Premier Kia

Not pleased with Kia in Branford at all! After purchasing a 2104 Kia Sorento and spending a fortune on the fully loaded piece of crap. Barely a year later the thing has been in the shop more times than I can count at this point! The service department is also incompetent and the girl that runs it is RUDE and not very helpful! Terrible customer service and NOT accommodating to a customer who should not have to be dealing with the recalls and not having a vehicle because it’s always being fixed. ANGRY I made this purchase! People if you wonder why Kia can get you all those great features for a good price it’s because they are cutting corners on everything else and selling you CRAP!!! if I could rate them it would be negative stars! Don’t let the good looks of this vehicle FOOL you as it did me:/!!!

Is the thought of having to go to a dealership and purchasing a new or used car daunting to you? Do questions like: Is this a reputable and honest dealer? Am I getting taken advantage of? Am I getting a good price? Will I be able to afford payments? Is this car safe for me (and my family)? Is this car going to safely get me around in the rough CT winters? all run through your head? Well they have always ran through mine when thinking of buying a new or used car. My biggest fear: Regret.
Fear no more with Premier Kia.
Last time I purchased a car was from a dealership (that is now closed) and I felt extremely taken advantage of. It happens, moving forward with that in the back of my head, I wearily had to start looking for a new car after totaling my old car.
I’m a single mom that works two jobs and has a hefty student loan payment. I needed a safe, reliable car that I could afford and be an investment that would last me a while. I need to make sure my child and myself get around safely, especially in the up and coming CT winters. I’ve been recommended KIA of Branford by a coworker a couple of years ago but like I said I’ve been putting it off due to past experiences.
I decided to go, I was promptly greeted and told someone would be right with me. I was the jerk that came around lunch time, lunch breaks are sacred! Nathan was sweet enough to forgo his lunch break and listen to my situation, my concerns with affordability, safety, what I wanted, what I needed and before I knew it we were on the road test driving cars in the lovely town of Branford. Nathan listened attentively, addressed my concerns, never pushy and led me in the direction of the right fit for my family and myself on all levels.
After meeting with Nathan, picking out the best car for me, I had to leave and come back later that evening to meet with Jason to go over the scary stuff… money! Jason spent quality time working with me, going over what kind of options were available to me and in my budget. I did have a co-​signer, which meant he had to spend more time with us and answering a lot of the same questions twice, which he was happy to do. (All with an 8 year old getting antsy and hopping around his office.) He was so patient, kind and most importantly, honest. I walked out of his office with a very affordable payment, lower than what I had expected and feeling at ease. That huge weight on my shoulders from fear was now lifted.
I love my new car but I walked away with faith restored in (the right) car dealerships again. It was such a great experience, having that high level of customer service, the open communication, honesty and walked away relieved and grateful to have a car again on terms I’m happy and comfortable with. Many thanks to Nathan and Jason of Premier Kia for that.
You guys are the best! My only regret was not getting up there sooner.

I wrote a review for Premier Kia just after purchasing a vehicle there which was quite positive. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, my opinion changed to quite negative. The dealership posted the first positive review on their website but did not post the second. I am taking this opportunity to post the second so it can be viewed by the public.
Good deal gone bad
In August 2014, I purchased a 2013 Scion FRS from Premier. The sales experience was very good as noted on a previous note. One exception was I had a True Car price which was not honored. Some issues began the day I picked up the car however, starting with a missing ignition key which I was not told about until after paying. I didn’t think much of it at the time until I found out a replacement was $ 300. Had I known that prior to purchase, I would have asked for a price adjustment (maybe to the True Car price which was not honored?). I paid for a new key. Things started to pick up steam downhill when a week after purchase the passenger side headlight failed. Again, not thinking much of it since the vehicle has 1 ½ years to go on the factory warranty, I took it to my local Scion dealer and expected a free repair. Turns out the previous owner had self installed some substandard HID lights and had spliced into the wiring harness in an unprofessional manner voiding the warranty for the repair. I was also informed that a substandard air intake had been installed. When I inquired on several occasions with Premier I finally learned these downgrades were noted in the inspection they did on the vehicle but I was never informed and did not think to ask. The cost from my local dealer to repair the damaged wiring harness and headlights is $ 1,600. Wow. Premier tells me there’s nothing they can do. Wow again. I’ll pay to have these repairs done which turns this deal into a pretty bad one. Both my local Scion dealer and my local mechanic inform me this vehicle should not have been sold to me in this condition. I would have rated Premier 8 (not more because of the key). I would now rate them a 3. Lessons learned for future buyers: ask if anything has been modified on the vehicle. Ask for the incoming inspection paperwork. Take the vehicle to a competent objective 3^rd party and have it checked out. My local mechanic is mad at me because I did not take it to him prior to purchase. He would have told me to pass.

