Test Drive Experience of a Stinger GT2

[WELLSTUNG18]

I went to the local Kia Dealership to check out a test drive a new Stinger. When I got there I spoke with the salesman and he showed me the car, differences, etc. Well, after talking to him for like 20-30 mins I just wanted to test drive the car or even just ride in it to experience it and see how I felt about it. Guy told me since these cars were so new and were in limited supply that they couldn’t do many test drives.

He then took me inside to get some information from me and trying to get me to buy today or sometime soon within the next few months. (Thankfully no credit check was ran) I told him right now I’m not ready to buy. Of course he tried to sell me on getting my payments to be around $600 a month, trading my Hyundai Sonata (that I still owe on) but coming from paying $344 a month concerns me as well as him saying that they can’t apply any discounts to the car and have to sell it at MSRP.

He then says he has to talk to the manager to get approval to drive the car and get a plate. That took an extra 15-20 mins. At this time I’ve been at the dealership for almost an hour and haven’t driven or had a ride in the car and was tempted to just leave. He finally comes back with plates and we go for a drive. The drive was amazing and I absolutely loved the power and handling of the car as well as quality, but with how much I dealt with at the dealership kinda killed my dream of owning one of these anytime soon.

At this point, my question is should I wait a few years and get this off of a lease and pay a lot less? I was already kinda skeptical on the price of the vehicle and monthly payment and now dealing with the dealership made this car lose some luster. I could understand if the car was a Porsche or Audi, but it’s still a Kia and make it that hard to go for a test drive. With that being said I’m not sure if it’s worth the time, money or headache at this point. What’s your thoughts?

 

[Never thought]

Shop around. I had many dealers not allow me to drive one or who charged well over MSRP. I unded buying one about $1k under invoice financed. You just have to negotiate and find a dealer willing to make a deal. There were a few that said they wouldn’t sell it under MSRP which is pretty on par with any new model release.

 

[WELLSTUNG18]

Shop around. I had many dealers not allow me to drive one or who charged well over MSRP. I unded buying one about $1k under invoice financed. You just have to negotiate and find a dealer willing to make a deal. There were a few that said they wouldn’t sell it under MSRP which is pretty on par with any new model release.

That’s true, I’ll have to check with other dealers when the time comes. I just didn’t like being pushed or not able to negotiate anything. I just thought that was a bit much to do just to test drive or even ride in one. Doesn’t make you feel right about buying one from that particular dealer anyways. Maybe after more time more dealers will become more flexible and willing to negotiate.

 

[Never thought]

That’s true, I’ll have to check with other dealers when the time comes. I just didn’t like being pushed or not able to negotiate anything. I just thought that was a bit much to do just to test drive or even ride in one. Doesn’t make you feel right about buying one from that particular dealer anyways. Maybe after more time more dealers will become more flexible and willing to negotiate.

I agree. I found a dealer willing to let me drive one without any fuss. But I ended up buying from another local dealer that had a GT2 and were willing to negotiate. I went back to some other dealers to see if they could beat it and they said they couldn’t come within $5k (including my trade) and told me to go buy it from that other dealer immediately since I was getting a great deal... lol.

 

[Bear]

I went to the local Kia Dealership to check out a test drive a new Stinger. When I got there I spoke with the salesman and he showed me the car, differences, etc. Well, after talking to him for like 20-30 mins I just wanted to test drive the car or even just ride in it to experience it and see how I felt about it. Guy told me since these cars were so new and were in limited supply that they couldn’t do many test drives.

He then took me inside to get some information from me and trying to get me to buy today or sometime soon within the next few months. (Thankfully no credit check was ran) I told him right now I’m not ready to buy. Of course he tried to sell me on getting my payments to be around $600 a month, trading my Hyundai Sonata (that I still owe on) but coming from paying $344 a month concerns me as well as him saying that they can’t apply any discounts to the car and have to sell it at MSRP.

