Intro - newbee buying his first Stinger

[RickyV]

Hey everyone,

New member here and I just wanted to say hello. I am currently shopping for a Stinger GT and took my first test drive yesterday in a 2018 GT2 . Im a JDM car guy big time, but decided the Stinger was for me after seeing the car and doing the research. The Stinger will be my performance daily to replace my 02 Acura TL-S. My 01 Honda s2000 is my baby tho, always will be my number 1. I keep my cars forever, so finding the right Stinger is key.

Test drove a 2018 GT2 yesterday at a Kia dealer in CT. Had 68K miles and they are asking 23,995 for it. On its face, that’s fair but because I did my research this car will be a hard pass unless im given some crack head deal.

Car already had aftermarket exhaust, intake and suspension. Car was really nice but once I saw the velcro strips for the JB4 I walked away. I know, I get it, most Stinger owners pop in the JB4 and im sure many are sold with no clue a JB4 was ever used. The dealer said to me they “ know the kid “ who had the car and he would have pushed the car far past stock even with the JB4 installed. Yeah..OK…ill just take the dealers word for it..car also had an accident on CarFax.

Anyways, ill be looking at more, any advice please send my way. Thanks everyone.

Ric

 

[Snicklefritz]

This is becoming a lengthy quest for you, I see. Looks like you are no longer considering the four cylinder versions. How many offerings have you test driven in these intervening months? Just curious.

 

[RickyV]

This is becoming a lengthy quest for you, I see. Looks like you are no longer considering the four cylinder versions. How many offerings have you test driven in these intervening months? Just curious.

Hey man... yeah GT-Line isn’t what i want. I want the GT, any variation of that trim is fine with me if its the right car. I have only test driven one, and the dealer called me an hour ago and I said no, not gonna go for it. The price was fair, but i asked them to find out if the plugs were done at 40K and tranny changed at 60K and that was not done. So the previous owner not only modded the car with suspension, intake and exhaust, but also used the JB4 and didn’t do maintenance. And the dealer was like no we sell as is, no warranty what so ever. So yeah, hard pass for me.

If it takes me a year to find what i want, so be it. There is a 2022 GT1 for only 26K with only 23K miles on it about 40 mins from me at a dealer. But its listed as a fleet vehicle (prob a rental) and it was crashed twice, both sideswipe damage to the entire passengers side of the car. It was fixed but in my mind it tells me renters beat the shit out of the car and maybe drifted it into something. I may go drive it though, because it is all stock and i want to get a feel for a stock car.

 

[jdmvette]

Hey man I was in your shoes since around 2017. I finally got my -23 GT2 a couple months ago and the delay was paid off in the end because I love the car.

Good luck with finding your car, these gems are still out there

 

[Alpinesting]

Good luck with whatever you decide. There is a reason that they kept the platform alive in the Genesis. I had been looking

since they announced the Stinger model. Luckily, we found one with the options we wanted (GT Limited 2021 15k) which is a GT2 in the states.

Knowing that the Canadian warranty was completely denied over here we still decided to take the leap. Come to find out it is a great car

that has it's quirks and issues (what new cars don't) but we tend to own our cars for awhile (10 plus years) so its not a huge concern I would

recommend finding one with a factory warranty if you can.


Happy hunting!

 

[RickyV]

Thanks guys, really appreciate all the help. Ill show you all what i have/plan to look at and the cars i do want to see, and if you see any red flags, let me know. Cant post links here but if you went to CarFax or CarGurus and did a search for the GT trim within 50 miles of 06812 you will see my options. Many have high ass miles. There is a GT thats afforable, but yellow isnt a color i can live with more than a weekend. Someone just bought a 2019 GTS i planned to go see tomorrow, and i think i could live with Federation Orange if i got the windows tinted out.

I’m going to go see a 2022 GT1 with 23K miles for only 26K on Saturday. Carfax isnt pretty tho...been sideswiped twice, over 160 days on the lot, so there must be something else going on with it. Sideswiped twice as a " corpoate vehicle " to me equals that it was a rental that drivers beat the shit out of it, and maybe even drifted the car and tore up the passengers side drifting into a wall....TWO times on the car fax!

