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Comments
If you signed the paper and you drove the vehicle off the lot, you purchased that vehicle. There is no 72 hrs cooling off period. The 72 hrs cooling off period only applys to door to door sales. A colleague of mine at work had the same problem and dealer was going to make him take the deal. Since he did not physically take delivery of the vehicle and drove off the lot, he was able to get out of it.
Are you sure there is no 72hr waiting period? It's ok, I want to keep it i'm just angry about the salesman and the finance guy.
Most states don't have a 3 day cooling off period for anything but door-to-door sales. The Texas AG site isn't real helpful, but check out this link.
Steve, Host
There is no 72 hrs waiting period once you sign the paper and drive it off the lot. If you look at the bottom of the sales contract, it says there is no cooling off period. The colleague of mine even double checked on the texas government website and its stated on there no cooling off perid.
what did the finance manager try to do?
the finance guy was irritated at the salesguy and he was pretty short with us. We had to re-work our deal in the finance office 3 times and he wasn't very happy about it and his attitude was projected on us.
but I hope ya'll don't get me wrong. I really love the sorento and I don't regret it one bit. I think once I complain to Kia i'll feel better about my buying experience. It's just that we have to go get that license plate tonight so i'm a little edgy to have to see the salesman again.
What, in your mind is a "good deal?". The bottom price? If you walked into a store wanting to buy a red shirt and walked out with a blue shirt that was already worn by someone and waited in line for an hour to buy it, but you got it for less money then the red shirt, would you tell the world what a "deal" you got? I don't think so, because it is not what you wanted.
Folks, I see this ALL THE TIME. Buyers get wrapped up in emotion when making a large purchase. A fair deal is not about the bottom number, it is about the entire experience. Part of the experience is a fair price for the product that you walked in to buy, not settle for.
Think about it, you handed that dealership $25k for poor service, a vehicle in a color that you did not want and options that you paid for that you did not want either.
And you sarcastically call the salesman "Einstein"?
I dont regret my purchase. I dont love the color, but my husband does, and it's his car so that's not a big issue. bad service? yes. good deal, yes. 1000 miles? not an issue for me (as I said earlier). I'm not upset about the CAR one bit, i'm upset about how I was treated, that's all. I do believe I got a good deal, bottom line yes, and I got a car I wanted so i'm not sorry about that. I did not pay for options I didn't want, they deducted those items off my price. I searched high and low for the options I wanted and received, and got extra's at no charge to boot. I had to fight hard for them, that's what i'm beat down about but we stayed strong and didn't give in and got what we wanted out of it, it was just hard getting it. and YES I sarcastically call HIM Einstein.
I had no idea there was still that strong of a demand in dallas market. I figure the demand cooled off a bit since kia was offering $1k rebate and dealers would be more flexible.
-mike
When salesperson and I come to an agreement, than I expect to see the agreed amount in the salespaper not a penny more. If you have to haggle again with the finance manager, than why bother even talking to a salesperson. I can understand why looking4kia would be pissed when finance manager tried to change the sales price.
I'm going tomorrow (6-25-03) to look at it and would like some info asap.
Thanks, Tom
Until the first parking lot ding anyway!
(btw, please no links to sites with auto forums)
Steve, Host
Steve is absolutely right buyers remorse is natural. As long as you are happy go with it.
As everyone else has said just go from here and join the Sorento experience.
Go to Real World Trade in Values and put a post in for Terry (rroyce10) on this. The man is fabulous.
Tell him what model you are looking at include all optional equipment, color, mileage,4WD,etc. as well as what part of the country you are in and he will give you what you should pay for it.
Folks have sworn by him (not at him:-) for years.
Good luck.
Thanks again, tom
or any info on changes?
Thanks!
tyresmoker - I was laughing when I read about the "red shirt" thing. Sometime car buying experience could be frustrated or could be fun. For the whole time, I was under impression that looking4Kia was buying or shopping for a new one.
jjwolf - I don't think there will be any change for the 2004 model except the price.
tnel332 - Used Sorento for $22.8K? The brand new one (LX, 4WD, ABS and even with alloy wheels) would cost $23.5K MSRP and the TMV is $22.9. I think $17K to $18K is fine. He properly end up selling you this for $20K. But why not buy a new one with full factory warranty and the new car smell?
