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My Purchase and Ownership Thread

13K views 65 replies 11 participants last post by  vincecl 
#1 ·
Hello all!

I am currently in the process of a final decision to replace my 2008 Subaru Legacy. It has been a fine car and has a lot of life left in it but I am looking for something that is more roomy, higher up, and with the times technologically. I will update this thread through my buying process and ownership if this is in fact the car for me. Any and all questions are welcome.

Other vehicles I have considered to this point: 2017 Subaru Outback, 2017 Subaru Forester, 2017 Acura RDX Advanced, 2017 Lexus RX 450h, 2017 Audi S5 cabriolet. A bit of an eclectic mix of cars to choose from but each would have served their purpose. These are why the vehicles mentioned have been whittled off the list:

Forester - Lacking features, technologically and refinement but would be more affordable
Outback - Somewhat lacking technologically and feature-wise but with the refinement and more affordable
RDX - End of life design lacking some refinement but good feature-wise, hate the infotainment setup
RX - Lacked some features and hated the infotainment setup and much more expensive
Audi - The fun replacement! Feature complete with refinement and performance, hesitant about German reliability, and expensive!

So I took the first test drive last night. It was the basic quickie just to see if it merited further investigation. The car I drove was 2017 Sorento SXL V6, white with the ivory interior. I like the white but would be getting the black interior. I want AWD but the tester was FWD. There were 5 people in the car, 2 guys, 2 gals, and a 7 year old.

My thoughts and observations:
The interior: Very nice. The nappa leather felt good and the seats were comfortable. Build quality was very good with high quality materials soft touch materials in abundance. Switch gear had a good, solid feel with good actuation and articulation. Labeling was clear and everything I noticed was back-lit (I like that). I adjusted my seat to where I like it (I am 5'11") and then went about sitting behind 'myself' and had plenty of room. I even ventured into the third row and found the space okay and tolerable save for the longest drives. My 7 year old had no problems and had fun sitting in the back during the test drive. Access to the third row on the passenger side is fine with the slide forward seat but terrible on the driver side as only the seat back lays down with no advantageous seat sliding. The adjustability of the seats allowed for a comfortable driving position except for the headrests in the front row. Adjusted properly they forced my head forward awkwardly. The 2017's no longer have the fore/aft adjustability on the headrests like the 2016 does. Two things I did not like about the interior (other than not being able to get it in gray): The shiny piano black interior trim - scratches easily and shows finger prints too readily; the black head-liner - makes the interior very dark with black interior color choice.

The infotainment and tech: Well done. The interface was quick and responded well to touch. My Lumia Icon Windows Phone (with Windows 10 Anniversary Update) connected quickly and effortlessly. Did not have the opportunity to test phone functionality but Hey Cortana worked through the Bluetooth perfectly. Screen is nice and big with good quality. I like the fact that the car has hard buttons to control functions and liked having real knobs and buttons to control radio and climate. I am not a fan of using finicky controllers to move a cursor around to control basic functions. The digital speedo was nice and I like the large inner portion dedicated to car info. Steering wheel controls worked well and were placed conveniently. The rest of the dials were clear and easy to read. The surround view camera was awesome and I can see myself getting good use out of it as the blindspots to rear are rather large and something just about all cars in this vehicle class suffer from.

The drive: The car drove well and I felt instantly at ease driving it around. Even with 4 adults and the kiddo aboard the engine provided lively acceleration and I can imagine when it is just me commuting to and from work I will never be left wanting for power. The interior is very quiet, with just the right amount of engine sound and low wind noise. There was a bit of tire/road noise but I think a big part of that was from the tires being inflated to 50PSI. We took it on the highway and also on the bumpiest road that was close by. The highway cruise was nice and calm and I see this as being a nice road trip car with our regular jaunts down to Houston. The suspension absorbed that bumps in the road nicely without any shaking or jiggling. No creaks, squeaks, or rattles could be heard and the road was pretty rough. Again, with proper tire pressure I imagine it would have been even better.