I was in the market to lease a new car and after visiting a few different dealerships, I wanted to check out the Kia Optima and knowing someone who had recently bought their car from Premier, I went there.
I had to wait a few minutes for someone to notice I was there, but finally I was able to get someone to help me. I test drove a mid level Optima and LOVED the way it drove. The salesman was really nice and seemed excited. I wanted the full «buying a car experience» because it was my first time getting something new. However, when the salesman found out I wasn’t going to purchase the car that day, I could tell his enthusiasm faded. I wanted to talk numbers and see what my payment would be, etc. and I asked him to follow up with me in a few days. I was planning on getting the car within the next week or so. Unfortunately, I never got a call from him and I was a little upset about that. I feel as though, if you really wanted to sell me the car (which I clearly wanted) he would have followed up. If I did want a Kia in the future, I’d go somewhere else. Needless to say, I went and leased a new Maxima instead!

Dealing with Premier Kia to purchase my car was a positive experience from start to finish. I traveled from Rhode Island to buy my car in September 2013 and it was definitely worth the trip!
I originally found Premier Kia and their sister dealership, Premier Subaru, through an Internet search while looking for a specific model car, a Saab 9−2X. I’d seen a car I was interested in, but the listing was so new that only a stock photo accompanied the description on the website. I clicked on live help to ask if photos of the actual car were available, and Rita, the person who helped me, could not have been nicer or more friendly. Rita quickly checked on the status of the vehicle and promised that the photos would be updated later in the afternoon or the next day. Sure enough, she followed through and the listing was revised with new photos and more specific information.
When I decided to take the plunge and go see the car in person, the customer service continued to be fantastic. I arrived at the lot along with my boyfriend and my coworker who were along for the ride, and we were promptly greeted and helped by sales consultant Nathan Glazewski. Nathan was professional but also easy going and friendly. Not only did he answer important questions about the car and the buying process, but also questions about where to go for the best pizza in the area (also an important question!) and other interesting things to check out in the area since we were from out of town. He also respected the fact that we had already done our research online and knew our facts, and never insulted our intelligence. When I mentioned that my vehicle (sadly totaled in an accident) that I was replacing had been an Outback Sport and that I had really loved it, I was happy to learn that Nathan had also owned a similar year Outback Sport in the past so could easily relate to what I was looking for in a car. Also, as a female customer accompanied by two men on my visit, I appreciated that Nathan always addressed me with the important questions and never assumed that he needed to ignore me and «talk to the men» as some sales associates at car dealerships will unfortunately do. The buying process was pretty easy and painless, considering that the car was great and Nathan was very efficient following up via e-​mail and phone after my visit. When I went to pick up the car, we discovered that the VIN etching that was supposed to be on the vehicle’s windows had actually not been done, so Nathan suggested getting this done at the same time as the first free oil change that the dealership offers, or to have a kit sent that would allow me to do this myself. He followed up on this to make sure I knew my options and would be able to do this one way or another. He also followed up with me two weeks after the sale to make sure everything was perfect with the car… very impressive since with some other dealerships, once the sale is complete and you’re out the door, you definitely never hear from them again and don’t expect to. Nathan’s attention to detail and customer satisfaction truly speaks well for him and the dealership. You truly get the feeling that they care about the customer and their happiness.
A few other notes, on the dealership in general. When you walk into both Premier Kia and Premier Subaru, you definitely get a good, friendly vibe, from both the staff and the customers. Some of the customers I’ve spoken to in the waiting room were people that had been coming to the dealership for years. Also, one of the other reasons I considered visiting Premier was because their website says they will pick you up from the station in New Haven if you need to come in via train (a nice convenience for people who might be in between cars like I was). I ended up not using this service but the fact that they offer it at all was a big selling point. The Premier group, and their staff, definitely seem to go above and beyond.
I’m very happy with the customer service I received from Premier Kia and the car I purchased. I would definitely recommend the dealership, and especially Nathan, to anyone looking to purchase a used or new vehicle. As I said in the beginning of this review, it’s definitely worth the trip. Thank you, Premier Kia!

