Second thoughts on the stinger..

[kaiju26]

Hey all,

New to the forum. I am in the middle of considering a 22 Stinger AWD GT2 Scorpion Edition in White with 15k miles. I'm having it delivered to my local CarMax which I spent about $2k in transport fees delivering it from WA to TX. I was pretty much set in trading in my 16 Porsche Cayman Base with 34k miles in 6spd MT for the stinger but am now second guessing myself mainly due to the fact that I see people complain about having issues with their paint and the nightmare experiences with Kia dealerships. Overall I hear pretty positive things about reliability but wanted to better understand from those of you who have owned the stinger long term what your thoughts are in terms of reliability. For those that have gotten rid of their stingers and switched to something else (assuming you're still lurking on the forums) what made you switch? Or vice versa if you have come from a german sports brand what made you choose the Stinger? As both are great cars I'm just trying to weigh whether or not its worth to switch over long term.

Here are my pros/cons comparison:

Cayman

Pros:
6spd MT
Handling is great
Its beautiful (not to say the stinger isn't) but aesthetically the porsche is sexier
SOUND ...higher rpms just screams with a V6 NA engine

Cons:
Clearance ...have a steep driveway which requires me to angle cut across my grass to avoid scraping her
Technology is a bit dated
Not the fastest
I've read that modding it wouldn't yield significant gains in terms of power
Cost of ownership greater than Kia's I presume
Space
People are idiots on the road and or I'm constantly worrying about either scraping her or scratching her.

Stinger

Pros:
Tech and features are updated in comparison
Faster
More space
Lower cost of ownership I presume
Can mod this thing to be a beast
Turbo charged - had an old 16 WRX which I deeply miss the turbo spool

Cons:
Kia dealership experience stories from others on here
Weak paint
Longevity? How well will this hold up against Porsche if well maintained?
What else? you guys tell me

I know ultimately its up to me to decide what is best for my usage of the car but damn hella analysis paralysis kicking in. Please give your opinions!

 

[DoctorStiches]

I can not convince someone to buy something they do not want.
So my testimony.
My Stinger has been the trusted daily and family fun car for over 8 years now.
From 13 miles off the lot to now 100300 miles with no issues. Zero.
Special editions are not what 'Make' the stinger. It is a fun car that is quicker than most traffic and has mod support to make it your own.
Some cars have been recorded as having problems with brakes, rattles, and overall quality issues, that is true.
The sedan has a low roof for rear passengers, the rear window doesn't provide very good visibility, but the mirrors on the side can compensate for that.
The GT and GT1 both have a 'manual mode' that improved driver feel while the GT2 will revert to automatic every time you stop.
If you cannot afford an objectively better 'sports car' the Kia stinger is a car that will leave you happy and smiling with every Karen you pass at xxx over the speed limit.

Recommend things to 'add'
-Mando ECS 10 for stiffer suspension (if you have the electronic adjustable shocks
-lowering springs for a better 'look'
-intakes so you can hear the turbos work
-BOV for the same reason
-sway bars to improve corners

As well as other stuff but those mods will improve the sportiness of the stinger 10 fold.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[kaiju26]

I can not convince someone to buy something they do not want.
So my testimony.
My Stinger has been the trusted daily and family fun car for over 8 years now.
From 13 miles off the lot to now 100300 miles with no issues. Zero.
Special editions are not what 'Make' the stinger. It is a fun car that is quicker than most traffic and has mod support to make it your own.
Some cars have been recorded as having problems with brakes, rattles, and overall quality issues, that is true.
The sedan has a low roof for rear passengers, the rear window doesn't provide very good visibility, but the mirrors on the side can compensate for that.
The GT and GT1 both have a 'manual mode' that improved driver feel while the GT2 will revert to automatic every time you stop.
If you cannot afford an objectively better 'sports car' the Kia stinger is a car that will leave you happy and smiling with every Karen you pass at xxx over the speed limit.

Recommend things to 'add'
-Mando ECS 10 for stiffer suspension (if you have the electronic adjustable shocks
-lowering springs for a better 'look'
-intakes so you can hear the turbos work
-BOV for the same reason
-sway bars to improve corners

As well as other stuff but those mods will improve the sportiness of the stinger 10 fold.

Good luck on your decision.

Thanks for your input Doc. Apologies for the double thread...started another one as this one disappeared for me after originally posting!

