The Buying Process Dick Hannah Kia - Vancouver, Washington

[CraigW]

I contacted this dealership through the Costco Auto program. They got back to me with a quote got a GT2. The quote was for the invoice price ($49k and change). They also provided me a couple of times to come and drive the car. I'm going up there this weekend, but so far they've been very good.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Thank you for the information, @CraigW!

 

[CraigW]

Unfortunately the dealer experience was a big let-down. When I arrived at the dealership they told me they needed to do a credit check before I could drive the car to make sure I could afford it. That didn't bother me as my credit score is 830. What bothered me after the fact is they did a hard inquiry so now it's on my credit history for the next two years.

They also add $300 for a dealer-installed pulsing third brake light to every car.

Finally, they pulled an "Oopsie, on that car the Costco deal is MSRP, not invoice, but we took off the $4995 market adjustment."

I would suggest you not waste your time with this dealership.

 

[Chris]

Unfortunately the dealer experience was a big let-down. When I arrived at the dealership they told me they needed to do a credit check before I could drive the car to make sure I could afford it. That didn't bother me as my credit score is 830. What bothered me after the fact is they did a hard inquiry so now it's on my credit history for the next two years.

They also add $300 for a dealer-installed pulsing third brake light to every car.

Finally, they pulled an "Oopsie, on that car the Costco deal is MSRP, not invoice, but we took off the $4995 market adjustment."

I would suggest you not waste your time with this dealership.

Report them to Costco. They will either have to honor the price or get kicked out of the entire Costco program for all their cars.

 

[CraigW]

I've sent a report to both Costco and Kia corporate. Whether they honor the price or not I wouldn't buy the car from them after this. There are other dealers that I'm sure would be happy to sell me one.

 

[mldavis2]

That's a dealership problem, not a Kia problem, but it becomes a Kia problem, so I'd let the district Kia rep know about your experience. That's also why I shopped three dealerships before choosing one. Lots of ways dealers can screw you for more profit by adding junk that costs next to nothing and then charging customers for it -- tinting, your flashing light (not sure that's legal), paint protector. Also a great reason not to buy a dealer-prepped car off the lot which may have a lot of those hidden profits attached. If they put them on one car, all their cars are likely to have them. Bite the bullet and order a build car and get exactly what you want AFTER making the deal.

 

[SEA Stinger]

I've sent a report to both Costco and Kia corporate. Whether they honor the price or not I wouldn't buy the car from them after this. There are other dealers that I'm sure would be happy to sell me one.

I had the same kind of experience with a Genesis dealer in the Seattle area. Dealers that play bait-and-switch games instead of simply honoring Costco pricing have no business being in the Costco program.

@CraigW, it's very good that you reported "Dick" Hannah to Costco!

 

[CraigW]

That's a dealership problem, not a Kia problem, but it becomes a Kia problem...

Exactly. Whether I buy this car or one of the competitors, I really do want the Stinger to be a success because then all automakers have to up their game. Since I found out about this car I've said the toughest thing is going to convince people who are shopping BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, and Lexus to even look at spending $50k on a Kia. But even if someone can be convinced to drive it even though they may love the car this type of dealership experience is going to have them running for the hills.

 

[mldavis2]

If any dealer plays "bait and switch," that's a reason to turn around and walk. You can never trust them again for anything. That is essentially lying by omission or outright lying. It is a dealership practice and will not change. Get out and go somewhere else.

 

[CraigW]

2018 KIA Stinger Premium 2.0 AWD Snow White Pearl on Black
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ Tires

On an unrelated note, I really wish when you got a GT2 with AWD they'd default to those tires. Seems a little stupid that you're buying an AWD car but it comes with 19" summer-only performance tires.

 

[mldavis2]

On an unrelated note, I really wish when you got a GT2 with AWD they'd default to those tires. Seems a little stupid that you're buying an AWD car but it comes with 19" summer-only performance tires.

That is a BIG point of contention. Lots of discussion in these threads about it. When the car comes with the all-weather tires, the computer top speed limit is 140mph. On the 19" performance tires it's 167mph. For most of us, that doesn't matter, but for a lot of us it does, or it might affect resale value. Just be aware of that limitation. Switching back to 19" wheels will NOT remove the 140mph limit and it apparently cannot be changed by the dealer.

 

[SEA Stinger]

On an unrelated note, I really wish when you got a GT2 with AWD they'd default to those tires. Seems a little stupid that you're buying an AWD car but it comes with 19" summer-only performance tires.