Those are just a few quick observations. The plan is to find one to rent for a week. That will give me the chance to experience some commuting traffic and do a Frisco to Houston run. I am not sure how easy it will be to find something close to what I want on the rental car lot, but even with differences I think I will get a good overall idea if the car is a good fit for me.

Stay tuned for updates...

Happy motoring,
Vince
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Sounds like the right assessment.
A couple of comments.
Yes the audi will be more expensive to maintain, insure or repair. Q5 is getting a bit long in the tooth also.
After 15 months I havent found the piano black areas to be as bad as one might think in getting dirty or keeping clean, and I have kids similar age.
3rd row access is only from passenger side with the tilt and slide handle. Even with a car seat there in 2nd row and limited movement it's been ok for nimble kids to squeeze through into the back.
You can try the SX if you want most of the features but a regular light grey headliner.

What about new cx9 or updated highlander?
 
#4 ·
After 15 months I havent found the piano black areas to be as bad as one might think in getting dirty or keeping clean, and I have kids similar age.
My experience mirrors yours. Also want to add that the piano black finish isn't just polished plastic like some other brands. It's base coat clear coat just like the exterior finish. It responds nicely to paint polish and wax.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the comments! I thought about the SX but really wanted the surround view monitor and heated rear seats. As for the CX-9 or the Highlander they are both too big, especially the CX-9. Even though the Highlander is only 3-4 inches longer it is also a bit wider and things would get very snug in my garage (we have a split 3 car and I am in the single). Added to the that the Highlander drives a bit bigger and I am not all about the styling. It is okay, but I like the Sorento better.
 
#6 ·
Loved the SXL 2016 but only tried it with the Turbo so far. Have been reading this forum ever since. Have to go back and try the 2017 6 CYL AWD, but will check out closely the 2017 headrests I have been reading about here as the salespeople had no idea how to adjust them on the 2016.

Why would you keep looking at Subarus if you want more room ? They have always been rated as excellent vehicles but through the years before we bought other cars, we sat in them my wife and I always have hit our arms and elbows in the front. The seat positions seem too close even though the actual width of the Subarus is not that narrow. Oh, and neither of us is that tall or wide !!
 
#9 · (Edited)
A couple of reasons come to mind but the biggest is the customer service that they offer as a manufacturer. Simply superb in my experience. As for size, I didn't want anything a lot bigger, just a bit roomier. My Legacy is cozy and I like the idea of something seating 5 comfortably with room for stuff in the back. Both the Outback and Forester have that added room and storage without being too big on the outside. Don't forget that I am size constrained garage-wise so I am still looking for something that not only will fit in the garage but not fill it to the brim :)

Happy motoring,
Vince
 
#7 ·
Great review. I also don't like the black headliner in the limited trims. So the basic SX trim is for me.

I would not recommend the forester. I have one and it lacks refinement and the I question the reliability of the turbo engine (I've had engine knocking, excessive vibrations, and difficulty starting).
 
#10 · (Edited)
We had a 2005 Forester XT and the turbo in it was a blast. That was one of my favorite cars of all time. It was my wife's car and we both loved it. Gave us 94,000 nearly trouble free miles during the 7 years we had it (some sort of fuel pump thing went on the blitz but beyond that it was bullet proof). My parents have a 2014 Forester and there are a lot of things to like about the car but just like you and I said, lacks in refinement. The 2017 Touring trim has a number of refinements from interior upgrades to more sound proofing but it still lacked the up to date tech I am looking for.

Happy motoring,
Vince
 
#8 ·
Sounds vaguely like my list, although it also sounds like you're wanting/needing the 7 seater, slightly larger vehicles (by looking at the Acura MDX and the Lexus 450 those are larger, AFAIK than the Sorento SXL in terms of body length).

