Would you trade in a Lexus RC F (and IS) for a Stinger GT Limited?

[ralzod]

Perhaps worth the trip to Canada and get one up here. With the exchange rate, you'd even save a few bucks. In fact my dealer told me today they are in the process of selling one to a buyer from Connecticut! I wonder if this person is on this forum...

Hope so, since there's been lots of discussion about whether this is feasible. Even if the government paperwork came through, though, the biggest issue for most buyers would be the likely loss of warranty. Unless that person from CT is willing to drive back to CA for service, the warranty fine print pretty clearly states it's only applicable to the home country. (I'll see if I can find the screenshots that were posted on this...somewhere.)

Edit: It might not be as clear as I'd assumed. Page 12 of the main warranty document posted on KMA's website says the following:

Other Terms
This warranty is applicable to Kia Vehicles registered and normally operated in the United States.​

I could not find any mention of where the vehicle was sold/purchased, but it does say the warranty begins on the “Date of First Service” -- the first date the Kia Vehicle is delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle is purchased in Canada, is it a Kia Canada warranty...which might then require some sort of transfer clause to Kia Motors America?

 

[Kia Stinger]

Perhaps worth the trip to Canada and get one up here. With the exchange rate, you'd even save a few bucks. In fact my dealer told me today they are in the process of selling one to a buyer from Connecticut! I wonder if this person is on this forum...

If this person isn't a member here --- we must find them --- and...make them sign up. We need the story!

I'll create a more detailed comparison at some point after a few more miles but initial impressions of the Stinger GT AWD are very favorable from a quality and performance standpoint!

This is sounding great. I look forward to reading your review.

 

[corradoMR2]

Hope so, since there's been lots of discussion about whether this is feasible. Even if the government paperwork came through, though, the biggest issue for most buyers would be the likely loss of warranty. Unless that person from CT is willing to drive back to CA for service, the warranty fine print pretty clearly states it's only applicable to the home country. (I'll see if I can find the screenshots that were posted on this...somewhere.)

Edit: It might not be as clear as I'd assumed. Page 12 of the main warranty document posted on KMA's website says the following:

Other Terms
This warranty is applicable to Kia Vehicles registered and normally operated in the United States.​

I could not find any mention of where the vehicle was sold/purchased, but it does say the warranty begins on the “Date of First Service” -- the first date the Kia Vehicle is delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle is purchased in Canada, is it a Kia Canada warranty...which might then require some sort of transfer clause to Kia Motors America?

I read this as a date factor and not a location factor. In other words, warranty begins from "Date x" only and if your car is registered in the US (which of course would be), I see no issue. But I'm not a lawyer and I know that you know the above can be interpreted in many ways.

I'll try following up with the salesman (not mine) I spoke to today on the US purchaser to see if he has any further details.

 

[Chris]

I've read both the American and Canadian warranties. They both say they are only valid if the car is registered in their respective countries. That does not mean you couldn't get KMA to honor the Canadian warranty, but I'm not sure why they would. Why would they? They would be on the hook for the warranty and made no money from the sale.

 

[ralzod]

Why would they? They would be on the hook for the warranty and made no money from the sale.

That's kind of my thought. We know the dealers get reimbursed by the importer (KMA, KCI) for warranty work, but do those importers get reimbursed by Kia global? If not, I'd see little incentive for them to honor the warranty on a product they didn't actually sell.

 

[hen555]

Great to see somone trade in their RCF for a Stinger.

My thoughts on the trade is its a tough decision depending what your looking for.

I wouldn't trade the RCF if your a petrol head because the engine is to die for. I believe it's the 2UR-GSE that sounds just wonderful and is naturally aspirated. The gauges r beautiful and high tech and the shift response r nice with a nice down shift blip. I have never driven the car but based on the videos I watch of the drive and my passion I had for the ISF when it got launched I jus love the sound of these engines. What the ISF did for lexus reminds me of what the Stinger is doing for KIA because no one expected a lexus to be like that.

But ths ISF did directly challenging the kingpin BMW M3 and eventually beat it on the track on newer revised models. For KIAs case not exactly sure what the Stinger is directly challenging since it's kind of a class on its own.

The problem i have with the RCF for me is that it's not practical. I like 4 doors and is it even OK to drive in the snow time? The RCF to me is more of a driver's fun car where as the Stinger is like a balanced GT car.

