Good Dealer Dealings - List Your Good Dealer Experience

[Deb in Bailey]

I am still working on getting my Telly. It's hard when you want a low inventory car (the Telly) and a low inventory trimline for that car (sx-p x-pro) and a not-as-popular-as-others color (jungle green).

Two dealers on the front range (Colorado) have really stood out trying to help me. Fowler Kia (Longmont) and Fort Collins Kia have been amazing. And since Fort Collins Kia is a tiny dealer and would love to take business from Fowler (high inventory dealer), they are even more motivated.

I did not expect, in this day and age, to have a dealer work so hard to try to get me to take the ebony black sx-p x-pro that happened to be on their lot. They almost did. Almost. I may be a fool for holding out for the jungle green and not driving the ebony black off the lot today. Someone is going to get a sweet ride!

 

[daphnevibeslife]

I am still working on getting my Telly. It's hard when you want a low inventory car (the Telly) and a low inventory trimline for that car (sx-p x-pro) and a not-as-popular-as-others color (jungle green).

Two dealers on the front range (Colorado) have really stood out trying to help me. Fowler Kia (Longmont) and Fort Collins Kia have been amazing. And since Fort Collins Kia is a tiny dealer and would love to take business from Fowler (high inventory dealer), they are even more motivated.

I did not expect, in this day and age, to have a dealer work so hard to try to get me to take the ebony black sx-p x-pro that happened to be on their lot. They almost did. Almost. I may be a fool for holding out for the jungle green and not driving the ebony black off the lot today. Someone is going to get a sweet ride!

Not a fool we want what we want! Did you factory order and if so how long did they say it will take?

 

[Deb in Bailey]

Not a fool we want what we want! Did you factory order and if so how long did they say it will take?

Ordering is taking 4-6 months (per even the high volume dealer) and I'm concerned about pushing into the 2024 year.

I had the opportunity to put my name on one of the manufacturer hail damaged cars, but there is no word on when it will actually be available. Could be next week or next month or 8 months. At least I know it's built and my cost. In the meantime, I am visiting dealers, checking inventories, making phone calls. . . just waiting to see what I may find. I've been in the right place at the right time twice now. Once to have the option of claiming the hail damaged car as the salesman next to mine had JUST heard his customer didn't want it. And once yesterday to find the car that had just arrived and been refused.

There is *the* car I want on a dealer lot nearby. It's supposed to ship from the dealer to an out of state customer and was just damaged in a local hail storm. I am waiting to hear if it may be available.

I also have the dealer from yesterday trying to find the car I want in unclaimed inventory and get it from another dealer. There are not many jungle green in my trimline out there!

Both the dealers I listed have really been amazing. I did have a really bad experience at another local dealer, so, it's great to have good experiences.

 

[daphnevibeslife]

Ordering is taking 4-6 months (per even the high volume dealer) and I'm concerned about pushing into the 2024 year.

I had the opportunity to put my name on one of the manufacturer hail damaged cars, but there is no word on when it will actually be available. Could be next week or next month or 8 months. At least I know it's built and my cost. In the meantime, I am visiting dealers, checking inventories, making phone calls. . . just waiting to see what I may find. I've been in the right place at the right time twice now. Once to have the option of claiming the hail damaged car as the salesman next to mine had JUST heard his customer didn't want it. And once yesterday to find the car that had just arrived and been refused.

There is *the* car I want on a dealer lot nearby. It's supposed to ship from the dealer to an out of state customer and was just damaged in a local hail storm. I am waiting to hear if it may be available.

I also have the dealer from yesterday trying to find the car I want in unclaimed inventory and get it from another dealer. There are not many jungle green in my trimline out there!

Both the dealers I listed have really been amazing. I did have a really bad experience at another local dealer, so, it's great to have good experiences.

Agree, I had a great experience but also got lucky, I ordered on March 15 and the car came on April 12th. Now maybe I got one that some one else didn't want but it matched what was on my order. Good luck!

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[G-790627]

I have had some really crappy customer experience the past few months with various businesses! I usually light them up on Twitter to get my issue resolved. Finally someone came through with 5 star service! Fairfax Kia came through! I thought I was going to be waiting 2-5 months for my order for a Kia Telluride. I know folks had been waiting 6 months or longer! It came in 28 days but the customer service after delivery is what really mattered. I knew going in I would pay MSRP on the factory order but they weren’t pushy when I said no to extras. Boris Castro was my salesperson.

Fairfax, VA??

 

[daphnevibeslife]

Fairfax, VA??

Yep

 

[rnick1976]

Huge shout out to Juan Morales at Destination Kia in Albany, NY. After a horrid experience at Lev Kia in Framingham MA, Juan and I connected and he made assurances that I frankly had a hard time believing (considering my previous experience). I asked what it would look like for a custom SX X-Line Prestige order, and he said 2-3 months/MSRP/no dealer add-ons/$1k 100% refundable deposit. I literally asked him what the catch was... what was I missing. He said I was missing nothing - that was how it would be.

