SEA Stinger
Active Member
Finally got around to buying out the lease on my Stinger, after three lease payments.
The process took some time, with various hoops to jump through, and pitfalls to avoid. My total payoff amount included the unpaid balance on the lease, plus Washington State sales tax. That's standard practice in WA.
However, when I received the Bill of Sale from KIA Motor Finance (KMF), it showed the total payoff amount in the "Cash Sale Price", and the "Sales/Use Tax" amount was shown as zero.
Nice try, KMF.



I contacted the local vehicle licensing agent, who said that based on what's shown on the Bill of Sale, they would have to charge me sales tax to issue a new title. To avoid this, I would have to get KMF to send me a statement indicating that they have already paid the sales tax. So I called KMF and requested such a statement. The rep I spoke with at KMF said they would issue the statement and send it within 7 to 10 business days.
Based on this experience, I recommend that others who plan to buy out their lease include an explicit request for KMF to either 1) properly show the amount of sales tax paid in the "Sales/Use Tax" box on the Bill of Sale, or 2) include a statement verifying that you have paid the sales tax to KMF.
The process took some time, with various hoops to jump through, and pitfalls to avoid. My total payoff amount included the unpaid balance on the lease, plus Washington State sales tax. That's standard practice in WA.
However, when I received the Bill of Sale from KIA Motor Finance (KMF), it showed the total payoff amount in the "Cash Sale Price", and the "Sales/Use Tax" amount was shown as zero.
Nice try, KMF.




I contacted the local vehicle licensing agent, who said that based on what's shown on the Bill of Sale, they would have to charge me sales tax to issue a new title. To avoid this, I would have to get KMF to send me a statement indicating that they have already paid the sales tax. So I called KMF and requested such a statement. The rep I spoke with at KMF said they would issue the statement and send it within 7 to 10 business days.
Based on this experience, I recommend that others who plan to buy out their lease include an explicit request for KMF to either 1) properly show the amount of sales tax paid in the "Sales/Use Tax" box on the Bill of Sale, or 2) include a statement verifying that you have paid the sales tax to KMF.
Last edited: