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2008 NEW Kia Optima HUGE incentives $12676 OTD YMMV
I just bought a brand new 4D car with AT (162 HP, 164 ft-lbs torque, 31 mpg Hwy), AC, power windows, power locks, CD player, cruise, heated mirrors & steering wheel controls for stereo & cruise - out the door for under $13000. Price before tax, doc fees, etc was under $11,000. The sticker on this car was over $18,500 before tax, doc fees, etc. A little background & I'll explain how I got there. For those thinking about car shopping, now's a great time to buy. The economy's slow, new car lots are overloaded with inventory, new models are replacing the 2008s & some places are desperate to make a deal.
I had been looking at used cars & was frustrated with what people were asking, often wanting above dealer retail listed on www.edmunds.com & www.kbb.com - never been a new car guy. However, I decided to look into new vehicles with all the 'teaser' rates around $10,000 in the paper (I'm in the Las Vegas area, if that matters). Many of the 'teaser' ads are for a car that doesn't exist with a combination of rebates for which no human can qualify (i.e. Military, recent college grad, lease loyalty, dealer loyalty, etc). That said, there are still plenty of deals to be had if you do your homework, you're patient & you're persistent.
One example: The 2008 Kia Optima - if it's not your cup of tea, that's fine - I wouldn't have bought one five years ago. They've come a long way to be mentioned along the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord & also greatly improved Hyundai Sonata. It's a plain, simple car, maybe not as nicely appointed as the Camry or Accord but the gap has narrowed. My research changed my mind - internet research, word of mouth from friends & even people inside the auto industry. IF you can live with the fact it's going to depreciate faster than Toyota or Honda because of market perception & IF you don't see a car as a status symbol, this may be a very slick deal for you. Personally, I don't mind having a 2008 instead of 2009 as I'm going to keep & hold this car for a long time; that's also why I'm not getting caught up in depreciation concerns. The 2009 Optimas are coming in & have design changes, so now's the time to make a deal. You still get 5 yr/60K bumper to bumper warranty.
Current rebate on the Optima is $4000 for the 2008 model according to Kia http://www.kia.com/#/optima/offers/ In addition, you might qualify for an additional $400 if you're a recent college grad (we did, as my girlfriend graduated in May). It helped that I knew what another friend had paid several months ago, knowing I'd be able to lean on the dealer to get below invoice, which is $16,595 - by the time you add destination charge, it's $17,235 for the LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A). My friend had paid just over $15,000 several months ago, but that number included a dealer incentive as well - didn't matter, that's what I wanted, less the $4000 rebate & the $400 college grad rebate. My target price was $12,600 out the door - never expected to get that, cuz everything had to go right to get to that price, but it was my goal.
All of the Kia dealers told me I couldn't get that, because the previous price was based on a dealer incentive to get it close to $15,000. The second dealer budged a little, eventually agreeing to $13,692 out the door (~$16K less $4,400 rebates plus tax, doc fee, etc); they showed me the paperwork claiming they were taking close to a $2,000 loss since they admitted they desperately needed to move inventory. (I do believe they'd take a loss, but closer to $1,000 once holdback & other incentives were taken into account.) I called my girlfriend, told her she'd have to go with the next day if we did the deal as she was the one who qualified for the college grad rebate. I asked if she was willing to take a shot at the third dealership that night, since that's where my friend bought the car - she agreed. We went, they tried to tell me the same things, claiming the lowest they could go was ~$16K less $4,000 (rebates) plus tax, doc fees, etc. - just over $14K. I told them I already had a deal lower than that, wanted $13K & was willing to pay cash. Their 'concession' was to say they found another $1000 rebate, leaving us just over $13,000. (I don't believe it existed, think it was their way to save face to get the deal.) We hadn't yet discussed the college grad rebate, I told them it would finish the deal - since the rebate comes from Kia, they went for it. $12,676 out the door for a car that would've been over $20,000 at sticker. (Already tinted - necessary in Nevada - & with a security package.) I was willing to do the deal at $13,692 so obviously I was ecstatic to get it for $12,676.
The biggest suggestions I have are:
* Be prepared - do your research & homework, know what rebates & deals exist locally
* Be patient - the first dealer may not give you what you want, I went to three Kia dealers (and many other dealers, sitting on inventory but being more stubborn)
* Be persistent - be ready to walk away if you think they're jerking you around, stick to your guns
* Be aware - know the dealer's pain points & match that (i.e. excess inventory, no activity, poor cash flow) - it helped that I offered to pay cash to close the deal
* Be decisive - when you get the deal you want, be prepared to 'pull the trigger' & act quickly - it's a reasonable thing to offer once you've gotten what you want
Hope this helps a bunch of folks out there, it can work for any car but it's hard to beat the 2008 Kia Optima for value if you're looking for a midsize sedan.
