Stinger vs public opinion

[Fatalifeaten]

^^^^^ That, right there.

 

[CarBrad]

Any car that you could possibly buy come with some negative stereotypes. I say, who cares, but what you like.

 

[Manaz]

Don't get me wrong here - I love the Stinger. But I think we need to keep reality in view when talking about the potential future for the car.

RX7, GTR & Supra

These three had a relatively simply but capable engine that was easily tunable for crazily good results. The simplicity of the rotary engine (reduced moving parts), the GTR and Supra with their relatively straight-forward inline six-cylinder engines with a dirty old hairdryer (or two) stuck to the side, all three having almost no engine electricals worth worrying about. The later versions weren't as simple, but became cult cars because of their simpler and less capable forebears. Remember as well that the GTR developed out of the Skyline (which had existed since the 1950s). The Supra came from the Celica. The RX7 from the RX2, RX3, RX4, etc before it.

The AE86 Trueno became a cult classic for similar reasons - it was not only simple and easily modified, but it was also cheap in base form. It's a Corolla - the world's best selling car (over 44m of the bloody things sold)

Sadly, the Stinger is neither affordable (it's accessible compared to its peers, but not in the same way the AE86 was) nor simple. It doesn't have the pedigree that the RX7, GTR, Supra etc have. It's also not a sports car the way that the RX7, GTR and Supra were. Hopefully the drivetrain does prove to be reliable and more will be discovered about tuning it, and the after-market tuning parts do come, and we see the Stinger become a car in a similar vein - but I'm not seeing much evidence of that just yet (I acknowledge that the markets around those cars built slowly).

My concern is that the Stinger will end up being the equivalent of a Nissan 300ZX or Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO (you got it as a Dodge Stealth as well in the US I believe). Considered pretty amazing by those in the know when released, but failing to become prevalent due to price (yes, the Stinger is relatively affordable for what it is, but it is not cheap, and will not build a cult of young mechanically inclined people the way the AE86 did) and complexity.

 

[Fatalifeaten]

We got the 3000GT and the Stealth both, actually.

 

[StungBlueGT2]

Don't get me wrong here - I love the Stinger. But I think we need to keep reality in view when talking about the potential future for the car.



These three had a relatively simply but capable engine that was easily tunable for crazily good results. The simplicity of the rotary engine (reduced moving parts), the GTR and Supra with their relatively straight-forward inline six-cylinder engines with a dirty old hairdryer (or two) stuck to the side, all three having almost no engine electricals worth worrying about. The later versions weren't as simple, but became cult cars because of their simpler and less capable forebears. Remember as well that the GTR developed out of the Skyline (which had existed since the 1950s). The Supra came from the Celica. The RX7 from the RX2, RX3, RX4, etc before it.

The AE86 Trueno became a cult classic for similar reasons - it was not only simple and easily modified, but it was also cheap in base form. It's a Corolla - the world's best selling car (over 44m of the bloody things sold)

Sadly, the Stinger is neither affordable (it's accessible compared to its peers, but not in the same way the AE86 was) nor simple. It doesn't have the pedigree that the RX7, GTR, Supra etc have. It's also not a sports car the way that the RX7, GTR and Supra were. Hopefully the drivetrain does prove to be reliable and more will be discovered about tuning it, and the after-market tuning parts do come, and we see the Stinger become a car in a similar vein - but I'm not seeing much evidence of that just yet (I acknowledge that the markets around those cars built slowly).

My concern is that the Stinger will end up being the equivalent of a Nissan 300ZX or Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO (you got it as a Dodge Stealth as well in the US I believe). Considered pretty amazing by those in the know when released, but failing to become prevalent due to price (yes, the Stinger is relatively affordable for what it is, but it is not cheap, and will not build a cult of young mechanically inclined people the way the AE86 did) and complexity.

Way to be a party pooper and crush our hopes and dreams.

JK and I get all your points. I was simply saying we are another underdog taking on the toughest competition and are already putting up a great fight even at $10k-$15k cheaper than the top performance cars that are comparable. I see our popularity growing quickly and tuners finally taking us seriously. All those factors give us the potential to be one of the next coveted & sought after performance vehicles, even if we don’t quite make it to Supra level status. Either way, I and many others non-believers are very impressed with the Stinger and only time will tell what level status we make it to.

 

[Manaz]

Don't get my wrong - I'm committing to one for the next 7-10 years. I love the car. I think the performance is great, and the performance per dollar is even better.

I'm actually happy that we won't become the next Supra, GTR or RX-7. Those cars developed a following (not the GTR as much) that I'm not keen to be a part of.

 

[Tangent52]

So in a nutshell, pretty much none of us really care what other people think, of what we are driving. Then why do we all change the KIA badge? (myself included)

 

[MerlintheMad]

So in a nutshell, pretty much none of us really care what other people think, of what we are driving. Then why do we all change the KIA badge? (myself included)

We tell ourselves that we don't care what other people think. But do we entirely succeed? Some people (perhaps quite a few) really don't like the KIA badge. How much that is caused by the old Kia reputation in the minds of the general public is a question. How much of the dislike is real aesthetics?

