Century Kia of Tampa

My Best Kia Purchase Took Place At Century Kia After an attempt to upgrade my wife's Sorento with a model that had more equipment, I almost gave up. I 1st visited the dealership where I had purcha After an attempt to upgrade my wife's Sorento with a model that had more equipment, I almost gave up. I 1st visited the dealership where I had purchased my two previous Kias, but could not make a deal. What bothered me the most was not the lack of a purchase, but the fact that I did not receive a phone call or even an E-mail. I then decided to visit Century Kia which ended up being the smartest move ever! I was greeted by Dennis Bober, salesman. He was not the least bit pushy, but very knowledgeable ( and he was mew). Without going into excessive detail, I was introduced to management. I did not make a deal that day, but they continued to contact me in a very cordial manner, until a deal was made. I could not have been happier & my wife was thrilled. I cannot say enough about Century Kia and their attitude towards customers. I look forward to dealing with them in the future Marshall Edgren More

run away! lies! sexist! do NOT buy a car here! Very bad experience. I went to Century Kia because they had the best prices of all the dealerships in the central Florida area. I knew exactly what Very bad experience. I went to Century Kia because they had the best prices of all the dealerships in the central Florida area. I knew exactly what I wanted, what I wanted to pay, and exactly what the quote should be. I told Malik our salesman what I wanted...and initially he went along fine. Than we got to the issue of money. I have never dealt with a more nosey judgemental person. I am self employed, as is my mother (my cosigner) we have never had to do more than show the balance on our joint checking account to get any kind of financing anywhere. He was very accusatory and made all kinds of implications that perhaps we were involved in something illegal or unsavory. Not the case....we each own a retail store and I also own a remodeling company! I wanted a six year loan...low payments, because I trade-in every 18-24 months....I have ZERO interest in paying off a car. He told me the only loan I could get would be for 3 years at more than double the payments I wanted. He said "Anywhere else will tell you the same thing" tried to scare us about leaving...that this was our ONLY chance to get a car. I think he had thought I was just some stupid woman (we got alot of that from him also since we did not have a man with us) who would jump at the car I wanted no matter the price. So after I refused his offer of the 3 year loan, he tries to sell me a used one "more in my budget"...My budget was not the issue! I did not want a 3 year loan! So the used was a 2012 Kia Soul was $14,999 with 62,000 miles on it. I already had found a 2013 one with 30k on it at Off Lease Only for $11,999....I told him that I already had a backup car and "Thanks but No Thanks" at this point HE FLIPPED OUT.....He became loud and agressive and told me I was lying, that there was NO WAY I had found a better car. I was already heading to the door and said loudly and firmly "I refuse to argue with you about this. It is done. Goodbye" people were staring! He was still screaming....the manager came over and tried to smooth things over and get me out of there as fast as possible. I would NEVER EVER EVER COME HERE Sexist! Judgemental! Do NOT listen the the customer!! Bait and switch!! More

I was very hesitant to go to this dealership due to the reviews that I had read, especially with the previous reviewer's experience. I started this process in May. I needed a new car and I really liked the reviews that I had read, especially with the previous reviewer's experience. I started this process in May. I needed a new car and I really liked the new Kia Optima (I currently owned a 2001 Optima). I initially contacted Century Kia because there was a radio ad that said that they were giving $5000 for any trade. I was thinking wow that would be perfect because that would be less money out of my pocket. I called back in May and spoke with Jonathan and was told that I would need an additional $2500 - $3000 down because of my credit, Now my credit is bad but if they were giving $5000 for trades why would I need so much money down. I was told that they would only give me $1000 for my old Kia so I thought here we go; the $5000 for any trade was just another gimmick to get people into the dealership, so I never pressed the issue and left it alone. So fast forward to September and my car is getting worse. I was prepared to go to another dealer that would be 30 minutes away because of all of the great reviews that I read online, but I was not sure the car would make it, So the day before Labor Day I called Jonathan again to see about purchasing a new Kia. I reminded him of who I was and he told me the next day he would not be available until the afternoon because he had appointments in the morning and he would call me the following day to let me know when he would be available. First thought was OK here we go...they are giving me the run around. Me and my husband had talked about it and decided to just go to the dealership because Jonathan is not the only salesman there and see what we can do. So the next morning I get a call from Sioming at Century and she said that Jonathan had given her my name and number and if I could come in. I told her yes and I would be there in an hour. I got there and was greeted right away. I told the gentleman I had an appointment with Sioming. He went to find her and then Jonathan came by with Sandy Davis and told me that she would be helping me. My xx radar went up right away because I felt that I was being shuffled around. Well I am glad that I got Sandy because she was excellent every step of the way. Sioming came by and introduced herself and she was very nice. Sandy worked very hard to find me an Optima in my budget and the options I wanted. I was still skeptical because my credit was not good. Within two hours of arriving at the dealership she told me that they got the financing and I was good to go! I was truly shocked because they had to have worked some kind of miracle to get me financed. The only complaint I had was we had to wait two hours for the car to be detailed. I did have to take the car back a couple of days later because the pin stripes on the car were messed up. I just called Sandy and she said just to bring it back and they would put new pinstripes on the car and she did just that. I could not be more happy with Century Kia, Sandy Davis, and my new Optima. More