Thanks for those of you that didn't attack me during my emotional outbreak yesterday and for those of you that did and tried to make me feel stupid...well....I hope you will treat people better in the future. Those of you that read my earlier posts know that I have been looking at this car for a while and I had done my research before I bought it, it wasn't about that. I hate that getting a good deal is such a fight. Paisan....do I think they should have given me the car? DUHHHH (as you say) No, I don't, but I don't think a little human decency is too much to ask. I'm not going to keep defending myself so let's please move on.......
I would hope for improvements like gas mileage or heated seats. Minor cosmetic changes are almost expected.
The problem with the auction is there are very few going through the lanes at the moment. Those that are might have spent some time as rentals etc.
Kia and Hyundai offer great value to the original owner. But, because of the warranty dropping and rapid depreication, they are not quite the value as used vehicles, nor are they the best to part with within the first few years of ownership.
The notice recommends that you make an appointment with you dealer "as soon as it is convenient".
And lately it has been advertising more than ever on the radio and tv.
~Karen~
After a very long hiatus from this discussion board I just had to vent with someone. You will never believe the hell I've been through the past 4 months. This story is scary enough to give any Sorento owner the chills. The story begins....
Four months ago (mid February) on a night that saw the thermometer dip to -35 Celsius I was coming back from a meeting with a real-estate agent. I had decided to sell my land in the furthest backwater suburbs of Montreal. I had just gassed up, a full tank, and was feeling snug as a bug in my warm Sorento. While driving on the on-ramp to a secondary highway (about 40-45 km/h) I suddenly hit a patch of black ice. The vehicle swerved and skidded as I tried to get out of this predicament. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do as my Sorento, now in a sideways skid, hit the snowbank on the side of the road. Next thing I knew the SUV was in a slow roll over the snowbank and while on it's roof skidded into a ditch. Dazed but relatively unhurt, held in my seat by my seatbelt, I shut off the engine and CD player and decided to get the heck out; after all the tank was completely full and wanted to avoid any nasty surprises. The impact while not hard enough to activate the airbags was hard enough to crumple the front of the roof and break the windshield. With the driver side door completely blocked by snow I had to clamber out the front passenger door. Standing about 15 feet away, legs trembling, I looked at my Sorento, wheels pointing toward that cold black sky, steam hissing from the engine, my heart about as broken as can be. Then reality set in and called the provincial police to let them know what had happened. I was lucky that at that moment a kind soul (never did get her name) called me in to her car to warm up while I waited for the police to arrive. A few minutes later and I was filling out an accident report in the back of the police cruiser. It was at that point that I realized that somehow I had gashed my leg below the knee and the lower pant leg was red with blood. Still can't figure out where in the car I could have done that. Anyway, after refusing an ambulance I performed some battlefield first-aid and patched things up while I waited for the tow truck and flatbed to rescue my Sorento. When they did arrive I watched from inside the police car as they turned her back over on to her wheels and got her out of the ditch. The damage didn't seem too bad considering what had happened. The impact had evidently been softened by the snow and the passenger side was miraculously unscathed. They then got her on to the flat bed and I accompanied my car to a local body shop. A couple of days later I went back to check out the car and after determining that the place did merely acceptable bodywork, I was wary of having them do the work so I arranged for my close friend's BMW dealership to do the work. I knew that they had an excellent bodywork operation and was lucky that my friend was able to squeeze me in. Here is where the real horror show started.
Firstly, the body shop told me there was at least a 45-day wait for the Sorento's roof. It had to be shipped from Korea!! Because of this delay, the car had to sit outside for close to 2 months outside while the parts slowly trickled in. We (BMW and myself) found this unacceptable that KIA Canada did not stock the parts in country but being a new model I swallowed the pill and accepted the reality of it.
