoy the AMG. I think the Stinger GT might be just what I need, lots of power, unique design and not a fortune to maintain. I live in Newfoundland, Canada so availability is VERY limited, we only have 2 available in the entire province. There is a grey and black GT Limited available. I am very impressed with the features you get for $50K compared to the luxury brands. I am headed out to the local Kia dealership tomorrow and I guess I am just looking for affirmation that the Stinger GT would be an excellent replacement for my Golf R. Current Kia promo is $2,000 discount and free winter tires on a 2018 Stinger.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MerlintheMad]

This is like entering a church and asking the congregants if theirs is the best religion.

Of course the GT (1 or 2) is a fun car. The "fun factor" is constantly mentioned by those who try out the car. It doesn't look like you are going to have the luxury of price shopping. But I guess you'll buy what you can get. Happy test driving!

 

[John B]

I just traded in my M235 for a GT2. I feel like it's an upgrade in everything except low end acceleration. More comfortable, handles just as well, and far more practical.

 

[Hammy]

I just traded in my M235 for a GT2. I feel like it's an upgrade in everything except low end acceleration. More comfortable, handles just as well, and far more practical.

Thanks John, that is just the kind of feedback I'm looking for.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Good car for the price but you should stay away. The paint issues are not worth the hassle.

 

[Doel]

Good car for the price but you should stay away. The paint issues are not worth the hassle.

I would ignore this person. He's a perpetual wet blanket on this forum who I'm pretty sure doesn't even own a stinger. Pretty sure the only reason he's on here is to argue with people.

If you want to read up on the paint issue, it's in the exterior section of the forum. To sum it up, I would avoid any car built in 2017 or that's yellow. Almost everything built in 2018 seems to be fine paint wise, I haven't heard of a single issue with any 2019 models. For reference, my car was built in March 2018 and it doesn't have a single paint issue.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

I would ignore this person. He's a perpetual wet blanket on this forum who I'm pretty sure doesn't even own a stinger. Pretty sure the only reason he's on here is to argue with people.

If you want to read up on the paint issue, it's in the exterior section of the forum. To sum it up, I would avoid any car built in 2017 or that's yellow. Almost everything built in 2018 seems to be fine paint wise, I haven't heard of a single issue with any 2019 models. For reference, my car was built in March 2018 and it doesn't have a single paint issue.

Who is arguing? The car has widespread paint issues on the top of the hatch, under the headlights and elsewhere. Using your issue free car to apply a conclusion for the rest of the production models is dishonest. Prospective buyers should know about the issues without biased owners brushing them under the mat. The car has paint issues and there is no conclusive evidence that they are completely resolved. Stop being a petulant child about it.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Who is arguing? The car has widespread paint issues on the top of the hatch, under the headlights and elsewhere. Using your issue free car to apply a conclusion for the rest of the production models is dishonest. Prospective buyers should know about the issues without biased owners brushing them under the mat. The car has paint issues and there is no conclusive evidence that they are completely resolved. Stop being a petulant child about it.

Come on, @forzanerazzurri, the accurate thing to argue is a middle ground here. Your rebuttal is valid. But @Doel and I have at least as much validity as your perpetual negativity. You can make a valid point, and spoil it by your habitual delivery. Consider that; an example of which is just above this post.

You and I have gone the rounds. It comes down to an informed decision. Adhesion on half the Stingers out there is anywhere from almost insignificant to problematic; with a very few individual cars suffering catastrophic paint failure. As a total population, Stingers show few paint failures right away. Some show minor flaking or chipping along an edge; as you point out the hatch where it lines up with the roof being one of the most common areas. That seems to even be a problem with MY19s, if what I saw this morning being mentioned is going to turn into the new paint issue.

So when somebody says they are considering a Stinger, why should they just assume that you are right and that paint issues are in their future? I do not have any paint failure. Most of us on this forum do not, or else the poll would be flooded with "yes I have shit for paint" votes. A prospective buyer needs to know what to look for, and check all the Stingers on the lot. No headlight assembly rub, check; no rear edge of the hood chip, check; no chipping along the hatch edges, check; no chipping along any other edges, check; no pin pricks or bubbling or discoloration, check; no under spray around the gas refill door; while you are at it, the underside of the hood and inside of the trunk should have a decent layer of paint (but no clear coat), check. I think that that "check list" should arm any prospective buyer of the Stinger. A good, trouble free paint job dominates the population of Stingers. The troublesome paint jobs are in the small minority, but get all the attention here because, well, bad news travels fast.

