dom

Bought the Optima. Kia had $2,300 off MSRP. Wiggled another 1,200 off the dealer for a total of 3,500 off a 32,250 MSRP. Not a bad deal I think. Went with Satin Metal. Should get it Wednesday.

They laid the rust proofing, paint protection etc sale on thick. Geez, I almost bought it.

Yumcha

Congrats!

Sarlacc

Myxomatosis

Sweet, the SX is a nice car. I don't miss selling cars, but I miss the Optimas, they are such a great deal.

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

Dom, I love my Optima SX. Very nice replacement for my TL without breaking the bank. I hope you enjoy yours!

dom

Thanks guys... but didn't get the SX. Went with an EX Turbo w/Roof. EX Turbo still available up here, not in the US for 13' from what I've read.

Kia was offering 1,800 "free turbo upgrade" rebate on the EX Turbo, no rebates on any other trim so the price gap was significant. As much as I would have liked an SX didn't want to pay the extra 5-6K to get one.

Made on offer on a SX demo that was turned down. We were too far apart on the price. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on a set of the SX 18's though.

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

Which SX 18s? The pizza wheels, the luxury wheels or the chrome limited wheels?

Stock 18" SX "Pizza" wheels:


Optional 18" SX "Luxury" wheels:


18" Chrome wheels which come stock on the SX Limited:

00TL-P3.2

^^ Luxury wheels would get my vote. Someone in my building has a white SX on those & it looks great, IMO.
I don't like chrome, so if the 3rd set could be had otherwise, they'd be #1 to me.

dom

Sorry, should be more clear. Up here, we only have one flavor of SX, and it comes with the Pizza wheels, which have grown on me. The Luxury wheels are only available on the EX Luxury version (Non Turbo). And there's no limited SX model up here. We only get the 2 Turbo trims, SX and EX-T.

Probably something to do with our Optima's being manufactured in Korea, vs US made for yours.

Fibonacci

Congrats and enjoy the new ride.

Those prices never cease to amaze me.

dom

Thanks Fibs. We're definitely getting shafted on pricing up here, no doubt about it.

Turns out the color I wanted isn't available. There were only 4 Satin Metals in all of Ontario on Sat, none at my dealer. 2 sold and the remaining 2 have a light grey leather interior which I'm not a fan of. So I had to change to Bright Silver. Bummed because I really liked that Satin Metal.

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

See if they'll work out a wheel swap for you since you aren't getting the color you want.

dom

Ya didn't happen lol. I did wiggle a free iPhone connector though.

Like those SX-L wheels better than the Pizza's. Are they all chromed? I see some pics with chrome and others without...I think? Like them better without the chrome but either way the style suits the car nicely IMO.

Yumcha

Yo, Leaf-worshipper. Posting pics sometime soon...?

dom

Picking it up tonight. So maybe some pics later.

It takes awhile to install that big Leaf logo on the back window and hood ya know.

Yumcha

dom

The UVO system is pretty damn good so far from what I've seen. It's responded perfectly to all my voice commands. Can't believe I've lasted this long without all those neat toys in a car. Only wish the screen was a couple of inches bigger.

Yumcha

Looks great, dom!

Congrats again on the purchase. I think you made the right choice with the Optima.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Very nice Dom. Enjoy it.

H_CAR

Moog-Type-S

Congrats, dom!

Nice looking Optima!

One of the best looking sedans in it's class.
A great choice.

Post some interior pics too.

Yumcha

Thread updated.

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

Car looks great!

dom

Yumcha

What? The title is accurate, no?!?

neuronbob

Optima FTW. It's nice-looking, drives nicely (I test-drove an SX-L a year ago), and has a good warranty.

Congrats, dom!

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Congrats! I had an Optima for a rental not too long ago. I was really impressed with the interior/exterior design. Nice choice!

Aman

@ thread title change. Congrats on the car!

The colour combo isn't bad. I think the silver looks good with the black accents. How does your wife like it?

Surprised no one has suggested getting rid of the mudflaps yet.

chill_dog

Looks great! Congrats!!

1StGenCL

Nice pick up and love the title

gr8ness97

iTrader: (5)

Congrats on the new car. IMO, The luxury wheel (#2) looks best.

Infamous425

nice! my co-worker just picked one up exactly like yours, same color too.

dom

Thanks everyone

Couple of observations so far. The car is very quiet. Took a mini trip up north yesterday and its just vault quiet. Now I haven't done the same type of trip in a comparable mid size but compared to my Ody and old Rabbit, huge difference. It's a very nice cruiser.

The mid range punch this car has is very impressive. The trip I took yesterday was on a 2 lane road which required a lot of passing into oncoming traffic. Going from 90km to 120-130 is effortless. And it's again quiet when doing so. Engine noise is almost non existent.

Favourite part of the car so far has to be the low end torque. It's a joy to drive around town. I never feel like I have to step on to get it to move. Having mostly driven underpowered 4 cylinder's most of my life I'm really enjoying the Turbo so far.

Least favourite part is definitely the steering. The feel of the wheel is fine. It's just hard to tell what the front tires are doing. I'm getting used to it and gaining confidence each time in the car, but the steering could definitley use some work.

00TL-P3.2

Too electronic feeling?

ChaiLatte

Well congrats! On the steering issue, it's definitely a little numb thanks to the electric assist, but something you'll gradually get used to.. Be sure to join Optimaforums.com. I'm surprised you think it's a quiet car. Mine was awful, but that's most likely due to the tires. The power is definitely addicting though, once you're moving and floor it, it just erupts. Enjoy it!

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Engine noise is quiet as you said, but I feel that the road noise is pretty loud on the highway (at least compared to my TL). The steering does need some work, but one thing I'll point out to you is that the OEM tires suck. I'm now on some Conti DWS and it helps a bit. As for power, I was coming from an 04 TL which has a similar amount of power, but was a V6. The turbo-4 does a pretty nice job and while it isn't the same as a V6, I'm happy enough. I definitely did not want some underpowered 4-cyl.

dom

I'm ok with the feel of the wheel, there just isn't much feedback from the front wheels.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Nice ride! My buddy just traded in his 2012 GLK and '05 Jeep Wrangler for one. We think he's nuts... but he gets a new car every year, sometimes more (seriously, we've known them for ~8 years and they've had at least a dozen cars).

That said, we checked it out Saturday and it is a nice ride. Pretty sure he got the GDI Turbo model. It was nice, and he said loaded (which I'm sure it is). I've always liked the new Optima's. They've come a long way!

Enjoy it

dom

Like I said don't have a whole lot to compare to. I'm sure it isn't the quietest car in its class but compared to what I've driven and have its far, far quieter. My Ody is very loud at cruising. And I have GY Comfort treads on there which are supposed to be a very quiet tire.

I've poked around the Optima forums, some good info there. Haven't joined yet though.

dom

Ya one of the things I read a few times over at the Optima forums is that the tires stink. We'll see if I can convince the wife to let me upgrade to some 18's and new tires.

One thing that surprises me is that there isn't much aftermarket for tuning the Turbo. I thought for sure there would be by now. Not that I would bother in all likelihood.