Question on Stinger build dates

[BruceW]

So, after months of research and having rented three different Stingers to drive around for a few days each, I've decided to buy a 2018 Stinger Premium. I am a bit nervous about buying the first year of a new model, but the discounts currently being offered on the 2018s are pretty substantial as compared to the 2019s.

I was ready to buy and visited four dealerships in the Los Angeles area yesterday that had the model/color I'm looking for (Black 2018 Premium with Drive Wise) but all of their models had build dates in late 2017 (October through December). Being the first model year, I'm particularly wanting to get a later build date as I get the impression that the early build dates had some quality issues.

I have a couple of questions: would a November or December 2017 build date be considered an early build date for a 2018? What would be a good goal for a build date for a 2018? and should I even worry about this? Thanks in advance for any responses and for all of the great discussions and content on this forum!!

 

[friss]

There is a thread where people have voted on their build dates My Stinger Build Date Is ? as it stands the dates range from Oct 17 - Aug 18

So a Nov or Dec car would be pretty early in the build cycle but Kia is standing by their cars and fixing issues (or at least trying to) as they arise. But you'll still want to stay informed on the issues people have been having here and be proactive about it.

Regardless you're gonna love driving it and that is what matters most

 

[MerlintheMad]

Over all Stinger experience is very good. Of course, on a forum you will get repeated exposure to the angst of car troubles; people come looking for answers to what is going wrong. Even so, the Stinger Forum's members extoll the satisfaction far more than the issues.

It has been deduced that the paint and rattling noises are the most talked about issues; followed by lumpy brakes and tech, e.g. sound fading to the rear, LCD display issues and the like, which are related to or caused by computer programming. Quality issues such as upholstery and interior/exterior fittings are minor. And other mechanical issues such as with the trans or differential are the least mentioned of all.

In other words, as a CAR the Stinger operates extremely well, with very few individual vehicles exhibiting problems. The Stinger is reliable; only a handful of cases have been reported here of a car being stranded by technical or mechanical failure.

Very few factory recalls have occurred, especially considering that this is a first year car. And so far, none of the recalls compromise the car's performance/reliability; the closest thing to that is a rough shifting issue with the trans logic, which goes in for a reprogramming (I am not following up on this, because my car does not have any trans issues, and, "If it ain't broke, don't mess with it!").

When you pick your car, just check out the paint carefully. There is a good chance that the driver's side headlight assembly has chipped the paint slightly under the forward lower corner. Look for it. Check the passenger side too; but there probably won't be any chipping on that side (for whatever reason, it's weird how it is almost always only the driver's side, if at all; c. half the MY18 cars have shown headlight assembly paint chipping on the bumper). Look for any chips everywhere else. Paint issues with flaking/chipping/peeling seem to be most common among the Nov/17 and Dec/17 builds; but far less than half of even those most affected cars have paint issues of any kind. Even those with paint issues are usually very minor.

But even if the car has no visible signs of paint starting to chip/flake/peel, it is a very good idea to plan on plastic protection film (PPF) and/or ceramic to "armor up" your paint. I got the entire front of my car PPFed back to the rear edge of the front fenders and hood after three months. Although the road debris damage in three months was slight, the number of tiny chips was more extreme than I felt should be there, so I used a touch up pen and got the PPF; and it has been terrific protection. I don't have any flaws in my paint, and the PPF really does a fantastic job of protecting the somewhat thin paint.

The clear coat on my car is first rate. A few complaints of "rough" feeling clear coat come along once in a while; but these seem to be caused by the dealer or somebody else applying some kind of coating that doesn't work out very well; just run your fingers across the surface of the car you're considering; and it should feel smooth and hard and slick.

Some vehicles show chipping along the read edge of the hood or forward edge of the hatch: these incidences appear to be damage, rather than paint adhesion issues; they can be repaired easily with a paint touch up pen in most cases.

Hatch noises, and sunroof noises predominate in the "noises" complaints department. But ticking in the dash or one or more doors have been reported. These are usually tracked down and eliminated. One member is getting his entire sunroof replaced under warranty. Most drivers are completely satisfied in this area as well and we do not have "noises" coming from our cars. I don't think that Nov/17 and Dec/17 builds have more incidence of rattling/creaking/squeaking/popping than later builds.