 

[Ucinn]

I had a yellow one with the paint problems, but my ceramic (12/17) has none. Not even at the trunk or the headlights.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Thunder Grey Canadian owner checking in with zero paint issues. I do have a couple small issues like a hatch rattle but nothing that would remotely make me regret getting the car, it's an absolute blast to drive with plenty of practicality to boot. The bonus in Canada is that they're very rare on the streets, a lot more rare than the Golf R which I was also considering. I can confirm after driving through some horrible snowy conditions that the AWD with snow tires is unstoppable in the winter so you shouldn't have any issues getting around in your neck of the woods.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Come on, @forzanerazzurri, the accurate thing to argue is a middle ground here. Your rebuttal is valid. But @Doel and I have at least as much validity as your perpetual negativity. You can make a valid point, and spoil it by your habitual delivery. Consider that; an example of which is just above this post.

You and I have gone the rounds. It comes down to an informed decision. Adhesion on half the Stingers out there is anywhere from almost insignificant to problematic; with a very few individual cars suffering catastrophic paint failure. As a total population, Stingers show few paint failures right away. Some show minor flaking or chipping along an edge; as you point out the hatch where it lines up with the roof being one of the most common areas. That seems to even be a problem with MY19s, if what I saw this morning being mentioned is going to turn into the new paint issue.

So when somebody says they are considering a Stinger, why should they just assume that you are right and that paint issues are in their future? I do not have any paint failure. Most of us on this forum do not, or else the poll would be flooded with "yes I have shit for paint" votes. A prospective buyer needs to know what to look for, and check all the Stingers on the lot. No headlight assembly rub, check; no rear edge of the hood chip, check; no chipping along the hatch edges, check; no chipping along any other edges, check; no pin pricks or bubbling or discoloration, check; no under spray around the gas refill door; while you are at it, the underside of the hood and inside of the trunk should have a decent layer of paint (but no clear coat), check. I think that that "check list" should arm any prospective buyer of the Stinger. A good, trouble free paint job dominates the population of Stingers. The troublesome paint jobs are in the small minority, but get all the attention here because, well, bad news travels fast.

Fair points. That wasn't really what I was disagreeing with though. My point that it is irresponsible and dishonest to brush off the issues and jump on those who are assisting perspective buyers with their due diligence. If it offends other owners then too bloody bad.

 

[Hammy]

Thunder Grey Canadian owner checking in with zero paint issues. I do have a couple small issues like a hatch rattle but nothing that would remotely make me regret getting the car, it's an absolute blast to drive with plenty of practicality to boot. The bonus in Canada is that they're very rare on the streets, a lot more rare than the Golf R which I was also considering. I can confirm after driving through some horrible snowy conditions that the AWD with snow tires is unstoppable in the winter so you shouldn't have any issues getting around in your neck of the woods.

Thanks, were you considering anything else besides the Golf R? I am all over the place, there is a 2017 (but still new) BMW M240i discounted about $10k here and I am also liking the Audi S4 but that is a fair bit more money and there are none currently available.

 

[Paul32]

Who is arguing? The car has widespread paint issues on the top of the hatch, under the headlights and elsewhere. Using your issue free car to apply a conclusion for the rest of the production models is dishonest. Prospective buyers should know about the issues without biased owners brushing them under the mat. The car has paint issues and there is no conclusive evidence that they are completely resolved. Stop being a petulant child about it.

So, did you have paint issues with your Stinger? My March, 2018, Red, does not.

 

[GRStinger]

Fair points. That wasn't really what I was disagreeing with though. My point that it is irresponsible and dishonest to brush off the issues and jump on those who are assisting perspective buyers with their due diligence. If it offends other owners then too bloody bad.

