The Kia Stinger Dealer Markup Discussion

[Kia Stinger]

Rufas I was one of the other purchasers of a Stinger at that dealer, and they did mark the car up $1000 over MSRP. Kind of a bummer, but of course supply and demand. And my wife really wanted a new Stinger. I noticed a dealer in portland still has their Stingers marked up $5000 over MSRP.

Not the end of the world. You could have done a lot worse...

 

[Rufus]

Rufas I was one of the other purchasers of a Stinger at that dealer, and they did mark the car up $1000 over MSRP. Kind of a bummer, but of course supply and demand. And my wife really wanted a new Stinger. I noticed a dealer in portland still has their Stingers marked up $5000 over MSRP.

Wow...$5k over? Ouch. However, I've found that the $ one pays for an "experience" (and I truly believe that being one of the first folks around to enjoy one of these beautiful cars qualifies!) is very subjective. One of the other things I've learned after 16yrs of marriage is "When wife is happy, life is happy" Cheers on your new Stinger, sir!

 

[Irish]

Yeah I'm not too bummed about it, there was no way my local po-dunk dealer would be able to get a white one anytime soon. In their defense, my understanding is that the owner grabbed the white one for himself, and I guess my sales guy sold it on him. I'm on the other side of the state, and I drove over yesterday, and found out, that someone came in and tried to buy the car with cash, but they went ahead and held it for me. Which of course I appreciate.

 

[Rufus]

Yeah I'm not too bummed about it, there was no way my local po-dunk dealer would be able to get a white one anytime soon. In their defense, my understanding is that the owner grabbed the white one for himself, and I guess my sales guy sold it on him. I'm on the other side of the state, and I drove over yesterday, and found out, that someone came in and tried to buy the car with cash, but they went ahead and held it for me. Which of course I appreciate.

Ah, so YOU were the one got that unicorn! Nice! I heard the sales mgr talking with one of his team that 3 other dealerships were bidding on that exact model! Very stand-up of them to not give in to the typical sales "1 in the hand = 3 in the bush" mentality and have your back. My wife and I were very pleased with the Service we received at Lee Johnson Kia. I'll definitely be recommending them and our salesman Brian Walter to those who are looking for a new car. I'd heard nightmare stories of Kia dealerships, but this experience was far from that. Again, congrats on a Sweet new ride!

 

[mldavis2]

I've posted this elsewhere, but I guess it bears repeating. I pay cash, which helps a bunch. I shopped my GT1 AWD at three dealers, armed with knowledge of dealer cost (sort-of) and trade-in value of my current ride. Spec'd the car out myself (simple - HiChroma Red, GT1, AWD, Driver Assistance package) and handed the dealers the spec sheet along with my contact information. I asked for a simple bid/quotation, one chance, no dickering, net cash price FOB dealer's front door. I let them inspect my trade-in if they choose, and I walk. Call me tomorrow with your best price.

So I know some things. One is that for the GT's, the dealer invoice cost is about $3,000 below MSRP, not counting all the other hidden things customers never see like dealer incentives, quota allowances, etc. The other is that my trade-in is in the $6,800-8,300 range. Both numbers from Kelly Blue book.

Because I spec'd the car out, there is nothing any salesman can do for me. I don't need a salesman. If you can get directly to the sales manager, you still pay a middleman commission (lousy #@$% system, but it's traditional). So what is a fair profit for a dealer to spend 15 minutes entering an order into their computer? A couple thousand on the Stinger keeps the lights on and pays the hired help for doing much of nothing, plus a couple $thousand on the trade-in sale.

But there's more to consider. The winning dealer gets some free advertising -- from me. The losing dealers get the same advertising on how far off my price was, and that can be an intangible loss of more than a few thousand dollars considering other buyers they now stand to lose. We're talking potentially a bit of volume and thousands in profit. No car is worth MSRP or over, IMHO.

The only downside is that you have to wait for the car. But you do get better quotes. There was $2,500 difference between the low and high bid on my GT1 AWD. I took the low bid, even though that dealer is 55 miles away from me.

 

[Waynerm002]

I'll take the trip to anyplace that offers me the best price on the car, even if it's out of town.

 

[Rufus]

I'll take the trip to anyplace that offers me the best price on the car, even if it's out of town.

Then you really ought to be chatting with @MurlinatoR here on the forum. He's been super informative and upfront about all aspects of Kia's, modding them, and selling them as well. If I wasn't already inches away from signing here in WA, I seriously would've considered flying out...He even offered to help arrange travel (not pay for, of course! ) Check out his posts if you get the chance!

 

[MurlinatoR]

Ehhhh... I'll pay for some travel! LOL

 

[corradoMR2]

So far from what I've seen in the Toronto area, at worst, Kia is selling them at full price including paying for every penny of dealer prep/transport fees, though some have had some perks thrown in such as free window tints and second set of tires (what I got). So no real markup here so far.

 

[iclicku]

I drove 91 miles to get my car. Did all negotiations through email,text,and phone calls. Didn't step foot into dealer until deal was made and I went to pick it up and sign papers. Why did I drive 91 miles? They had the best price and didn't treat me like an idiot.

 

[Well Stung]

Originally Kia of Temecula had a 5k markup and I told them to pound sand! I eventually got a GT1 for just over 38k. Be aggressive and firm. Remember they want your $$$