[EscalonJon]

Having historically known as an economy car, one of Kia's challenges will be to "step it up" and provide a customer experience commensurate to the perceived upscale level of the Cadenza, and soon the Quoris.

Do you feel that you are treated by the dealer as the owner of a $12,000.00 entry level car or, appropriately, the owner of a $40,000.00 (+) prestige car?

Maybe we can get some shout-outs and kudos to some dealers who have made the Cadenza ownership experience a satisfying one...

 

[Beezwax]

speaking first hand being that im a salesman at a KIA dealership.. all of my customers are treated the same... whether buying a RIO LX or Cadenza w/Tech... from Hello to thank you for your business and have a great day.

I also sold Hyundai's and eventhough a short time there, i sold 2 Equus's, from start to good bye, the same again.

Some sales people in this business believe that if they are only spending 14K on a car they are inferior than someone paying 60K for a car. I learned, if you are methodical about treating your customer with respect and kindness all the time, everyone is happy.

 

[EscalonJon]

speaking first hand being that im a salesman at a KIA dealership.. all of my customers are treated the same... whether buying a RIO LX or Cadenza w/Tech... from Hello to thank you for your business and have a great day.

I also sold Hyundai's and eventhough a short time there, i sold 2 Equus's, from start to good bye, the same again.

Some sales people in this business believe that if they are only spending 14K on a car they are inferior than someone paying 60K for a car. I learned, if you are methodical about treating your customer with respect and kindness all the time, everyone is happy.

I agree with you, Beez. I get some of my impression from the Optima Forums. I personally have a great 10 year relationship with my dealer service department. (Kia Country, Manteca, CA)

Even if Kia and Hyundai owners are all treated the same by their salesmen. Some ex-Audi, Bimmer, M~B, Lexus, etc. owners came from dealerships having the "royal treatment" philosophy....free barista service and doughnuts, pedicure, home pickup/delivery, etc., and their customers are "spoiled" to it. If the KDM dealers do not at least try/strive to provide a higher level of service (okay, even for the "cheap" car owners), there will be a perceived let-down in terms of expectations. That has been the contention of people who feel that Hyundai/Kia should make another "brand marque" family to contain the Genesis cars, and the Azera, Cadenza, Quoris, etc. There are many Hyundai/Kia dealers who "don't get it" in terms of high level service, and add to the perceived cheap car ownership experience that $30k to $45k car owners would like to escape.

 

[EscalonJon]

...to add to the lack of "royal treatment", some dealers just basically treat customers like crap. When hearing a complaint, Kia/Hyundai refers to the fact that the dealerships are independently owned and that they have little control. (I think that's probably B.S. as the "mother" company always has a bunch of strings to pull)

I'm getting this from members on other forums...

 

[sequoia]

Have never had a Kia before the Cadenza but had great treatment by 4 different Kia dealers trying to get my business. Prompt replies to inquiries and serious competitive offers. Have purchased many cars over the years and have, in general, been treated well no matter if I were buying a Lexus or Mercedes or a Nissan Versa. If my salesman doesn't know his product and doesn't respect my schedule, I am out of there. My impression is that there is great turnover among car salesmen so getting a good salesman who knows his product and can honestly guide you is invaluable. Money is money and most try hard to sell a car whether it is a $12K or $50K transaction.

 

[EscalonJon]

...they pretty much all treat you great when they're trying to sell...

 

[Unclassified]

...they pretty much all treat you great when they're trying to sell...

This wouldn't be accurate. I was on the market for god knows what. I stopped into a Hyundai dealership to test drive an R spec Genesis. it was like pulling teeth to even get them to pull the car out. After that it was requested that I didn't actually get in the car. Then I was told I couldn't drive the car.

Needless to say I went across the street to the Kia dealership ( yes I know Hyundai owns 34% of Kia) and the experience was completely different. I eventually drove the r spec and found I despised the interior even more so than I did in the pictures. So now I'm in a new Cadenza, which I believe I got an outstanding deal on.

Feels weird though seeing that quite a few people leased the car.. Maybe I should have just done that? I like my low payments though.

 

[EscalonJon]

I felt the same way about the R-Spec when I drove it when they were first introduced. I was pretty excited about them until then. Style-wise they seem pretty milquetoast compared to the Cadenza. Aside from the power, I would have been bored quickly had I bought one.

Welcome to the forum!

John

 

[[email protected]]

I agree with you, Beez. I get some of my impression from the Optima Forums. I personally have a great 10 year relationship with my dealer service department. (Kia Country, Manteca, CA)

Jon, not to threadjack or anything, but I didn't realize where you had lived.

Be sure to mention to Neil at Kia Country how much you love us!!!

They just got setup with us to start offering some of our products. Beware, you might see some familiar images on their wall at some point.

 

[EscalonJon]

^^^I just saw Neal last Saturday...I brought mt daughter's Kia in for 60k service. He's a good guy. I will tell him "Hi" on your behalf the next time I see him.

(they have a $2,995 add-on sticker on the Cadenzas there)

 

[EscalonJon]

Come to think of it, there was an Optima on the showroom floor that had K emblems. They were the ones in faux carbon fiber with the kind of flat "K" (stainless steel-looking) as opposed to the sculptured "K". They looked good.

