How to Buy a Kia Stinger

[Chris]

Please explain how one accurately obtains both "invoice" and "holdback" figures as I don't imagine dealers are forthcoming with this information.

Just ask them, you would be surprised most will give you the invoice.. Hold back figures are pretty widely known and published on the web. For Kia it is 3% of MSRP.

 

[MarkyMark]

Please explain how one accurately obtains both "invoice" and "holdback" figures as I don't imagine dealers are forthcoming with this information.

Invoices can be found from AutoBytel.com, and many other outlets. But Invoice does not mean the price the dealer ends up paying for the car, or making on the car is more accurate...

The holdback can be a % of the sale price, or a set figure, $650, etc...

You can often find holdback numbers online, and Automotive News is an inside the beltway (pay to play) dealer publication which provides just about every scrap of information.

Holdback, you won't likely ever get.

IMHO, the dealers you want to work with are those that are going after incentive programs by the car makers themselves. Thus, find a high-volume Kia dealer (the larger the odds are they play the volume incentive game with the factory), then mid-late month, if the dealer is tracking to get over their target sales figure (say, 120 cars), they will often sell at cost, and in some cases sell at losses.

Automotive week had a dealer talk about selling cars at a loss if they an make their incentive sales figure, but it is risky. Miss the target by one car and they get nothing - and sold some cars at break even or losses to make matters worse.

However, if the dealer hits their sales incentive figures, presto, they get a nice big check from the auto maker.

Just talk to some of the lower-end sales guys on the lots or talk to service folks, or a fleet manager, you'll get an idea pretty easily if they a volume loss leader dealership or not.

 

[Mach_Tuck]

@MarkyMark - thanks for the follow up.

I am waiting for 2019 MY and getting all research and ducks in a row so can action a good deal when one appears. I am in the Phoenix Metro area and we have some rather larger dealerships so will def do some chatting to find a loss leader. We also have a 2016 Sorento SXL so ill be sure to chat the service techs next time it is in for warranty work! Never even considered that "angle"

Thanks again

Cheers

 

[MarkyMark]

@MarkyMark - thanks for the follow up.

I am waiting for 2019 MY and getting all research and ducks in a row so can action a good deal when one appears. I am in the Phoenix Metro area and we have some rather larger dealerships so will def do some chatting to find a loss leader. We also have a 2016 Sorento SXL so ill be sure to chat the service techs next time it is in for warranty work! Never even considered that "angle"

Thanks again

Cheers

I'm kinda in the same boat - waiting, saving, and seeing what deals (if any) come for the 2018's and how the 2019's are configured... I'm hoping for maybe $1k - 1500k in rebates (factory to customer and/or factory to dealer combined). Get the Dealer to pony $2500 - $3k off the sticker and maybe hit $4k - $4500 in savings, and then finance at their whatever lowest rate for solid credit folk.

 

[BarryLI]

Inventory here in the NE is popping: 377 Stingers available on Thursday, 407 on Friday, 432 today. I see all colors, shapes, and sizes, the same cars are showing up at the same dealers every day, it seems they are accumulating inventory. My local dealer where I leased my AWD G2 from has 10, others have from 5-10, I've a feeling there are deals to be made.

 

[SEA Stinger]

Is anyone seeing dealers or dealer groups promoting the Stinger in your local area?

Seems like quite a few people have seen the SuperBowl ad and other national TV commercials for the Stinger. But at least in the Seattle are, there doesn't seem to be any advertising being done by dealers. That's a missed opportunity.

 

[MarkyMark]

Is anyone seeing dealers or dealer groups promoting the Stinger in your local area?

Seems like quite a few people have seen the SuperBowl ad and other national TV commercials for the Stinger. But at least in the Seattle are, there doesn't seem to be any advertising being done by dealers. That's a missed opportunity.

Could be... However, if they are selling them at a solid clip, why advertise?... Once sales begin to show any weakness, and inventory starts to pile up, you'll hear and see local adds - likely.

 

[SEA Stinger]

Could be... However, if they are selling them at a solid clip, why advertise?... Once sales begin to show any weakness, and inventory starts to pile up, you'll hear and see local adds - likely.

Check out @BarryLI's post, which reports that inventories are growing in the Northeast. That would seem to indicate the Stinger isn't selling as well as hoped, at least in that region. Hence my question about local advertising.

On a broader note, at the Australian Open tennis tournament last month, KIA logos were plastered all over the courts and in the stands. However, I don't think KIA ran any TV commercials for the Stinger during the broadcasts. That seemed like a huge missed opportunity for KIA to reach what's probably a good demographic of potential Stinger buyers.

 

[BarryLI]

Check out @BarryLI's post, which reports that inventories are growing in the Northeast. That would seem to indicate the Stinger isn't selling as well as hoped, at least in that region. Hence my question about local advertising.

Up to 458 from 432 two days prior.

 

[Merkur720]

I understand they had a Red Stinger "on rotating display" at the Dallas Auto Show last week. I feel that was a BIG MISSED OPPORTUNITY not allowing people to get a closer look. Yes, I know they likely don't want everyone's slimy hands all over it....but if you can sit in Jaguars, BMW's, and Audi's -- this should be possible. Besides the superbowl ad, I haven't seen any marketing at all for the Stinger in Dallas.

