If You're Shopping For A Used Kia Stinger, Try And Find One Of The Rare Orange GTS Models

Life is too short to own a boring car. Those words are emblazoned in big honkin' letters in the automotive portion of the Elvis Presley Museum. Since Presley had little desire for drab, grayscale vehicles, one Kia's vivid color and tire-eviscerating shenanigans might have made its way into The King's collection. The Kia we're referring to is the special edition Stinger GTS (2019), and it tells a very different story from most of the brand's past offerings.

Kia's Stinger GTS prioritizes smoky, silly driving fun over the more boring stuff, allowing drivers to stay in gears for longer without a mandated upshift. It'll even send 100% of its power to the rear wheels on demand. Care for some drifting in the family sedan, anyone? If that wasn't showboat-y enough, the limited-run GTS wears a distinctive shade of orange you won't find on other Stingers except the GT2.

Although Kia killed off the Stinger following the 2023 model year, performance sedan fans can still get one on the used market. Better yet, if the shouty Stinger GTS trips your trigger, you can get the keys to a used one without paying the original's $44,995 starting price. That said, you might want to include a budget for those sure-to-be-ill-fated tires.

A car that started as the brand's first rear-wheel drive concept in 2011, the Kia Stinger was a mold-breaker for the Korean automaker. A twin-turbocharged six-cylinder liftback sedan without a European badge? Seems like witchcraft from a brand rolling out a parade of practical little hatchbacks and family-hauling SUVs. Well, Kia did it before the new Dodge Charger. Then the brand took things a little deeper into the wild side with the delightfully absurd Kia Stinger GTS. Under the hood, the GTS gets the same twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter (201 cubic inch) V6 as the GT, pumping out 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. Then things get a little crazy.

For starters, the AWD version of the GTS got Kia's then-new dynamic all-wheel drive system with a drift mode. In drift mode, the smiling lunatic in the driver's seat can send 100% of the power to the rear wheels, simulating a rear-wheel drive setup. The D-AWD system also comes with a mechanical limited-slip differential to better maintain traction when breaking that back-end grip isn't the goal. Better yet, drift mode will hold individual gears, meaning you can run up the rev range without a pesky, fun-sapping obligatory upshift. It really is that instigator in your friend group. Why hit that corner by-the-book when you can do it sideways?

While other sports sedans go for the less showy presentation, the Kia Stinger GTS wears a rare hue called "Federation Orange." Sure, it sounds like a bad sci-fi book, but on the Stinger, it's a statement. To better complement its bright palette, Kia gave the GTS carbon fiber parts throughout, including mirror caps, side vents, and grille trim.

The Stinger GTS lets you have plenty of fun roasting your rear tires, but don't think that means you can get a three-pedal version. In every version of the Stinger (not just the luminously orange GTS), the gearbox of choice is an eight-speed automatic transmission. It's disappointing, considering you could get a manual in the family with the 2019 Genesis G70. At least the GTS can hold a gear for you in drift mode while you slide around a circuit corner.

Want one a Stinger GTS yourself? Here's the good news: They're not that steeply priced in the used market. According to Kelley Blue Book, a 2019 Kia Stinger GTS has a fair market range of $21,600 to $24,000 from a dealer, or $20,600 to $23,000 from a private party. Of course, the Stinger GTS models you'll find in the wild used car market may vary due to factors like location, mileage, and condition.

As of this writing, a 2019 Kia Stinger GTS with 56,098 miles on the clock is for sale in Springfield, Ohio, for $31,860. Don't mind a rebuilt title? There's a 67,000-mile Stinger GTS in Miami on sale for $18,900. Still, if a GTS is simply too loud and unhinged for you, you can always see how much a 2021 Kia Stinger GT has depreciated into your budgetary range.