Good Dealer Dealings - List Your Good Dealer Experience

[KiAustin]

3-4+ months.

Not too concerned about the wait. I was also in touch with Huffines Corinth (and originally planned to order there), but they kept telling me ordering wasn’t open yet. Snooze you lose.

The painless experience, MSRP, and a dealer closer to my home that I can trust are all factors on where I chose to buy from.

How much was your deposit? Refundable or non refundable?

 

[nieburdd]

For those in Seattle area, Lee Johnson Kia in Kirkland, WA is doing MSRP on any Telluride Orders, w/ $1,000 refundable deposit. Just ordered our SX Prestige from them today.

 

[frankrp]

My search is over thankfully. I originally wanted to not go above MSRP by more than 2k, but because I'm so excited about the Wolf Gray color and I was not willing to wait several months, I found one on failcat that was being delivered to a dealer near Atlanta and I contacted them. They charge $2900 over MSRP and dealer fee is $699. Certainly not the greatest deal there ever was, but it is reasonable considering there are dealers asking 10-11k over MSRP. I appreciated the straightforward markup, and they were attentive to my questions, etc.

Jerry Howell
General Manager
ALM Kia South
4310 Jonesboro Rd
Union City, GA 30291
gm.almkiasouth@gmail.com
(678) 827-8900

I also wanted to give props to another dealer asking the same thing, based in Montgomery, AL. Josh was extremely helpful but did not have the vehicle in stock (or allocated).

Joshua Bottoms
General Sales Manager
Brewbaker Kia
Brewbaker Infiniti
(334) 734-1618
jbottoms@brewbaker.com

In either case, there may be room for negotiation, I didn't beat them up because it was refreshing to deal with someone straightforward and being reasonable with the markup. YMMV

I am surprising my wife with this new car. She's never had a brand new vehicle before, and thought the Telluride was not an option due to local dealer marking up 11k. I should be picking the car up in a couple of weeks, now I just have to figure out how I'm going to surprise her.

Good luck everyone!

Frank Pulliam

 

[zamboni]

I am surprising my wife with this new car. She's never had a brand new vehicle before, and thought the Telluride was not an option due to local dealer marking up 11k. I should be picking the car up in a couple of weeks, now I just have to figure out how I'm going to surprise her.

Good luck everyone!

Frank Pulliam

Oooooooooo!
Smart man!

Z.

______________________________

 

[rawknee]

My search is over thankfully. I originally wanted to not go above MSRP by more than 2k, but because I'm so excited about the Wolf Gray color and I was not willing to wait several months, I found one on failcat that was being delivered to a dealer near Atlanta and I contacted them. They charge $2900 over MSRP and dealer fee is $699. Certainly not the greatest deal there ever was, but it is reasonable considering there are dealers asking 10-11k over MSRP. I appreciated the straightforward markup, and they were attentive to my questions, etc.

Jerry Howell
General Manager
ALM Kia South
4310 Jonesboro Rd
Union City, GA 30291
gm.almkiasouth@gmail.com
(678) 827-8900

I also wanted to give props to another dealer asking the same thing, based in Montgomery, AL. Josh was extremely helpful but did not have the vehicle in stock (or allocated).

Joshua Bottoms
General Sales Manager
Brewbaker Kia
Brewbaker Infiniti
(334) 734-1618
jbottoms@brewbaker.com

In either case, there may be room for negotiation, I didn't beat them up because it was refreshing to deal with someone straightforward and being reasonable with the markup. YMMV

I am surprising my wife with this new car. She's never had a brand new vehicle before, and thought the Telluride was not an option due to local dealer marking up 11k. I should be picking the car up in a couple of weeks, now I just have to figure out how I'm going to surprise her.

Good luck everyone!

Frank Pulliam

What an awesome gift! So happy that you found your perfect build. Make sure you get a giant red bow. Us ladies love stuff like that.

 

[Mr.Pups]

My search is over thankfully. I originally wanted to not go above MSRP by more than 2k, but because I'm so excited about the Wolf Gray color and I was not willing to wait several months, I found one on failcat that was being delivered to a dealer near Atlanta and I contacted them. They charge $2900 over MSRP and dealer fee is $699. Certainly not the greatest deal there ever was, but it is reasonable considering there are dealers asking 10-11k over MSRP. I appreciated the straightforward markup, and they were attentive to my questions, etc.

Jerry Howell
General Manager
ALM Kia South
4310 Jonesboro Rd
Union City, GA 30291
gm.almkiasouth@gmail.com
(678) 827-8900

I also wanted to give props to another dealer asking the same thing, based in Montgomery, AL. Josh was extremely helpful but did not have the vehicle in stock (or allocated).

Joshua Bottoms
General Sales Manager
Brewbaker Kia
Brewbaker Infiniti
(334) 734-1618
jbottoms@brewbaker.com

In either case, there may be room for negotiation, I didn't beat them up because it was refreshing to deal with someone straightforward and being reasonable with the markup. YMMV

I am surprising my wife with this new car. She's never had a brand new vehicle before, and thought the Telluride was not an option due to local dealer marking up 11k. I should be picking the car up in a couple of weeks, now I just have to figure out how I'm going to surprise her.

