Stinger good as a family car or should I stick with an SUV?

[DoctorStiches]

The 7 hour drive back must be done in sport mode and above 85mph in order to enjoy the stinger fully

 

[ChaneRZ]

That's how you break it in.

 

[bgstewar]

OK, someone talk me out of pulling the trigger. Dealer charging MSRP - $62k out the door on GT2 Scorpion AWD with ceramic coating, window tints, all weather floor mats, etc. We’re in Audi S5/BMW M440i territory here so I just don’t want to be Short-sighted just because I love the car. He wants a deposit today and the car will come in a couple weeks.

 

[Maljey]

OK, someone talk me out of pulling the trigger. Dealer charging MSRP - $62k out the door on GT2 Scorpion AWD with ceramic coating, window tints, all weather floor mats, etc. We’re in Audi S5/BMW M440i territory here so I just don’t want to be Short-sighted just because I love the car. He wants a deposit today and the car will come in a couple weeks.

Are you financing the car, or buying cash? If you're financing, Kia currently has 0.9% APR for 60 months. Hopefully they are taking that into account.

If you're financing using that 60 month option, then 62K sound about right as the final price after taxes, fees, etc. That's assuming no trade-in, though. Here's a great payment calculator that has always been very accurate for me:

https://www.cars.com/car-loan-calculator/

As for the Audi and BMW, yeah you're in Audi S5 territory for sure. However to get an S5 comparatively equipped you're doing to pay about 3K MSRP more. The M440i starts at almost 3K more and goes up from there. From most advice I've observed, people say to lease the German cars because maintenance is expensive outside of warranty. So if you plan on keeping the car long term I'd go with the Stinger. But there are also a lot of horror stories here about dealing with Kia for warranty claims, so keep that in the back of your mind as well. Also keep in mind the Audi and BMW are slightly smaller than the Stinger when it comes to backseat room. I know that was a concern for you also.

Ultimately I decided on the Kia, obviously, as I plan on keeping the car a looooonnnggg time and the warranty is peace of mind even if I have to fight tooth and nail to use it for some reason.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[bgstewar]

Are you financing the car, or buying cash? If you're financing, Kia currently has 0.9% APR for 60 months. Hopefully they are taking that into account.

If you're financing using that 60 month option, then 62K sound about right as the final price after taxes, fees, etc. That's assuming no trade-in, though. Here's a great payment calculator that has always been very accurate for me:

https://www.cars.com/car-loan-calculator/

As for the Audi and BMW, yeah you're in Audi S5 territory for sure. However to get an S5 comparatively equipped you're doing to pay about 3K MSRP more. The M440i starts at almost 3K more and goes up from there. From most advice I've observed, people say to lease the German cars because maintenance is expensive outside of warranty. So if you plan on keeping the car long term I'd go with the Stinger. But there are also a lot of horror stories here about dealing with Kia for warranty claims, so keep that in the back of your mind as well. Also keep in mind the Audi and BMW are slightly smaller than the Stinger when it comes to backseat room. I know that was a concern for you also.

Ultimately I decided on the Kia, obviously, as I plan on keeping the car a looooonnnggg time and the warranty is peace of mind even if I have to fight tooth and nail to use it for some reason.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

These are great points - thanks for mentioning them. I’m buying it and intend on keeping it 5+ years. I was going to take advantage of the 0.9% APR for 60 months that Kia is offering (though I’ve heard horror stories about their financing).

It does seem a similarly equipped S5/M440i is going to be more expensive and I’ve heard the same about dealing with German car maintenance being expensive. Plus those cars are barebones unless you want any options, which add $$$ with every click of a button. No one can compete with Kia’s warranty for sure. Besides the badge, the Stinger ticks all the boxes for me and we all know how far Kia has come the past decade.

I hesitated for a second wondering if I’d be OK with a GT-line to save $15k, but I know myself and after driving the GT2 I know I wouldn’t like it as much. To me I think the $15k extra is worth it for all the bells and whistles like HUD, heated rear seats, memory driver’s seat (I’m 6’2” and my girlfriend is 5’ 4”), ventilated front seats, etc. Just have to watch the brakes which seem to give everyone trouble.

