How to Choose a Kia Dealer Near Plainview, Texas
Ask a Plainview shopper which Kia dealer to use and you get a question with no local answer: Plainview has no Kia franchise, and Lubbock has only one. That store is Group 1 Kia Hub City at 6006 19th Street, which traded as Gene Messer Kia before it took the Group 1 name. So the choice in front of you is whether the drive is worth it, and how to make it a single trip.
Keep reading below, then schedule a test drive in Lubbock. Bringing your own numbers to the lot settles this faster than any spec sheet.
Plainview has no Kia dealer, and Lubbock has one
Our Kia franchise on 19th Street on the west side of Lubbock is the nearest one to Plainview. That means the work of choosing a dealer is already done, and the work that remains is preparing for one drive. We sell new, used, and certified pre-owned Kia, and we run service, parts, and financing on site.
Most of what follows happens at your kitchen table. Cox Automotive’s 2025 Car Buyer Journey Study found that 63% of buyers called a mix of online and in-dealership steps the ideal way to buy, against 28% who wanted an all-online process (Cox Automotive, 2026). For a buyer driving in from Plainview, that mix is the plan: do the steps that do not need you in the building before you leave, and let the visit finish the deal.
| If this is true for you | Settle this first | Why it saves the trip |
|---|---|---|
| You own a vehicle you plan to trade | Trade value, in writing | You know the number before you drive |
| You need a loan | Online pre-approval | You arrive with terms in hand |
| You have one specific Kia in mind | Price and every fee on that exact vehicle | You confirm the car is there before leaving home |
| You found us under the old name | The Google record for both names | You read the whole record, not half of it |
The Gene Messer Kia store on 19th Street is now Group 1 Kia Hub City
If you saw Gene Messer Kia online, it is the same store at the same address. We took the Group 1 name, and much of the third-party listing record still carries the old one. A buyer who searches only the new name misses part of the story, and a buyer who searches only the old name may not land on us at all.
Say it plainly to anyone in your family who is helping you look. The dealership on 19th Street, the Gene Messer Kia they remember, and Group 1 Kia Hub City are one place. We are part of Group 1 Automotive, which reported record full-year revenue of $22.6 billion for 2025.
Read the Google record with the old name in mind
Google shows us at 4.5 stars across 2,045 reviews, and 1,659 of them are five-star, about 81%. The 190 one-star reviews are a little over 9%. That is the record, and it is yours to read before you commit to a drive.
Search both names. Read the five-star reviews for the names of people, because that tells you who handles the work. Read the one-star reviews for what went wrong, and check the dates to see if it was recent. In a July 2026 Google review, Scott H. wrote: “By the end of the visit, I was confident that I was getting a fair deal which had not been my experience with a previous dealership in Dallas.” He came to us from a different city’s dealer, which is the position a Plainview buyer is in.
Check one more thing before you trust any rating. A dealership’s service department and parts counter are separate Google listings at the same address, with their own scores. Make sure the listing you are reading is the dealership itself, at 6006 19th Street.
Get the price and every fee in writing on the exact vehicle
Ask us for the price and every fee on one specific Kia, in writing, before you drive over. A price on a model line is a range. A price on a vehicle you can name by trim and color is a number you can hold us to.
Texas does not set a hard dollar cap on a dealer documentary fee. Under state rules effective July 11, 2024, a seller does not have to file a notification or cost analysis with the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner for a documentary fee of $225 or less, and must file both before charging more (Texas OCCC, 2024). So ask for the doc fee as its own line.
| Line item | What to ask | The number to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle price | The price on this exact vehicle, by trim and color | A dollar figure for that unit |
| Documentary fee | The amount, and if it is above $225 | A dollar figure on its own line |
| Sales tax | Tax at 6.25% of price after your trade is subtracted | 6.25% of the taxable amount (Texas Comptroller, 2026) |
| Registration | The base registration line, which TxDMV shows as $51.75, plus the $4.75 processing fee and your county fee | A dollar figure per line (TxDMV, 2026) |
| Dealer add-ons | Any item added to the vehicle that you did not choose | A named item with a price, or none |
Get the trade value in writing, too
Your trade is half the deal, so put its value in writing before you drive. Texas charges sales tax on the price minus your trade-in allowance (Texas Comptroller, 2026), which means a fair trade number lowers your tax as well as your payment.
Check what you owe on the trade first. Edmunds found that 28.2% of trade-ins in July 2025 carried negative equity, with buyers owing an average of $6,902 more than the vehicle was worth (Edmunds, 2025). If that is you, you want the number before you arrive at the desk.
In a July 2026 Google review, Brooke R. wrote: “Dylan did a phenomenal job. We got a more than fair trade in for our vehicle and got the new exact make, model and color we wanted!” That is the result a written trade value is meant to protect.
