I had been trying to find a white SX (without the Prestige pkg.) for several weeks and ran the gauntlet of dealers in S. Carolina and Georgia who were asking $2 to 5K above MSRP. My terms were simple - I told them I was prepared to give them a deposit on a custom factory order, wait the expected 3 months for delivery, and would pay factory sticker price (which I'd come to feel was still a pretty decent value for what the Telluride offers). No takers! The 6th dealer I called was JT's KIA, a large dealership in Columbia, SC. They too were asking $2K above sticker (negotiable) for the few Tellys they had on the lot, but none of their inventory met my specs so that was a non-starter. I told them on the phone that I would come to the dealership - 90 minutes away - only if they could assure me that they would take my order at sticker price, less KIA's $400 veterans discount. To my surprise they said YES!
As usual, I was prepared for more hondeling once I walked in the door, but it turned out to be a very quick and transparent transaction. I handed them my "build" from the KIA website, including accessories, put down a $1000 deposit and they submitted the order to the factory in West Point Georgia on the spot. Estimated delivery was 12 weeks, but it arrived in 35 days just the way I ordered it. To make the experience even better, when I picked it up KIA was offering $1800 credit (until March 1) on the vehicle if leased for 36 months, which was my intention in the first place. It was such a hassle-free experience that we bought my wife a Sportage SX the next week.
For any of this Forum's followers in the Columbia area my salesman's name was Victor Taylor - the Sales Manager was Mike Taranto. Good folks to deal with.
Based on this experience I think the best way to get the Telluride you want is to find a dealer (they do exist) who will order it to your specs and at no more than true sticker price, less any promotions they've got going on.
If you happen to like one they've got on the lot, good luck avoiding a "market adjustment". The average time on the lot at my dealer is 9 days for any Telluride. You will pay more for "instant gratification". Discounts will no doubt be more available at some point in the future, but the sticker price isn't going anywhere but up. You may have noticed the destination charge and the Prestige package price recently went up by $150 and $300 respectively.
By the way - it's the greatest road trip vehicle I've ever owned. Good Luck! Dave Wilson
As usual, I was prepared for more hondeling once I walked in the door, but it turned out to be a very quick and transparent transaction. I handed them my "build" from the KIA website, including accessories, put down a $1000 deposit and they submitted the order to the factory in West Point Georgia on the spot. Estimated delivery was 12 weeks, but it arrived in 35 days just the way I ordered it. To make the experience even better, when I picked it up KIA was offering $1800 credit (until March 1) on the vehicle if leased for 36 months, which was my intention in the first place. It was such a hassle-free experience that we bought my wife a Sportage SX the next week.
For any of this Forum's followers in the Columbia area my salesman's name was Victor Taylor - the Sales Manager was Mike Taranto. Good folks to deal with.
Based on this experience I think the best way to get the Telluride you want is to find a dealer (they do exist) who will order it to your specs and at no more than true sticker price, less any promotions they've got going on.
If you happen to like one they've got on the lot, good luck avoiding a "market adjustment". The average time on the lot at my dealer is 9 days for any Telluride. You will pay more for "instant gratification". Discounts will no doubt be more available at some point in the future, but the sticker price isn't going anywhere but up. You may have noticed the destination charge and the Prestige package price recently went up by $150 and $300 respectively.
By the way - it's the greatest road trip vehicle I've ever owned. Good Luck! Dave Wilson
