What did you cross-shop with the Stinger? (440i, A5, G70)

[eflyguy]

I should add that Audi was HUGE for me, but I could not get past the premium above even BMW and Merc for *real* performance. It helped that I know a guy with an RS7, and HE told me the premium over M cars was not worth it.

If I won the lottery, I'd buy an R8 tomorrow. AND a Stinger. The R8 would be a convertible..

 

[NS_Stinger]

Yes. My GF has a CLS and it's comparable.

My budget was around $100k, so, yeah..

Do you know what a DougScore is?

Your budget was 100k and you ended up with a Stinger? Mind blown, I wouldn't expect anyone with that kind of budget to settle on the Stinger, don't get me wrong the Stinger is a great car, but I'll take a 4-door M3 any day of the week among many other options under the 100k mark.

 

[Crisis]

I wouldn't say that I even cross-shopped. Once I heard about a 365HP AWD Kia for $50K, I thought, "I gotta check that out". Then I read and watched all the reviews of them that I could while waiting for them to come available. I knew that nothing else in that price range could touch it for the features and performance that I was wanting. Once they arrived here, I drove one and bought it.

Just for shits & giggles, though, here's what's locally in-stock "competitors cost", keeping in mind that we Canadians appear to have got great pricing on our version of the GT2:

• BMW 440ix Grand Coupe - $22K more than the Stinger
• Audi S5 Sportback - $24K more than the Stinger
• Hyundai G70 3.3TT AWD - $7K more than the Stinger & not yet available at time of Stinger purchase.

 

[rocket23]

Not one car! I knew this was the car soon as I saw the price drop.

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

Not one car! I knew this was the car soon as I saw the price drop.

I wish I could do that. I had to test everything to make sure I felt good about the decision.

 

[rocket23]

I've been waiting for a reliable asian rear wheel /awd car from japan for so long...key word reliable. Toyota while plastered all over nascar,(rear wheel drive) keeps sending out front wheel drive cars, as for the euro trash thats available, unless you own a bank forget it....the parts are way ou of my league.....Nope when the wife gave me the go ahead, all I needed was a good price....the 2.0 awd fits me to a tee. I could of gotten the v-6, but again....2 turbos instead of 1 more gadgitry intead of what is standard...and it is a lot!! naw , I didn't have to cross shop at all.....I knew it was a stinger right from the beginning.

 

[CaliSting]

For me it was fact that fully loaded GT2 with mechanical lsd was selling for far below $50k price tag. Nothing in mid 40s could touch it. Add to that factory sponsored .09% financing and warranty and it was screaming deal. Plus Kia dealer gave me essentially what I paid new for my Honda Civic on trade. Couldn’t believe they were giving away this car in introductory year.

I’m not a big fan of Kia as a brand or for their service. Aftermarket for a car with so much media hype is really lagging.

I do sometimes wonder if I should have picked up Audi S5. I do like more buttoned down handling of German sport sedans. Kia needs to come out with a sportier version of this car with slightly lower stance, firmer suspension slightly wider front tires instead of making me do it in Aftermarket.

 

[SteveCo]

S5 Sportback was the main competitor for me - I've always liked the Audi products, and really, really liked the previous generation S5. I first saw the Stinger at the Calgary International Car Show in 2017 and loved the design - but it was on a raised dais and for display only. That was the one car from the 2017 show that stuck in my mind, and there were really some great cars to choose from.

April/March 2018, I was ready to buy and decided one night to take a trip over to the KIA dealer to try the Stinger. The test drive (a long one, in two parts, during winter driving conditions mixed with bare pavement) convinced me that this was a really competent car. I also did another test drive with another dealer after a week when road conditions and temps were better, just to make sure. I still waited until the 2018 car show before making up my mind, as I wanted to have a chance to sit in and experience the cars under consideration (Stinger, S5 Sportback, Infiniti Red Sport Coupe) back to back - ergonomics is a huge part of it for me. The Stinger was an easy win - for me.

Multiple dealer negotiations started the next day after the car show, and was concluded within a few days. I haven't seen anyone in Canada posting a better deal than I got, so I'm very happy with the price - and I got a brand new car off the transporter, in the exact color/interior I wanted. Several months in, I couldn't be happier. Just back yesterday from a 1500 KM trip this weekend, and I love this car as much as when I picked it up ...

 

[RVance]

Mustang Shelby GT 350, Audi S5 Sportback, Merc E400, Genesis G80 Sport, Lincoln Continental 3.0. $80K top end budget. Interest in the G80 steered me to Stinger. Kept watching the Stinger videos on youtube and decided to check it out at Harper Ford/Kia in Eureka. Just couldn't justify the extra coin for a different car. It checked so many boxes for $50K. I loved the 'Stang (been driving GTs for 30 years), but wanted AWD and a hatch in that size vehicle. It's like a Swiss Army Knife. Great on long trips.

 

[GronkSoyFiesta]

I've been waiting for a reliable asian rear wheel /awd car from japan for so long...key word reliable. Toyota while plastered all over nascar,(rear wheel drive) keeps sending out front wheel drive cars, as for the euro trash thats available, unless you own a bank forget it....the parts are way ou of my league.....Nope when the wife gave me the go ahead, all I needed was a good price....the 2.0 awd fits me to a tee. I could of gotten the v-6, but again....2 turbos instead of 1 more gadgitry intead of what is standard...and it is a lot!! naw , I didn't have to cross shop at all.....I knew it was a stinger right from the beginning.