It’s PROBABLY safe to say that the paint issue is PROBABLY the biggest problem with the Stinger. But, without empirical data, we can’t determine exactly how big (or small) of a problem it is. All we have is anecdotal examples, including the poll. Polls/surveys are notoriously hard to do and to rely on. (I’ve done a few in my work-life, working with polling pros.) It depends on who and how you ask a question. E.g., if you’re on this forum and you don’t have paint problems, you’re not likely to look-for/go-to a thread/poll asking about paint problems. (Count me in on that - I’ve been on here quite a bit over recent weeks, and today was my first time to that poll.) On the other hand, if you’ve had the problem, you’re going to be very keen to report it. Based on how you look at the poll, you can make the point that the paint problem is horrendous – 60% with paint problems!?! But the raw count is 157 owners saying ‘yes’. So, on the other hand, you could make the case that it’s a very minor problem. Ballpark, about 20,000 Stingers sold to-date(?). 157 owners report paint problems – that’s 0.79%. Meh… no big deal. I think we can probably agree that it’s somewhere in-between, probably well to the low-end IMO. That said, it’s still disappointing. Kia has taken on the “big boys” and did a bang-up job designing, engineering, and developing a great car like the Stinger… and then to see PAINT problems?!? Not acceptable. And, Kia’s evident lack of dealer/service capability to properly handle the problem is rearing its ugly head. They HAVE TO make this right.

 

[Hammy]

The local Kia is only offering me $25,000 for trade on my 2016 Golf R with 60,000 kms, I was hoping for more, previous offers were $27K (BMW) and $27.5K (Mercedes). I test drove the 4 cylinder today which was nice but I know the GT Limited would be much better, if I they had one for me to drive I might be more inclined to go back to work out a deal.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Thanks, were you considering anything else besides the Golf R? I am all over the place, there is a 2017 (but still new) BMW M240i discounted about $10k here and I am also liking the Audi S4 but that is a fair bit more money and there are none currently available.

I was all over the place like you, I came from a fwd 2012 Acura TL with a 280hp 252ft/lbs of torque. I wanted something AWD and was considering a lot of different cars but I have 2 small children and the power, AWD, hatchback cargo space and surprising interior volume space sold me.

 

[Hammy]

I was all over the place like you, I came from a fwd 2012 Acura TL with a 280hp 252ft/lbs of torque. I wanted something AWD and was considering a lot of different cars but I have 2 small children and the power, AWD, hatchback cargo space and surprising interior volume space sold me.

My kids are grown now and we have a full sized pickup to cover large groups so that's why I was looking at smaller cars again. That being said I am not as young as I used to be so a larger car appealed to me from that side. The BMW M240i is a beauty but it kind of looks like every other small bmw. The Stinger does have the unique factor, I just WISH they never put those fake vents on the hood. I'm sure if I could test drive the GT Limited I would love it.

 

[NS_Stinger]

My kids are grown now and we have a full sized pickup to cover large groups so that's why I was looking at smaller cars again. That being said I am not as young as I used to be so a larger car appealed to me from that side. The BMW M240i is a beauty but it kind of looks like every other small bmw. The Stinger does have the unique factor, I just WISH they never put those fake vents on the hood. I'm sure if I could test drive the GT Limited I would love it.

No question you'd love the GT, it has effortless power and is a very engaging drive. If you really hate the hood, lots of aftermarket options are popping up and I'm sure you can find an aftermarket hood that has them deleted. If you havr any questions or want me to snap photos of any area of my car let me know and I'd be happy to help.

 

[Hammy]

No question you'd love the GT, it has effortless power and is a very engaging drive. If you really hate the hood, lots of aftermarket options are popping up and I'm sure you can find an aftermarket hood that has them deleted. If you havr any questions or want me to snap photos of any area of my car let me know and I'd be happy to help.

The one I test drove didn't have the adaptive suspension, can you change the settings to firm it up? I found the GT-Line a bit too floaty.

 

[MerlintheMad]

That said, it’s still disappointing. Kia has taken on the “big boys” and did a bang-up job designing, engineering, and developing a great car like the Stinger… and then to see PAINT problems?!? Not acceptable. And, Kia’s evident lack of dealer/service capability to properly handle the problem is rearing its ugly head. They HAVE TO make this right.

It's not that black and white. Way back there on the Paint Quality thread, it was pointed out that Kia is hardly alone in sending out cars with paint problems. Bimmers sometimes have bad paint. Every model under $100K has some that turn out having crappy paint. Second gen and even later, still show up with bad paint; but it is rare. And I think that Kia is doing the best they can. Because some paint shops are incompetent even dishonest, we are going to hear of failures. But I expect the positive results to greatly outnumber the failures. As you pointed out, the failures or at least the disappointed owners are going to come here to vent: we won't hear about all the success stories, because they are going away happy and not looking for where the failed stories hang out.