Are those yours?

 

[[email protected]]

Come to think of it, there was an Optima on the showroom floor that had K emblems. They were the ones in faux carbon fiber with the kind of flat "K" (stainless steel-looking) as opposed to the sculptured "K". They looked good.

Are those yours?

No, they were previously dealing with Korean Auto Imports. We don't use those emblems because the "Stainless Steel" K portions have been known to rust. They're also quite sharp. The first time I detailed my car with them, my microfiber got stuck and ripped the K off.

We only carry the Korean Made 3.0 K Logo Emblems.

 

[EscalonJon]

We don't use those emblems because the "Stainless Steel" K portions have been known to rust. They're also quite sharp. The first time I detailed my car with them, my microfiber got stuck and ripped the K off.

We only carry the Korean Made 3.0 K Logo Emblems.

Good to know. The emblems that I saw do look good, but not good enough to have problems with them. I think they looked nice mostly because they were different from the ones that I'm used to seeing. Something different.

When I am ready, I plan on putting in an order for a number of items from you. So keep on adding cool stuff to your repertoire.

John

 

[aloukienko]

Feels weird though seeing that quite a few people leased the car.. Maybe I should have just done that? I like my low payments though.

How much is your payment? I think the reason we are leasing to keep monthly payment low with option to get a new car in a 3 year.

Fully loaded $43K Cadenza lease with 0 down around $440 per month 15K miles.
I think monthly payment if you buy it for 60 months will be more than $640 per month.
Am I right?

 

[Unclassified]

How much is your payment? I think the reason we are leasing to keep monthly payment low with option to get a new car in a 3 year.

Fully loaded $43K Cadenza lease with 0 down around $440 per month 15K miles.
I think monthly payment if you buy it for 60 months will be more than $640 per month.
Am I right?

$420/60

I also only paid $35k and some small change though, and traded in a 2500 HD. Plus a few dollars down.

 

[aloukienko]

This is wrong as $420 X 60 = $25,200

So you can't get car $35K + tax around $2K = $37K for $25K...it has to be $12K more from somewhere....

So you can see that you could have the payment $440 per month and save $12K

However if you keep that car longer than 6 years it will be beneficial....
But again I like to drive a new cars...but it's me...and I have to pay for it

 

[Unclassified]

This is wrong as $420 X 60 = $25,200

So you can't get car $35K + tax around $2K = $37K for $25K...it has to be $12K more from somewhere....

So you can see that you could have the payment $440 per month and save $12K

However if you keep that car longer than 6 years it will be beneficial....
But again I like to drive a new cars...but it's me...and I have to pay for it

When I trade the vehicle in I will get my $12k back. Plus a fair amount of what I put into the car in payments.

So if I trade the vehicle in in 3 years, and say I haven't paid it off yet. I would owe $15,000 on the vehicle, Will most likely be worth 25- 30k. I live 1 mile from work.. Thats 10 - 15k down on the next vehicle plus whatever I bring to the table.

Have to make that initial investment to cover ground and escalate in your cars. Has never been a time I haven't got at least my down payment back when getting rid of a car for the next one. Typically get well in excess of it.

 

[Unclassified]

Leasing is awesome, if you know for sure you won't want the car in three years and you are saving the down payment you would have put down. If you are spending the money else where and Still making payments, you are basically renting cars your entire life. Always limited to the same price bracket of vehicles.

I started at a 10k car, and this time I could afford up to 60k. Took several years, but I made that initial investment. I don't make much more money than I used to, and any extra money I have made has gone to living.

 

[aloukienko]

When I trade the vehicle in I will get my $12k back. Plus a fair amount of what I put into the car in payments.

So if I trade the vehicle in in 3 years, and say I haven't paid it off yet. I would owe $15,000 on the vehicle, Will most likely be worth 25- 30k. I live 1 mile from work.. Thats 10 - 15k down on the next vehicle plus whatever I bring to the table.

Have to make that initial investment to cover ground and escalate in your cars. Has never been a time I haven't got at least my down payment back when getting rid of a car for the next one. Typically get well in excess of it.

In 3 years 25-30K...are you kidding? That's what dealer will try to it sell for. You'll be lucky if dealer will give you 20K...
If you get 20K and you still need to payoff 13K..it returned you back 7K vs 12K you already spend to put money down...
As I told you before the best scenario you need at least 5 years to get any benefits but in most cases it works after 6 years of owning car

 

[aloukienko]

Leasing is awesome, if you know for sure you won't want the car in three years and you are saving the down payment you would have put down. If you are spending the money else where and Still making payments, you are basically renting cars your entire life. Always limited to the same price bracket of vehicles.

I started at a 10k car, and this time I could afford up to 60k. Took several years, but I made that initial investment. I don't make much more money than I used to, and any extra money I have made has gone to living.

It's good for you that you could find such deals.
However in general buying a car is losing money ...not investing as car could never became more expensive with years ...
So very few people like you could afford with the same salary 10K to 60K car...it's just don't work that way...unless you are the dealer