If you don't need the 7 seater, have you considered looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe and/or Santa Fe Sport, and the Ford Edge?

But I don't know what your requirements ("needs") vs. wants.

For me, the Subaru Forester/Outback were out for 2 simple reasons:
1) None of them have heated steering wheel at any time/option
2) The engine noise was loud. Over 85db when driving.
 
#11 ·
I am not necessarily looking for 7 seat capacity (that is actually one of the things on the bottom of my list and if I could get the SXL with the V6 without the third row, I would in a heart beat), but would like more cargo capacity than my Legacy has.

The fact that the RX grew was one of the main reasons it was off the list. If it stayed the same size as the previous generation, even with the new very special look of the front end it would probably be at the head of the pack. Alas, it grew bigger and funkier with the new gen.

The RDX is on the list, not the MDX (though it is on my wife's), so I am more interested in the 5 seater size class. The 3rd row in the Sorento will most likely stay folded 99.8% of the time but it is nice that it can be pressed into service if needed.

I did look at the Santa Fe Sport as it is the right size and nice looking. I like the upgraded interior and the available V6 of the Sorento more so the Sport was off the list. The regular Santa Fe is too big for what I want. I prefer driving smaller cars and the Sorento is only an inch longer than my Legacy (though roughly 5-6 inches wider depending on the source).

The 2017 Forester/Outback have new Touring trims with upgraded sound proofing which would help with the interior noise and I know that the Outback Touring comes with a heated steering wheel now (not sure about the Forester).

As for the Edge, my wife drives a 2013 Explorer and it has been the worst vehicle I have ever owned (and that includes my two years with a Chevy Cavalier ugh!). The only thing worse than the vehicle itself has been Ford's customer service in trying to get a myriad of annoyances taken care of. Never, ever, again!

So that brings me back around to the Sorento. Funny thing is that I have been shopping for two years and came upon the Sorento a couple of weeks back and it quickly moved to the front of the pack!

Happy motoring,
Vince
 
#15 ·
After trying out a Kia for the 1st time I started questioning why should I be paying 55K for a Acura/Infiniti when I can get better quality and overall value for money in a Kia for 40K!

So why did you choose the black metallic nappa leather?
 
#16 ·
Yeah, spending $15k+ on the Lexus seemed more and more silly when I could find more than 1 or 2 things that I didn't like about it. Dropping that much cash the vehicle better be perfect for me and the RX wasn't. The Sorento comes much closer to what I want by checking off more items in the wants column with having to make fewer compromises and for a lot less money. Pretty much a win-win-win situation. Of course I won't be getting Lexus service and will probably miss the customer service my Sewell dealership offers, but I'm hoping the Sorento is reliable enough I won't notice as much.

As much as I would prefer a lighter interior, going with the black nappa is more about ease of maintenance appearance-wise. With the dog and a seven year old, not to mention a wife that likes to wear jeans, I wouldn't look forward to trying to keep the ivory looking new. I don't hate the idea of the darker interior, but a lighter headliner would brighten up the atmosphere. I guess I will just have to keep the roof shade open more. The wife's Explorer has a black on black interior and it is like a cave. When taking the test drive I didn't get that vibe in the Sorento so it may be much ado about nothing.
 
#17 ·
LOL! Me too. I looked (on "paper only") at the Lexus and Acura. By the time I got it similar to fully loaded Edge Titatanium, Santa Fe Sport, Sorento SXL, it was like $60k. Yeah, slightly better mpg and the Lexus was 192.4 inches in length (4" longer than my current vehicle which is fine for my tolerance), but still. Oh, and I didn't much care for the Lexus idea of having the "hand wave" to open the rear trunk/liftgate. I was like: But if I had a hand free, I'd open it myself.