Value your trade and get pre-approved online before you leave Plainview
You can value your trade and get pre-approved on our site before you start the drive. Experian reported that 80.5% of new vehicle purchases were financed in Q1 2025 (Experian, 2025), so for most buyers the loan is the longest part of the visit. Doing it from home takes it out of the trip.
Here is the order that works:
- Value the trade. Do this first, so you know the number and what you owe.
- Get pre-approved. Know your terms before you pick a vehicle, so the payment does not surprise you.
- Ask for the price on one vehicle. Get it in writing, with every fee on its own line.
- Confirm the vehicle is on the lot. A call settles this before you leave Plainview.
Answering questions by phone or email is part of it. In an August 2026 Google review, Elizabeth J. wrote that her salesperson “was never pushy and got back to us quickly when we needed questions answered.”
Five terms to read before you sign
Five terms decide whether the written numbers mean what you think. Know them before you read a price sheet.
| Term | What it means in a Texas Kia deal |
|---|---|
| Out-the-door price | The vehicle price plus tax, title, registration, and every fee, with no line left out |
| Documentary fee | The dealer charge for paperwork, filed with the state when it is above $225 |
| Trade allowance | The value we give your vehicle, which is subtracted from the price before tax |
| Negative equity | The amount you owe on your trade above what it is worth |
| Pre-approval | A lender’s offer of a loan amount and rate, settled before you pick a vehicle |
One drive is enough when the checks come first
Plainview buyers asked which Kia dealer to trust, and the answer was the local dealership, so the question that matters is how to make the drive count. Read the Google record under both names. Put the price, every fee, and your trade value in writing on one exact vehicle. Settle the trade and pre-approval online. Then the trip to 19th Street is the day you sign and take the keys.
Group 1 Kia Hub City streamlines Plainview drive with online pre-approval
Buying from outside Lubbock goes well when the work is done before the drive, and that is how we set up the buying process. You shop our new, used, and certified pre-owned Kia online, value your trade, and get pre-approved, and you finish at the 19th Street store with those steps already done.
Customers describe it that way. In an August 2026 Google review, Liz T. wrote of her second purchase from us: “we got approved, signed everything, and were out the door!” In a September 2026 Google review, Stephanie T. wrote: “Had a great buying experience. Chris White was amazing in his customer service and in checking in with me prior to my purchase.”
After the sale, we stay your Kia store. Service, parts, warranty work, and recall work are all on site on 19th Street.
Frequently asked questions
Can I finish a Kia purchase in one visit from Plainview?
Yes, when the trade valuation and pre-approval are done online first. The visit then covers the vehicle, the signing, and the keys. Call ahead to confirm the exact vehicle is on the lot.
Does Texas cap the dealer documentary fee?
Texas sets no hard dollar cap. A seller needs no notification or cost analysis on file for a fee of $225 or less, and must file both before charging more (Texas OCCC, 2024). Ask for the fee as its own line.
Do I pay sales tax on the full price if I trade in my car?
No. Texas motor vehicle sales tax is 6.25% of the sales price minus your trade-in allowance (Texas Comptroller, 2026). A written trade value therefore lowers your tax.
What should I check in the Google reviews before I drive?
Search both Gene Messer Kia and Group 1 Kia Hub City, and make sure you are reading the dealership listing, not the service department’s. Look for named salespeople and for the dates on the one-star reviews. Then match what you read to the written price.
Does the Kia warranty still work if I live in Plainview?
Kia’s warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles basic and 10 years or 100,000 miles on the powertrain (Kia, 2026). Our 19th Street store handles warranty and recall work on site, along with service and parts.
What do I bring on the day I drive over?
Bring the written price on the exact vehicle, your trade valuation, and your pre-approval. With those in hand, the visit only has to finish the deal.
Group 1 Kia Hub City makes the Plainview drive a single trip when the trade value and pre-approval are settled online first. We serve buyers across Lubbock and the South Plains from our store at 6006 19th Street.
Group 1 Kia Hub City answers this question against the specific vehicle in front of you rather than the model in general. Value your trade and get pre-approved online, then see us at our Lubbock showroom, or call (844) 402-3025.
Disclaimer: Vehicle features, specifications, pricing, options, and availability may vary based on production timelines and dealership inventory; images are for illustrative purposes only. Starting MSRP figures are national and exclude destination freight charges, tax, title, license, and dealer fees. Standard and available equipment varies by trim, configuration, and model year; confirm the specification of the individual vehicle before purchase. Maximum towing and payload ratings depend on cab, bed, drivetrain, and equipment configuration; see the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual and trailering guide for limits. Electric range and charging times vary with battery, configuration, temperature, terrain, load, and driving habits. Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. Financing and pre-approval are subject to credit approval. Contact Group 1 Kia Hub City for complete details regarding current vehicle inventory, pricing, and equipment.
