I was forced to drive my Stinger tonight.

[Chris from SoCal]

I've survived 72 hours with no damage (knock on wood!). Both of my last cars were hit (one rear ended at a stop sign, one in a parking lot) within 24 hours of taking them home. Praying for better luck this time around!

LA and Baltimore sound like similarly dangerous places to drive a new car! I agree, park in in Timbuktu when in a parking lot...

 

[Kickin Kiaster]

Thanks for the welcoming, Kazz, Kia Stinger, and ralzod! - No I don't have a Stinger yet. Been following it for about 6 months and test drove a Premium a few weeks ago. My wife and I were very impressed with the whole package. Last weekend the dealer called me in, basically egging me on to test drive the GT2 AWD they just got in (which is advertised on their website with a $2,705 discount off MSRP). But they were too busy when we passed thru on Saturday. My wife is saying NO on the GT, not sure if it's the $ or the high HP. I'm thinking it's the HP. Maybe once we get it out for a drive her tune will change! But in the end I could be very happy with a Premium. I've gone from dead set on a Audi premium plus B9 A4, then thought about the A5 but too much money for the trim I'd be happy with. Then it was the new Accord. Now I think the Stinger nails it for me. Just have to wait for the right time now, then the decision will make it self as to which Stinger to get!

 

[Kickin Kiaster]

Hey Chris from SoCal! That was some crazy bad luck on the last two cars. May your new car bring you much better luck! I take it, it is a new Stinger? With a low deductible.
We thought it was bad when our new Audi Q5 got a nasty door ding before we even made the first payment on it. That sucker took the paintless dent repair guy 3 hours to get out!!
Enjoy!

 

[Bobr]

I've survived 72 hours with no damage (knock on wood!). Both of my last cars were hit (one rear ended at a stop sign, one in a parking lot) within 24 hours of taking them home. Praying for better luck this time around!

LA and Baltimore sound like similarly dangerous places to drive a new car! I agree, park in in Timbuktu when in a parking lot...

Can somebody explain me why it happens so often there? Or it's not "often", just some really bad luck?

 

[ralzod]

Can somebody explain me why it happens so often there? Or it's not "often", just some really bad luck?

Most of the bad driving is just apathy. My father used to tell me that driving is a full time job, but it would seem that many people just do not subscribe to that school of thought. I do hope there is a future of self-driving cars for folks like that, and still an option for people like us, who like to exercise our driving skills.

 

[mldavis2]

I think there are several factors, @ralzod.

One is that driving for most people becomes so routine and automatic and boring that their attention is diverted from the task at hand. It's too easy to be talking on the cell phone, texting, messing with the navigation system, eating a sandwich, or playing with the radio and forget what you're doing. People drive thousands of incident-free miles and forget the potential danger of inattention.

Another is the proliferation of media toys in these newer cars. Driving a UV ("sport" my a$$...there is nothing sporty about a UV) is boring, so you play with stuff on the dash. People are more into the alternate attention grabbing stuff and I think the accident rates are rising as a result. It's difficult to separate the effect of media toys from increasing traffic, but I think the trend is clear.

Finally, most people (present forum members excepted) are passengers behind the wheel, not drivers. I learned to drive in high school, which courses have now been all but eliminated in most schools. I spent a day at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Arizona when I was stationed at Ft. Ord waaaay back in the late '60's and I've had pursuit driving training as a deputy sheriff a few years back. I love driving which is why I don't buy Yugos, and even on long trips I seldom listen to the radio when I'm alone and the wife is not in the car.

I care about my cars. Defensive driving is a full time skill - sort of like playing a video game where everyone else is out to get you. I never cross a blind intersection unless I know I can stop before being T-boned, I never trust a weaving driver or a slow driver, I always know what's half a mile ahead and 1/4 mile behind and overtaking me. And yes, I push the speed limit and push corners. I don't drive aggressively, I drive opportunistically which means you have to think ahead and plan. Avoiding accidents also helps a bunch on insurance when you've been with one company for decades with no claims. Like the Steven Taylor Super Bowl video (posted elsewhere), driving keeps me young.

 

[Chris from SoCal]

I agree completely, and in LA, everyone is always in a hurry. My 17 year old wasn't allowed to get an automatic transmission for his first car, either.

I think there are several factors, @ralzod.

One is that driving for most people becomes so routine and automatic and boring that their attention is diverted from the task at hand. It's too easy to be talking on the cell phone, texting, messing with the navigation system, eating a sandwich, or playing with the radio and forget what you're doing. People drive thousands of incident-free miles and forget the potential danger of inattention.