I'm still waiting for the 2017 SXL to become locally available (don't want to drive 107 miles away to test drive one). I'm really not keen on the 3rd row seat and loss of under storage cargo space. Nor the "worse" gas mileage compared to my Edge/Santa Fe Sport. And not terribly keen about the gas pedal that's on the floor. There's no way to cover the bottom floor with a floor mat and we get enough salt/snow around here that I know it's going to stain and ruin the carpet below it as it drips off your shoe. But I'm going to test drive it anyway (hopefully) to give it the benefit of the doubt. I really liked the 2016 SXL Turbo, but can't get any around here anymore, plus the added safety features in the 2017 I like.

We'll see what happens in end of Oct/first part of Nov. which is when I can buy.

There's about an 8k spread in price between the lowest (Santa Fe Sport) and Sorento SXL. Edge is in the middle of the two, sort of.

I have my spreadsheet mostly filled out, now I have to rank/rate things.
 
#19 ·
You keep saying that, and I keep listing the Fuelly results that don't seem to support those claims. Here's the screenshots in case I'm using fuelly wrong. Or perhaps you have other data to support the claim from other websites?

Go to fuelly.com
Click Research Vehicles
Select: Kia - > Sorento
Select 3.3L V6, any body style, Limited. There are 9 total
1 vehicle for 2017 lists 21.0 mpg
2 vehicles for 2016, lists 21.2 mpg
(the above "3" total do not, in my mind, make a very good statistical sample and the single for 2017 is hardly going to support "all" 2017).
(I'm not interested in anything pre-2016 because of no AA/Carplay support).

Kia Sorento Turbo is 2.0 L4 Gas, Limited (there are 9 total)
4 vehicles for 2016 lists 23.6 mpg
Obviosly nothing for 2017.

Since Kia stopped making the SXL Turbo in 2017, you can only really compare the 2016 to 2016. In which case, the Turbo has "better" gas mileage.

I don't doubt the power of the V6.

In my case, the 2017 SXL will have to compete against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Turbo Ultimate and the Ford Edge Titanium with twin scroll turbo. Mainly because I can't find a 2016 SXL Turbo with what I want for color at this point. In all three cases, the EPA numbers have the Kia at a disadvantage for City mpg at 17 mpg. (AWD I should say as well). But you don't apparently consider those "real world" so onto Fuelly we go.

However, if by your statement you are comparing the 2017 Kia Sorento SXL AWD V6 to the SFS Turbo and Ford Edge, then you have may have a point, according to fuelly:

For the Ford Edge, 2.0 L4, Titanium Trim:
1 2016 vehicle reports 20.9 (but again, 1 car doesn't, in my mind, make a representative real-world result)
5 2015 vehicles report 19.9 mpg

For the Hyundai SFS 2.0 Turbo Ultimate:
4 2017 vehicles report for 20.8 mpg

But what's weird is that Fuelly only shows the 2017 for the SFS. I find it hard to believe that nobody has any other model year.
If I change it to be just the 2.0 turbo (no ultimate) then I get more results for more model years (however, Hyundai decreased the hp slightly in 2017 and increased the stated EPA mpg by 1 mpg for 2017):
2 2017 vehicles reporting for 21.4 mpg
(again, 2 doesn't really make a representative sample, IMO).

Now, I could argue that because my roomate has the 2014 SFS (non-turbo) and gets 25 mpg that therefore, all Hyundai SFS will get that mpg. I've been borrowing his car for almost 2 weeks while my Lemonox is being repaired, so driving to/from work I am getting close to 23.5 mpg (I'm a little more aggressive due to my V6 "oomph" that I'm used to).

Notably absent on fuelly's stats are whether it's FWD or AWD (at least in the pull-downs).

But the good thing about many makes/models: There's choices for everyone. Nobody has the same needs/wants for a car, a house, etc. If they did, we'd all be driving the black Ford Model T and living in cracker-jack boxes.

