r/askcarsales • u/Mediocre_Fold_1100 • 2d ago
Meta Kia customers vs other brands customers.
I started at Kia, left and went to Nissan in another state then moved back and got rehired.
Nissan customers were a delight, for the most part they knew what they wanted and didn’t sweat the small stuff.
Kia on the other hand they demand unreasonable amounts off, shop around like crazy, and switch cars.
I’m curious if it’s the brand or the people
To add I worked at Nissan in west Tennessee, and Kia in southwest Florida
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u/RexRaider Sales Manager - Canadian Kia Dealership 2d ago
I've been with Kia over 15 years. We get all kinds of people... the biggest issue is people coming in thinking that Kia will be WAY cheaper than the competition, and when that isn't the case, they are very surprised, even though value is still there, and a better warranty too.
Kia also seems to compete with almost EVERYBODY. Most people looking at Toyota are also comparing Honda. But they aren't looking at Mazda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford, Chrysler, Tesla and others too.
We own a Subaru store as well, and most Subaru buyers are ONLY considering Subaru.
Within 20-30 minutes of my Kia store are at least 4 other Kia stores. 75 stores in "Central" zone (Canada). Subaru only has 34 stores in the same area.
It's certainly a more competitive brand.
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u/Rapph 1d ago
Honestly as someone who has bought from or been involved with kia, multiple infiniti, lexus, ford and bmw dealerships the KIA dealerships were just different. The dealerships themself felt like they weren't serious people and acted like their product was a quick turn and burn item. I don't personally care as I like as little interaction as possible with sales people but it was just weird when I bought my stinger. I don't expect luxury brand dealership experience but it also felt like if spirit airlines sold cars.
For example I asked how you get to the battery of the stinger if it dies since it is in the trunk. Salesman's response: "I have no idea, call roadside assistance I guess".
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u/bummerbimmer 1d ago
This, they don’t care.
Last time I tried to lease a Kia, I ended up getting a Lexus instead because it was cheaper. Half the cost, actually. The Kia sales team didn’t give a shit about presenting reasonable numbers or having a discussion.
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u/Mediocre_Fold_1100 6h ago
Sounds like a telluride instance. Other than that Kia lease just aren’t great. The residuals are all in the 60%-70% range.
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u/Mediocre_Fold_1100 2d ago
That’s a good take. I love selling cars but man, the headache that comes with Kia just doesn’t seem worth it. Don’t get me wrong I’m averaging 18 cars but I’d rather sell 14 and not deal with the stress
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u/JelliedHam 11h ago
Kia has also changed so much. Older people who never considered a Kia before only remember Kia from the early 90s when they were cheap little shitboxes. Now, of course, they see their neighbors and friends with new ones and realize "wow, those are really fucking nice cars now." And they are. But for some reason they still seem to think that they will be much cheaper than everything else with similar features and specs. Uh... No? Why would Kia do that? Maybe there's a slight discount for less brands prestige but even that's changing.
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u/WinterExcellent Finance Manager 1d ago edited 1d ago
Discerning customers don't go to nissan so you're already going to be dealing with more laid back people.
I worked at a kia store in sales for a few years and then went to a toyota and then a honda store.
I think Kia customers are customers who want the "reliability" of an Asian car manufacturer but aren't willing to pay for a Toyota or Honda. So what you get is more budget oriented people who still care about the details. At the toyota and Honda store, people already have faith in the product, so its more just about inventory and finding something that works for them. At Kia, you have to "prove the brand" more and you get a lot of customers who are at the top of their budget or else need big amounts off to justify not just buying the more expensive brand. I loved selling Kias and its a great brand though. As long as you learn your product and what makes it different from the competition you'll be fine.
Also Kia has also pivoted a lot towards EVs, which automatically attracts the worst kind of customers
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u/SpartanWarrior4 1d ago
This right here. When you are buying from a brand that is known for something like reliability (Honda, Toyota) the customer already knows the value of the product. They have already been sold on it. The sales consultant just had to bring it home. When you are selling Kia’s you are selling a more budget product. Yes you have longer warranties but most of your customers probably don’t know that. So it would probably be a harder sell especially with the way car prices are going up.
Personally, I work at a VW dealership. Most of our customers are either longtime VW owners or they have had a different brand like Kia and see the value that we offer. I hear all the time that they looked at Honda, Mazda, Kia but they felt that VW gave better value.
In the end, it just comes down to your pay plan and if what you are making now justifies the emotional stress of dealing with the customers
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u/Mediocre_Fold_1100 6h ago
$300 mini’s and 20% gross. Most all are mini’s. I did the math and per hour in 2018 vs 2026 the pay has gone up $1.25. It really doesn’t feel like it’s worth the headache to prove a brand when the customer should be doing their research. I thought it was normal when I sold Kia before. Come to find out this is not normal
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
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I started at Kia, left and went to Nissan in another state then moved back and got rehired.
Nissan customers were a delight, for the most part they knew what they wanted and didn’t sweat the small stuff.
Kia on the other hand they demand unreasonable amounts off, shop around like crazy, and switch cars.
I’m curious if it’s the brand or the people
To add I worked at Nissan in west Tennessee, and Kia in southwest Florida
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u/jpb59 Former SM/Director 2d ago
Southwest Florida. It’s the people.