My wife and I are in the market for 2014 Sorentos. Due to my work giving a discount through TrueCar and that being the closest dealership I thought I would stop in as it was a significant discount. When I walked in there was 1 salesperson in sight who was helping someone else. There was no «Hi. Hello. or Be Right With You». We stood there for a couple minutes waiting patiently. He then went outside as he was checking out a car that he was going to take in trade. After about 10 minutes a woman walked in and offered to help us. We took a look at a Sorento (even though they didn’t have one in stock with the options we wanted) and the woman was friendly enough and was able to answer questions. Despite not having the exact car we wanted, they did have a step up. We figured we would get the pricing on that vehicle (as TrueCar discounts only apply to vehicles they currently have on the lot). Here’s where the problems started.
Between the 2 people in the office (the salesman was now free and offered assistance), neither had access to the TrueCar system to give a VIN based estimate. They called someone who did and were finally able to get me a quote. While he was putting the quote together we were speaking with the saleswoman about the posters on the wall. One talked about «20 year/​200k miles» as the standard warranty instead of the 10year/​100k miles” that normally is offered by KIA. She talked about the warranty as well as the 2 years of service that’s included (8 oil rotations as well as other things) and talked about a fee of $ 1,800 or so. I don’t recall the exact amount but it was around that price.
Now, I do my research before I go car shopping. I had a printout from their website that specifically states «Premier Kia in Branford, CT is home to the outstanding 20 year/200,000 mile warranty! Our dealership exclusive warrantee doubles the KIA factory warranty. There is no additional charge, no strings attached, and no „dealer“ required service!
PLUS, All new KIA models and Certified KIA models come with 2 years of free maintenance at Premier KIA!» When I showed her the printout from the website she stated «Oh. Well, forget everything I just said». That sounds incredibly shady to me and at that point I lost a lot of trust in her knowledge of what was actually going on.
Past that point, next was to get an appraisal on our current vehicle as we wanted to use it in trade. Again, neither of the 2 people in the office could give an appraisal and whoever did was not currently available. What I was given was the price that generally our vehicle would be bought at auction” and what we might get for it. They did take our information and said the manager would look at the information the next day and give us a quote. What did they forget to get? Our contact information! We realized this after we left but decided not to call and give it to them as we had made up our mind that we weren’t going to be using the dealership.
What I guess made me wonder was where everyone was. We had just left another KIA dealership who had a manager, financial person (not sure of the name of the person that would write up the paperwork for a new car), and a ton of people who were available to assist. If I wanted to buy a car that day, there would have been no way for me to do that. At the other dealership we visited I could have signed and been done that day.
I love the KIA brand and everything about it but unfortunately I cannot recommend this dealership. I have not visited during the week when it might be more staffed so can only comment on my one visit. My first impression was not as positive as I had hoped for.