The Stinger i do buy i plan on keeping, she will go right next to my S2K at the cars shows. So for me, this purchase is important. Im a JDM fanatic and love to work on cars, i do all my own maintenance and will pull a motor or tranny when needed. So its important i find the right car. Thanks for listening fellas..

 

[Snicklefritz]

Quite a few out of those 19 offerings have damage, even accidents reported. I would toss all of them and only focus on vehicles that have no damage. The one I would check first is that 2018 GT2 directly above the yellow that you don't want.

 

[RickyV]

Quite a few out of those 19 offerings have damage, even accidents reported. I would toss all of them and only focus on vehicles that have no damage. The one I would check first is that 2018 GT2 directly above the yellow that you don't want.

The HiChroma red one? That the one i drove the other day with JB4 velco straps, exhaust, intake ad suspension mods. Hard pass my friend..even the tranny didnt feel right on that car when i drove it.....but i apppreciate you even helping me look. Its possible i might have to expand out to 100 miles to find what i want. Many people travel to get the deal they want, i may have to do the same.

BTW..when i drove the modded car, i felt no differnce in the suspension from comfort to sport mode, i was thinking maybe thats because its not the OEM suspension but wasnt sure.

Thanks again for your help..

 

[Snicklefritz]

The HiChroma red one? That the one i drove the other day with JB4 velco straps, exhaust, intake ad suspension mods. Hard pass my friend..even the tranny didnt feel right on that car when i drove it.....but i apppreciate you even helping me look. Its possible i might have to expand out to 100 miles to find what i want. Many people travel to get the deal they want, i may have to do the same.

BTW..when i drove the modded car, i felt no differnce in the suspension from comfort to sport mode, i was thinking maybe thats because its not the OEM suspension but wasnt sure.

Thanks again for your help..

When I check out Stinger options, I go as far out as the search function allows and I usually turn up a couple dozen offerings that can reach into any of the neighboring states. I live in Utah. I've only used the local online car buyers/sellers site called KSL cars. I tried to sell the Premium last year on KSL cars. But nobody like you was fishing at the time, or, they didn't want the 2.0L and ignored my listing.

I have driven ECS for almost seven years now. There is no perceivable, to my butt, difference in any of the ECS drive modes. That same optional selection applies to all of the electronic gizmos. For instance, I can tell no difference in the steering feel between Sport and the rest of the drive modes. The only difference I can tell is the obvious shifting delay to maintain higher RPM in Sport compared to the rest of the drive modes. What does this mean? Either I am insensitive to differences, or, KIA et al. car designers put all of these apparent options in so that drivers will have lots of things to "play" with, and be distracted/immersed in the experience and believe that they are choosing what they prefer as options on offer. But it is all subjective. And like the placebo effect, the driver believes in those perceived differences and is happy. It boosts MSRP too. Ha hah.

For instance, today's KSL cars returned results are 35 within 250+ miles, which technically could reach clear to you. New and Used Cars For Sale | KSL Cars

 

[Ah GetFd]

You obviously have a price point that is putting you in the earlier year smashed up variety.

If I was looking for a Stinger to be my preferred car I would search on kilometres low to high.

That way I am technically getting the latest model possible, not crashed, preferably one owner with some factory warranty left.

If you have researched warranty............you will see that in the USA the warranty expires at 60,000 miles. It's a very low warranty unfortunately, driven by the local market. Everywhere else cars are at least 7 years unlimited kms so you have a long way to go.

This is not a reflection on quality but how much warranty is built in at the new price. Pay less get less.

I would look for
Low kms, then,
Year, then
features.

 

[RickyV]

Thanks a lot guys..appreciate all the info. This weekend i plan to look at at least 1, maybe 2. Ill post back what i found and to see if you guys have any advice..