What he laid out is EXACTLY what happened. He proactively communicated every couple weeks, even when there was really nothing to update, just to let me know how things we were going and that we were on schedule. He detailed the process for me and answered/re-answered all of my nervous buyer questions. He returned texts and phone calls, something the other dealer couldn't bother to do. He made a very jittery car buyer feel taken care of. At pick up, he got a ton of the paperwork done ahead of time because he know my schedule was tight and, the whole process was smooth. As promised, there were no dealer add-ons and the business manager who closed the deal (Jose) was absolutely zero-pressure on warranties or anything else.

I wish I lived closer to Destination so they could be my service shop too! Juan is absolutely the real deal, highly recommended.

 

[boston02118]

Huge shout out to Juan Morales at Destination Kia in Albany, NY. After a horrid experience at Lev Kia in Framingham MA, Juan and I connected and he made assurances that I frankly had a hard time believing (considering my previous experience). I asked what it would look like for a custom SX X-Line Prestige order, and he said 2-3 months/MSRP/no dealer add-ons/$1k 100% refundable deposit. I literally asked him what the catch was... what was I missing. He said I was missing nothing - that was how it would be.

What he laid out is EXACTLY what happened. He proactively communicated every couple weeks, even when there was really nothing to update, just to let me know how things we were going and that we were on schedule. He detailed the process for me and answered/re-answered all of my nervous buyer questions. He returned texts and phone calls, something the other dealer couldn't bother to do. He made a very jittery car buyer feel taken care of. At pick up, he got a ton of the paperwork done ahead of time because he know my schedule was tight and, the whole process was smooth. As promised, there were no dealer add-ons and the business manager who closed the deal (Jose) was absolutely zero-pressure on warranties or anything else.

I wish I lived closer to Destination so they could be my service shop too! Juan is absolutely the real deal, highly recommended.

Thanks for sharing this and congrats on your new car! Are you based in Massachusetts and did you have any issues with plates/registration despite buying out-of-state? We likewise gave up on our deposit at Lev after 14 months of waiting and traded in our ‘20 Telluride for a ‘24 Mazda CX-90 that we bought from a local dealer, but could see buying an EV-9 in the future and would love to find a way around Lev’s expected long waitlists.

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[rnick1976]

Thanks for sharing this and congrats on your new car! Are you based in Massachusetts and did you have any issues with plates/registration despite buying out-of-state? We likewise gave up on our deposit at Lev after 14 months of waiting and traded in our ‘20 Telluride for a ‘24 Mazda CX-90 that we bought from a local dealer, but could see buying an EV-9 in the future and would love to find a way around Lev’s expected long waitlists.

Yep - I'm in MA and crossed the border to buy it. For registration - I'm getting new plates (not transferring), and the way Destination is doing it is they give me a dealer plate until they are able to register the new car for me. Once that is done, someone from Destination drives to my home (2.5 hours away...!) to swap the dealer plates with my new ones. It hasn't happened yet, but I'll let you know if something wonky happens.

I did not know much about how volume plays into how fast a dealer can get customer orders; Destination is a much higher volume dealer than Lev and, if what they told me is accurate, they can get vehicles faster. I was actually shocked by how busy the place was this past weekend - absolutely packed on a Saturday.

 

[letsget1t]

6 months later, finally got the call that my Telluride should be coming in at the end of the month (or beginning of July) .
Sounds like I'll be getting the '24 model. haven't seen any details for the '24 year, but he stated that XLine and XPro will be fully blacked out like the Nightfall package, and he said they will have the amber day time running lights (I ordered an EX X-Line). I'm just hoping there wasn't too much of a price jump. going over that with the salesman in the next week
(from Hart dealership in Salem, VA)

 

[TellmeyourWHAT?]

I'm just hoping there wasn't too much of a price jump. going over that with the salesman in the next week

Several members here have reported little to no price jump (the most has been $100). I would have expected a lot more if for no other reason than inflation.

 

[pbinde]

I just returned to NJ from a quick trip to Indiana where I picked up my new 2023 SX Prestige Telluride (Black/Black) from Lucas and the team at Kia of Muncie! I can't recommend them high enough. The whole process was smooth and easy and friendly. They gave me a fare value on my trade-in (2020 Telluride SX-PT) and of course, did not charge over on MSRP like so many dealerships around the country are sadly still doing. I also picked up a Tire and wheel warranty from them as well. A huge thank you again to the team at Kia of Muncie!

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[Daveveal]

Hello, all! Embarking upon the scary (for me) process of custom ordering. As I'm sure is a familiar story, I cannot tell you how many dealerships I've been to, beginning the discussion with "I refuse to take a white, gray or black car." I am 55 years old and every dealer I've ever gone to over my lifetime promises they can get the color I want and I drive away in a gray car. (no offense to gray car owners out there!) Lol.