:)
 

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#20 ·
Remove any trim filters. There is no perceivable mpg drop between sorento trims. I am basing on my own tests with the turbo and v6 with my typical 50-50 mix of driving. V6 consistently beat the turbo in highway mpg and turbo made some gains in city
 
#21 ·
Based on what kind of tests? Did you have a 2.0 turbo in your possession for several days or are you basing it on a road test. If it's based on the latter then your so called self testing is meaningless.

I'll go with the Fuelly data because you haven't provided us with any data at all.
 
#25 ·
There is somebody I would like you all to meet, now say it with me... "Hi Jack!" ;)

Hehehe. Seriously though, I thought there was a mileage thread on here somewhere and another that discusses engine choice??

I am getting ansty about the test drive and cannot wait until Friday! I am getting bummed by the fact that the interior lighting has been reduced to just red, which is fine but not for $450. That is a stretch even for the multicolor much less just 4 little red LED bulbs. I have asked my salesperson to clarify and we will see if she can come through with a confirmation either way.
 
#28 ·
There is a long and interesting thread about turbo reliability. I would simply deduct the $450 from the final negotiated price. If they slap it on you just tell them you don't like the LEDs.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Read that thread before, that's not data. Just opinions etc. With regular oil changes and excluding abuse there is no reason why a turbo engine should not be as reliable as a normally aspirated engine.

My neighbor has a 2012 Sonata turbo, zero problems. I talked to 3 service managers at different dealers before I made my choice of engines. And not one said they had seen turbo's being problematic, but actually were very reliable.

Show us a case study or something that has real credibility not a thread. It's clear you think you got the best of everything.
And that's fine but being critical of other people's choices without the facts to back it up doesn't serve anyone.

Kia stopped offering the fully adjustable headrests on the 2017 and removed the Merlot color for leather, reduced the availability of the infinity sound option. Based on your comment about why Kia limited the turbo. Does this apply to these changes as well. When you get some real data from a reliable source I'm open to listening.

My opinion is more people purchased the Sorento as a 7 passenger than a 5. And after reviewing sales data they made the changes regarding the availability of 2.0 turbo. But not because of any engine related problems From the 2.0 Turbo.
 
#38 ·
So had my first evening of my overnight testdrive....
Things I liked:
- Peppy engine, the V6 has a decent amount of zip and doesn't make a lot of fuss when asked to move. I didn't dig into much (hardly at all really) but it seemed very eager.
- Quiet. This car is pretty darn quiet. The tires are still over inflated at almost 50PSI but the car remained very quiet. That is one of my biggest expectations for my new car.
- Seat comfort (with a major stipulation). The seats are very comfortable and sized well for my manly frame. Nice range of adjustments and I really like the bottom seat cushion extender!
The heated seats warmed quickly and the ventilated seats had a nice amount of airflow (much more than I expected).
Now for the thing I cannot stand about the seats... The headrest. It sticks out way too far. I mean way too far. I would have to recline the seatback to an uncomfortable angle for it not to hit me wrong.
I moved it up, down, and back up again trying to find a good place were it didn't poke the back of my head or neck. If it were more rounded at the bottom it wouldn't be an issue.
Sitting in a 2016 the adjustable headrest made all of the difference. My salesperson said that she would switch them out if it made the deal happen... She will have to come through on that one for sure!
- Stereo sound quality is good as is the bluetooth connection to my phone. I was surprised how good the music sounded over the BT connection. It doesn't sound as good in the wife's Explorer but not sure why?
Would think the bitrate over BT is the same regardless but maybe not. The sound in the Ex sounded harsh and over compressed.
- I took a few corners a little faster than I would normally in such a large vehicle and it did a good job holding the road and not wallowing all over. Not a sports car but more on the nimble side than the boat side.
- How the cruise control in auto mode keeps your set speed marked as the needle indicates your current speed. It is a nice and clear indication that the car in front has slowed down.
- The screen in the center of the instrument cluster is nice with clear graphics and a lot of versatility. All of the settings that can be changed for the whole car are awesome.
- The storage bin in front of the shifter is nice and big. Fits the phone with ease and room to spare.
- The window sill is the perfect height and reach to the steering wheel for one handed, elbow propped driving. The tilt and tele steering wheel column is also nice giving a great range of adjustment.