I had been looking at used cars & was frustrated with what people were asking, often wanting above dealer retail listed on www.edmunds.com & www.kbb.com - never been a new car guy. However, I decided to look into new vehicles with all the 'teaser' rates around $10,000 in the paper (I'm in the Las Vegas area, if that matters). Many of the 'teaser' ads are for a car that doesn't exist with a combination of rebates for which no human can qualify (i.e. Military, recent college grad, lease loyalty, dealer loyalty, etc). That said, there are still plenty of deals to be had if you do your homework, you're patient & you're persistent.
One example: The 2008 Kia Optima - if it's not your cup of tea, that's fine - I wouldn't have bought one five years ago. They've come a long way to be mentioned along the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord & also greatly improved Hyundai Sonata. It's a plain, simple car, maybe not as nicely appointed as the Camry or Accord but the gap has narrowed. My research changed my mind - internet research, word of mouth from friends & even people inside the auto industry. IF you can live with the fact it's going to depreciate faster than Toyota or Honda because of market perception & IF you don't see a car as a status symbol, this may be a very slick deal for you. Personally, I don't mind having a 2008 instead of 2009 as I'm going to keep & hold this car for a long time; that's also why I'm not getting caught up in depreciation concerns. The 2009 Optimas are coming in & have design changes, so now's the time to make a deal. You still get 5 yr/60K bumper to bumper warranty.
Current rebate on the Optima is $4000 for the 2008 model according to Kia http://www.kia.com/#/optima/offers/ In addition, you might qualify for an additional $400 if you're a recent college grad (we did, as my girlfriend graduated in May). It helped that I knew what another friend had paid several months ago, knowing I'd be able to lean on the dealer to get below invoice, which is $16,595 - by the time you add destination charge, it's $17,235 for the LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A). My friend had paid just over $15,000 several months ago, but that number included a dealer incentive as well - didn't matter, that's what I wanted, less the $4000 rebate & the $400 college grad rebate. My target price was $12,600 out the door - never expected to get that, cuz everything had to go right to get to that price, but it was my goal.
All of the Kia dealers told me I couldn't get that, because the previous price was based on a dealer incentive to get it close to $15,000. The second dealer budged a little, eventually agreeing to $13,692 out the door (~$16K less $4,400 rebates plus tax, doc fee, etc); they showed me the paperwork claiming they were taking close to a $2,000 loss since they admitted they desperately needed to move inventory. (I do believe they'd take a loss, but closer to $1,000 once holdback & other incentives were taken into account.) I called my girlfriend, told her she'd have to go with the next day if we did the deal as she was the one who qualified for the college grad rebate. I asked if she was willing to take a shot at the third dealership that night, since that's where my friend bought the car - she agreed. We went, they tried to tell me the same things, claiming the lowest they could go was ~$16K less $4,000 (rebates) plus tax, doc fees, etc. - just over $14K. I told them I already had a deal lower than that, wanted $13K & was willing to pay cash. Their 'concession' was to say they found another $1000 rebate, leaving us just over $13,000. (I don't believe it existed, think it was their way to save face to get the deal.) We hadn't yet discussed the college grad rebate, I told them it would finish the deal - since the rebate comes from Kia, they went for it. $12,676 out the door for a car that would've been over $20,000 at sticker. (Already tinted - necessary in Nevada - & with a security package.) I was willing to do the deal at $13,692 so obviously I was ecstatic to get it for $12,676.
The biggest suggestions I have are:
* Be prepared - do your research & homework, know what rebates & deals exist locally
* Be patient - the first dealer may not give you what you want, I went to three Kia dealers (and many other dealers, sitting on inventory but being more stubborn)
* Be persistent - be ready to walk away if you think they're jerking you around, stick to your guns
* Be aware - know the dealer's pain points & match that (i.e. excess inventory, no activity, poor cash flow) - it helped that I offered to pay cash to close the deal
* Be decisive - when you get the deal you want, be prepared to 'pull the trigger' & act quickly - it's a reasonable thing to offer once you've gotten what you want
Hope this helps a bunch of folks out there, it can work for any car but it's hard to beat the 2008 Kia Optima for value if you're looking for a midsize sedan.
Last edited by delgadobb; 01-12-2009 at 08:49 PM..