One thing to mention, for me buying this car, or any car, is about keeping it. I want to have this car 20 years from now when im 70 rolling into the car meet., i dont flip cars i maintain them. I also could care less about depreciation since i plan to always keep it. I can afford a 2023 with 10K miles for 45K or more. I just refuse to do it. Its financially irresponsible and many people i know are in really bad shape from car loans, up to 40K upside down in negative equity. Some of the people i know im convinced smoked crack before they signed for the deals they got..totally insane. My coworker is paying 900/mo on a 2022 Kia Sorento hybrid...and it was USED when he bought it! CLOWN WORLD!

 

[Ah GetFd]

USD 45K is new car price

If you are going to keep it 20 years it is not irresponsible to pay that. You should easily find 2023 models (the last Factory Stingers were built in March 2023), with 5000kms (3000) miles for USD 45K. I can find them here. (Australia)

The dealer price for such models here is AUD $64K drive away. USD $40K. They are basically new.

Unless you can't afford to pay cash. Steer clear of leases etc that cost a bomb, you don't own the car and harder to resell because you technically don't own it till the lease is paid out with the cash you don't have...so that's leaves you flogging it to a dealer who will pay out the lease and really getting screwed

 

[RickyV]

USD 45K is new car price

If you are going to keep it 20 years it is not irresponsible to pay that. You should easily find 2023 models (the last Factory Stingers were built in March 2023), with 5000kms (3000) miles for USD 45K. I can find them here. (Australia)

The dealer price for such models here is AUD $64K drive away. USD $40K. They are basically new.

Unless you can't afford to pay cash. Steer clear of leases etc that cost a bomb, you don't own the car and harder to resell because you technically don't own it till the lease is paid out with the cash you don't have...so that's leaves you flogging it to a dealer who will pay out the lease and really getting screwed

Thanks man will keep this in mind. I def prefer a 2022 or 2023 and ill just have to get the right car for me. My situation is a bit different than most. My wife is sick and with 3 teenagers on 1 income im super cautious. I do well enough to grab a 2023 for 42K and pay it off over 6 year but with the cost of living here in the US and all the uncertaintly with the economy, i have to make sure i have all bases covered. If i was single right now with what i make i would grab the nearest 2023 with the lowest miles and not even think twice.

Going to look at 2 this weekend, ill post some pics. I would post a few videos but unsure how i could do that here.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I would post a few videos but unsure how i could do that here.

You host the video somewhere and put up the link here. You've been active lately, maybe you can paste links on the forum by now. If not, you should be getting close to having that privilege opened up to you. A work around is to post a broken link and tell readers how to access the link to your video. My favorite way to do that is to spell DOT in the place of the .com, or leave a space on either side of the period/dot.

 

[RickyV]

You host the video somewhere and put up the link here. You've been active lately, maybe you can paste links on the forum by now. If not, you should be getting close to having that privilege opened up to you. A work around is to post a broken link and tell readers how to access the link to your video. My favorite way to do that is to spell DOT in the place of the .com, or leave a space on either side of the period/dot.

Will do... heading out to see the 2022 GT1 at Yonkers Auto Gallery in few. Taking my 16 year old son with me so he can start learning what its like to deal with car salesman and the shit they try to pull. Its one of those private dealerships that gets bad reviews overall, and im sure all sorts of shit will change with the car once i show up to see it, compared to the internet post.

https://www.cargurusdotcom/Cars/l-Used-Kia-Stinger-d2510#listing=383244252/NONE/DEFAULT

Carfax is a mess, and i wanna know why its been on the lot for over 150 days. But its my chance to drive a fully stock Stinger GT without mods which i have to do. Oh and the Kia dealership where i drove the modded HiChroma emailed me saying they wanted to get me in a car and what kind of Stinger do i want and they would try to find it. They even asked me if i wanted a G70 as they had those and i was like nope. Instead of trying to negotiate on the HiChroma they have the suddenly wanna start searching for a Stinger for me or talk me into a G70? Somethin is odd there...

 

[jdmvette]

Car looks nice but is that the CEL?





Another random question, where's the inside trunk popper button on the GT1?




