Stinger for my 40th

Giygas · Mar 25, 2023

I turned 40 in February and wound up treated myself to a 2023 Stinger GT2 AWD Grand Tourer in Hichroma Red on March 1st. Traded in a 2022 Camry TRD in Calvary blue that I only had for about 4 months. Before that I was driving a 2007 Mazda 6 iSport Edition with 176k miles on it that I had for 16 years. Both cars were quite an upgrade, but I'm super happy with the Stinger. Cheers!

Kia Stinger · Mar 25, 2023

Giygas said:
I turned 40 in February and wound up treated myself to a 2023 Stinger GT2 AWD Grand Tourer in Hichroma Red on March 1st. Traded in a 2022 Camry TRD in Calvary blue that I only had for about 4 months. Before that I was driving a 2007 Mazda 6 iSport Edition with 176k miles on it that I had for 16 years. Both cars were quite an upgrade, but I'm super happy with the Stinger. Cheers!

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. Congratulations on your new Stinger! Nice upgrade from both the Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry. I'm glad you found us.

JSolo · Mar 25, 2023

Why'd you get rid of the camry after only 4 months? Take a hit on it?

Peter@K8StingerStore · Mar 25, 2023

Hey Giygas!

Welcome to the Stinger Forum and congrats on your new Stinger! The GT2 Grand tourer will be quite the upgrade from the Camry and the Mazda for sure!

If you're looking to add even more performance and style to your Stinger, we offer some great products.

You can view all of our available aftermarket or OEM products on our website at www.K8StingerStore.com!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if you would like a discount on your order!

Enjoy your new ride!

Peter @ K8 Stinger Store

Scorpion24 · Mar 25, 2023

Nice upgrade. I had a 2018 Camry before. Sometimes I miss the space and size, but nothing compared to the V6 in the Stinger.

Giygas · Mar 25, 2023

JSolo said:
Why'd you get rid of the camry after only 4 months? Take a hit on it?

I agree it was a pretty unnecessary trade. I tried walking out of the deal a few times, but they kept "finding ways" to knock a few grand more off the total price, so eventually the deal got too good for me to pass up.

Overall, it's still a very nice upgrade over the Camry in terms of features, interior, and performance. What I'm not so sure of is reliability and resale value... I suppose only time will tell.

I work from home, so at least I won't be putting too many miles on the car. The Camry had 6.5k miles on it, and this was fresh off the truck. I already have 750 miles on the Stinger now (mostly because I'm just trying to find reasons to drive it since it's so new and exciting to drive).

JSolo · Mar 26, 2023

Thanks for explaining. I guess that dealership thought they could flip it for a good buck.

I always thought their TRD series were supposed to be performance oriented. Granted, the stinger 3.3 engine has some more power and is rwd bias, different driving dynamics.

Giygas · Mar 26, 2023

JSolo said:
Thanks for explaining. I guess that dealership thought they could flip it for a good buck.

I always thought their TRD series were supposed to be performance oriented. Granted, the stinger 3.3 engine has some more power and is rwd bias, different driving dynamics.

The Camry TRD can definitely hold its own. Nowhere close to the Stinger though. Also, the stinger has far more interior features like Heads up display, native navigation system, better sound system (and with 0 rattles so far. Camry couldnt handle heavy bass), wireless charging, sunroof, heated/cooling front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, dual climate control, rear vents for the kiddos, and fog lights, to name a few.

Plus the back seats don't go down in the Camry TRD because they added performance braces behind the rear seats.

I will say I do miss the exhaust sound in the Camry TRD. The Stinger is pretty quiet.

Maljey · Mar 27, 2023

Giygas said:
The Camry TRD can definitely hold its own. Nowhere close to the Stinger though. Also, the stinger has far more interior features like Heads up display, native navigation system, better sound system (and with 0 rattles so far. Camry couldnt handle heavy bass), wireless charging, sunroof, heated/cooling front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, dual climate control, rear vents for the kiddos, and fog lights, to name a few.

Plus the back seats don't go down in the Camry TRD because they added performance braces behind the rear seats.

I will say I do miss the exhaust sound in the Camry TRD. The Stinger is pretty quiet.

Yeah I have said the same about the Stinger's exhaust. Even with the active valve feature on the 2022+ models, I still feel like its way too quiet. I will likely be going aftermarket with either MBRP or Borla (once they release their version for 2022+ models). I came from a 2019 V6 Camaro and that exhaust f*cking ripped! I absolutely loved it. From what I've seen in videos the TRD Camry exhaust sounds pretty good as well. Definitely better than the Stinger's.

With the Stinger being discontinued its hard for me to imagine what car I would get to replace it if something ever went wrong (i.e. totaled from an accident). I probably would consider the TRD Camry. I know it's a step down for many luxury features, but it's a huge step down in price too, which is nice. The biggest criticism I've seen is with the transmission if you try to go too hard in spirited driving. Apparently its kind slow to respond. Otherwise everything else seems to be solid, besides the lack of an LSD.

Redleg94 · Mar 27, 2023

Maljey said:
Yeah I have said the same about the Stinger's exhaust. Even with the active valve feature on the 2022+ models, I still feel like its way too quiet. I will likely be going aftermarket with either MBRP or Borla (once they release their version for 2022+ models). I came from a 2019 V6 Camaro and that exhaust f*cking ripped! I absolutely loved it. From what I've seen in videos the TRD Camry exhaust sounds pretty good as well. Definitely better than the Stinger's.

With the Stinger being discontinued its hard for me to imagine what car I would get to replace it if something ever went wrong (i.e. totaled from an accident). I probably would consider the TRD Camry. I know it's a step down for many luxury features, but it's a huge step down in price too, which is nice. The biggest criticism I've seen is with the transmission if you try to go too hard in spirited driving. Apparently its kind slow to respond. Otherwise everything else seems to be solid, besides the lack of an LSD (Limited Slip Differential).

If I were to lose the Stinger right now, I'd be really torn about a replacement. If I really needed 4 doors, then maybe a Civic Type R as it still has a hatch. However, if I thought that i could get away with 2 doors? I'd be putting my money down for the new 2024 Mustang with a V8.