NEVER, EVER AGAIN!!! Heard their radio advertisement. It NEVER, EVER AGAIN!!! Heard their radio advertisement. It was CLEAR. Guaranteed $5,000 trade-in on EVERY car. If you had credit problems so long as y NEVER, EVER AGAIN!!! Heard their radio advertisement. It was CLEAR. Guaranteed $5,000 trade-in on EVERY car. If you had credit problems so long as you were on the job for a year and made at least $250 a week they could get you financed. And yes I listened to the really fast talking at the end of the radio ad. There was nothing in it close to what we were told at the dealership. I called ahead, because we live more than an hour from the dealership and I didn't want to waste the gas or the tolls. I explained to Sioming that we lived further away, and we wanted to know what the chances were that we could get into a new vehicle before driving out. I was very clear that we'd had some credit issues but that our student loans were out of default and we'd made payments on our current vehicle with a sub-prime lender for a year now. Been on jobs for more then a year for myself and my husband plus child support for my daughters. We were bouncing back. She assured me they didn't look at student loans or anything medical, it wasn't just credit they considered and they worked with at least 30 different banks, it shouldn't be a problem. So we drove down. BIG MISTAKE!! When we first got there 6 salespeople in red shirts were milling around the entrance. We were assigned to Sandy. Now let me note they knew we were coming, knew it was 20 minutes before their declared closing time and assured us it was going to be fine. Sandy asked what kind of car we were looking for. We browsed their website, we wanted either a Soul, Forte or Optima. Under the link "Cars under $12,000" were several NEW 2013 Optima's with a "contact us" link under the Price area so thats what we went with. At that point she didn't bother to show us any of the cars, ask what we knew about them, etc. She went straight to "what do you want the payments to be?" My husband and I had already agreed ahead of time what our "walk-away" amount would be, not more then $20 then what we were paying through our current lender with the state maximum interest rate. We named the amount and she immediately went to "how much can you put down?" We said it would depend on what we qualified for. She said she'd have to run our credit so we filled out the application, assuring us with our income it shouldn't be a problem, not with the 30+ banks they have "good personal relationships" with. She comes back and says with our one repo (my husbands from years ago, set to drop off in less then a year) and our medical bills (the ones they supposedly didn't even look at according to Sioming) we don't qualify for any of their banks except for one, (out of 30???!) and they require a $1,000-2000 down payment. She asked if we could put that much down, we said no. I said we didn't understand, we only owed $1,800 on our current vehicle, which the $5,000 advertised guaranteed trade-in should cover, plus give us extra as a down payment. Now all the sudden Sandy tells us that $5,000 is only for new vehicles and none of them were going to fall under the price range that would work for our financing. And she goes on to tell us "even if we could apply the ad amount, most banks charge fees between $2000-4000 up front, so it wouldn't do you any good". I've financed new cars before, and I've NEVER heard of such a thing. A $499 dealer fee plus tax and title sure, but not bank fees except for the interest rate. And most new cars have dealer incentives and stuff. So my husband stood up and said no problem, we didn't have to get a new car right now. Sandy jumps up and says she'll go confirm with her manager regarding the ad. Comes back and sure enough, according to her the ad doesn't apply to us. We were livid. I recorded the ad on my phone and replayed it a few times. Nothing about qualifying for the trade-in, nothing about terms and conditions may apply. Obviously they didn't want to make the sale, or the finance manager just wanted to get home. Whatever. We went to another dealership today and no problem picking out a vehicle in our price range and getting financed through a lender who said they deal with Century Kia frequently, and had Century Kia bothered to actually TRY, it wouldn't have been a problem. Misleading ads, rude sales department, and obviously not that worried about making money. Not worth the drive or the wasted time. More

