Kia Telluride conversions to higher options, Is this a product of availability or price of the trim levels

[PittPa]

I have been on various car forums before, but I have never seen owners of vehicles go to or even consider such significant changes made to their brand new vehicles. Headlights to LED, regular glass to acoustic glass, 3rd party trunk lifts, adding HUD, 3rd party chrome delete, 3rd party roof rack systems. 3rd party remote start. repainting trim to body color, etc. I am sure there are more. My concern with these on a new vehicle is that they will be done substandard and also devalue your car in the process. This is not a knock on those that are looking into doing these, I just know personally if I wanted any of these items I would get the trim level that has them, no matter the distance to travel or wait. I think the post recently about adding HUD to a car made me think of why not just get and SX with prestige if its that needed.

 

[2020Telly]

Then you are the type of buyer Kia is marketing the various options and packages to. The reason why aftermarket options exist is because many people want the best of breed for that particular feature and don't want to overpay Kia for a feature by having to pay for an entire package. They are also not as scared about the resale value of a depreciating asset as much as not overpaying. To me the title in my hand is worth every penny of a lower trim that I can optionally add $10K worth of options to over time rather than have Kia tell me what I should want and then offer additional warranties to cover the new things that could go wrong. I say to each his own. Buy OEM if you feel better about it, but if you want to go aftermarket, it's your money do what you want. If you see value in all the options that are included in a higher trim and package, then it might make sense to buy it all at the vehicle purchase.

I think most people buy on a budget. So by offering options at different price points they will appeal to more buyers. Add that to the fact that you might have to wait longer for one trim over something that you can get sooner, buyers may start to examine option, package, and color preferences more.

 

[PittPa]

Having come from owning BMW's there were layers and layers of options, some grouped into a "package" some stand alone. If you wanted to get the all the accident avoidance equipment, this generally only came on the highest trim levels. I think KIA has made these features affordable, in fact most buying guides simply recommend getting the SX because of its value. Look at the price of a Prestige upgrade compared to getting HUD installed independently, I bet its close. And its not so much aftermarket. Many are looking to at the same OE KIA options on a lower trim level. There is a generally distrust among many of KIA service, I can't see them installing a HUD confidently.

 

[2020Telly]

Having come from owning BMW's there were layers and layers of options, some grouped into a "package" some stand alone. If you wanted to get the all the accident avoidance equipment, this generally only came on the highest trim levels. I think KIA has made these features affordable, in fact most buying guides simply recommend getting the SX because of its value. Look at the price of a Prestige upgrade compared to getting HUD installed aftermarket! I bet its close.

Look at this this way, if you were looking at a Kia Telluride FWD Premium because you wanted FWD and captains chairs and most or all of the Premium add ons, that is an MSRP $40,255. But to simply add HUD, you have to go to an SX Prestige AWD and that has an MSRP of $47,560. That's a big jump for just one feature if that's all you care about. Value is relative to what each buyer plans to use or need. I see most of the additional options as luxuries, while very nice, I can't get the same value out of them because I still plan to use my Telluride in the same exact way. Aftermarket plug-n-play HUD with lots of bells and whistles is still under $100.

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[Bridge4]

If you go on any truck/off road forum on the internet there are THOUSANDS of threads with people buying a brand new car and then dropping 10-20k in additions. Most won't even off road them, its just for looks.

At least half of the mods on here people are doing are practical and will be enjoyed.

I am guilty of spending thousands on new truck mods. Full suspension redos, stereos, wheels/tires and added lighting... it adds up fast.

Forums are really just great places to see how you can throw your money away

 

[2020Telly]

While I'm not interested in a ton of mods, I love seeing what people do. With a bigger budget to spend I'd probably be trying to mimic @Alonzo_Tigerhart 's bad ass build.

Front Runner Slimline 2 Platform Roof Rack (Prototype)

Check out my IG for more post Yeah. I see some nice photos of Telly in your IG. I am also wondering with the RTT on the rack, does it have space to put an awning?

tellurideforum.org

For me, the Telluride FWD S was what I needed. I added a tow option myself, retrofit LED bulbs, additional LED bulbs throughout, DIY grill protection, new tires. While I miss a few luxury options, I'm out of pocket just over $32K because of when I bought. I can see tremendous value in money I did not spend on a higher trim for features I would not make full use of. Don't get me wrong, I would be very pleased to be driving around a $50K+ Telluride, but the overall value to me starts to drop.

 

[Butch Cassidy]

Retrofit hud to my current ride. Don’t ask about what it cost...

 

[2020Telly]

It's a good thing airlines are okay with aftermarket options to modernize their fleet. Given the choice, I'd rather be on the one with the aftermarket upgrades over the 55 year old version of the same with only the factory options.

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[PittPa]

Retrofit hud to my current ride. Don’t ask about what it cost...View attachment 18000

I'm thinking $2-300? No way more than $500.

 

[Buck14]

I'm a turnkey guy myself. If I am spending 40k-50k on a new car, I expect it to have everything I need / want and I do not want to have to do anything additional to the car. I also drive my cars for 10+ years so I generally get the warranty (that is my only add on). My worry about adding anything significant is that if any after-market part / accessory malfunctions and causes damage to your car it will void any warranty. That is no bueno for me. I am just not a "car guy". I do enjoy very much seeing what you crazy car people do to your Tellys!! Fun for me to enjoy vicariously through you.

I'll do the oil changes and rotation of tires but that is it.