Another is the proliferation of media toys in these newer cars. Driving a UV ("sport" my a$$...there is nothing sporty about a UV) is boring, so you play with stuff on the dash. People are more into the alternate attention grabbing stuff and I think the accident rates are rising as a result. It's difficult to separate the effect of media toys from increasing traffic, but I think the trend is clear.

Finally, most people (present forum members excepted) are passengers behind the wheel, not drivers. I learned to drive in high school, which courses have now been all but eliminated in most schools. I spent a day at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Arizona when I was stationed at Ft. Ord waaaay back in the late '60's and I've had pursuit driving training as a deputy sheriff a few years back. I love driving which is why I don't buy Yugos, and even on long trips I seldom listen to the radio when I'm alone and the wife is not in the car.

I care about my cars. Defensive driving is a full time skill - sort of like playing a video game where everyone else is out to get you. I never cross a blind intersection unless I know I can stop before being T-boned, I never trust a weaving driver or a slow driver, I always know what's half a mile ahead and 1/4 mile behind and overtaking me. And yes, I push the speed limit and push corners. I don't drive aggressively, I drive opportunistically which means you have to think ahead and plan. Avoiding accidents also helps a bunch on insurance when you've been with one company for decades with no claims. Like the Steven Taylor Super Bowl video (posted elsewhere), driving keeps me young.

 

[Bobr]

@mldavis2, pretty good analysis there, and I think you're right. Fortunately here in Russia drive exams are much harder (looks as) and people pay more attention when on the road. I'm living in a small city without traffic jams, so people not so tired when driving as well.

 

[Chris from SoCal]

Yep! And GAP coverage Lol! Pic attached, GT2 model - one of the nicest driving cars I've ever been in... my personal little rocket ship. Going to add uncle chips from LAP3 after 10k miles...

Hey Chris from SoCal! That was some crazy bad luck on the last two cars. May your new car bring you much better luck! I take it, it is a new Stinger? With a low deductible.
We thought it was bad when our new Audi Q5 got a nasty door ding before we even made the first payment on it. That sucker took the paintless dent repair guy 3 hours to get out!!
Enjoy!

 

[ballistic]

My wife is saying NO on the GT, not sure if it's the $ or the high HP. I'm thinking it's the HP. Maybe once we get it out for a drive her tune will change! But in the end I could be very happy with a Premium.

you could be happy. maybe. who's paying for it? you or her? i know it's both your finances but who's doing more of the work to make the payment? and who will be driving it more often? buying a new car, especially one that isn't cheap, is a big purchase and it should make both of you happy. not just your wife. and especially you if you're driving it back and forth to work or whatever every day. don't expect the test drive to convince her the gt is the way to go if it's the hp she doesn't like. what she doesn't think you're responsible enough to handle a little power? but she's great with the versatility. right? give and take. both of you. but don't give all and take nothing.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I think there are several factors, @ralzod.

One is that driving for most people becomes so routine and automatic and boring that their attention is diverted from the task at hand. It's too easy to be talking on the cell phone, texting, messing with the navigation system, eating a sandwich, or playing with the radio and forget what you're doing. People drive thousands of incident-free miles and forget the potential danger of inattention.

Another is the proliferation of media toys in these newer cars. Driving a UV ("sport" my a$$...there is nothing sporty about a UV) is boring, so you play with stuff on the dash. People are more into the alternate attention grabbing stuff and I think the accident rates are rising as a result. It's difficult to separate the effect of media toys from increasing traffic, but I think the trend is clear.

Finally, most people (present forum members excepted) are passengers behind the wheel, not drivers. I learned to drive in high school, which courses have now been all but eliminated in most schools. I spent a day at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Arizona when I was stationed at Ft. Ord waaaay back in the late '60's and I've had pursuit driving training as a deputy sheriff a few years back. I love driving which is why I don't buy Yugos, and even on long trips I seldom listen to the radio when I'm alone and the wife is not in the car.

I care about my cars. Defensive driving is a full time skill - sort of like playing a video game where everyone else is out to get you. I never cross a blind intersection unless I know I can stop before being T-boned, I never trust a weaving driver or a slow driver, I always know what's half a mile ahead and 1/4 mile behind and overtaking me. And yes, I push the speed limit and push corners. I don't drive aggressively, I drive opportunistically which means you have to think ahead and plan. Avoiding accidents also helps a bunch on insurance when you've been with one company for decades with no claims. Like the Steven Taylor Super Bowl video (posted elsewhere), driving keeps me young.