We were in need of a 7-passenger car that wasn't too big. After doing a lot of homework on the internet, we found exactly what we wanted in the inventory at Century Kia Tampa, a 2013 Sorento SX. We we big. After doing a lot of homework on the internet, we found exactly what we wanted in the inventory at Century Kia Tampa, a 2013 Sorento SX. We went in and were greeted before we got a few feet from parking our car, which was fine. Joe McClencon took down our requirements and fetched the car we wanted. He took his time to explain a lot about the 2014s in case we were interested in one of those instead of the 2013 we had picked. The 2013 met our needs better than the 2014 and the price negotiating was quite painless. Joe took a good deal of time instructing us on the features and how to operate them after we signed the papers and even synced my IPhone with the car and set a few satellite radio stations for me. Overall a very pleasant experience. One of the managers promised to have installed for us at his cost a HomeLInk on the review mirror after he would check on the price; I'll be interested to see if he follows up on this promise and contacts me because I'm really interested in the HomeLink. --Patricia R. Williams More

I needed a car badly to keep my job and to get my kids around. I went in there with hopes that they could help. Jonathan Vidal was extremely helpful, knowledgable, friendly, and understanding to my situat around. I went in there with hopes that they could help. Jonathan Vidal was extremely helpful, knowledgable, friendly, and understanding to my situation. He went above and beyond showing and explaining everything to me. I would definitely recommend Century Kia of Tampa and Jonathan Vidal. More

I went to century Kia looking for the new Kia optima. My salesperson was Jonathan Vidal he was very nice and knowledgeable about the Kia optima. He sat with me after buying the car went over all the feature salesperson was Jonathan Vidal he was very nice and knowledgeable about the Kia optima. He sat with me after buying the car went over all the features about the car. Jonathan Vidal was very friendly, courteous, and I would highly recommend Jonathan Vidal to any friends or relatives interested in buying a car from century Kia. More

I had the same experience as the previous reviewer. They added $3999 to the MSRP and then tried to tell me I was getting $7000 off the price when really it was only $2000. when I pointed this out to them th added $3999 to the MSRP and then tried to tell me I was getting $7000 off the price when really it was only $2000. when I pointed this out to them they said "but your still getting it below the MSRP" More

FORGET ABOUT IT !!! Worst experience, waste of time.. Spoke to sales person and he gave me a quote with trade in.. Dealership throws in $3999. extra fee and then gives you a discount. Offered less than w Spoke to sales person and he gave me a quote with trade in.. Dealership throws in $3999. extra fee and then gives you a discount. Offered less than what I was told over the phone for my trade in.. Tried to work out a deal with the manager and then his manager and I had to buy right then.. Said I needed just 24 hrs. to decide and manager would not have it and commit the deal for the next day.. Wanted me to call him and drive another 40 minutes to see if he would do the deal.. This manager needs to find another job, must be selling calls too long.. Needs a customer service course.. He said that he was buying from me cause I was doing a trade in and I could not make up my mind. I did mention very clearly when I first called that I would not be buying that day.. Next day I would have been ready.. Trust me, it was a joke and I think the regular sales person was embarrased with what he saw.. Went to another dealship and bought a car same day.... Regards More

Purchased a new Kia Soul+ on 3-10-12. The vehicle had a large scratch in the paint on the left front fender caused by vandals. I was told to return the vehicle on Monday the 12th and they would have the f large scratch in the paint on the left front fender caused by vandals. I was told to return the vehicle on Monday the 12th and they would have the fender repainted in a day or two. After making 2 unsuccessful trips to pickup my vehicle; on Thurs. the 14th my car was back at dealership but I would not accept the repair due to misalignment of the fender and bumper fascia. This whole experience has been unnecessary and outright unprofessional. More