who owns a Genesis without Prem or Tech pkgs?

[geetee]

While having both or at least the Prem. pkg would be nice, but $4500 is a lot of money and it is something you rarely get back when you sell the car.

I thought the base trim already has plenty of goodies. Whatcha think?

 

[dg_moore]

While having both or at least the Prem. pkg would be nice, but $4500 is a lot of money and it is something you rarely get back when you sell the car.

I thought the base trim already has plenty of goodies. Whatcha think?

I dunno - I got the prem package just for the in-dash nav (which it has turned out I hardly ever use). I could have gotten along fine with the base model, and the Tech package, imo, has too much stuff to go wrong. A high percentage of problems reported on this forum seem to involve the Tech package, but I haven't had any problem with the premium. A lot of folks emphasize the superiority of the Tech package sound system, but I don't listen to music very much in the car - mostly news and NPR - so it doesn't matter to me. Is the Premium package worth $4500? Not a chance. But am I sorry I bought it? Not really.

 

[upsbroke]

I dunno - I got the prem package just for the in-dash nav (which it has turned out I hardly ever use). I could have gotten along fine with the base model, and the Tech package, imo, has too much stuff to go wrong. A high percentage of problems reported on this forum seem to involve the Tech package, but I haven't had any problem with the premium. A lot of folks emphasize the superiority of the Tech package sound system, but I don't listen to music very much in the car - mostly news and NPR - so it doesn't matter to me. Is the Premium package worth $4500? Not a chance. But am I sorry I bought it? Not really.

X2. I started out looking at the base package too but the deal breaker was the 17" wheels. The car looks horrendous with 17" wheels. Put the 18"s on and it still looks like they should be bigger. The premium pkg. does add some nice stuff and IMHO- the tech is more than I want or need.

 

[Jimmmmbo!]

I love my base Genesis. And I really like the 17" wheels just fine. I think the OEM 18s are just too full of metal. I'd switch those out in a heartbeat for some other 18s. Obviously, to each their own. I like a slightly more conservative external look these days (and the lower tire replacement costs of 17s).

The base stereo actually isn't that bad, and I don't have to deal with the crazy electronics which I don't think any auto manufacturer does well. I'd much rather do aftermarket and control the quality of the stereo myself, as I've done many times in the past. And a Garmin is a million times better and cheaper than any OEM nav system in my book which only gets used maybe 2% of the time that I'm actually in the car.

What I don't like is the cheap leather used in the seats and the too-glossy fake wood panel trim that reflects sun into your eyes. However, it is a decent look in the saddle-on-black interior.

 

[Car Fan]

As a 2012 tech owner I can say with some conviction that the premium v6 2009 I had was quite the value. At trade in time I received 400 over pay off and in terms of performance while I had it i was very pleased. The tech package is nice but a requires a little more effort than I like. I'm sure that in time I will come to enjoy this packGe as much as I did the premium. But candidly I got such a good deal on the 2012 I'm more than happy overall.

 

[upsbroke]

I love my base Genesis. And I really like the 17" wheels just fine. I think the OEM 18s are just too full of metal. I'd switch those out in a heartbeat for some other 18s. Obviously, to each their own. I like a slightly more conservative external look these days (and the lower tire replacement costs of 17s).

The base stereo actually isn't that bad, and I don't have to deal with the crazy electronics which I don't think any auto manufacturer does well. I'd much rather do aftermarket and control the quality of the stereo myself, as I've done many times in the past. And a Garmin is a million times better and cheaper than any OEM nav system in my book which only gets used maybe 2% of the time that I'm actually in the car.

What I don't like is the cheap leather used in the seats and the too-glossy fake wood panel trim that reflects sun into your eyes. However, it is a decent look in the saddle-on-black interior.

Jimmmmbo-I don't dislike the 17 inch wheels-I guess I meant to say that they would look better on a smaller car- they just don't match up right with this size car. Personally- I'm not really in love with any wheel available for these cars.
The one thing in particular that I like about the base was the faux wood on the dash. I like it much better than the leather dash on the premium.

 

[Mark_888]

I purchased a 2009 Base model for the reason that it came without a sunroof, and it was one of the few decent cars that I could find without one (I need the extra headroom). Even Camry XLE and Accord EX only come with sunroofs, not to mention almost all cars that the Genesis competes with. The price difference of Base model vs Premium or Tech was not a big factor for me, since I paid cash for my Genesis could have afforded either upgrade.

At first I was bummed out a little that I was not getting the high end stereo, but after careful listening I think the Base stereo is pretty good, although not in an exaggerated way. Some of the speakers in the Base Genesis are identical to the Tech Package, just fewer of them since it is regular stereo and not surround sound. Given the number of problems with the Tech Package electronics reported by many members in this forum, I would still be concerned about getting Tech Package if I intended to keep the car past 3 years (electronics warranty is only 3 years) unless I paid another $1K or so for Platinum Extended Warranty. Dealer warranty repairs on Tech Package electronics usually involves a complete swap out of at least one major component, which would normally cost $3K or more according to member reports.

Also, I already have a very good Garmin GPS, which although not as convenient as built-in, I get free lifetime quarterly map updates with my Garmin, and it is not a big deal to set on the dash when needed.

But one thing I wish I did have is a telescoping steering wheel that comes with Premium/Tech Package. I don't care whether it is electronic or manual, but the 2009 Base model does not have any telescoping steering wheel adjustment (only tilt).

 

[Jimmmmbo!]

Jimmmmbo-I don't dislike the 17 inch wheels-I guess I meant to say that they would look better on a smaller car- they just don't match up right with this size car. Personally- I'm not really in love with any wheel available for these cars.
The one thing in particular that I like about the base was the faux wood on the dash. I like it much better than the leather dash on the premium.

No offense taken. We all like different things.

I actually like the look of the fake wood better as well, I just have a hard time with the reflection into your eyes when the sun shines on it.

 

[Jimmmmbo!]

But one thing I wish I did have is a telescoping steering wheel that comes with Premium/Tech Package. I don't care whether it is electronic or manual, but the 2009 Base model does not have any telescoping steering wheel adjustment (only tilt).

2012 base also is still tilt only. It's OK for me in this particular car, but I certainly wish I had a telescope on my previous '02 TL.

 

[TEF]

Luckily in 2009, the 3.8 Genesis was available with a Premium Plus package that included 18" wheels and other goodies, but lacked the GPS and other items in the Tech package. It was about a $2k option over base price. It offered what I wanted, but I could not justify another $4K for the tech package as those items never signifacantly improve resale value relative to the outlay at purchase. Moreover, the majority of Genesis problems (reported in one of the online surveys) seems to be with those items in the tech package. Also compared to the cost of these options, I find it hard to believe that an in-dash GPS functions that much better than a Garmin costing $100 or that a 17-speaker audio system is that much better than the standard one with only 14 speakers. On the other hand, my car lacks that great color display of the Tech model.

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