 

[Never thought]

Yes, build dates in 2017 are early models. Mine is an October 2017 build date GT2. I’ve had peeling paint under the driver side headlight (check the underneath portion of the headlights before you buy one), a limited slip differential that broke (only GT2 for MY2018 have a limited slip differential), and a crack that formed right above the license plate (check that area too). But to Kia’s credit they have not bickered with me and have fixed the issues so far.

 

[BruceW]

Wow - thanks to all for the great and informative replies!

For whatever it’s worth - I researched inventories all over California, Nevada, and Utah, and all remaining 2018 Premiums with Drive Wise were from that same vintage of build dates (October - December 2017). There were lots of Premiums without Drive Wise from later in the year, but it looks like Kia stopped making that particular configuration by the end of 2017.

All of these great responses gave me the courage to go ahead and make the purchase today. Driving home was truly a blast!! I think I got a great deal, but I’ll post all of the details after I do the early lease buyout as soon as I possibly can. For now, I just want to thank all the posters here for all of the help I received through the process!!

 

[Never thought]

Wow - thanks to all for the great and informative replies!

For whatever it’s worth - I researched inventories all over California, Nevada, and Utah, and all remaining 2018 Premiums with Drive Wise were from that same vintage of build dates (October - December 2017). There were lots of Premiums without Drive Wise from later in the year, but it looks like Kia stopped making that particular configuration by the end of 2017.

All of these great responses gave me the courage to go ahead and make the purchase today. Driving home was truly a blast!! I think I got a great deal, but I’ll post all of the details after I do the early lease buyout as soon as I possibly can. For now, I just want to thank all the posters here for all of the help I received through the process!!

Congrats and welcome to the club!

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Wow - thanks to all for the great and informative replies!

For whatever it’s worth - I researched inventories all over California, Nevada, and Utah, and all remaining 2018 Premiums with Drive Wise were from that same vintage of build dates (October - December 2017). There were lots of Premiums without Drive Wise from later in the year, but it looks like Kia stopped making that particular configuration by the end of 2017.

All of these great responses gave me the courage to go ahead and make the purchase today. Driving home was truly a blast!! I think I got a great deal, but I’ll post all of the details after I do the early lease buyout as soon as I possibly can. For now, I just want to thank all the posters here for all of the help I received through the process!!

G’day, welcome to the forum & to the Stinger Owners Fraternity, enjoy your new ride.

 

[Waynerm002]

Wow - thanks to all for the great and informative replies!

For whatever it’s worth - I researched inventories all over California, Nevada, and Utah, and all remaining 2018 Premiums with Drive Wise were from that same vintage of build dates (October - December 2017). There were lots of Premiums without Drive Wise from later in the year, but it looks like Kia stopped making that particular configuration by the end of 2017.

All of these great responses gave me the courage to go ahead and make the purchase today. Driving home was truly a blast!! I think I got a great deal, but I’ll post all of the details after I do the early lease buyout as soon as I possibly can. For now, I just want to thank all the posters here for all of the help I received through the process!!

It's more likely that the dealer didn't order those as they were having trouble selling the early cars with them. Folks figured it was too much in cost to a GT to get a Premium with all that stuff and miss out on the creature comforts (like 360 camera and heated rear seats) you can get in an Optima SXL (here's looking at you Mike ). Then again, once you drove the GT version, you wondered why they ever made the 2.0T at that price point (me) or even made it to begin with. LOL! I felt the GT should have been it and then maybe 2 years in they put out the 2.5T version with @ 300 hp/tq.

Congrats on the purchase!

 

[BruceW]

It's more likely that the dealer didn't order those as they were having trouble selling the early cars with them. Folks figured it was too much in cost to a GT to get a Premium with all that stuff and miss out on the creature comforts (like 360 camera and heated rear seats) you can get in an Optima SXL (here's looking at you Mike ). Then again, once you drove the GT version, you wondered why they ever made the 2.0T at that price point (me) or even made it to begin with. LOL! I felt the GT should have been it and then maybe 2 years in they put out the 2.5T version with @ 300 hp/tq.

Congrats on the purchase!