Cut to scene of clock hands spinning, calendar pages flying off . (just like in those old movies).
Two and half months had passed and the car was still being worked on. Nearing completion, some mechanical issues needed addressing, namely the wiper assembly and a very disturbing sound coming from the starter. For this the BMW dealership farmed out the work to Bourassa KIA in Laval. The wiper assembly had to be repaired twice, seems they forgot to do some work and BMW had to return it a second time. The starter was supposedly replaced despite the fact that it still made a very disturbing sound when started. Bourassa KIA's explanation was that there was rust on the flywheel and that the sound would disappear over time. Oddly, however, the sound kept getting worse, and we (BMW and myself) were skeptical about what had REALLY been done to repair the problem.
All this time I was paying $515 a month for the lease + $125 a month for the insurance. The insurance allowed up to $1200 for taxis and rentals. While sufficient for repairs taking a month or so, this was nearly not enough for the length of time required for my car. I'm not faulting my insurance company (TD Insurance) though. They were helpful and understanding in their own way.
So throughout one of the coldest winters to date I humped it using public transportation or taxis and the occasional car rental, all the while paying for non-usage of my car. BMW Laval does not have loaners but they did the best they could to help me out (I got the free use of a Mini Cooper demo on a couple occasions).
After 3 solid weeks of driving I noticed the starter was really beginning to complain, to the point that I was unable to start car with the key and had to use the remote starter. I decided I better bring it in to my dealership Montreal KIA. Surely they could do a better job.... They also had no loaners and so I had to rent a car (are you folks seeing a pattern here). (It get's better). So I brought it to them and explained that the starter was on it's way out. I also told them that Bourassa had said it was rust on the flywheel.
'No problem Mr. so and so, blah, blah, blah... . We'll take care of it, blah, blah, blah... .'
Later that day I got a call from the service manager at KIA Montreal telling me that the problem with the starter was caused by my remote starter, the Compustar (search this group for Compustar, one of the best high-end car starters on the market). He goes on to tell me that it was not installed properly and was damaging the Sorento's starter. I disagreed with him stating that the Compustar was installed by probably the best installer in Canada (he teaches other installers how to install the Compustar). Also the remote starter worked flawlessly before the accident. In any case they would not cover the repairs under warranty (despite a 'new' starter having been installed a month earlier). This would end up costing me close to $600 for the starter and another $800 if the flywheel was damaged. I told them to not carry out any work and that I wanted a second opinion on this. I decided to bring the car back to Bourassa, the dealership that supposedly had fixed the problem in the first place. In fact the service manager said I should have done so in the first place since the KIA dealerships are franchises and are not related, that he would have done the same to save $1500 and that he was washing his hands of this affair (how's that for service and support).
OK.., sigh..., grumble..., at least I had a functional car, or so I thought.... . When I went to KIA Montreal to pick up my Sorento, they charged me $75 for diagnostics, which I paid without a fuss. They assured me that I could still use the car with the remote starter. When it came time to start her you couldn't believe my frustration when the starter failed to engage. I went to complain and the head mechanic came out to tell me I was SOL and went on to lecture me about how this remote starter had damaged the starter. Yes, but when I brought it the starter was still working... In effect I just paid $75 for them to finish off the starter. Now that's a good deal!!!
Now I was faced with having to arrange for a flatbed (again) to bring the Sorento to Bourassa. When I broached the subject of who was to pay KIA Montreal said they would not even contribute (despite their recent role in finishing off this damned starter from hell). OK, more grumbling... and 2 hours later the flatbed finally arrives (all the while I kept thinking of Michael Douglas' portrayal in Falling Down).
ALL RIGHT, an hour later (+ $75 for the towing) and I arrived at Bourassa who told me they would work on my car as soon as they could. They also told me they were out of loaners so if I wanted a car I would have to rent one!!! By now my energy is spent and I just want to get the hell out. ":OK, I'll rent" (even though the car was there for repairs relating to something they should have fixed in the first place a month ago). By now you're figuring 'OK, there's light at the end of the tunnel for Mike' right? WRONG!
