Seems like Naza killed Optima... DOA!

Damn right! Time will tell.

The key word here is DURABILITY. Some cars fare better despite being trashed while others dont. And not everything can be thrashed in order to determine durability. How do you trash an aircon, door seals, power windows, lights, plastics, etc? U can't really do that no matter how hard u try. But these parts lasted too in my case. So what's your common base here then?

Btw, nobody bragged. Go read my posts again in case u find it hard to determine the difference between facts & mere empty talk. Just cuz u prefer ppl to have a poor image of Toyota doesnt mean that reflects the truth. I aint the only one who has had a good experience with Toyota. Last time i checked there were approx 4 mil Toyota owners in the world. And despite my good experience with Toyota, im still open to the options of changing stables.

Btw, none of my posts are pointless. Cheers!

but u cant really proof durability bcos ur car still lasting for 8.5years right... my hyundai still goin strong after 7.5 yrs... so how to compare??

of cos toyota has bigger share around the world... it has been establish for so long and it is impossible to change everyone mindset in a short period....

Hi, i'm going to book one Optima soon. Is there any promotions or packages out there?

Dont make the mistake of booking a 2011 model. Korean makes have poor resale value. Getting a 2011 model now will mean an automatic RM20K loss before the car leaves the showroom. Just be patient and wait for the 2012 models. The salesmen will always say 2012 models will only come by March/April but im quite sure it will come latest early Feb. They just wanna push off old stocks.

Doesnt seem to be much interest in the Optima. How are sales so far in terms of confirmed bookings?

150 bookings since launched

This is really disappointing............

If the price is right, i guess the booking will easily doubled.....

If they priced it correctly, at least for the next few years, they will be more optima on the road, and with that, more spare parts, more reviews, more recommendation, more confidence, more acceptance, and when the next generation kicks in, or even next facelift kicks in, they can increase the price to be in par with T&H.......

ai.........naza naza.......... remember that optima client group is different from forte, and you cant just bank on forte success to start whack the price on optima....

U r right.
I can see the launching showroom has not completely revonate but they have already rushing to lauch this car last week!
The only motive is to clear off the 2011 stock.
It is not the good idea to launch at end of December except if facelift model.

Bro, speaking from experience and monitoring NAZA's pricing strategy for their old Optima models, I would suggest to wait and make NAZA realize they've overpriced their Optima. Why? Here's some fact and figures...

1) 2003 Kia Optima model (pre-facelift) - Selling at MYR125k - MYR135k, if not mistaken
2) 2005 Kia Optima model (facelifted) - Selling at MYR115k
(But, some dealers are able to offer MYR15k discounts and plus some more incentives pushing the OTR price to MYR98k)
3) Last batch of above models - Selling at MYR88k
4) 2008 Kia Optima model (just launched) - Selling at MYR115k
5) 2009 Kia Optima model (halfway through lifespan) - Selling at MYR100k
6) 2010 Kia Optima model (last batch, clear stock) - Selling at MYR88k

So you can imagine what's going to happen to your car's value if you're the 1st batch owners.Wait bro, be patient.
Believe you already have a car, so what's the rush? Besides, it's almost time for Kia to update (face-lift) their Optima model worldwide.

Bro, i guess we can't use the last model to compare, it was alright, but not good enough to compete with T&H. But the current model is very tempting IMHO, and rather competitive in terms of design, gadgets and tech level so there's little reasons for NAZA to bow down. Unless, off course, T&H submits to pressure and start a price war (which is unlikely). Another good example is Forte, which never had any price discount and i reckon it is still selling pretty well.

Besides, based on the information that you've provided above, the depreciation seem reasonable, which is roughly 11% per annum.

I think I might go ahead. After all, i kinda need another car now, so i can't wait for the price to drop in 1-2years' time. Now i wonder if there are any good deals out there.

just go ahead.

wait for tomorrow?

what if tomorrow never comes?

Ure wrong. There's a big difference between the Forte and the Optima. The Forte was priced very well. It was way below its competition with superior specs. Plus the car had a good design and interior. You can say it was the almost perfect blend of criterias to make good sales. And it did have some decent sales which would have been better if not for Kia's after sales service & resale value.

The Optima on the other hand is coming in at a high price. It has the other criteria's but ultimately its the price thats gonna determine its success. And im quite sure, Naza will introduce some FOC goodies in the near future to boost sales when it starts to stagnate. The Kia Facebook page is starting to become quiet now after the initial euphoria.

So my advice to you is to wait just a few more months to gauge the perfomance of the car. Let the initial heat cool down. Wait for test drive units to come, test the car yourself and let some professionals test and come out with reports. After that make your decision. Dont rush into it trying to be among the first to put the car on the road. Sometimes that initial wow factor may not be worth it in the long run.

Im also seriously considering this car so we're kinda in the same boat. Just my 2 cents.

Your comparison with Forte is wrong... I think you're assuming that Forte's competition is Vios and City.
It's actual competitors are Inspira / Lancer, Civic, Altis. So, it's actually lower priced compared to it's own segment competition.
Anyway, your money, your decision. Hope you enjoy your car!

the optima is not 'new', there are already plenty of reviews of the car overseas and generally they are very good

Overseas market is a different ballgame. Cars are priced competitively, and their resale values are almost similar.
Here, T&H dominate in terms of resale value. Also, in global markets, Hyundais are always priced higher than Kias, as it's the premium brand, while the latter is the value brand.

Price how to compare with malaysia of course, what i mean is the technical aspects of the car, just the car itself just evaluate the car objectively

If the reviews are really good and they beat the japs and in malaysia is cheaper than the japs also it means it's a lot of car for your money.

This post has been edited by rcracer: Jan 6 2012, 09:32 PM

Actually, i do agree that the car is a little expensive. I was expecting 135-140k. However, i've made some comparisons among similarly priced cars and concluded that none of these vehicles offer the size or trim level found in the new Optima, eg. VW Golf, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, VW Jetta, 2nd hand Audi A4 (the maintenance cost for this car seems scary). Furthermore, can we reasonably expect NAZA Kia to cut the price of a newly launched flagship model by 10-15k within a year? unlikely i reckon. Also, from what i observed, Kia is working really hard to churn out extra units from their factories to meet global demands (as a result, they don't really bother with your preferred choice of color, and Kia would randomly pack anything they have into the container and ship it out to Malaysia, it's like take it or leave it). I think the price is ok la, 4-5k extra over Sonata and the kosong Honda Accord for the handsome exterior design is worth it IMHO.