I hear you. I actually purchased a GS350 F Sport 2 years ago and the dealer delivered the car to someone else! It was meant to be; the Stinger is a dramatically more exciting car. Fingers crossed it has Lexus-like reliability.

 

[ElChanclo]

-G37xs: Finally saved enough dough for one about two years ago but couldn't find one in the right color, trim, and good condition locally. Then one day I was driving and saw...

-Q60: Made the G37 look old, decided to save up for another year. Then I got in one and couldn't stand the center console and the gummy steering.

-RC 350: Liked the styling of this one for the most part, but the gearbox cut into the drivers legroom, making it feel really cramped, and paying $50k for a car without a hatch made it feel like a downgrade.

-A5 sportback: Had everything, except the price tag and the badge. I can do with rare & expensive maintenance. I might even consider more frequent but cheaper repairs. But frequent AND expensive? You Germans are having a laugh...

I thought kia making a GT was funny the first few times I heard of the stinger, until I found out it was a sportback. For some reason that was the hook for me. I did my research and it ticked all the boxes. All except "brand". But after countless reviews, a few test drives, and the testimonials on this forum, I think it's won me over.

 

[eflyguy]

Your budget was 100k and you ended up with a Stinger? Mind blown, I wouldn't expect anyone with that kind of budget to settle on the Stinger, don't get me wrong the Stinger is a great car, but I'll take a 4-door M3 any day of the week among many other options under the 100k mark.

I don't own a Stinger yet (2018 not having key features), and was close to going back to the AMG after my GF got the CLS until it was confirmed the 2019 will have what I want, and the tuning options are maturing quickly.

As stated, M3 is way too small (as is the Alfa), M4 is just "ok" on interior space, but the only place an M-car would be measurably "better" is on a track. On the street, the Stinger is as good, and a little better than the AMG. Nothing else in that price range ($50-100k) comes close to meeting my needs.

To be very clear, if I was strictly looking for a performance car, I'd up my budget and buy a Nissan GT-R or possibly stretch to a CPO R8. I'm not, I want a roomy and luxurious daily driver that will be a blast in the hills and a beast at the drag strip.

Just because I can afford $100k doesn't mean I should if I can be just as happy spending half that.

 

[MerlintheMad]

But after countless reviews, a few test drives, and the testimonials on this forum, I think it's won me over.

You "think"? You're still thinking about it?

 

[rocket23]

When I went to the dealer. I walked right past the car, just gave it a glance, if that! I introduced myself, the dealer said ''there it is right in front! ''I said nonchalantly ''I noticed''......me and the wife took it for the test drive ;up the street then back down.....I came to buy a car not drive it around! sold!

 

[Akriant]

I was looking at Genesis G80, Volvo S90 and keeping an eye for VW Arteon if it would appear on the radar.

I didn't want one of the "Big 3" because they are quite common on the streets, and because repairs on Germans end up costing pretty penny if I'd get a used one and it had problems, and if I was to go with a new one, well, the 440i with all the bells and whistles that Stinger GT2 has is a bit out of my buying capacity.

Ultimately G80 dropped off the radar because the dealership wouldn't get back to me with a straight answer on the pricing and I wasn't about to drive 140 miles to discover it. (Though I got to admit that G80 generally seems like a great luxury alternative)

S90 dropped off the radar because putting almost all of the controls of your vehicle on one touch screen just doesn't sit right with me. It's a pain to use when riding on a freeway and if the screen breaks - there goes all of that functionality. Though I loved the exterior design of the car. It just looks beautiful.

VW Arteon is still MIA.

Stinger 19 doesn't seem to have that many updates and likely the intensives wouldn't be the same at launch.

I also looked at a Jaguar XF while driving past one of the dealerships, but then I remembered that it'll probably brake down on me the first time I start it.

 

[ElChanclo]

You "think"? You're still thinking about it?

If I could buy a 2016 Stinger with 40k miles on it I'd have one by now.

But buying depreciating assets (like new cars) goes against every fiber of my being. It's one of the cardinal rules that's guided me.

What's funny is people who taught and advised me on my financial habits are now telling me to "just get it". I suspect they're just tired of hearing me go on about how; the cooled seats don't just blow your butt but your back as well, and how the trunk can open automatically, and the HUD with navigation arrows and blind spot monitoring, and how the steering wheel turns by itself etc etc... and it's a KIA!

You get the idea...


EDIT: Also the way the steering wheel extends, and your seat moves up and forward and the side bolsters hug you when you start the car, then retract when you turn it off, like some hi-tech mech or space ship...

 

[rocket23]

you mean , if you could buy a 2018 stinger in 2020....with 40 k on the clock......damn things weren't even built yet in 2016.

 

[MerlintheMad]

If I could buy a 2016 Stinger with 40k miles on it I'd have one by now.

But buying depreciating assets (like new cars) goes against every fiber of my being. It's one of the cardinal rules that's guided me.

Same here. My whole life. I've never bought a new car until this one. I appreciate depreciation. But, I am at the point in life where it is blatantly obvious that waiting for things is just stupid. So I plunged in and started driving, real driving instead of merely journeying utilitarian. This is FUN. I'm not going to wait anymore for that.

 

[rocket23]

enjoying the depreciation first hand.....thats the way to do it!!

 

[Akriant]

enjoying the depreciation first hand.....thats the way to do it!!

Still not as bad as majority of the cars from the German trio. So we're good.