He then says he has to talk to the manager to get approval to drive the car and get a plate. That took an extra 15-20 mins. At this time I’ve been at the dealership for almost an hour and haven’t driven or had a ride in the car and was tempted to just leave. He finally comes back with plates and we go for a drive. The drive was amazing and I absolutely loved the power and handling of the car as well as quality, but with how much I dealt with at the dealership kinda killed my dream of owning one of these anytime soon.

At this point, my question is should I wait a few years and get this off of a lease and pay a lot less? I was already kinda skeptical on the price of the vehicle and monthly payment and now dealing with the dealership made this car lose some luster. I could understand if the car was a Porsche or Audi, but it’s still a Kia and make it that hard to go for a test drive. With that being said I’m not sure if it’s worth the time, money or headache at this point. What’s your thoughts?

One thing to consider is...if you tell them you aren’t ready to buy then it’s the same thing as “I’m here to waste your time”. Dealerships know that most people coming in are ready to buy and maybe just need a little convincing.

I would advise you to do a lot of your own research on vehicles and pricing before you ever even go in. For example, I run several different pricing options to see what I would pay. So I look at what they would offer, what my trade is worth, what they would offer me, what I should take for my trade in, what I’d be willing to take for my trade in, how much a month I can afford, etc...

I can tell you that MSRP on GT2 RWD is going to around $50,300 or $52,600 with AWD. Tax, title, tag, destination, etc... will most likely not be added into that price. Depending on your state, you can figure out what your OTD price would be if you paid MSRP. For here in Virginia, you’d be looking at something around $56k for AWD.

You mentioned you’re paying $344/mo...so if you were purchasing with no money down and no rollover, your monthly is already going to be more than double that of your Sonata. If you got 0% rate, you would still be paying around $780/mo.

Since the Stingers are new, if you got $2k off the MSRP, you just got a steal. So I would do a lot of thinking and number running before I’d head into dealerships. Just my words of advice is all.

 

[Kazz]

I'm hoping some of this will change once dealerships have more stock of the Stinger.

 

[RobertPaulson]

I went to a dealer just to see the car in person a couple weeks ago. Told the guy I wasn’t ready to buy, was just checking it out. He said they weren’t doing many test drives, only with serious buyers. 10 minutes after that he hands me keys without me even asking. After the test drive, the manager says he’ll do $1000 under msrp along with the lease cash. And I can take it on a 24 hour test drive if I want. I guess the silent treatment was the way to go that day. Never asked to drive, never asked about prices. Driving up in a red sonata turbo probably made me look like an ideal candidate for the stinger though.

 

[Aquadog]

I went to the local Kia Dealership to check out a test drive a new Stinger. When I got there I spoke with the salesman and he showed me the car, differences, etc. Well, after talking to him for like 20-30 mins I just wanted to test drive the car or even just ride in it to experience it and see how I felt about it. Guy told me since these cars were so new and were in limited supply that they couldn’t do many test drives.

He then took me inside to get some information from me and trying to get me to buy today or sometime soon within the next few months. (Thankfully no credit check was ran) I told him right now I’m not ready to buy. Of course he tried to sell me on getting my payments to be around $600 a month, trading my Hyundai Sonata (that I still owe on) but coming from paying $344 a month concerns me as well as him saying that they can’t apply any discounts to the car and have to sell it at MSRP.

He then says he has to talk to the manager to get approval to drive the car and get a plate. That took an extra 15-20 mins. At this time I’ve been at the dealership for almost an hour and haven’t driven or had a ride in the car and was tempted to just leave. He finally comes back with plates and we go for a drive. The drive was amazing and I absolutely loved the power and handling of the car as well as quality, but with how much I dealt with at the dealership kinda killed my dream of owning one of these anytime soon.

