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Kia Sedona Prices Paid and Buying Experience

567 messages,  Last post on Dec 20, 2011 at 8:57 AM

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What is this discussion about? Kia Sedona, Van

Messages Page 42 of 58

#404 of 567 2004-2006 by johngus

Feb 17, 2007 (11:48 pm)

Beavis,
I am really sorry to hear about your experience with your sedona. I purchased a new 2004 in May of 04. It has 80,000 miles on it. I have never had a problem. I still have the original brakes on the van, I just purchased a new 2006 EX with the power package and luxury package in velvet blue from Jack Miller Kia in North Kansas City.
 
The MSRP was 29,895. I paid 21895 plus a 199 processing fee that included the 30 day plates. I only have 500 miles on it. So far, it seems great.
 
The gas mileage is better than I expected, I averaged 21.69 in cold weather bucking a wind on that first tank. We really appreciated the heated seats.
 
I did the entire transaction online. I drove down to KC from southern MN to pick-up the van, We spent no more than 20 minutes in the dealers place of business,
John

#405 of 567 Dealer "ad-ons" by vanner

Feb 18, 2007 (10:48 am)

What are Kia dealers aroung the US adding on to cars to boost profits and essentially lie about the showroom price?
 
Here in Louisville, there are four Kia Stores, all owned by the same auto group, Montgomery Motors. EVERY Kia sold by them WILL have added a $79 "stripe" package, AND, a sort of "RFID" device that mounts under the dash requiring you to swipe a plastic RFID card to get the engine to start. No alarm, no tracking system. It's a SWITCH. It is labeled as a "security" package, and of course, it is. It's even added to '06 and '07 Kias WITH the factory alarm system.
 
But this ain't no "Lojack". Lojack actually WORKS, and it's a full grand cheaper. Even the after-market "Theftstopper" system only runs about $350 installed. I've seen similar systems to these at flea markets and on-line for less than $50.
 
The ONLY thing it does is disable/enable the starter circuit. There's no GPS or tracking service. The price? $1695!!! Bear in mind you CANNOT purchase a car from this group without this ad-on. They will not put a Kia on the lot or in the showroom without it. So, the newspaper/TV/radio price they advertise on a 2006 Sedona LX is $16,990, but there is no car and never will one be at that price. The total is $16,990 plus the stripe plus the $1695 RFID. This is three years now they have done this I know for sure, since it's on the 07 cars, too, from Rio to the top. Tax, license, papers fees on top of that.
 
Any other dealers around the country do anything like that?
 
I can buy a Kia in other nearby cities within a hundred miles or so without this shakedown, but of course their bottom line price is somewhat higher than what these stores advertise to give them more profit in the package. But at least that's HONEST and still doesn't come up to the local Kia store total purchase scam! (Add-on isn't even considered in any trade-in price since it's a junk gimmick one could buy for $50 on the internet.)
 
Sometimes the total purchase experience prohibits buying some cars in some geographic areas. (One of these store's service departments also includes $80 for an "oil system flush" in each 12K warranty service and will only take it out if you make them - otherwise they don't tell anyone it isn't needed for Kia warranty and isn't needed at ALL in modern engines.)

#406 of 567 Re: Dealer "ad-ons" [vanner] by brian1

Feb 18, 2007 (8:40 pm)

Replying to: vanner (Feb 18, 2007 10:48 am)
I recently purchased a 2006 Sedona that had a similar "security package" on it. It was a dealer locate/transfer car that the dealer I was buying it from did not alert me to this add-on. When I got to the dealership and looked at the window sticker it had the "security system" added on for $1,295. The first thing I told my salesman was I did not want this and he said there is nothing they could do as they had to pay for it from the transferring dealer. I was pissed because there was not other dealer around that had the Sedona I was looking for. The salesman said dont worry as I would only have to pay cost for the security system. It ended up being $50. What a scam. Imagine how many people pay $1000+ for this and know no better.

#407 of 567 Sedonas in St. Louis by kandd

Feb 20, 2007 (11:33 am)

Has anyone purchased a Kia Sedona LX with DVD in St. Louis area in last 60 days? What did you pay?

#408 of 567 '06 Sedona EX in Houston, TX by volfy

Feb 22, 2007 (5:34 pm)

Just paid $23,600 before TT&L (cash deal, no trade in) for an '06 Sedona EX with Luxury Package and Power package - clear white with grey interior. Sticker Price was 29,665. I am sure I probably could have bought it for $23,000 if I were true to my old form and beat down the dealer for every last dollar. Maybe I'm getting old and soft, but the salesman knew his product well and was very patient in explaining every feature and answering every question my wife had on the Sedona. Plus he was the only one out of some 6 dealerships we visited (of vavious makes) that let us go by ourselves on as long a test drive as we liked. The rest all insist on coming along for the ride, and some were plain bothersome during the test drive.
 
The finance guy was not as nice. After making us wait nearly 1hr, he tried to pad the deal with the usual "document fee". $50 in this case. I explained that the $23,600 price I agreed to pay is IT, and the only other fees I will pay is to the government for their cut (TT&L). He agreed to take it off, but then proceeded to screw up on the numbers. I clicked my calculator and made him print the Buyer's Order some 4 times before he got the number right. Meanwhile, my two boys (2 and 4yr) just about tore their two showroom cars apart.
 
Dealership: Performance Kia, Houston, TX
 
Test drive and touchy feely: 1-1/2 hrs.
Negotiation: 20 mins.
Waiting on and then duking out with the finance guy: 1-1/2 hrs.
Taking delivery next day: 20mins.
 
Van was shined up and detailed, with a full tank of gas. Nice touch.
 