The next day the service manager at Bourassa KIA calls me up to tell me that they were 'advised' that the starter problem was due to the remote starter and that they would not repair the starter and flywheel if I didn't pay for the work. When I asked who had advised them they replied "KIA Montreal". "How nice!" I thought to myself. KIA Montreal went out of their way to 'advise' Bourassa KIA. When I asked if they carried out a diagnostic the service manager told there was no point in second-guessing the diagnostic made by KIA Montreal. "How very nice!" I thought to myself as visions of lawyers danced through my head.
That's IT! Now I was really pissed. I told them to not do a thing on my car until I called KIA Canada, which I promptly did (and should have months ago). I was relieved to hear a very sympathetic voice on the other end of the line; taking note of everything I've just told you. I was told that my call was being given high priority and that someone from head office in Toronto would be calling me today or tomorrow. Now I wait! In the meantime I've signed up with the Automobile Protection Association (a Canadian watchdog organization with some b@lls) to see if they can help me out with this predicament.
Please understand that I love (if it is possible to love inanimate objects) my Sorento. I was the second person in Quebec to get one (one of the very first in Canada) last September. It was love at first site and I had all the faith in the world that this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Unfortunately, the recent events I've been through have shaken my faith, not so much in the product, but in the support network. I am hoping, CORRECTION! Praying that KIA Canada will help me restore my faith and let me enjoy this vehicle.
Thanks for letting me vent!
To be continued...
In fact, this will not effect my decision to have one installed later on. The service people often blaming you for anything by having the aftermarket accessories, upgrade and modification. I have one (alarm with remote starter made by Avital) on my 93 Accord since day one. I have no problem with the starter or any parts of the car (including the alarm & remote starter themself) even I use it every single day.
I don't regret having put in my Compustar either.
I'm simply a victim of dealers who don't know or understand the concept of keeping a customer happy. :-(
Mike
-mike
And maybe I am asking the question here like pasian did. We usually total it for this type of accident. The cost would greater than the market value of the car. For the older cars (maybe 5 years and older), we usually total it if the repair cost is more than 50% to 75% of the market value. Also, is there anything to do with your lease? I don't think there is a lease program on Sorento or any Kia cars in US.
-mike
And not one mention of the Sorento.
That's not surprising, given that even if want aftermarket parts for the Sorento you have to go overseas. You can barely find wheels here.
Someone wrote that the reason is a company here wont make custom parts for a car unless they sell over 100,000 annual in USA, and the Sorento doesn't even sell that worldwide.
As for ads, I live in NYC and have seen tons of Sorento Commercials...
-mike
It's a serious, image-oriented branding ad as opposed to Kia's previous campaigns, which were built on humor. Tagline: "Make Every Mile Count."
Here's a recent article with kudos to Kia for initial quality:
http://www.kia.com/060203.shtml
Mike, I'm also surprised your car wasn't totaled out. Just think of it this way it could have been much, much worse. That being said good luck at getting the dealer to provide service. I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter. This is almost like a mackabee post. :-)
LOL they aren't running any Sorento ads _at all_.
Its all Sephia, Sedona, Spectra, every time I turn on the TV or Radio.
Also the Kia dealership around here has an ugly Sportage on the outdoor display lift.
The latest news is that it seems like I'll be going to litigation. The trouble is that I'm still stuck without a functional car. The APA and I are planning our next moves. Looks like the Sorento is once again going to be on a flatbed to an independant garage to verify the diagnosis. Sigh...
I'm also very disappointed in KIA Canada (who was supposed to have a rep call me today). Double sigh...
Regarding the totalling of the vehicle. Damage was estimated at just over 10K. The pillars that support the roof were not damaged. It was the front center of the roof that crumpled (like a V). That being said, I wished she had been declared a total but looking at her today, notwithstanding the starter problem, she looks as good as the first day I got the car.
I'm also looking at getting the host of one of the local consumer assistance TV shows to give me a hand.
Keep you guys posted.