Here Are The Used Sport Sedan Deals You Can Get For The Price Of A Kia Stinger GT

[Kia Stinger]

Yes, they're used cars - but I still find it impressive that a Kia is now being cross-shopped with some pretty impressive automobiles...

Jalopnik:
I’ve gotten a ton of emails from you fine readers regarding the new Kia Stinger GT. Most of them go the same way: “Is the Stinger GT worth the price?” When compared to new cars the Stinger presents an incredible value, but if you look at what kind of used hardware you can get the equation changes a bit.

With a 365 horsepower twin-turbo V6 and rear-wheel drive, the Stinger GT is a strong performance value. The 2.0-liter four with 255 HP isn’t bad either. A Stinger GT will set you back $39,000, which is a solid value, but our last loaded press tester topped $50,000, and that’s a bit more questionable for sure.

It’s not especially fair to compare new cars to used ones directly in car reviews. But this isn’t a car review, and realistically, buyers out there have options. Many enthusiasts are more educated than your average buyer, and they know what’s out there. If they’re looking at a Stinger, odds are they’re looking at solid used options too, including high-performance BMWs, Audis and more. Read more...

 

[Dave Miller]

It's a decent article, the biggest issue is if you're buying a used car in that price range it is going to have a substantially higher upkeep cost than a Stinger that's under warranty for half its life. If the Stinger is the peak of your budget, spending Stinger money on a used BMW or similar is a bad idea in my eyes. A fun bad idea, but a bad one!

If maintenance was free I'd totally be driving the Audi S8 that's on my lot for $17k

 

[Kia Stinger]

It's a decent article, the biggest issue is if you're buying a used car in that price range it is going to have a substantially higher upkeep cost than a Stinger that's under warranty for half its life. If the Stinger is the peak of your budget, spending Stinger money on a used BMW or similar is a bad idea in my eyes. A fun bad idea, but a bad one!

If maintenance was free I'd totally be driving the Audi S8 that's on my lot for $17k

I totally agree. Those cars listed are fun - but they're not going to be nearly as reliable and they'll be out of warranty very soon, if not already. And C43 AMG? Who cares?!

 

[Waynerm002]

That's the thing about used German cars, they can be a great deal but unless you have a good warranty to cover things, it's gonna cost you. Even the maintenance is going to be more costly. I lucked out when I got my 525 manual with the Sport Package, it sat around a bit because no one wanted a manual and it was past it's factory warranty. The salesman didn't mention this to me after I drove it so I told him I would look it over. He called me a couple of hours later with a better price, told me that it had an extended warranty for 2 more years and about 30k miles plus it also had a maintenance plan. That was good enough for me to take it. Without, nope. My Audi had a power steering leak and a coolant system leak, to fix it was going to be over $5k plus they wanted to do the 80K mile service at the same time. Cost, a little over $8k, I loved that car but not enough to spend that much on it. I'll take a Stinger.

Those dealerships that are marking up their cars at a ridiculous level and asking for credit checks before a test drive are idiots. You want to sell cars, people have to drive them first.

 

[mldavis2]

I haven't had any requests for a credit check. In fact I ordered mine without ever driving one, and then even got a call from the Sales Manager to come back and drive it. Obviously they are delighted to be selling higher class cars and very proud of the outstanding reviews coming in from everywhere. Bought mine $1,000 below MSRP and good trade-in offer on my G8. No complaints.

 

[eljay]

The writer assumes that those of us on the Forum who complained about Kia dealers would "get frustrated with the market," and "start to look elsewhere." OK, I'm one of the Forum members who voiced my frustrations long and eloquently, but from what I'm seeing, most of us active members who complained are still on the Forum and now either own Stingers or are still holding out for them.

 

[Waynerm002]

Yeah, it's part of the car buying process. If you want a car and one shop is not willing to do business, you go to another down the street or a bit more to another state.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Right, I'm pretty sure everybody understands that some Kia dealers have their business in order and take great care of their customers. When somebody says, "nobody likes a cloudy day" - they don't literally mean "NOBODY likes a cloudy day". They mean "generally". Most people... So, yes - there are some Kia dealerships that you can walk into and think you accidentally drove to the Lexus showroom. But that's rare.