Good luck everyone!

Frank Pulliam

I had a dream that my husband took me to the car lot, handed me a remote key fob, we were in a area of many cars,,,, told me to click-start it and which ever car it started was mine!

 

[JBR]

Another great experience with Andrew and his dealership. Ordered at MSRP. He was very transparent and responsive. I had to cancel my ES nightfall SX-P however Andrew helped me out the entire process I and highly recommend him and their dealership.

Awesome! Yes, I was able to buy at MSRP too! Sorry you had to cancel your order.

 

[bcjenkins]

Kia of Grand Blanc in Michigan near Flint is selling to in-state residents at MSRP. They don't do out of state deals unless you're a cash buyer.

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[Kao]

Kia of Grand Blanc in Michigan near Flint is selling to in-state residents at MSRP. They don't do out of state deals unless you're a cash buyer.

So paying all cash DOES matter! My local dealer said it doesn't change his price.

 

[bcjenkins]

So paying all cash DOES matter! My local dealer said it doesn't change his price.

He said they reduced their titling department and with the reduction in staff in a lot of places titling out of state is too hard. This was due to covid. However with a cash buyer, they can just sign over the title.

They will sell MSRP to anyone, but only in state for financing.

 

[chrono111]

Amazing experience over at Schottenkirk Kia in Quincy Illinois. Found our 2021 GWP SX awd Telly on the telly stats site a couple weeks ago. I called up Schottenkirk and got a hold of Adam our salesmen. He worked with us throughout the entire process. We were able to secure it with a quick 1k deposit. We just waited 10 days until it arrived for pickup. No need to order and wait months. We paid msrp plus the exterior/interior protection plan $1299 plus nitrous fill for $199. Was pleased that we at least got something on the mandatory added options. Wife is extremely happy. We were in and out in 90 minutes. Luke our finance guide went through all our options and got us through quick. Again ask for Adam, he was very nice and informative. Can't believe we got the exact SX we wanted. Looking forward to the Telly township experience!

 

[Deleter]

Ordered a Telluride from Lucas @ Muncie Kia this morning. Awesome to speak to, received Costco pricing, and he was completely upfront on the length of time which might be required to wait. If you're not in a super hurry, I would recommend. I registered the purchase request through the Costco Auto site and he was the one who contacted me.

I can attest that Lucas is on the ball. Straightforward, honors Costco Auto Program pricing, but the potential 8 month wait sent me in another direction. Lucas really was incredibly responsive.

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[Deleter]

Congrats! Another one for team Everlasting Silver. Can't wait until I get mine.

Oh yeah, Koons Kia of Woodbridge (VA).......absolute dirtbags. Christian Punlay & Jay Madrigal.....nothing more than oxygen thieves to mankind.

 

[Deleter]

I had an excellent experience with Jones Kia Bel Air, MD yesterday. After months of searching, it turned out to be dumb luck that I stumbled across an Everlasting Silver SXP that I wasn't even searching for...I thought the non-nightfall models were all gone or spoken for (or way overpriced)! I will start by saying that Jones no longer charges MSRP and there was a $2K markup on this vehicle. Seems those days are done for most dealers in the Washington/Baltimore area until stock can meet demand. That said, $2K is the lowest markup I've seen in the area (for dealers who actually have stock), and given what I've gone through to find this, and the fact that our SUV is dying a little more every day, I was fine with the markup. Plus they didn't hide it, they advertise the the higher price, which is appreciated (I'm looking at you Koons Kia of Woodbridge, VA, and your BS practice of advertising $2K over and asking for another $4K when people call). King Kia in MD has a similar model, but $7,500 over MSRP (all their SXs have that markup and have been sitting for a while).

Now on to the good stuff! I worked with Christos Koulatsos, and he was amazing! Super nice, and very attentive. He's new, so it may have taken a little longer than it normally would, but his attitude was positive and kind (not your typical pushy salesman), so I was fine with the extra time. I get put off by the pushier sales people. I get they're trying to sell cars, but there's no need to be a cocky idiot about it. I never met the sales manager - just worked with Christos and the Finance Manager, Bernie Halle.

I was pleasantly surprised that they valued my trade-in fairly (2007 Lexus RX 350 AWD). I wasn't expecting to trade it, but I figured there's no harm in a quote. Turned out they were only a little under Carvana's quote, and the convenience factor made it worth trading. Your mileage may vary.

Another plus was that I didn't get jerked around on the financing. I got the lowest rates that Kia advertises, and I was happy with that. I was prepared with info from PenFed just in case, but it wasn't needed.

All-in-all, I left Jones Kia a very happy customer! Now I just need to figure all these bells and whistles

TL;DR - Great experience - would buy from them again - but there is a $2K markup, so keep that in mind.

Oh yeah, Koons Kia of Woodbridge (VA).......absolute dirtbags. Christian Punlay & Jay Madrigal.....nothing more than oxygen thieves to mankind.