I live in the Philadelphia area, which according to the forums I've read, does not give me good hope. Can anyone else recommend Destination Kia in Albany New York? It looks like that might be the closest dealership that has a favorable overview and is willing to do custom orders at MSRP. If anyone knows of another reputable dealer in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware area please pass along. All of the places I have called are blowing smoke and saying it's impossible to custom order or "Kia shut that down years ago" or is still trying to add anywhere between $2000 to $6000 markup.


Very thankful for all of you who take the time to pass your stories and information along.

 

[clow]

Go to Freedom Kia of Morgantown, WV. Great experience with custom order at MSRP.

 

[letsget1t]

i tried for a while. i ended up going with Hart in Salem, VA. msrp and no other add-ons either. not ideal, but i'm not paying 3-5K markup that's everywhere in Nova. i'll deal with the 2-3 hr trip ;p

I can now say I'm officially a Telluride owner..

finally picked up the new kid and drove it back yesterday. The only two things that gave me pause when I first saw the car in the showroom, is that the Gravity Grey definitely has some play with it's color. depending how you look and the lighting, has a blue-grey tint to it. the other thing was the cross bars. it ended up being an impulse buy and they installed at dealership.. but when I came in, they were not the OEM style that I've seen online and on any of the build site. they were Yakima brand bars, which I know are good. but aesthetically, looks off. I asked about it, and he said they changed it for the 2024 model (though, if nothing really changed from 23 to 24, that's seems weird if it should still fit).
regardless, the more I walked around car, drove it, fiddled with the interior, all those 'issues' got pushed to the back of the head, and I'm super hyped about the purchase .
(and the terracotta interior is sooooo nice )

if you're still looking to get one in Virginia, and don't mind going to Roanoke in SW VA, go to Hart motors and talk to Max Schopp. super easy process with him, and the rest of the staff were really nice.

 

[TellmeyourWHAT?]

the other thing was the cross bars. it ended up being an impulse buy and they installed at dealership.. but when I came in, they were not the OEM style that I've seen online and on any of the build site. they were Yakima brand bars, which I know are good. but aesthetically, looks off.

Those crossbars look (to me) like they weren't assembled correctly. I think they should be lower and inserted in the housings on each rail. See Yakima link below:

https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Rack/Yakima/Y00447-2.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20%7C%20Shop%20-%20Roof%20Rack&adgroupid=84311584723&campaignid=203663657&creative=398832124458&device=c&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=9008201&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwISlBhD6ARIsAESAmp6RtGOGNr5M2NPbxEbvbCXIAHLgRIBXOyqW393sxlU83kalO5RdKWcaAm7XEALw_wcB

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[laceyjf]

I can now say I'm officially a Telluride owner..

finally picked up the new kid and drove it back yesterday. The only two things that gave me pause when I first saw the car in the showroom, is that the Gravity Grey definitely has some play with it's color. depending how you look and the lighting, has a blue-grey tint to it. the other thing was the cross bars. it ended up being an impulse buy and they installed at dealership.. but when I came in, they were not the OEM style that I've seen online and on any of the build site. they were Yakima brand bars, which I know are good. but aesthetically, looks off. I asked about it, and he said they changed it for the 2024 model (though, if nothing really changed from 23 to 24, that's seems weird if it should still fit).
regardless, the more I walked around car, drove it, fiddled with the interior, all those 'issues' got pushed to the back of the head, and I'm super hyped about the purchase .
(and the terracotta interior is sooooo nice )

if you're still looking to get one in Virginia, and don't mind going to Roanoke in SW VA, go to Hart motors and talk to Max Schopp. super easy process with him, and the rest of the staff were really nice.

I love the color and I can’t wait for mine to arrive this week! Good luck and enjoy

 

[23Ride]

Congrats on the new X-Pro!

The Crossbars are the correct 'new' ones for the X models. I ordered crossbars after delivery and the parts delivered looked like the ones where the ends fit into the risers but I found that they only fit the non "X" models which do not have the raised mounting bar. Took them back to the dealer and they checked and sure enough, there is a different part number for the X Line and X Pro. Received the correct ones (which cost less than the others - Yay!). The box had a KIA Parts sticker on it and no other identifying markings. Upon opening it, I found that they were indeed Yakima Timberline mounts which have the crossbar extend on top of the mounting base. Maybe not as 'clean' looking as the non-X mounts but still sturdy and good looking.

 

[byscott]

I did not know much about how volume plays into how fast a dealer can get customer orders; Destination is a much higher volume dealer than Lev and, if what they told me is accurate, they can get vehicles faster. I was actually shocked by how busy the place was this past weekend - absolutely packed on a Saturday.

Destination is my local dealer … bought my Telluride there in September 2021. At the time they were top 10 in the country in Telluride allocation, something like 50 or 60 per month.

 

[TellmeyourWHAT?]

My local dealer was no slouch. When I ordered (May 16), they were unsure of delivery but thought it would be mid-September. Car came in last week - only took 6 weeks. And it was pretty special order with SX-P, X-Line, premium paint and interior, running boards, mud flaps, cargo tray, etc. Given the fact that the plant only started building '24s like the first or second week of June, getting the car by the end of June is even more impressive.