I find the KIA badge to be just a badge. I think the Ferrari horsey is awkward and poorly designed. Most badges are boring and/or unimaginative. I always liked the Lotus triangle; the Gurney Eagle head inside the "G"; the Maserati trident; the Alfa shamrock; the old Desoto hood ornament of the Conquistador head. Probably a few others. KIA remains on my car and will be displayed again once the "K" skins come off.

 

[Peeso33]

So in a nutshell, pretty much none of us really care what other people think, of what we are driving. Then why do we all change the KIA badge? (myself included)

Because it's ugly. Especially compared with the larger Stinger script on the center rear.

 

[Manaz]

For me, I am comfortable with the concept of owning a Kia.

A lot of people see the badge and immediately a pre-conception about the brand takes over. This is why tests are often done with the brand of the product hidden from the tester (remember the Pepsi challenge?)

If people see the Stinger without seeing it as a Kia, their brand pre-conception won't cloud their judgements.

Remember, a Genesis is just a Hyundai. A Lexus is just a Toyota. An Infiniti is just a Nissan. An Acura is just a Honda. They each chose a different brand for their upmarket cars because they knew the standard brand could gold them back. Sure, most of those premium sub-brands are now more separated from their mainstream parents, but they weren't to start with, and I think it's entirely possible that Kia could easily spawn a sub-brand of its own - the Stinger could easily start that.

 

[Lawrence Williams]

So in a nutshell, pretty much none of us really care what other people think, of what we are driving. Then why do we all change the KIA badge? (myself included)

I changed my badge to the NAME of the car.....not hiding ,just looks better IMHO!
Kinda like a Corvette.....halo car but rarely referred to as a Chevy......

I love the fact that this is a Kia.....the stinger badging just looks better!

 

[ktstinger]

I’m a realtor so let’s just say I am surrounded by people who take their image probably a bit to seriously. Lots of BWM and Mercedes, Range Rover Sports etc. My Stinger got a lot of appreciative looks the first time I brought it to the Brokerage. Some snobbery and one old guy who said no one would buy a house from someone driving a Kia. I’ve already out sold him 3-1 this year so I’m not to worried. Two clients I drove around this week loved it and couldn’t believe it was a Kia.

 

[westcoastGT]

I’m a realtor so let’s just say I am surrounded by people who take their image probably a bit to seriously. Lots of BWM and Mercedes, Range Rover Sports. My Stinger got a lot of appreciative looks the first time I brought it to the Brokerage. Some snobbery and one old guy who said no one would buy a house from someone driving a Kia. I’ve already out sold him 3-1 this year so I’m not to worried. Two clients I drove around this week loved it and couldn’t believe it was a Kia.

Do you know David Jurome ?????????????

 

[ktstinger]

Do you know David Jurome ?????????????

I know his son Jaxon better but yes I know Dave.

 

[westcoastGT]

I know his son Jaxon better but yes I know Dave.

One of my very best friends !! Know the whole family very well !! Great people ................now back to regular programming !

 

[Legendsk]

I'm quite comfortable driving my Kia and unconcerned about popular opinions. However I do firmly believe it will become a cult classic, for a whole lot of reasons and view that is yet another '+' for the car. 10 years from now I expect it will be worth lots more that it cost new. Which obviously won't matter to me, but my grandson will like that benefit.

 

[Dr_jitsu]

I love the fact that KIA's are so underrated. I get the following reaction on a very regular basis: People stare at the car....a family of three the other day converged around the car. I was about 10 yards away. I could see them talking, asking "what kind of car is that?" The father got up close and saw the Kia badge and his head jerked back in shock when he realized he was drooling over a Kia.

I have seen this type of reaction before, especially when I was working the door at nightclubs in San Francisco. Transvestites would be out and these were the kind that looked like a beautiful woman (not a monstrosity like Bruce Jenner). You would have to really look closely to realize they were not biologically women.

Guys would move in to talk and when they finally realized what was going on their heads jerked back and you could see they were freaked out. Made me laugh every time. This is exactly the way the guy looking at my Stinger reacted, LOL. And this was not the first time.

 

[Typeface]

I love my KIA, i haven't had a bad word said and everyone wants to go for a ride, even my boss, but he only has a Lamborghini SV sadly poor bugger, once i do launch control there isn't much else for them to say other than.. "shit!!".

I changed the back KIA badge for the larger Stinger badge as it looked cool but i kept the front KIA badge as I'm fine with it, plus changing to that crap looking E badge was never going to happen.

Hows the colour match

 

[Lawrence Williams]

I love my KIA, i haven't had a bad word said and everyone wants to go for a ride, even my boss, but he only has a Lamborghini SV sadly poor bugger, once i do launch control there isn't much else for them to say other than.. "shit!!".

I changed the back KIA badge for the larger Stinger badge as it looked cool but i kept the front KIA badge as I'm fine with it, plus changing to that crap looking E badge was never going to happen.

Yeah the Broken K Lexus thingy got a look but never considered the E.....did you see my pics above? Pretty stately I think.....not in your face

 

[Typeface]

did you see my pics above? Pretty stately I think.....not in your face

yeah not to bad, i think perhaps GT would fit nicer on the wheels, the Stinger name looks lost on the wheels its so tiny.