What's With Kia?

[Doc]

I find it interesting that the Kia dealers in Charleston and Columbia, SC indicate that they have x number of Tellurides on the lot, yet when you access the website, in some cases, they don't have a picture, which makes me believe that they don't really have the automobile. Additionally, they don't list a price. I don't like to do business when they appear to hide important aspects of the vehicle. Is it the old 'bait and switch' tactic? It appears so. I have been interested in buying a 2021 Telluride, but if I can't physically see and drive the SX trim, I will never buy a car from a dealership that conducts business that way. If I was a dealer, I would have the vehicle available, considering the Consumer Reports high rating. Ido not subscribe to what most sales people say, 'they are all the same'. I want so the SX, and am not interested in other trims.

 

[raydog9379]

A lot of times they automatically get added to inventory even if they are customer orders, good dealerships catch it and do something in the system to remove those from showing on their sites. GSMs at a couple dealers told me that when I was looking for my SX-P back in Jan/Feb.

The other thing that happens is that they might have a vehicle coming soon, but not yet delivered to them. Hence no pictures yet.

 

[jw_tx21]

I find it interesting that the Kia dealers in Charleston and Columbia, SC indicate that they have x number of Tellurides on the lot, yet when you access the website, in some cases, they don't have a picture, which makes me believe that they don't really have the automobile. Additionally, they don't list a price. I don't like to do business when they appear to hide important aspects of the vehicle. Is it the old 'bait and switch' tactic? It appears so. I have been interested in buying a 2021 Telluride, but if I can't physically see and drive the SX trim, I will never buy a car from a dealership that conducts business that way. If I was a dealer, I would have the vehicle available, considering the Consumer Reports high rating. Ido not subscribe to what most sales people say, 'they are all the same'. I want so the SX, and am not interested in other trims.

Yawn. Another post from "Doc" complaining about Kia dealerships and not being able to drive an SX. I know, you won't buy a "pig in a poke" whatever that is. You probably want $5k off the list price also to get a good deal. Please, no more inane posts.

If you want a Telluride, then talk with a dealer and make a deal. You're 81 and you've bought a ton of cars in the past. The vehicles listed on websites are likely already sold orders - they get added automatically. Especially SX trims. And no respectable dealer will let you drive someone else's sold order SX. You can find them - use the tools on this forum.

If you refuse to make an order with a refundable deposit before test driving an SX, then you might be waiting a while to find one on a lot ready to be sold. Just please quit subjecting us to your banal criticisms.

 

[Doc]

Yawn. Another post from "Doc" complaining about Kia dealerships and not being able to drive an SX. I know, you won't buy a "pig in a poke" whatever that is. You probably want $5k off the list price also to get a good deal. Please, no more inane posts.

If you want a Telluride, then talk with a dealer and make a deal. You're 81 and you've bought a ton of cars in the past. The vehicles listed on websites are likely already sold orders - they get added automatically. Especially SX trims. And no respectable dealer will let you drive someone else's sold order SX. You can find them - use the tools on this forum.

If you refuse to make an order with a refundable deposit before test driving an SX, then you might be waiting a while to find one on a lot ready to be sold. Just please quit subjecting us to your banal criticisms.

This isn't a forum, it is, 'think as I do' agenda. If you don't like my posts ,don't read them. If you don't know what a 'pig in a poke is,' that explains much.

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[ucinn]

This isn't a forum, it is, 'think as I do' agenda. If you don't like my posts ,don't read them. If you don't know what a 'pig in a poke is,' that explains much.

Young whippersnappers

 

[Doc]

O H I O. Now I understand.

 

[ucinn]

O H I O. Now I understand.

?

 

[critrider]

Doc is going to be grouchy if you question him and not happy if you ignore him LOL. I suggest everyone just ignore him, don't feed the beast.

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[Doc]

Whatever floats you boat.

 

[Tellthemride]

@Doc You can put a refundable deposit down to order an SX of your liking, then when it arrives, you can inspect it before making the decision to actually buy. Just make sure the dealer is ok with a refund for any reason. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you backed out anyway since these things sell so easy.

 

[MarcinTexas]

Doc is going to be grouchy if you question him and not happy if you ignore him LOL. I suggest everyone just ignore him, don't feed the beast.