Things I didn't like:
- The head rests in the front row
- Radio reception is terrible. The HD station I listen too changes in and out of HD mode a lot... The wife's Ex doesn't do that for another 100 or so miles away. Noticed it the other night and it was worse tonight.
- The high beams are lame. The standard HIDs are great to drive behind with plenty of well placed light. The high beams are these sickly yellow shafts of light that illuminate decently down only a narrow cone in front of the car. The provide little to no extra side lighting to help keep watch for things coming from the sides. I would seriously consider trying to change the bulbs to something brighter that fits the stock socket.
- The two little white LEDs for ambient lighting in the front row are a bit too bright. Those need to be toned down a bit, and why aren't they red? With the dash lights turned down to where I like them I couldn't read the labels for the buttons and switches laying in the path of the micro search lights.

Well, that does it for tonight. I will be back tomorrow with some more thoughts. For those shopping like myself, if you have any questions regarding a white 2017 white SXL with ivory interior fire away. I will poke an prod to do my best to satiate any curiosities. I can also post pics of stuff that people are curious about.

Happy motoring,
Vince
 
#40 ·
Post pics for sure. I really wanted the ivory but it was not available at all in a 1000 mile radius. I like the white ambient lighting. Separates it out from the red switches and feels richer than any other color. The BT streaming music really sounds great (glad you noticed that). I think Clari-Fi is at work particularly for BT music. I didn't find any issue with the radio.
 
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#41 · (Edited)
The biggest issue I have with the ambient lighting is the brightness - the color doesn't bother me so much. I could always get creative with some photo gels and change the color. Speaking about ambient lighting - the new kit offered by KIA seems to be red only as suggested by others. My salesperson said she believed only the Soul had a multicolor setup. $450 for just red is a bit much. Probably going to pass on that...

I observed (on the mileage meter) an average topping out at 27MPG but running closer to 25 and some change overall in my very short drive. Not too bad considering it started at 8.9 when I turned on the car. Not sure how accurate the lie-o-meter is in these cars so maybe you all who are more experienced can translate what those numbers might represent in the real world. Of course I have to remember this is a FWD car and not the AWD that I want.

The radio thing is really odd. I believe this is the car I test drove the other day so maybe it has some sort of antenna issue but it is definitely noticeable and not appropriate for the area. As for the BT audio, I forgot about the Clari-Fi. It appears to be working very well.

EDIT: Here are some pics of the loaner. I apologize in advance for the poor quality. These hastily taken on my cell on a cloudy day.







 
#43 ·
I prefer the brightness as well. You can probably put a small opague clear screen to dim them. Gauge Avg Mpg is 1-2 optimistic. Infact you will see that the summary it shows while turning off the car is more accurate. I just wish it maintained a historical graph of mpgs like Toyota/Mazda, etc have in their gauges. Seems like a uVO app can do this.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Color me confused. The car reports mileage in three places. The one with the instant graph is saying 24.6 while the other two (trip odometers) say 17. All three are reporting 84 miles traveled. Any ideas?

The stereo reception seemed better today. Not entirely sure why there is the fluctuation in signal strength.

Ran a bunch of errands today and I like that it drives smaller than it is. I also appreciate the better view afforded by sitting up higher. I ran down my list if things to check and the only thing left is Apple Carlos. Did a quick sampler with Android Auto and wasn't terribly i pressed but maybe that had more to come me not really knowing what it can do and the brief time I dedicated to messing around with it.

Weather has been terrible here but I will try to snap a few shots and see if any turn out.

Vince

EDIT: More pictures - only 4 per post so I am spreading them around...