If the writer of the article took some time to read around here, he'd see that most people are quite happy with their Stinger. That one specific dealership section is naturally going to have a lot of bad stories - but they were mostly from early on when the markups were rampant. And even then there were good stories. Here's a link to the forum they're talking about:
The Stinger Dealership Experience

If you go take a look, you'll see lots of green mixed in with red. It's not all bad. At all...

 

[mldavis2]

Yes, I think I posted my "story" in the dealer forum a week or 10 days ago. First dealer was nice enough but only $500 off MSRP and poor trade-in allowance (half of Kelly Blue book trade-in value for my car and mileage.) Second dealer was in the process of selling out to another mega-chain and was obviously quite rushed, rude and didn't really want to sell anything except what they had on the lot. (I found that out later.) Last dealer was extremely nice, no pressure, $1,000 off MSRP and fair trade-in value. I ordered the car and I'll send people to see him.

So there are advantages and disadvantages to both large mega-dealers and smaller rural dealers. The little guys seem to be far more willing to cut a fair deal with little or no pressure. The big guys seem to be pressured to just move iron and make more money to cover their larger overhead. On the other hand, if you're looking for a used car (uh, sorry, PRE-owned vehicle - hell, they're ALL pre-owned by the factory and the dealership aren't they?) then the big lots have a decided advantage in sheer quantity. But beware, because most lots make their big money on trade-ins, not on new car sales. Never buy on impulse, always shop around unless money is no object.

 

[Mach_Tuck]

Regarding "German" cars. MX and upkeep are, by definition, going to cost more. I have/currently own an E46 M3 and have cared for the vehicle properly. I am mechanically inclined so can handle most, if not all of the labor, if something goes wrong or simply for an oil change. If you factor labor rates and such and assume people will drive with a Check Engine light on, absolutely the Germans are going to cost more. However, given proper care, my cost of ownership for the M3 has been substantially low (more so than i actually anticipated) for the life of my ownership.

So, if you dont care to ever see the underside of the hood or car, the warrantied car makes sense. If you are willing to care for the car properly, there are some great deals to be had with a used German

My hope with the Stinger is that Kia keeps parts costs in line with the other models. For example, everything on an "M" BMW costs more by virtue of being on the "M" If you think i am lying, look at a battery for an M car and for a MINI cooper...same part # with the M one costing 30% more. I hope Kia does not follow suit on this trend with Stinger Parts.

 

[Waynerm002]

That trend of similar parts being priced differently are certainly in the realm of the Germans, Audi does the same thing with VW parts. When I needed something for the Audi, I always checked VW first.

 

[hej]

It's a decent article, the biggest issue is if you're buying a used car in that price range it is going to have a substantially higher upkeep cost than a Stinger that's under warranty for half its life. If the Stinger is the peak of your budget, spending Stinger money on a used BMW or similar is a bad idea in my eyes. A fun bad idea, but a bad one!

If maintenance was free I'd totally be driving the Audi S8 that's on my lot for $17k

To the point; the enormous maintenance costs are the reason you can buy those cars used so cheaply.

 

[mldavis2]

Most of those high-end status symbols are purchased or leased to turn over at the end of the 100% warranty period. Some of the manufacturers have even included free maintenance in the price for the warranty period or at least the first year, to encourage new car status seekers. But @hej is exactly right that they are a money pit as a used car beyond the warranty requiring more frequent maintenance and far more expensive repair costs for their "premium" level parts (that should never wear out if they are that great.) I was a BMW service manager back in the '80's and I can tell you some pathetic stories about people who bought those cars used (oh, I'm sorry....pre-owned...) and found out what it takes to keep them running. A lot of them fell apart, and they squealed like a pig under a gate when you quoted them repair estimates for the car they owned but could not afford.

 

[Mach_Tuck]

Def "pay to play" cars. I'm hoping the Stinger does not follow suit.