Curious to know after adding the lowering springs/sway bars and suspensions in your car does the stinger feel boaty? What is the fun factor with these mods in the twisties in your area? Roads near my area are wide and flat with alot of potholes hence craving more power but I do occasionally make a trip out to the Hill Country here in Texas.

TIA!

 

[DoctorStiches]

Thanks for your input Doc. Apologies for the double thread...started another one as this one disappeared for me after originally posting!

Curious to know after adding the lowering springs/sway bars and suspensions in your car does the stinger feel boaty? What is the fun factor with these mods in the twisties in your area? Roads near my area are wide and flat with alot of potholes hence craving more power but I do occasionally make a trip out to the Hill Country here in Texas.

TIA!

So! The car is a boat . It's true! Compared to all the JDM missiles I have owned and the real sports cars I have rode shotgun in at autocross the stinger is best at long drives with winding roads but not exactly a tail of the dragon kind of thing.

I have not goty hands on sway bars but many do say that it is the best thing to do for handling.

The fun factor based on my personal experience is a 6.5/7.5 bone stock and fast to boot. With the correct upgrades it could become a real contender for 9/10 but it cannot become a hero car 10/10 like an s2000 or NSX or a highly tuned Evo.

With the shocks adjusted to much stiffer and lowering springs and a differential brace I have noticed the car get rid of a lot of the 'oh shit' butt feel when you're in a hard turn (I can't explain much better than that)

My setup is mimicking coilovers with stiffness and handling but the bonus is you can still set it to comfort mode if your sick of bouncing around inside

Here is my latest autocross times for comparison to other vehicles, but I do race semi often so that does add to the 'driver mode'

 

[kaiju26]

So! The car is a boat . It's true! Compared to all the JDM missiles I have owned and the real sports cars I have rode shotgun in at autocross the stinger is best at long drives with winding roads but not exactly a tail of the dragon kind of thing.

I have not goty hands on sway bars but many do say that it is the best thing to do for handling.

The fun factor based on my personal experience is a 6.5/7.5 bone stock and fast to boot. With the correct upgrades it could become a real contender for 9/10 but it cannot become a hero car 10/10 like an s2000 or NSX or a highly tuned Evo.

With the shocks adjusted to much stiffer and lowering springs and a differential brace I have noticed the car get rid of a lot of the 'oh shit' butt feel when you're in a hard turn (I can't explain much better than that)

My setup is mimicking coilovers with stiffness and handling but the bonus is you can still set it to comfort mode if your sick of bouncing around inside

Here is my latest autocross times for comparison to other vehicles, but I do race semi often so that does add to the 'driver mode'
View attachment 90911

Amazing thank you for sharing!

 

[DoctorStiches]

Amazing thank you for sharing!

Happy to help

 

[JSolo]

Simple,

6MT > 8AT

 

[LordKOTL]

Thanks for your input Doc. Apologies for the double thread...started another one as this one disappeared for me after originally posting!

Curious to know after adding the lowering springs/sway bars and suspensions in your car does the stinger feel boaty? What is the fun factor with these mods in the twisties in your area? Roads near my area are wide and flat with alot of potholes hence craving more power but I do occasionally make a trip out to the Hill Country here in Texas.

TIA!

In my experience she does feel her size, but I can say when I put on my swaybars (Eibachs on the soft setting) it was night and day. There was less body roll through the curves, and the rear end feels to the notoriously unscientific "butt dyno" to be pushing through the turns more (especially in sport mode--AWD for reference) than before. Given that it's rainy and wet here 9 months out of the year, I haven't tried the stiffer mode. That being said I do understand why everyone says that swaybars are the best Bang-for-the-buck mod. I think that the way she handles now (Eibachs soft all around) should have been what came from the factory.

As for the rest: After about 25k miles she's still holding up as well as to be expected. I'm on top of maintenance (maintaining her myself--I try to avoid stealerships) and I think that is key in keeping the Stinger running fine into high mileage.

 

[DrRoboto]

I assume by now you have already made up your mind about the car. Just in case, the car is worth it. I bought a 2021 GT1 AWD 6 months ago and I like it more every day. I trade in my Mustang GT (V8) that I owned new for 25 years and modded that chit out of it and loved it more than my kids The stinger makes me smile every time I drive it. It was totally worth it for me. It does need a few mods to really make it shine (lower springs, tint, and exhaust). Totally worth every penny!