At this point, my question is should I wait a few years and get this off of a lease and pay a lot less? I was already kinda skeptical on the price of the vehicle and monthly payment and now dealing with the dealership made this car lose some luster. I could understand if the car was a Porsche or Audi, but it’s still a Kia and make it that hard to go for a test drive. With that being said I’m not sure if it’s worth the time, money or headache at this point. What’s your thoughts?

Don't know where you are located but in less it's the only dealer in 100 miles , shop around.
Forget that dealership you really answered your own question after you drove the car don't let one dealership ruin how you feel about the stinger .
As far as the MSRP goes the dealer can do anything they want with it including giving a discount even if you're going to lease it. Go onto the Kia website and do the payment calculator see what works best for you buying or leasing.
Don't want to get into the buying or leasing at the moment crunched both ends until my Head exploded. Right now Kia is giving a $6500 rebate on the GT 2 , and $7200 rebate on the GT 2 AWD on a lease until February 28.
We got our GT 2 AWD Snow white pearl January 31 And have enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[mldavis2]

I have mixed feelings about these test drives. If I was going to buy a "new" car (which I am), I want a new car, not a demo. Once you let ten people take a brand new car out and "test drive" it, it is no longer new, and it has been improperly driven and not broken in properly. I turned down a dealer transfer after they told my salesman that the car had been on the show floor. After checking they advised in had "only" 150 miles on it. And I know darn well how that 150 miles was driven. So mine is coming off a transport a week from Monday and the dealer and service department have instructions not to drive it except into the service bay and wash rack. Letting someone take a car overnight for a 24 hour test drive is guaranteed to ruin a new car, score cylinder walls and cause other non-break-in problems. If it's not new, don't pay a new price, either.

 

[CoconutRob]

I have mixed feelings about these test drives. If I was going to buy a "new" car (which I am), I want a new car, not a demo. Once you let ten people take a brand new car out and "test drive" it, it is no longer new, and it has been improperly driven and not broken in properly. I turned down a dealer transfer after they told my salesman that the car had been on the show floor. After checking they advised in had "only" 150 miles on it. And I know darn well how that 150 miles was driven. So mine is coming off a transport a week from Monday and the dealer and service department have instructions not to drive it except into the service bay and wash rack. Letting someone take a car overnight for a 24 hour test drive is guaranteed to ruin a new car, score cylinder walls and cause other non-break-in problems. If it's not new, don't pay a new price, either.

SO DON'T BUY IT. For the last 30 years of my adult life this is the way it has always been!

 

[mldavis2]

SO DON'T BUY IT. For the last 30 years of my adult life this is the way it has always been!

Must be nice. I'm 74 years old and I've never been given a 24-hour test drive. And I would never buy any car with miles on it unless I got one big discount on it. If a dealer wants to do that, I have no quarrel with it. It's not fair to the car or the subsequent buyer, and it is not a new car. It should be priced accordingly as a demo with the appropriate discount. I don't buy demos. Drive what you like and like what you drive. It's the dealer's and buyer's choice. Caveat emptor.

 

[CoconutRob]

OK I don' understand what you are griping about. Don' buy it I wouldn' either unless it was heavily dicounted then I would drive it as hard as I could before the 10year 100k mile warranty was up.

 

[Never thought]

They are saying they don’t want to buy a new car with significant mileage. I get that. A dealer was trying to sell me a GT1 that the owner of the dealership was driving. They were asking $1500 OVER msrp despite the fact the owner was driving it and it had about a couple hundred miles on it. My GT2 had 14 miles on it when I got it. By far the least amount of mileage I had on a new car. It made me feel extra special.

 

[Aquadog]

I have mixed feelings about these test drives. If I was going to buy a "new" car (which I am), I want a new car, not a demo. Once you let ten people take a brand new car out and "test drive" it, it is no longer new, and it has been improperly driven and not broken in properly. I turned down a dealer transfer after they told my salesman that the car had been on the show floor. After checking they advised in had "only" 150 miles on it. And I know darn well how that 150 miles was driven. So mine is coming off a transport a week from Monday and the dealer and service department have instructions not to drive it except into the service bay and wash rack. Letting someone take a car overnight for a 24 hour test drive is guaranteed to ruin a new car, score cylinder walls and cause other non-break-in problems. If it's not new, don't pay a new price, either.