Agreed. The more I see of his posts and questions...he is trolling the site and trolling the Telluride. If this had a BMW badge on it - he would already have one. Ignore him...

 

[GaDawg]

@Doc The dealer in Charleston (Kia County) is a straight shooter and doesn't play games. Jason is one of the business managers and great to work with. I also worked with Adam (GSM) at Galena in Columbia, and he was ordering SXP at MSRP back in December. Not sure what they are doing now, but worth a call. I ended up finding an SXP in NC and drove there from Atlanta to pick it up. I would have worked with one of the two above if I hadn't gotten the one I did as we have family in both SC cities and travel there frequently.

Either way, you're going to be hard pressed to find an SXP on a lot, and if you do, it most likely won't be at MSRP. As Raydog says, Kia populates the dealer website with allocations.

Best thing to do is pick up the phone and talk to them. You'll get a feeling pretty quick if they are one you'd want to work with. Good luck!

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[mrmac]

Old, lonely, vulnerable and consequently grouchy. Humor the old guy, he may not have long left! Heck, I only hope to live until 80+ so I can instigate mischief while blaming it on my inner child...

 

[jw_tx21]

Old, lonely, vulnerable and consequently grouchy. Humor the old guy, he may not have long left! Heck, I only hope to live until 80+ so I can instigate mischief while blaming it on my inner child...

Ha, or blame it on having previously bought a in a poke.

 

[Doc]

Agreed. The more I see of his posts and questions...he is trolling the site and trolling the Telluride. If this had a BMW badge on it - he would already have one. Ignore him...

No troll, dude. Just the facts will do.

 

[Doc]

A lot of times they automatically get added to inventory even if they are customer orders, good dealerships catch it and do something in the system to remove those from showing on their sites. GSMs at a couple dealers told me that when I was looking for my SX-P back in Jan/Feb.

The other thing that happens is that they might have a vehicle coming soon, but not yet delivered to them. Hence no pictures yet.

In this day of technology, it isn't imaginable that they cannot get a picture of the car they supposedly have. I had a similar problem with a 1985 Nissan Maxima 5 speed. I even caught the dealer pretending to be talking so someone who had a car I had ordered (we was lying. I counted the number of times he pushed the buttons on the telephone, and he was short a number). After over a month of lies and frustration, I finally received my vehicle and I purchased a extended warranty (first year of this V6 model). Only to have a transmission problem in 1992, which the dealer stated that problem wasn't included. Since that time, I am skeptical about all salesmen/women and anyone in the business of selling cars. Bitter? No, just accept it as a long known practice. If I had to make a calculated guess, I would think the same is true with the Telluride. They want to get you interested,promise you a vehicle they don't have, get your money, and by doing so, you aren't in a position to but another vehicle. I have read the Tellurides are much in demand, but I also think the company is taking advantage of the consumer. It the demand is so great, why not make more of the 'in demand' models. There is a reason they have hundreds of the lesser models of cars on the lot. I am willing to wait for the 2021 or 2022 models arrive. By that time, the novelty of the model will be known to be authentic or just another 'must have' because 'everyone has one' phenomenon. The only reason I was interested in the Telluride in the beginning was a result of the Consumer Report high rating. I think everyone will get a more cogent evaluation of the vehicle after one or two model years.

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[2020Telly]

This isn't a forum, it is, 'think as I do' agenda. If you don't like my posts ,don't read them. If you don't know what a 'pig in a poke is,' that explains much.

I love pig, I’ll happily eat it blindfolded just give me some good sauce. I’ll pass on the poke, I’m not one for raw fish. But seriously, everything is sold on a supply and demand bell curve if it’s a hit. Kia probably couldn’t assume the Telluride would be a hit especially after the Borrego in the US so they couldn’t start out with a goal of 100,000 Tellurides a year. If you insist on an exact match test drive then you should wait a year for production to pick back up and a neighbor down your street will have one you can ask to test drive.

 

[Doc]

I love pig, I’ll happily eat it blindfolded just give me some good sauce. I’ll pass on the poke, I’m not one for raw fish. But seriously, everything is sold on a supply and demand bell curve if it’s a hit. Kia probably couldn’t assume the Telluride would be a hit especially after the Borrego in the US so they couldn’t start out with a goal of 100,000 Tellurides a year. If you insist on an exact match test drive then you should wait a year for production to pick back up and a neighbor down your street will have one you can ask to test drive.