We drive the same - though I do listen to music - always. I drive like it's a video game and everyone is trying to kill me. I'm extremely tentative and continuously challenge myself to figure out what all the drivers around me are going to do. It's natural for me now and I almost always know exactly what is about to happen around me - at all times. I can pretty much predict every move every driver is going to make on the road. It's fun. And it keeps me safe...

 

[Kazz]

My wife is saying NO on the GT, not sure if it's the $ or the high HP. I'm thinking it's the HP. Maybe once we get it out for a drive her tune will change!

Tell her to keep it in ECO mode. It's a very tame beast that way.

 

[Plainolmoo]

I agree wholeheartedly but there's one more major thing about driving in certain places like Baltimore that people don't realize...it's the f*ck YOU mentality of most of the people that live there. This mentality is a by-product of the environment as a whole. High crime, poverty, and lack of compassion and care for the fellow man is a permanent dark cloud that hangs over Baltimore and many other urban areas like it. It's sad, really.

 

[SonomaGT]

Also Baltimore... Not sure what were the circumstances but just look at this. Which one of you is this? View attachment 2647

Nooooooo.... this is what I was stressing about as I walked away from my Stinger last night in the parking lot. We also have a lot of crazy driver's in N. California. Not enough police to give tix. Now we have legal pot too....a lot of Cheech and Chong wannabes. It's a DUI but they don't seem to care.

 

[CrazyLikeaFox]

Ahh, another Dieselgate sales loss for VW. Assuming you now have a Stinger, or are in the market?

I had a friend in Concord NH who had a Jag XKE. Beautiful car. He always parked it in the most remote part of the company parking lot, even in bad weather.
One snowy and icy morning, he did just that. The gigantic trash hauler (the one that lifts giant trash containers with hooks in the front) came around the building, hit the ice, and slid directly all the way across the parking lot and turned his Jag into an accordion.
Even the best-laid plans.......

 

[mldavis2]

Yes, it's funny (or not...) the way I can park my car(s) out in the far reaches of Siberian parking lots, 50 years away from everyone else, only to come back out and find someone has parked next to me within door-reach. I guess they just wanted to look the car over. Usually no harm done, but outer limit parking is often not well lighted at night, or closer to the road and more visible than hiding between other cars. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

 

[xot1]

Yep! And GAP coverage Lol! Pic attached, GT2 model - one of the nicest driving cars I've ever been in... my personal little rocket ship. Going to add uncle chips from LAP3 after 10k miles...

View attachment 2697

Is there a reason for waiting 10k miles?
(just curious !)

 

[antne]

So the brakes on my 2001 Honda Accord Hooptie went out tonight. I got in to go to work, started it up and the brake pedal went to the floor. So tonight, I was FORCED to drive my Stinger on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. . She is in so much danger here. Danger from the shit roads, drivers that will not stop after hitting you, the idiots who drive 60 mph along 25 to 35 mph streets, ect. I vowed to never drive my Stinger into this city. I think I jinxed myself.
PLEASE PRAY FOR US!
I can't be the only one who's afraid to drive certain places with my shiny new Stinger.

Moved out of "the city that bleeds" four plus decades ago (well before the Freddy Gray riots) and never looked back. It does meet the definition of sh*t hole.

 

[Stang]

I agree wholeheartedly but there's one more major thing about driving in certain places like Baltimore that people don't realize...it's the f*ck YOU mentality of most of the people that live there. This mentality is a by-product of the environment as a whole. High crime, poverty, and lack of compassion and care for the fellow man is a permanent dark cloud that hangs over Baltimore and many other urban areas like it. It's sad, really.

Cool you got the first GT2 in Maryland. I'm picking mine up in MD next week. Did you have a good dealership experience?

I don't live near Baltimore but do visit from time to time. Will keep my eyes wide open, though visits up to now have been OK.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Cool you got the first GT2 in Maryland. I'm picking mine up in MD next week. Did you have a good dealership experience?

I don't live near Baltimore but do visit from time to time. Will keep my eyes wide open, though visits up to now have been OK.

Purchasing the car was not bad. My issue was with getting my options installed after purchase. Since the car was a new model they had no technician that could do the installations. My salesman was great though and was really responsive to my pestering to get the work done. Got me a loaner both times they had the car and didn't b.s. me. He straight up told me that the techs couldn't do the installations. So I'd recommend.