Began the car search in earnest by getting off my can and visiting deanships to see what the situation is. It’s not as grim as I thought it might be.

I talked to sales folks at three Kia and two Hyundai dealerships. Two of the Kia salesmen said they had only been on the job less than a month. The supply story is pretty much the same across both Kia and Hyundai – what’s on the website is what they are getting. If you are interested, you can set up a $1,000 deposit with some paperwork outlining the purchase price of the vehicle. When it comes in, you have a couple of days to pick the car up, otherwise your deposit is refunded and the car goes to the next buyer. Of the three dealers, I only discussed price with two, and they both said MSRP, but one added that they require their “premium care package” (wax, tint, and scotch guard) which runs about $3,000. One dealer said they required financing through their banks, which struck me as mildly shady, but no real harm, as I could probably refinance through my credit union. The Hyundai/Kia special financing as of this month is reasonably competitive.

The bad news is that there are very few of what I am looking for – either a K5 GT or Sonata N-line in a color (i.e., not black, grey, or white). In the Austin area, there is one K5 GT in white inbound (probably sold by now), and three or four N-lines in various shades of grey and black. I spotted a Sonata N-line in Hampton Grey on the road yesterday, and was underwhelmed. On the other hand, I saw a K5 GT in Sapphire Blue and it was stunning.

And, of course, no test drives. I was able to sit in a base K5, and it fit just fine, with lots of room front and back.

I did test drive a used car – a 2019 Kia K900 VIP in Panthera Metal (which I read as Pantera Metal, thinking it’s like a limited edition commemorating the Arlington, Texas headbangers). The K900 is a rare (only 350 sold in US in 2019) Kia sedan that can the seen as either a stretch luxury Stinger, or a dressed down Genesis G90. I saw one rolling up Burnet a couple of weeks ago. It was like meeting someone that reminded you of someone you used to know, but couldn’t place – familiar, but new. I liked the taillight design looking little tubes of glowing red behind tinted glass. Iwas sufficiently impressed to do some research – it has the proven 3.3 turbo/8 speed automatic that is relatively ubiquitous in the Kia/Hyundai/Genesis autos, a gorgeously designed interior, and all the safety stuff that is now more ubiquitous across the platforms (including the blind spot cameras that come on when you hit the turn signal). This car had the VIP package, which includes heated/ventilated rear seats, and a rear console that comes between the rear seats for climate controls, audio, and “Rest” mode.

This particular car just came off lease a day or so earlier. The interior did not disappoint, and would fully fit the mission as cross country road trip machine. Roomy, quiet, fast enough, and didn’t feel quite as porky on the road as I anticipated. Everything I tried seemed to work, but lord know I didn’t try everything. This car did have a couple of issues that would have to be either sorted before purchase or included as part of the negotiation. The rear tires were Michelin, the front were fresh-looking Ohtsu – never a good sign especially on an all wheel drive vehicle. The passenger side wheel was curbed, and the chrome treatment was flaking off. The CarFax showed a minor front impact a couple of years ago, the subsequent repairs, followed by routine service over its lifetime. It was leased and serviced at the dealership selling it.

As a sidebar, looking at a CarFax in 2022 the “low average miles” shows up on nearly every one. Took me a moment to discover, no duh – no one was driving much in 2020 and most of 2021.

Thinking about the K900 on the way home, something seemed again familiar. Turbocharged V6 AWD sedan, in dark metal flake paint, with gizmos and doodads – yeah, that was my SHO Taurus. Also, used luxury car usually sets off alarms, especially low volume car. I dunno. Maybe I’ll just keep looking.