Even off the truck Kia has a checklist and the car has to be driven it's either 10 or 15 miles , it's part of the pre-delivery process , ours had 16 miles on it when we picked it up . I found this out when I was at the dealer wanting to see a snow white pearl that was being delivered that day but I had to wait till I came out of the shop and into the detail shop. I saw it come out of the shop The mechanic took off and went down the street came back in the dealership drove around the back grow back out my bag down the street did this about three times I just wanted him to stop so I could see the damn thing. I asked the salesman what was going on and that's when he explained about the pre-delivery process they have to put like I said 10 or 15 miles on it to sign it off amongst other things I'm sure .

 

[WELLSTUNG18]

They are saying they don’t want to buy a new car with significant mileage. I get that. A dealer was trying to sell me a GT1 that the owner of the dealership was driving. They were asking $1500 OVER msrp despite the fact the owner was driving it and it had about a couple hundred miles on it. My GT2 had 14 miles on it when I got it. By far the least amount of mileage I had on a new car. It made me feel extra special.

Wait, they tried to sell that GT1 with that many miles on it new? I can understand test drives, I mean it's not like you have to drive extremely far, but to have the owner of the dealership drive it like it's his personal vehicle isn't very professional. I hope they turned that into a demo vehicle or made it used instead of being a new purchase. That dealer sounds a sketchy to me plus charging over $1500 for it?! That's absurd. I hope you didn't buy your from them. Glad you got one with on 14 miles on it though!

 

[WELLSTUNG18]

Thanks for the advice, there are more dealerships in the area that I can check out, but I will do more research online about some payment options. I think I may need to pay my car down more or off especially before trading. It's not worth trading for something if it's going to add a crap ton to the monthly payment or overall price of the car.

 

[Aquadog]

Must be nice. I'm 74 years old and I've never been given a 24-hour test drive. And I would never buy any car with miles on it unless I got one big discount on it. If a dealer wants to do that, I have no quarrel with it. It's not fair to the car or the subsequent buyer, and it is not a new car. It should be priced accordingly as a demo with the appropriate discount. I don't buy demos. Drive what you like and like what you drive. It's the dealer's and buyer's choice. Caveat emptor.

My car had 631 miles on it when I signed the papers but I did get to put the last 615 on it before I signed the papers hell of a test drive

 

[WELLSTUNG18]

My car had 631 miles on it when I signed the papers but I did get to put the last 615 on it before I signed the papers hell of a test drive

Really? They must have let you do an extended test drive which is awesome. How long did you test drive it for? Did you get a discount on it due to how many miles were on it before you bought it?

 

[Aquadog]

No discount long story kind of short. I wanted a GT2 AWD Snow white pearl, no such animal in California. My dealer found it up in the Portland area and I flew up with the salesman and drove it back. When we picked it Had 16 miles on it, I too don't want my brand new car driven by someone else . Got back that night dropped it off at the dealer, came back the next afternoon and that's when I signed the papers. That's how it became a 615 mile test drive .

 

[WELLSTUNG18]

Gotcha. Well I live in Tennessee and that’s a long way from California lol. At least you found the Stinger you wanted and you put the miles on it. I’d rather be the only one to put miles on my own as well but that gave you a lot of time to get used to your new car

No discount long story kind of short. I wanted a GT2 AWD Snow white pearl, no such animal in California. My dealer found it up in the Portland area and I flew up with the salesman and drove it back. When we picked it Had 16 miles on it, I too don't want my brand new car driven by someone else . Got back that night dropped it off at the dealer, came back the next afternoon and that's when I signed the papers. That's how it became a 615 mile test drive .[/QUOTE