Agree 100%.

Similar issue with the tires that KIA put on my 2.0 Premium - Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS-02's. Would only cost KIA an additional $100 to use the far superior Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+'s instead. That bone-headed decision hurt KIA when Car and Driver did their head-to-head comparison of the Stinger 2.0 with the Audi A5 and BMW 430 GC.
2018 Audi A5 Sportback vs. BMW 430i Gran Coupe, Kia Stinger | Comparison Test | Car and Driver

Seems like KIA needs to hire somebody else to make their tire-buying decisions!

 

[Dave Miller]

Hi @CraigW, I know I'm a bit of a drive down in Salem OR, but I'd like to hopefully make this right for you and get a Stinger into your hands if that's what you really want. We have no extra dealer mark-up, or bs add-ons on any of our cars. We'll work with you and see how close we can get to that price Dick Hannah couldn't meet. Plus for every Stinger sold to forum users we'll be donating a $50 check to help keep the website alive and well maintained

 

[SEA Stinger]

Hi @CraigW, I know I'm a bit of a drive down in Salem OR, but I'd like to hopefully make this right for you and get a Stinger into your hands if that's what you really want. We have no extra dealer mark-up, or bs add-ons on any of our cars. We'll work with you and see how close we can get to that price Dick Hannah couldn't meet. Plus for every Stinger sold to forum users we'll be donating a $50 check to help keep the website alive and well maintained

@Dave Miller, Costco price is typically $500 under invoice. If you can meet that price, then great! (If you can't, this may not be an ideal thread for a marketing pitch.)

Apologies if this sounds a little cranky, but the Costco price is what it is. Dealers have the option of participating in the Costco program or not. Customers like me just hate it when come-on-in-and-we'll-take-care-of-you's are fuzzy.

 

[Dave Miller]

I appreciate you looking out - I'm very familiar with the Costco program. We even beat their pricing a lot of the time.

Dick Hannah is the only Kia dealer in the PNW that participates so if they aren't going to honor the Costco price the best I can do is offer to do better. I need to open a dialogue to know if I can meet the Costco price or not... If the car is on my lot then there's a solid chance.

 

[SEA Stinger]

I appreciate you looking out - I'm very familiar with the Costco program...

Dick Hannah is the only Kia dealer in the PNW that participates...

Really? Are you sure about that?

 

[Dave Miller]

Really? Are you sure about that?

You can correct me if I'm wrong, but that is what I've been told by multiple people. We used to be the only other Kia dealer but the program was a money sink so we opted out. Why pay Costco on top of having to sell our cars for a loss as part of the program? It's a double whammy when we can just advertise the cars ourselves at or below the Costco price and not have to pay for the program.

I know it isn't what anyone in this thread wants to hear either but unfortunately the dealership isn't obligated to honor that Costco price. The contract they have with Costco says they will sell X amount of cars in a year at the Costco price. The dealership can limit that to base trims or can say the Stinger is a specialty model and not honor the price, as long as they hit their Costco number for the year.

 

[SEA Stinger]

I know it isn't what anyone in this thread wants to hear either but unfortunately the dealership isn't obligated to honor that Costco price. The contract they have with Costco says they will sell X amount of cars in a year at the Costco price. The dealership can limit that to base trims or can say the Stinger is a specialty model and not honor the price, as long as they hit their Costco number for the year.

If so, that raises a couple of new concerns.

First, Costco needs to make it clear that its program only requires dealers to sell SOME cars at the program price, and that dealers are free to pick and choose when they offer the program price. If this is actually the case, it pretty much defeats the whole concept of the program.

Second, dealers who participate in the Costco program should make it clear from the get-go whether or not they are currently honoring Costco program pricing for the Stinger. Otherwise, it's bait and switch, as seems to be what Dick Hannah pulled on @CraigW.

Has anyone else run into these kinds of issues with the Costco car-buying program?

 

[Dave Miller]

Did Costco have anything to say when you let them know about your dealer experience @CraigW? Their program details are a bit fuzzy. The FAQ makes it sound like the dealership will need to honor any quote that they give you, but the disclaimer on the bottom of the page also gives the dealers an out. Costco Auto Program │ Car buying made easy │ New vehicles & more!

 

[SEA Stinger]

@CraigW, check out the Potential Buyers thread in the Kia Stinger Talk section!