I thought about a G70 but it’s just too small for needs. A fully loaded G80 sport is $70k so the Stinger seemed to hit the sweet spot.

I’ve dealt with Hyundai power train warranty (replacing the turbo twice, transmission, radio) and though they came through, it took forever to get them to respond to the dealership. I‘d imagine Kia is similar but at least there’s a warranty.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Just have to watch the brakes which seem to give everyone trouble.

Not even half. You only hear about the problems. My OEM brakes have been perfect for over 49K miles: but if you're one of the problems, none of the rest of us matter. And anyway, brake issues are easily resolved with aftermarket pads 99% of the time.

You're committed to a Scorpion edition? Because I don't see the added cost myself. "MSRP" of $62K seems ridiculous to me: most of that "MSRP" has to be dealership jacked up costs on those extras. I wouldn't get ceramic, tint or anything added on by a dealer.

Then there is previously owned: I've imagined having to replace my Stinger if a worst case scenario totaled the car: and I've thought that a satisfactory test drive in a previously owned Stinger would be worth looking into, rather than "upgrade" to new with all the thousands of dollars more. If the vehicle is free of trouble (like mine thus far), the warranty would be secondary anyway: first must-have is a vehicle that isn't back and forth to the dealership for issues and repairs. The warranty should be only in reserve for catastrophic failures like drivetrain replacement: the rest of the vehicle should hold up for well beyond 100K miles. I think that the vast majority of Stingers (all Kia models these days) are very reliable cars: just look for the obvious signs of the well-known issues, such (as you mention) brake pad deposits causing shuddering, extraneous noises, paint failure, electronic fubar issues like sound system instability: ask for a history of thrown codes: and obviously, no abuse or crashes: I would want a previously owned that had remained stock.

Then finally, does THIS vehicle call your name? You get a feeling when buying a car: even a feeling of what you expect to take into account vis-à-vis expenses to bring everything into line. I have a fairly lengthy history of used cars/vans, and not one of them was a money pit: all were right in line with expectations and gave good service without warranties.

 

[bgstewar]

Not even half. You only hear about the problems. My OEM brakes have been perfect for over 49K miles: but if you're one of the problems, none of the rest of us matter. And anyway, brake issues are easily resolved with aftermarket pads 99% of the time.

You're committed to a Scorpion edition? Because I don't see the added cost myself. "MSRP" of $62K seems ridiculous to me: most of that "MSRP" has to be dealership jacked up costs on those extras. I wouldn't get ceramic, tint or anything added on by a dealer.

Then there is previously owned: I've imagined having to replace my Stinger if a worst case scenario totaled the car: and I've thought that a satisfactory test drive in a previously owned Stinger would be worth looking into, rather than "upgrade" to new with all the thousands of dollars more. If the vehicle is free of trouble (like mine thus far), the warranty would be secondary anyway: first must-have is a vehicle that isn't back and forth to the dealership for issues and repairs. The warranty should be only in reserve for catastrophic failures like drivetrain replacement: the rest of the vehicle should hold up for well beyond 100K miles. I think that the vast majority of Stingers (all Kia models these days) are very reliable cars: just look for the obvious signs of the well-known issues, such (as you mention) brake pad deposits causing shuddering, extraneous noises, paint failure, electronic fubar issues like sound system instability: ask for a history of thrown codes: and obviously, no abuse or crashes: I would want a previously owned that had remained stock.

Then finally, does THIS vehicle call your name? You get a feeling when buying a car: even a feeling of what you expect to take into account vis-à-vis expenses to bring everything into line. I have a fairly lengthy history of used cars/vans, and not one of them was a money pit: all were right in line with expectations and gave good service without warranties.

MSRP is $56k. Out the door price is $62k which is tax, title, and $3500 of “extras” like ceramic coat, tint etc that were non negotiable. He literally said if you don’t want the extras you don’t get the car. It was the only dealership in the eastern US I could find that didn’t charge $5k-$10k over MSRP just for pure profit (I literally called 20+ dealerships). At least for $3500 I’m getting something tangible.

