2023 Kia Sorento or Telluride: Arm me with the tools I need

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hi all.

So I have sort of a conundrum. I live in DFW area.
My family has grown as of late and I had to sell my old bmw 3series wagon (which I loved) for something bigger. After hours and hours spent researching I decided to buy a used 2022 Genesis GV80 advanced +
The rate was meh at 6.25% but I was also in a hurry because my wagon was on its last leg. So I closed on it with high-ass monthly payments of $877/mo for 72 months after putting $13k down.

I’ve loved driving the GV80. It has everything you could want from a performance/luxe suv. There are 2 issues however…

  1. The 2nd row has proven to be too snug for the 2 car seats I have. They fit, but I’m left with no wiggle room to recline when driving. This would be manageable, however…

  2. More importantly, the monthly payment is way too expensive. I didn’t take into account the resumption of my student loans. We’ve been doing our finances and I’m looking at a car payment of closer to $500/mo to stay afloat.

That all being said. I’m interested in the Telluride or Sorento as they both have ample 2nd row space and a third row as needed. I figure I’ll lease for 36 at 12k so as to drop the monthly payment, at least until my student loans are dealt with.

I’ve done the research on RV and MF and have come up with some numbers that are close to the desired monthly payment for Sorento, but still in the 600s for Telluride. My question is, do you think it’s even feasible to drive off with a decent trim Telluride (SX X-line perhaps) close to 550/mo? I’ll have about $5k in equity on the GV80. Any final tips when I go in and sign papers likely this week?

Thanks for listening.

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Have you shopped the GV80 around to see what you can get for it? Or are you just hoping to have $5k in equity?

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I’ve shopped it around to the usual suspects. CarMax, Carvana, CarGurus, and dealers. I’ve been offered anywhere from 51 to 56 for it.
Of course I’d get more if I sold privately but don’t want the headache. Besides, one of the dealerships was a local Kia.

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Do the legwork, collect detailed quotes, then come ask questions .

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Tellurides are pretty popular so discounts will likely be harder. I just picked up the Mazda cx90 hybrid which has strong deals this month and will get you the same space, captains chairs etc and land you in the $400s depending on your trim and term. Having driven a Telluride, I think it’s just as good if not better.

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Here are the tools you need to be successful leasing in Texas.

#1) learn how to use the calculator to structure a target deals for your personal situation based on current market conditions

#2) learn to identify which vehicles have tax credits offered on them and then forget everything else in the market

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Thanks man.
I got the impression/feeling that the captains chairs in the cx90 are like 2in less legroom. Doesn’t seem like much but for 2 big car seats, it’s important. Do you think yours would fit them easily? I’m 6’0.

Yes I have 2 car seats in mine, 1 a forward facing Diono and 1 is a giant bulky rear facing Doona and I have not had issues with fit though I’m 5’11

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I’d say good luck finding a telluride at $500. Especially something with a decent trim. It’s gonna be an MSRP deal and even with 5k down, you’re gonna be much higher.

CX-90 in the $400’s or Volvo in the same range seem like they would make sense for your situation.

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Bring you car seats to the dealer and put them in the car before your test drive. If they don’t fit, you are ready to leave. There is just no way to know for sure if car seats will fit until you do that. Yeah it’s a PITA but this is too expensive of a purchase to get it wrong.

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This is a good idea.

An alternative for when you already have the car: swap the car seats for ones that fit.

Cheaper than swapping vehicles! And there is a huge difference in size between small vs big car seats/convertible seats

I don’t think you can make a Volvo XC90 happen under $500/month unless you put in way too much DAS.

The Mazda is a good option, but he should know it will feel like a downgrade.

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They aren’t in car seats forever, sometimes it’s cheaper and better financially to stay in what you have. It’s all going to boil down to what the equity situation is on the Hyundai, I mean Genesis.

Yeah I don’t think so either without loyalty.

Actually, let me clarify because I made a mistake. The programs are very different and zip code dependent. The ones for my zip code suck, so maybe this is possible if you are lucky enough to have Volvo trying to sell cars aggressively in your region/zip.

Zing!! That was way harsh.

This has come up before on a few threads. Look into European car seat makers. They sell smaller car seats cause otherwise it would be real tough to have kid in backseat of a VW Polo or BMW 1 series. And yeah, it’s only an issue till the kid is 2 years old. Forward facing car seats require way less leg room.

I drive an XC90 and in my opinion I would not recommend leasing a base model one. The lower trim interiors are underwhelming and the base engine felt pretty underpowered to me. At that point, I’d rather drive a well equipped CX-90. Also, especially in Texas where the power is cheap, the plug in CX-90 should save a significant amount on gas if you can plug into even a 120 volt outlet every night.

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They seem like nice cars but the dealership experience is Hyundai, little to no investment into the network. Hard to be a luxury brand when they sell econo boxes in the same building.

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So I went to the local KIA and as expected, the monthly payment on a 2023 Sorento for 36/12 with 0 down and $4k equity still was > $700.
I used the calculator and plugged in the Edmunds-recommended RV (63%) and MF (.00237). With an MSRP of $46k and a sales price (I tried 3% under) of $44,620, I still get closer to $600 monthly. I added all the appropriate fees. Does KIA really not budge on the MSRP??

Well, make your educated offer to them…who cares what their offer was…there is (should be) movement on the 23 Sorento as new 24 Sorento is a redesign.