 

[claybakin247]

Oh yeah, Koons Kia of Woodbridge (VA).......absolute dirtbags. Christian Punlay & Jay Madrigal.....nothing more than oxygen thieves to mankind.

Whoa! I almost checked out Koons, and some of the other NOVA dealers. Fortunately I don’t have to. Winchester is closer to me and just so happens Parsons Kia is selling at MSRP less $500 dealer cash. Great small dealership! Might place an order tomorrow but they’ve still a gravity grey SX on the lot. Been there a week or more. Guess the farm community here hasn’t caught on yet.

 

[claybakin247]

Oh yeah, Koons Kia of Woodbridge (VA).......absolute dirtbags. Christian Punlay & Jay Madrigal.....nothing more than oxygen thieves to mankind.

Sorry wrong post. Can’t delete!

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[claybakin247]

I had an excellent experience with Jones Kia Bel Air, MD yesterday. After months of searching, it turned out to be dumb luck that I stumbled across an Everlasting Silver SXP that I wasn't even searching for...I thought the non-nightfall models were all gone or spoken for (or way overpriced)! I will start by saying that Jones no longer charges MSRP and there was a $2K markup on this vehicle. Seems those days are done for most dealers in the Washington/Baltimore area until stock can meet demand. That said, $2K is the lowest markup I've seen in the area (for dealers who actually have stock), and given what I've gone through to find this, and the fact that our SUV is dying a little more every day, I was fine with the markup. Plus they didn't hide it, they advertise the the higher price, which is appreciated (I'm looking at you Koons Kia of Woodbridge, VA, and your BS practice of advertising $2K over and asking for another $4K when people call). King Kia in MD has a similar model, but $7,500 over MSRP (all their SXs have that markup and have been sitting for a while).

Now on to the good stuff! I worked with Christos Koulatsos, and he was amazing! Super nice, and very attentive. He's new, so it may have taken a little longer than it normally would, but his attitude was positive and kind (not your typical pushy salesman), so I was fine with the extra time. I get put off by the pushier sales people. I get they're trying to sell cars, but there's no need to be a cocky idiot about it. I never met the sales manager - just worked with Christos and the Finance Manager, Bernie Halle.

I was pleasantly surprised that they valued my trade-in fairly (2007 Lexus RX 350 AWD). I wasn't expecting to trade it, but I figured there's no harm in a quote. Turned out they were only a little under Carvana's quote, and the convenience factor made it worth trading. Your mileage may vary.

Another plus was that I didn't get jerked around on the financing. I got the lowest rates that Kia advertises, and I was happy with that. I was prepared with info from PenFed just in case, but it wasn't needed.

All-in-all, I left Jones Kia a very happy customer! Now I just need to figure all these bells and whistles

TL;DR - Great experience - would buy from them again - but there is a $2K markup, so keep that in mind.

Without getting too personal, what kind of credit score etc does it take to get the Kia financing best rate?

ETA: never mind, just realized my CU beats their current advertised rate

 

[Deleter]

My "Good Dealer Experience" -

Alan Griffitt, Sales Consultant, at Ed Voyles of Chamblee (Chamblee, GA) will order at MSRP, $2,000 refundable deposit, 4-6 months wait. Alan sent me complete paperwork with out-the-door price, totally legit.

Lucas Boehm, Internet Sales Consultant, at Kia of Muncie (Muncie, IN) will order at BELOW MSRP, as they honor Costco Auto Program pricing for Costco members. $500 refundable deposit, but a potentially long 8 months wait. Lucas will provide an out-the-door price.

Gerald Greene, New Car Sales Manager, at Superior Kia (Cincinnati, OH) will order at $1,000 BELOW MSRP. $500 refundable deposit, 2-3 months wait. Gerald will provide an out-the-door price. I ordered with Gerald on 09/23/20. I’ll fly to Cincinnati from DC & drive my SX back to Northern Virginia, some day.

Truth be told, Lucas was my first choice, completely transparent interactions with him. Though I'm in no rush, a potential 8 months wait was the negative. Hopefully, things will go as planned with Superior Kia. MANY dealerships out there have lost their minds. Slow & steady wins the race, right? Price fairly & keep churning out the sales vs a need for immediate gratification & blatant GREED that may have long term negative impact on the dealership. Guess it all depends on what the consumer remembers from the experience.

 

[bcjenkins]

I don’t know if I would call it greed, I think it is more consumer stupidity. Whether it’s FOMO or too much disposable income the dealers wouldn’t be getting it if the consumer wasn’t paying it. The car dealers have been on the other side of the equation as well with taking thousands off just to move the product. I say good for them if they can get it, they just won’t get mine.

 

[Deleter]

I don’t know if I would call it greed, I think it is more consumer stupidity. Whether it’s FOMO or too much disposable income the dealers wouldn’t be getting it if the consumer wasn’t paying it. The car dealers have been on the other side of the equation as well with taking thousands off just to move the product. I say good for them if they can get it, they just won’t get mine.

You're right. A more level-headed response than mine. I need to work on that. Sure enough, if folks keep paying it the dealerships will happily accept the $$$$.