I think the RCF will get more street credit though and is faster / better on the track.

On a final note lexus reliability is top and has been historically top. The RCF engine has been proven since it's an updated ISF engine and those are still running bulletproof if you check the forums.

What are your thoughts after driving the Stinger GT for a while? Do u miss anything about your RCF?

 

[bluecatsup]

I was going to chime in on the very first post, but learned as I continue reading this thread that you have already made the trade! Congrats! Being in Canada, we get the Stingers with all of the features that some other countries don't get that rival many luxury brands. The only feature I see missing that I would actually like is the Sport+ mode in the UK (unless I was mistaken when I saw the videos and their Sport+ is simply our Sport - correct me if I'm wrong). I mean sure the Lexus is an established luxury brand with top honours for reliability (side note: Kia is #3 after all), but I'm still looking for more in-your-face styling with no Nike logos for DRLs. Some may say the Lexus is better on the track, but how many really take their vehicle to the track anyway and how often is the question.

I myself would've made the trade too simply for practicality reasons. I have two kids and four doors are just the way to go. IMO I would've kept the summer tires and used the $800 to buy performance winters, especially where I live (the past week in Sask has been colder than Mars). Having two sets of performance tires is better than one . I'm looking forward to your review/comparison though, and I'm looking for you to nitpick, so dont miss all the tiny details!

As for US purchasers of Canadian vehicles, many people actually do it if they are close enough to the border and to a Canadian Kia dealership. Many just make a day trip out of it if they need to service the vehicle. Some dealerships actually lend you a car to drive around if you call ahead.

 

[corradoMR2]

Great to see somone trade in their RCF for a Stinger.

My thoughts on the trade is its a tough decision depending what your looking for.

I wouldn't trade the RCF if your a petrol head because the engine is to die for. I believe it's the 2UR-GSE that sounds just wonderful and is naturally aspirated. The gauges r beautiful and high tech and the shift response r nice with a nice down shift blip. I have never driven the car but based on the videos I watch of the drive and my passion I had for the ISF when it got launched I jus love the sound of these engines. What the ISF did for lexus reminds me of what the Stinger is doing for KIA because no one expected a lexus to be like that.

But ths ISF did directly challenging the kingpin BMW M3 and eventually beat it on the track on newer revised models. For KIAs case not exactly sure what the Stinger is directly challenging since it's kind of a class on its own.

The problem i have with the RCF for me is that it's not practical. I like 4 doors and is it even OK to drive in the snow time? The RCF to me is more of a driver's fun car where as the Stinger is like a balanced GT car.

I think the RCF will get more street credit though and is faster / better on the track.

On a final note lexus reliability is top and has been historically top. The RCF engine has been proven since it's an updated ISF engine and those are still running bulletproof if you check the forums.

What are your thoughts after driving the Stinger GT for a while? Do u miss anything about your RCF?

Well said on the RC F and IS F. The RC F was (is) a special car. It's definitely not in the same league as the Stinger and not just from a price standpoint (90K$ Cdn vs $50k Cdn), but as you briefly point out, from a performance standpoint. The RC F's 5L V8's melodious sound is second to only certain super cars such as an LFA, La Ferrari, and so on while its styling was a head turner/jaw dropper (literally) every time I drove it. Today's twin turbo V6s in the German competitors (and in the Stinger) don't even come close from a sound standpoint. For sure this will be missed.

Problem is, the "Every time I drove it" was barely once a week for a few kms if it didn't rain, and in winter for 4 months, well it stayed 100% indoors. It was a beauty and semi-exotic with its carbon fiber roof and retractable rear wing, but the lack of its practical use and monopolizing my garage year-round, and having a far less performing daily driver (IS 300 AWD F Sport) meant the RCF and the IS were time to go for one all-in-one car. The Stinger came at the right time combining 90% the RC F's acceleration and IS's 4-door AWD year-round practicality.

I'll post a more detailed review of the Stinger after a few more miles of use.

 

[Kia Stinger]

The Stinger came at the right time combining 90% the RC F's acceleration and IS's 4-door AWD year-round practicality.

That right there is truly tough to beat. And while the Stinger won't turn heads like the RC-F, it's still a head-turning automobile. I look forward to reading your full review in the future!