Looking at '21 Stinger GT and '22 Stinger GT-line

[dbforthree]

New to the forums, but looking to join the Stinger family after a few months of researching the car and going through some test drives. With the 2022 refresh, most know the GT trim is gone, and thus the least expensive way to attain the V6 was removed (such a shame!). However, the 4-cylinder received a non-trivial upgrade making the GT-line a much more fun car to drive, in my opinion, than the '18-'21 models. Having recently driven a AWD '22 GT-line (w/ Sun+Sound) and AWD '21 GT (no packages), I am pretty torn between the two (new) cars with both in the MSRP range of $42K-$43K.

The '22 GT-line w/ Sound+Sun has been much harder to move the price on, albeit at a different dealership. The salesman is not moving at all from MSRP (beyond Kia incentives), despite the Stinger being a relatively slow car on the sales front, but this experience seems to jive with what Truecar reports in my region (average sale discount of 0.5% off MSRP), as well as various anecdotal '22 Stinger dealership experiences I've read on here.

After some negotiation on the '21 GT, the first price cut knocked it down to ~$39.5K (with Kia incentives + dealership discount), which frankly I was pretty surprised by. I am based in the northeast US, and this is nearly in Truecar "excellent" territory with minimal haggling. I honestly wish I had asked for more off given how easy it was to get here. Would you folks consider this a competitive price given that we haven't started the conversation on trade-in/finance? Perhaps I am missing something with this car and trim, but it seems to have great reviews and I wonder why the dealership is so eager to competitively price it. They have the last two '21 Stinger GTs within 200 miles of me, so they likely know I can't go anywhere else to get this particular car.

Appreciate your time!

 

[hummus]

New to the forums, but looking to join the Stinger family after a few months of researching the car and going through some test drives. With the 2022 refresh, most know the GT trim is gone, and thus the least expensive way to attain the V6 was removed (such a shame!). However, the 4-cylinder received a non-trivial upgrade making the GT-line a much more fun car to drive, in my opinion, than the '18-'21 models. Having recently driven a AWD '22 GT-line (w/ Sun+Sound) and AWD '21 GT (no packages), I am pretty torn between the two (new) cars with both in the MSRP range of $42K-$43K.

The '22 GT-line w/ Sound+Sun has been much harder to move the price on, albeit at a different dealership. The salesman is not moving at all from MSRP (beyond Kia incentives), despite the Stinger being a relatively slow car on the sales front, but this experience seems to jive with what Truecar reports in my region (average sale discount of 0.5% off MSRP), as well as various anecdotal '22 Stinger dealership experiences I've read on here.

After some negotiation on the '21 GT, the first price cut knocked it down to ~$39.5K (with Kia incentives + dealership discount), which frankly I was pretty surprised by. I am based in the northeast US, and this is nearly in Truecar "excellent" territory with minimal haggling. I honestly wish I had asked for more off given how easy it was to get here. Would you folks consider this a competitive price given that we haven't started the conversation on trade-in/finance? Perhaps I am missing something with this car and trim, but it seems to have great reviews and I wonder why the dealership is so eager to competitively price it. They have the last two '21 Stinger GTs within 200 miles of me, so they likely know I can't go anywhere else to get this particular car.

Appreciate your time!

Not sure how things are in your region, and I represent only one data point from here in sunny Florida. My base 21 GT RWD with only dealer installed options (mud flaps that I replaced, puddle lights, door edge guards, and wheel locks) was $35.5k with 1.9% financing and basically zero negotiation.

I don't think my price is exceptional, to be honest. Stingers aren't highly sought after vehicles: crossovers are the new family car, and I imagine most determined sedan buyers who make it past the Honda and Toyota dealerships probably see the very fetching K5 GT Line for a substantial savings and need to be wooed into a Stinger.

I suppose some dealers may be willing to incur carrying cost for a limited supply of Stingers, but it seems like someone should be willing to deal. At this point, the limiting factor may be finding a '21 GT within driving distance.

Having said all that, even though it should be technically possible to get a good discount--and the initial depreciation hit will be larger on a pre-facelift--the base GT is absolutely worth the MSRP from an ownership satisfaction perspective. I would have bought one with no regret if that was all that was available.

You're probably in rare company having driven both first hand, but might find this interesting: Stinger GT vs 2.5T driving comparison

 

[Devin]

I got a '21 GT1 down to $39K in Feb, so I don't see why a bit more off the GT wouldn't be possible. For reference, I am near Seattle.

 

[dbforthree]

I got a '21 GT1 down to $39K in Feb, so I don't see why a bit more off the GT wouldn't be possible. For reference, I am near Seattle.

Was yours AWD? Always like to ask since it is roughly ~$2K difference. Thanks for the reply (you + Hummus)

 

[Devin]

Was yours AWD? Always like to ask since it is roughly ~$2K difference. Thanks for the reply (you + Hummus)

Yeah, although I ended up not pulling the trigger due to the '22s that showed up two days later

 

[MerlintheMad]

Welcome. The reports are coming in now: thanks for yours. That video clearly shows the difference between the 2.5L and 3.3L, in terms of engine sound (I liked the under-car revving comparison, particularly) and demonstrated pull. I liked his descriptive comparison between a four cylinder and six cylinder engine. But if you want the "sound and sun package", i.e. all the goodies: and if you don't need the added power, that is the only big thing you're giving up to get all the rest at the same price point. (Brembos and upper end headlights being minor by comparison: but not to some: to some either of those would be deal breakers)

 

[dbforthree]

Welcome. The reports are coming in now: thanks for yours. That video clearly shows the difference between the 2.5L and 3.3L, in terms of engine sound (I liked the under-car revving comparison, particularly) and demonstrated pull. I liked his descriptive comparison between a four cylinder and six cylinder engine. But if you want the "sound and sun package", i.e. all the goodies: and if you don't need the added power, that is the only big thing you're giving up to get all the rest at the same price point. (Brembos and upper end headlights being minor by comparison: but not to some: to some either of those would be deal breakers)

While I didn't do a '22 to '22 comparison, Ben Hardy's video is consistent with my experience comparing the '21 GT to the '22 GT-line. Can obviously feel the difference driving both cars, with the '21 GT feeling considerably more powerful and (literally) throwing you back in your seat when you decide to get after it in Sport mode. In addition to the physical differences you noted, the '22 GT-line also comes standard with a lot of safety features absent from the '21 Stinger GT (believe these were previously options). During my test drive of the '22 GT-line, I had to disable the overly sensitive lane keep assist as it was fighting me a bit too much (for my liking) while still being in the lane. The '21 Stinger GT gives you audible warnings in these lane departure scenarios, which is enough for me. Generally speaking, I like car manufacturers making safety features standard, but in this case it is not a big differentiator for me.

That being said, this would be my first sports car and the '22 GT-line is a considerable upgrade in power over my Civic. Given that both cars are in roughly the same price range with the Sun+Sound GT-line, price is going to dictate which model is my entry point to the Stinger family. The difference in engines is tangible, but ultimately both are big enough upgrades that I would be plenty happy with the additional creature comforts of the '22 GT-line.