I haven't noticed a plethora of the Tellurides on the road. Maybe it is a test by Kia to see how well they are received. I am researching the Mazda CX9, hoping to see some upgrades in top trims in 2021-22 year models.

 

[Tellthemride]

In this day of technology, it isn't imaginable that they cannot get a picture of the car they supposedly have. I had a similar problem with a 1985 Nissan Maxima 5 speed. I even caught the dealer pretending to be talking so someone who had a car I had ordered (we was lying. I counted the number of times he pushed the buttons on the telephone, and he was short a number). After over a month of lies and frustration, I finally received my vehicle and I purchased a extended warranty (first year of this V6 model). Only to have a transmission problem in 1992, which the dealer stated that problem wasn't included. Since that time, I am skeptical about all salesmen/women and anyone in the business of selling cars. Bitter? No, just accept it as a long known practice. If I had to make a calculated guess, I would think the same is true with the Telluride. They want to get you interested,promise you a vehicle they don't have, get your money, and by doing so, you aren't in a position to but another vehicle. I have read the Tellurides are much in demand, but I also think the company is taking advantage of the consumer. It the demand is so great, why not make more of the 'in demand' models. There is a reason they have hundreds of the lesser models of cars on the lot. I am willing to wait for the 2021 or 2022 models arrive. By that time, the novelty of the model will be known to be authentic or just another 'must have' because 'everyone has one' phenomenon. The only reason I was interested in the Telluride in the beginning was a result of the Consumer Report high rating. I think everyone will get a more cogent evaluation of the vehicle after one or two model years.

1. I agree, dealers should at least post a stock photo of the car that is incoming so that buyers don't have to dig through the dealers' sometimes ambiguous descriptions of the vehicle trim and color combo.
2. I don't think anybody is disagreeing with you about the fact most KIA dealers are providing terrible sales experiences for buyers right now (ie. price, bait & switch) when it comes to this car. Just check out the Bad Dealer Experience thread to hear the horror stories. There are some exceptions, like KIA of Muncie.
3. For warranties, it is ultimately up to the buyer to perform due diligence and read the fine print on what the limited exclusions are. Unfortunately, some dealers don't have this info readily available when then you ask for it during purchasing.
4. I don't think anybody buying this car is buying it for the dealer experience. They are buying it because of the overwhelming positive auto journalist reviews and awards. These days, you can practically get a good idea watching review videos on YouTube to know what you are getting. If you want to know the drive/feel of the car, test driving even the lowest trim should give you a good enough idea since they all have the same engine and transmission.

The hype will eventually die down for this car. Most of the excitement from the forum and its users at this moment is the enjoyment of owning this car in it's first model year. If you decide to hold out until the next year or two, at least you can still benefit from all the quirks and troubleshooting users can provide through this forum over the years until you finally own one.

 

[Doc]

1. I agree, dealers should at least post a stock photo of the car that is incoming so that buyers don't have to dig through the dealers' sometimes ambiguous descriptions of the vehicle trim and color combo.
2. I don't think anybody is disagreeing with you about the fact most KIA dealers are providing terrible sales experiences for buyers right now (ie. price, bait & switch) when it comes to this car. Just check out the Bad Dealer Experience thread to hear the horror stories. There are some exceptions, like KIA of Muncie.
3. For warranties, it is ultimately up to the buyer to perform due diligence and read the fine print on what the limited exclusions are. Unfortunately, some dealers don't have this info readily available when then you ask for it during purchasing.
4. I don't think anybody buying this car is buying it for the dealer experience. They are buying it because of the overwhelming positive auto journalist reviews and awards. These days, you can practically get a good idea watching review videos on YouTube to know what you are getting. If you want to know the drive/feel of the car, test driving even the lowest trim should give you a good enough idea since they all have the same engine and transmission.

The hype will eventually die down for this car. Most of the excitement from the forum and its users at this moment is the enjoyment of owning this car in it's first model year. If you decide to hold out until the next year or two, at least you can still benefit from all the quirks and troubleshooting users can provide through this forum over the years until you finally own one.

Thank you for your honest reply. I think I shall wait for a year or two before deciding. By that time the Mazda CX9 will have some needed upgrades and and I can make a more intelligent comparison of the two vehicles.