 
#46 · (Edited)
Apple Carlos, banana. Got the chance to play around with Apple Carplay. Much slicker than Android Auto which is in line with the polish that Apple builds most of its products with. I am loathe to buy an iPhone though... Stupid proprietary connector and no wireless charging. Grrrrr.. I am not worrying about that now and will hang with Cortana and my Windows phone for now. Hey Cortana works really well in the car and I had no difficulty receiving, replying, and dictating texts. Searched and streamed BT music without problems also. I'll snap a few pics and then off we go to take it back to the dealer who claims to have the car for me newly in stock... We shall see.

More pictures:







 
#50 ·
Okay, so an update....

I have spent the last two weeks negotiating with dealerships in the area. I started off with 6 and that quickly whittled down to 4. The first challenge I had was finding the car I wanted. 2017 AWD SXLs are not common around here. There were only 10 within 400 miles and only 5 were within 250 miles. I am really picky about how many miles my car has when I pick it up so I was looking for less 10 (makes me feel better about it not being abused on test drives). Two of the cars were at a dealership in town. Of the two that were the next closest only one of those dealers was in the mood to trade with a local store.

So... I begin by using the individual dealers websites to make contact with the following specifications:

2017 Sorento SXL V6 AWD
White Snow Pearl
Black Metallic Nappa
w/Remote Start
w/Puddle Lights
w/Mud Guards

I only wanted quotes for drive-out. They can mess with the numbers all they want, all I care about is how much is coming out of my pocket. I didn't mention the possibility of a trade-in at this time.

After a day or two I started getting quotes.
 
#51 ·
Dealer 1:
The first quote I received was for $46,343.21, but it did not include the accessories I wanted?? That works out to:
MSRP = 47,095
Savings = 3,879 (which includes 1,750 rebate for financing)
The rest is all fees (340.25) and taxes 2,786.96

Terrible offer and it didn't even have what I wanted on the car. That irritated me a bit. I was SUPER specific in all of my emails to confirm what I wanted in the car. I told him that I wanted $43,000 drive out and his reply was to get that I would have to put 3,343 more down in cash. Uhhhh, that is just stupid logic on his part. He also suggested choosing a lesser car to fit the price I wanted. This guy is obviously a joker but I kept him in on things because of the two cars that were in town, he had them both!!!! His discount only amounted to 4.5%. Not enough.

Dealer 2:
The next offer from another dealer was 8.8% off. Now we are talking. Oops, not on an AWD vehicle. Try again.

Dealers 3 and 4 couldn't (wouldn't) go any lower so they were out.

Dealer 5:
Was able to do $45,500 drive out on the car I wanted (plus a little more - It had the interior lighting). Would have to drive the car in from Oklahoma as they couldn't trade with other dealer in town (some sort of nastiness they shared in the past). Didn't like knowing the car would arrive with over 200 miles on the ODO. Would be another $500.00 if I wanted the vehicle trucked in. This salesperson was very responsive and I felt I could do business with them. He also suggested taking my current car to Carmax to get appraised and I ended up with another $1,000.00 in my pocket for his suggestion!

Dealer 6:
First dealership I actually went to. Checked out the car in person and took a test drive. They even let me have the car overnight (which resulted in my mini-review). They were able to match the 45,500 number.
 
#52 ·
Go back for the next round of negotiations...

Dealer 1:
Matched the $45,500 offer.

Dealer 2:
Countered with $45,163.21 to beat the $45,500.

At this point I waited to see if Dealer 1 would better the offer. Instead I got an email saying that I had insulted him and the offer stood at $45,500. On a side note, his vehicle came with the cargo net and wheel locks which the others didn't.

Dealer 6:
Frustratingly matched the $45,150 in the hopes they could trade with their sister store across town (which by the was where the guy I "insulted" worked).

Dealer 2 still had the best deal but would have to drive the car down from Okla. Best price but on a car with miles...

By this time I could tell that Dealer 6 was getting a bit testy and I was beginning to question whether or not I could get any lower and frankly I was content with the $45,500 offer. Not the best deal but I feel a fair price.
 