Yes this car is calling to me. So I just gave my deposit

 

[MerlintheMad]

^^^When you know, then you know. That sounds like a long quest you've been on. My experience was polar opposite (so, the universe is in balance): I read the Stinger promo book all winter, went in for a test drive on a Friday, did online research all weekend, and bought on Monday, sight unseen (the dealership traded one of theirs for the Silky Silver at another dealer, because my wife insisted on the Silky Silver): I had told her in the morning (we arrived shortly after opening), "If this goes without a hitch in our gitalong, then I know it's right and we buy", and lo, that was how it went. From the moment I decided to buy the Stinger (long before the weekend has over) I knew that I was going to keep this car until I die. Hah.

 

[stingerstevo]

OK, someone talk me out of pulling the trigger. Dealer charging MSRP - $62k out the door on GT2 Scorpion AWD with ceramic coating, window tints, all weather floor mats, etc. We’re in Audi S5/BMW M440i territory here so I just don’t want to be Short-sighted just because I love the car. He wants a deposit today and the car will come in a couple weeks.

You're concerned about space so I don't even see why s5 or m440i would even be a consideration. Both are smaller than the stinger.

 

[bgstewar]

You're concerned about space so I don't even see why s5 or m440i would even be a consideration. Both are smaller than the stinger.

They’re both sportbacks and the S5 has more cargo space than the Stinger I believe.

 

[MerlintheMad]

They’re both sportbacks and the S5 has more cargo space than the Stinger I believe.

Slightly less than the Stinger's 23.3 ft³. With seats down Car and Driver said they increased six carry-on suitcases to 16. (I'm not going to see what the Stinger's seats-down capacity is for carry-ons. )

 

[bgstewar]

Slightly less than the Stinger's 23.3 ft³. With seats down Car and Driver said they increased six carry-on suitcases to 16. (I'm not going to see what the Stinger's seats-down capacity is for carry-ons. )

I know The Straight Pipes review fit 9 large bins in it for what that’s worth.

 

[777David]

Might be too little and too late, but my local dealer is showing (2) brand new GT-1's on their lot. They do not have a "market adjustment" mark up. I know that isn't what you were looking for, but might help someone else who is looking and willing to travel. Bramlett Kia - Decatur, AL.

 

[stingerstevo]

They’re both sportbacks and the S5 has more cargo space than the Stinger I believe.

Actually it doesn't. I went and looked at the s5 and the back seat is tiny.

 

[Maljey]

MSRP is $56k. Out the door price is $62k which is tax, title, and $3500 of “extras” like ceramic coat, tint etc that were non negotiable. He literally said if you don’t want the extras you don’t get the car. It was the only dealership in the eastern US I could find that didn’t charge $5k-$10k over MSRP just for pure profit (I literally called 20+ dealerships). At least for $3500 I’m getting something tangible.

Yes this car is calling to me. So I just gave my deposit

Frankly that's a good price. Here in my region we pay 7% sales tax. so a car with a 56K MSRP will end up costing a little under 60K after taxes alone.

That's also considering you're paying cash for the car, and not financing it with some king of APR. The APR could very well make the car around 62K final price. I dunno if you're financing or putting down money/trade in, but I wouldn't consider this a bad deal especially for the 'extras.'

Congrats on the purchase!!!

 

[bgstewar]

I have a trade but CarMax was much higher. I’ll put cash down and finance the rest with Kia at 0.9%. Now I wait for the car to get here! Should be days to weeks I’m told. They redirected it from going to another dealership.

 

[bgstewar]

Just thought I'd update this thread. I drove a GV70 (both engines) along with a G70 3.3T. I came very close to buying the GV70 2.5t but hated the wheels (interior is fantastic), and though it was peppy it just couldn't compare. The 3.5T was faster but $65k and a gas guzzler. I loved the G70 but the back seat and trunk is ridiculously small. It handled beautifully and the value proposition is better than a loaded Stinger, but it just didn't make sense with having young kids.

So I've settled on a loaded Stinger Scorpion AWD. I have a black one coming in a couple weeks but really love the ceramic silver. There are two within 8 hours of me but unfortunately those dealers are charging $5k+ over MSRP which drives me bonkers. At least the one I reserved is MSRP. Dealers have told me they can't be ordered because they're being discontinued, so I guess beggars can't be choosers.