I think you're right about that configuration being a slow seller given that it has almost the same exact MSRP as the GT (~$40K). I agonized over the decision, but in the end I decided that the 2.0T was more than enough power for my Los Angeles city and highway driving. To be honest, when I drove a GT2 the power was so much that it scared me (in a good way!).

I knew that I was wanted all of the cool technology and features, so it came down to the Premium or the GT1 (both with Drive Wise). In December, I rented a Premium (from Turo.com) and drove it around for a week to make sure that I would be happy with the smaller engine and I decided that I definitely was. I totally get it why most buyers go for the GT models, but for me this was the right compromise (and the one that kept my wife happy!

I love the car for its styling, its great handling, its torque (which is plenty for me), and all of its cool technology. I also love the price. I ended up with a price (after rebate incentive but before fees and taxes) of around $27K for a car with a $40K MSRP and I am loving it!!

 

[MerlintheMad]

I love the car for its styling, its great handling, its torque (which is plenty for me), and all of its cool technology. I also love the price. I ended up with a price (after rebate incentive but before fees and taxes) of around $27K for a car with a $40K MSRP and I am loving it!!

Sounds to me like you couldn't have gotten a better deal for what you were looking for.

 

[XZe]

I think you're right about that configuration being a slow seller given that it has almost the same exact MSRP as the GT (~$40K). I agonized over the decision, but in the end I decided that the 2.0T was more than enough power for my Los Angeles city and highway driving. To be honest, when I drove a GT2 the power was so much that it scared me (in a good way!).

I knew that I was wanted all of the cool technology and features, so it came down to the Premium or the GT1 (both with Drive Wise). In December, I rented a Premium (from Turo.com) and drove it around for a week to make sure that I would be happy with the smaller engine and I decided that I definitely was. I totally get it why most buyers go for the GT models, but for me this was the right compromise (and the one that kept my wife happy!

I love the car for its styling, its great handling, its torque (which is plenty for me), and all of its cool technology. I also love the price. I ended up with a price (after rebate incentive but before fees and taxes) of around $27K for a car with a $40K MSRP and I am loving it!!

Welcome to the club!
Great deal.
And hopefully ill see you out in the la streets one day!

 

[harold]

Welcome to the club!
Great deal.
And hopefully ill see you out in the la streets one day!

I just leased the same car with the same packages. price was right around $27k also I drove the 6 cylinder GT2. I was a tremendously quick car and loved it. In three years when i get used to having a sports car will do the 6 next time. I'm afraid with the back roads here in TN would probably fly off the roads. LOL Love the car and also new to this forum

 

[BruceW]

I just leased the same car with the same packages. price was right around $27k also I drove the 6 cylinder GT2. I was a tremendously quick car and loved it. In three years when i get used to having a sports car will do the 6 next time. I'm afraid with the back roads here in TN would probably fly off the roads. LOL Love the car and also new to this forum

Congratulations! It looks like we were looking for the same thing and ended up at the same place. I personally feel like $27K for this car is an absolute steal. I would have loved one of the GTs, but I couldn't justify to myself the price difference and, more importantly, I didn't want to listen to my wife complaining about how loud the engine is.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I just leased the same car with the same packages. price was right around $27k also I drove the 6 cylinder GT2. I was a tremendously quick car and loved it. In three years when i get used to having a sports car will do the 6 next time. I'm afraid with the back roads here in TN would probably fly off the roads. LOL Love the car and also new to this forum

Howdy and welcome.

Your reasons for picking the 2.0T are good ones. "A man's got to know his limitations, yes sir."

 

[MerlintheMad]

I didn't want to listen to my wife complaining about how loud the engine is.

My GT1 isn't loud. In fact the quiet running is a selling point for me. I like a quiet cab. The engine noise through the sound system is set on minimized; the MY19s allow it to be turned off altogether, which I wish I could do.

 

[BruceW]

My GT1 isn't loud. In fact the quiet running is a selling point for me. I like a quiet cab. The engine noise through the sound system is set on minimized; the MY19s allow it to be turned off altogether, which I wish I could do.

I agree that it is a nice quiet cab! It was the exterior noise she was referring to (bothering the neighbors). I didn’t think that was particularly loud either, but that wasn’t a debate I was going to win.