#53 ·
Very similar to my experience. I entered the dealership only when the papers and car was ready for delivery. Was able to get 15% off but I also went last day of month. In june there was scarcity of SXLs and there was only one in white within 1000 miles. He also got it right at the end of the month so it was meant to be mine [emoji7]. Only thing is it didn't have the ivory nappa leather I wanted as Kia was not making them for a while. Now they have started showing up and couple of dealers told me they sold at msrp practically as now people have really started noticing this gem - Sorento
 
#54 ·
Next round (which actually is round 6 or 7! It is amazing how many e-mails and texts one can send in two weeks!! Rounds 4-7 happened over the last two days between Dealer 1 and Dealer 6):

Dealer 6:
Comes back and reluctantly and offers $45,150 and asks what time can I drop by? (this was yesterday)

Dealer 1:
I get a call from the General Manager from the dealership apologizing for the conduct of the salesperson and said they would be happy to match the offer and what time I could drop by?

I tell Dealer 6 that I am taking the offer from Dealer 1 mainly because they have the car on their lot which would make things a lot easier.

Dealer 6:
Comes back with $43,500 drive-out and they will pay to have the vehicle shipped in from Oklahoma for Monday delivery. They would also give me a car to drive until it came in (which is the same Sorento I took on the test drive and overnight loan). I say that we are done, I'm taking the deal, be in that afternoon to sign the papers, and let Dealer 1 know.

It turns out that Dealer 1 refused to trade the vehicle to Dealer 6 since they were trying to work a deal with me.

Soooo.... This is the deal I negotiated

MSRP: $48,200
Discount: $5910.45
Incentive: $1750 (for financing)
Sales Price: $40,539
+TTL: $43,500

Of course when signing the papers they try to push the KIA corporate extended warranty and I asked how much and he quoted $2,100 for Platinum bumper to bumper 6 years/100,000 with no deductible. I said I wasn't paying more than $1000 for it (a couple of times). He countered with $1,100 and I took it.

I'm happy with the deal :)
 
#55 ·
The end of the month really helped. They were all super eager to wrap it up before the month ended.

I think relations between Dealer 6 and Dealer 1 are a little strained, lol. My salesperson said the other dealer will probably not be terribly cooperative in the future, haha.

Now for what was going to be my trade-in. Dealer 6 is the only one where I discussed a trade-in and that was mostly for them to appraise it. They came back with $3,750. Low of course but I also had to consider sales tax benefits we have in Texas and ease of getting rid of the car. They came up to $4000 which equated to $4250 on the street when factoring tax benefits. So I took the suggestion of one of the salespeople and swung by CarMax. They came back with a $5000 offer. Perfect. That is closer to what the car is worth to me and a full 25% of what I paid for it 9 years ago. I am not complaining!

As for my old car... So I go into CarMax to sell my car yesterday and just be done with everything. We sit down and they go to pull the plates off the car and the lady comes back and said there is bad news. Uh-oh. I'm thinking what can it be. She tells me that the VIN plate is missing from the dash. I go you guys missed it because I have actually taken a picture of it once to look up something. So we go out there and lo and behold, where the VIN plate goes is a little blank space with two holes for mounting it. I'm like WTF!!! I bought the car new myself, have taken a picture of the VIN myself and now it is gone.

I'm wondering if it shook loose over 100,000 miles and slid down or something and then I remember that in Feb of this year I took the car into the Subaru dealership to have the Takata airbag recall done. It was the passenger side one so it required the removal of... drum roll please... the dashboard! Somehow when they were fixing my car they dislodged the VIN plate and didn't check to make sure they put everything back where it should be. I was livid!!!!! Going to give Subaru a mouth-full come Monday morning (as I have already sent an email and it will be sitting in there inbox when they open). The aggravation that car buying and selling brings. Ugh!
 
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