In 1wk, we've already put 1,000 miles on it shuttling visiting relatives to and from the airport, plus a trip to San Antonio. So far - great van! The '07 Hyundai Entourage was ever so slightly more refined - some better interior trim material and barely noticeably better ride (could be difference in the test drive route). Definitely not worth the (at least) $6,000 premium over the '06 Sedona.
 
I've already downloaded the Safety Recall Notices and will be calling Kia USA for a confirmation. I studied them closely and they are really just some minor details.

#409 of 567 Re: Chat with Ian Beavis [rachluvjun] by iscazz

Feb 23, 2007 (5:48 pm)

Replying to: snjdoglover (Feb 08, 2007 11:20 am)
I had virtually the same experience with Kia. 2004 was a lemon ; in the shop 7 times for the same problem that they were never able to fix. Was offered a trade with "assistance from Kia to have no money out pocket" into 2006 L X model. They gave me "owner loyalty" rebate and I still had to pay $30k for the car. Turns out the no money out of pocket referred to 84 months of payments at the same payment. They rolled over $9k into the new car. Currently have a lawyer working on getting Kia to take this second lemon back.
 
It has little problems constantly. Check engine light for no apparent reason, "TPMS" light comes on when nothing wrong, then when needed it doesn't work, the front airbags malfunction (don't deploy, just warning lights), ESC & ABS lights come on for no reason, parking break won't release all the way, not to mention the recalls.
 
Service tells me to see Sales; Sales says it's a service issue. Service gives me a "loaner" car, only to tell me there is nothing wrong with mine. I lose work time to drop off the car and pick it up. I have filed complaints with the BBB, the Attorney General's office, all the media in the area. Nobody cares.

#410 of 567 Re: Chat with Ian Beavis [iscazz] by bluedevils

Feb 23, 2007 (9:26 pm)

Replying to: iscazz (Feb 23, 2007 5:48 pm)
That sucks, and I'd be pissed too if I had gotten 2 vehicles that were so problematic. But I can't help wondering why you signed on to such a poor deal on the 2006? That was your fault for going along with it, wasn't it?

#411 of 567 Re: Chat with Ian Beavis [bluedevils] by iscazz

Feb 24, 2007 (4:20 pm)

Replying to: bluedevils (Feb 23, 2007 9:26 pm)
Agreed, signing was my fault, but to make a long story short, the things promised were not what they seemed and I was held hostage. They had the 2004 vehicle in service and had me in the dealership for 6 hours with no way to leave. And in the same way that the lemon law protects consumers, it protects the dealers. They don't have to honor what you paid in the first place, they give "fair market value" and factor in depreciation and length of use when/if they replace the vehicle.
 
Weston Kia of Gresham, Oregon made promises to help me with the problem car, guaranteed me that the 2004 would not be sold, but returned to Kia in California for diagnosis and technical training, but turned around then next day and sold the car off the lot. Telling me that they "had a permanent fix for the problem the car was experiencing."
 
I don't have as big a problem with the fact that I am paying too much money for the 2006, my problem is that I traded one bad vehicle for another equally bad vehicle. My original trade-in was upside down, but we needed the family vehicle so I took that loss.

#412 of 567 Re: Chat with Ian Beavis [iscazz] by volfy

Feb 26, 2007 (9:09 am)

Replying to: iscazz (Feb 24, 2007 4:20 pm)
iscazz, I see that you've posted your unfortunate saga several times already. It seems that you haven't been able to get a solution to your problem. Have you tried the following:
 
1. Go to another Kia dealership's Service dept.
2. Contact Kia USA customer relation
 
I realize venting your frustration online can be rather therapeutic for you, but none of us can really do anything to help your cause. Right after I bought my '99 Hyundai Sonata, I read online about similar complaints about Hyundai cars at the time. Most chose to contact HyundaiUSA directly and got them to work with the local dealership service dept. One Hyundai Forum even help set up a Customer Mediation Service. HyundaiUSA appeared very eager to work with their customers to solve quality problems. Now Hyundai is climbing pretty high on the Customer Satisfaction and Initial quality Index.
 
Since Hyundai owns Kia, I would imagine they share similar corporate policy. Our experience with the '99 Sonata is one major reason we bought the '06 Sedona. After 7yrs, I still drive the Sonata everyday to work. And it is still under warranty for another 3 yrs. I've only had to use the warranty once - to fix a bad master clutch cylinder at 4-1/2yrs. I'll probably drive it for another 7yrs, or until it starts giving me major problems. By then, resale value wouldn't mean anything to me, and I'll probably just donate it to charity.
 
We plan to do the same with our '06 Sedona.

#413 of 567 Re: Chat with Ian Beavis [volfy] by iscazz

Feb 26, 2007 (12:42 pm)

Replying to: volfy (Feb 26, 2007 9:09 am)
Venting my frustrations are the least of my concerns. I have not posted my "saga" several times, just answering postings such as yours.
 
I would love to:
 
1.) Contact another Kia dealership in my area, however, the other dealership near me, the "oldest Kia dealership in America" shut its doors recently --I did contact them before they closed, but their response was to show me 3 other vans sitting on the service lot with exactly the same problems and no way for them to diagnose or fix and
 
2.) As I posted earlier, I have contacted KIA Motors America and have had no response, other than "thank you for the information" because the problems do not pose a "safety risk" according to corporate, I just need to keep dealing with my local dealership/service.
 
Driving my car until it started giving me major problems was my intention as well (which is why we purchased GAP insurance and the extended warranty). However, I did not expect to experience the first of the long string of unrepairable issues with less than 1,000 miles on the car.

Messages Page 42 of 58

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