Good luck with your hunt!

 

[RickyV]

Car looks nice but is that the CEL?

View attachment 89342



Another random question, where's the inside trunk popper button on the GT1?

View attachment 89341


Good luck with your hunt!

Hey thanks..yeah i was wondering if that was a CEL or the TPS. Ill find out when i get there and ill also figure out the trunk popper too.

 

[jdmvette]

Hopefully I am wrong because I am still a noob to the Stinger platform myself

 

[RickyV]

So I’m back after testing the 2022 GT1..and im not sure how to explain this without a novel being written, I’ll do my best ..But what a shit show.

Show up to see the car, but it’s in a storage lot so I have to wait for them to grab it which took about 40 mins. Whatever, car finally shows up and my son and I go hop in. Gorgeous car, interior mint and all tech seems to be working as it should but as I’m waiting I check what that yellow! means and it says there is a system fault. Display said Check Rear Cross Traffic Safety System..no idea if thats what led to the rest of this expereince.

Salesman throws on plates and we take off. Car initially is great but when I floor it something is off, it’s as if it gets to 4K on the clock and the car just wants to stay there, as if its being limited by something. I said to the salesman something seemed screwed with the transmission or rear diff as the motor itself seemed fine. He was like Oh yeah I can tell from back here something isn’t right..so I punch it a few more times and my son even knew something was off with this car. We head back, all the time I’m telling this guy that this was the color and trim I wanted and its too bad something is wrong, but maybe a code reader can tell me whats up. I also noticed a noise when I floored it that he tried to tell me was the turbo, coming from the driver’s side under the hood. Sure as hell didn’t sound like a turbo spool up and spit out to me. Sounded just off..hard to explain.

So he goes and gets his code reader and I plug it in and no codes, and the salesman is like oh good no codes..but he must have thought I was dumb.. I decide to check the readiness on systems and I see that the codes were all wiped and all readiness checks were at INC, in my head im like nice try mother f****r.

My son then says Dad rev the motor while we are parked..and I rev the motor and there is a thump under the car up front but not the motor, you could feel it through the seat. Not the kind when you have a blown cylinder or internal motor issue though..it was odd. Quick high rev the thump was there, slow rev up it wasn’t.

Then the ultimate test, I said to the salesman has this car had any accidents, and I know its had two. He goes in and gets the Carfax and says yeah just one but it says light damage. I said No, turn the page and there was the second one. He responds no it is one accident it was just printed twice on the sheet for some reason. I responded saying if that was the case why does one page say light damage and then next page say moderate damage, that’s two separate in accidents. He then knew he had been had, and could say nothing else.

So as I leave he is like I’m going to have one of my guys drive it home, get it past 60 miles and we can read the codes and ill email you on Monday. I know this is the car you wanted , ill give you such a great deal and get all the issues fixed. I responded saying there is no way in hell I would spend 26K on this car unless its still under full warranty from Kia, Kia of America tells me that its all covered at no cost to me and you take the car to the Kia dealer down the street, have it all fixed and the dealer signs off that all is OK and everything is 100%. And even then, i said he would be lucky if i offered 20K because 26K is off the table. I figured at this point he would give up, but he still was pushing it. No problem he said, ill get all that info and I will get this car fixed for you!!

Guess we all know now why this car has been on the lot for 164 days. Even my wife who is a car noob would know that car had a bad tranny or diff. Thinking about it with the thump and noise under the hood on driver side, maybe the turbo is damamged or shot. Cannot wait to see what he emails me on Monday..

 

[Volfy]

Buying any used car is a gamble. The more miles/years it has been pre-owned, the more you're likely to find skeletons in the closet. Ideally, you'd find a lady-owned low-miles, no more than 1-2 year old. Lack of performance mods doesn't automatically mean it hasn't seen it rough, but any visible mod(s) should be viewed with extreme prejudice. Good indicator of previous owner's mindset Peruse these forums, and you'll see that these cars are prone to be thrashed about.

Last thing you'd want is to buy somebody else's headache.