 

[Muldune]

Invoice can be gotten at Edmunds.com and several other sites. Holdback for KIAs is 3% of invoice price.

 

[MarkyMark]

I understand they had a Red Stinger "on rotating display" at the Dallas Auto Show last week. I feel that was a BIG MISSED OPPORTUNITY not allowing people to get a closer look. Yes, I know they likely don't want everyone's slimy hands all over it....but if you can sit in Jaguars, BMW's, and Audi's -- this should be possible. Besides the superbowl ad, I haven't seen any marketing at all for the Stinger in Dallas.

Yes, same here in Portland, OR last month. NO STINGERS from the local dealer inventory even (sometimes local dealers provide the shows cars - evidently Kia's market and ad agency in charge of trade shows doesn't work that way). And YES, how stupid to be going to Auto Shows all over the country and the Stinger is on a rotating platform, and dealers in every town have them, but you can't get into one at the show. Soooo stupid.... Hundreds of people show up at the show knowing nothing about it. And unless they can touch it, sit in it, turn on the stereo they cannot make an emotional connection with the car, and they walk away and forget.

Again, just dumb and very disappointing Kia hasn't fixed this already. Wow...

 

[BarryLI]

Up to 458 from 432 two days prior.

While there are now 500+ available in the tri-State area my local dealer has 18 (count 'em) Stingers in inventory. I'm known there as "Stinger 1" as my red GT2 was first out the door.

 

[MarkyMark]

While there are now 500+ available in the tri-State area my local dealer has 18 (count 'em) Stingers in inventory. I'm known there as "Stinger 1" as my red GT2 was first out the door.

Good - for me - to see them filling the channel. More options, more competition, better deals down the road.

 

[Big]

While there are now 500+ available in the tri-State area my local dealer has 18 (count 'em) Stingers in inventory. I'm known there as "Stinger 1" as my red GT2 was first out the door.

Hi Barry - Are you still keeping an eye on the Stinger inventories? Would love to know how they are moving or for that matter not moving. My dealer here in the Boston area says he is allocated a fixed amount of Stingers that he can hold in inventory. KIA won't ship him anymore until he sells them and frees up space in his inventory. How can you tell if the cars are sitting on the lots and not moving?

 

[BarryLI]

Hi Barry - Are you still keeping an eye on the Stinger inventories? Would love to know how they are moving or for that matter not moving. My dealer here in the Boston area says he is allocated a fixed amount of Stingers that he can hold in inventory. KIA won't ship him anymore until he sells them and frees up space in his inventory. How can you tell if the cars are sitting on the lots and not moving?

567 Stingers are available here in the Tri-State area, my local dealer has 17 in stock, down from a high of 20 a few weeks ago. Use the inventory tool on the Kia website, put in your zip code and use the miles to your dealer tab (it starts at 15, goes to 100), your dealer should be there, keep a daily eye on his inventory and you'll know what's going on.

 

[Billy M]

Only 49 in central TX. 12 of which are GT2, and 7 of them are RWD.

 

[BarryLI]

567 Stingers are available here in the Tri-State area, my local dealer has 17 in stock, down from a high of 20 a few weeks ago. Use the inventory tool on the Kia website, put in your zip code and use the miles to your dealer tab (it starts at 15, goes to 100), your dealer should be there, keep a daily eye on his inventory and you'll know what's going on.

585 this Sunday morning, closing in on 600, probably next week.

 

[xevilpetex]

Invoice can be gotten at Edmunds.com and several other sites. Holdback for KIAs is 3% of invoice price.

Just to clarify this, It is 3% of the MSRP before destination is added and rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Hi Barry - Are you still keeping an eye on the Stinger inventories? Would love to know how they are moving or for that matter not moving. My dealer here in the Boston area says he is allocated a fixed amount of Stingers that he can hold in inventory. KIA won't ship him anymore until he sells them and frees up space in his inventory. How can you tell if the cars are sitting on the lots and not moving?

That's a dealer ownership cap on stingers in inventory for your dealer. KMA doesn't cap stinger allotments by dealers.

Some dealer principles aren't going to want hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stingers sitting on their lots before they prove that they can move them.

 

[MarkyMark]

@MarkyMark - thanks for the follow up.

I am waiting for 2019 MY and getting all research and ducks in a row so can action a good deal when one appears. I am in the Phoenix Metro area and we have some rather larger dealerships so will def do some chatting to find a loss leader. We also have a 2016 Sorento SXL so ill be sure to chat the service techs next time it is in for warranty work! Never even considered that "angle"

Thanks again

Cheers

My $.02 worth, is you may want to poke around and find a Kia dealer that heavily participates in Kia's MSO (Marketing Sales Objective) program, also known as a Stair-Step Spiff program. If so, it's a volume dealer who is much more likely to be focused on hitting their sales figure for the month to obtain their spiff. Sure, it may be only $250 a vehicle on average, but if their target is 120 cars, that's a nice $30,000 check to the dealer. If they sell vehicles with an average MSRP of $27k per car on average, that's another $97k to the dealership. Add in the dealer paperwork fees, extras they sell, and other people that leave thousands on the table when purchasing, and dealers should be doing very well if making their volume numbers.

It is THOSE dealers I would work with IMHO. Good luck!