Here is my story and my contribution to this forum since I am grateful to many that posted a lot of information here about the Genesis. I hope my experience helps someone that is buying a car.
I knew I had to buy a car since my second car was running out of life. A 93 Altima that I was hoping would make it the end of the year. I was actively looking for cars with the idea that at the end of the year I could bag one heck of a deal. I was following the Genesis closely here on the forum and I knew I wanted it. I was willing to wait till the end of the year to get a good deal on the Genesis v8.
Then, my car broke down and was seriously affecting my work since I had to pick up my son at school at 3:00! The week the car broke down just about every important meeting was being scheduled at 3:00. Go figure…. So I started a campaign to get a car. In my mad quest; I drove the Genesis v6 & v8, MB E350, Audi A4, Audi A6 v6 & v8, bmw 328, 535i,, Jetta wolfburg, golf GTI, Mazda 6, Pontiac V8 GT, Lexus GS350.
Driving impressions
Genesis v6 40K – Not enough power for me but beautiful and loaded.
Genesis v8 42K – Loved it. Not too happy with the dealer experience. Not sure were the image is going to end up. Loved the gadgets, stereo, great engine, very smooth, handling was good.
Audi A6 v8 45K– good image, Nice interior, 4WD, powerful, didn’t like the handling, like the dealers
BMW 535i ?? - awesome car, knew it was bit outside my price range
BMW 328i 40K – too small and too expensive, loved the drive, d
E350 – Great drive, good sales person (Tina was the best of all). Concerns about reliability for electrical and old man image.
Pontiac v8 GT 27k – Really loved the drive. Awesome engine, roomy in the back which was plus, dated interior, less gadgets, great price, some concerns about the image, also felt the car might not hold up well in the long term e.g. paint, seats, etc
Lexus GS350 – great quality, interior was refined, good image, good dealer experience. It seemed like dealers weren’t dealing. I could be wrong since I didn’t seriously negotiate.
I also, researched and seriously considered the Lexus E350, Odyssey EXL, Azera, Santa Fe, Accord LX, Sonata, Veracruz, Highlander v6, MDX, Acura TL, Camry, civic, and, corolla. I know I went from budget, to practical, to luxury. That is because, I felt I could buy a less expensive car like a slightly used jetta, corolla, civic, and then buy an expensive car on my terms and sell the small/budget. I was even open to settling for a mid size and forget about the luxury car if the budget/value/fun was right e.g. Mazda 6, santafe, ES350, odyssey, Azera, Sonata.
For the luxury car I really wanted I was looking at BMW, Audi, Hyundai (Genesis), Lexus, and Mercedes. I considered the Audi v8 4.2L that easily could be had for about the price of the Genesis. I was quoted a fully loaded fleet Audi A6 with 16K miles 4.2L with 100K maintenance and warranty for about 35K. Another dealer told me the new 2008Audi v8 had 10K off MSRP and I could negotiate more if I came in. I am sure I could end up with a brand new 2008 v8 Audi for about 42K. Talking to Tina at MB on 59S, I knew a fully loaded Mercedes 350E could be had for about 42k to 45K with some cool pkg(don't remember the name). The Genesis was always the number 1 choice since this in the only forum I actively looked in for months and felt it was good value.
I went to 4 Hyundai dealers and out of which I was ready to sign and made an offers on the v8 + tech with 3 since they had the color and options in the v8 I wanted. All were holding out for MSRP+ that I could not get myself to sign.
On a whim I went to the BMW dealer this weekend they were willing to deal below invoice for a car I dream about .... I got a fully loaded 2008 blk/blk 535i for 52K that I financed for 5 yrs at .9APR. I was getting the 4 year free maintenance + dealer experience + 2 more years of .9 APR + the BMW drive+ better depreciation + history. Doing some rough math with the APR, maintenance, etc I was paying about 4k to 5K more than the Genesis v8... That is about what I make in about 2 weeks.... For the BMW purchase, I am sure I need to consider the maintenance costs after the 4 years. Looking at some forums, I see you can buy the extended maintenance package from BMW for about 2K if you look hard enough. I decided to think about the maintenance later. Just like all the major decision I have made. I consider all the facts and obsess about it in detail and then I turn everything off and let my gut make the decision. Lo and behold the answer arose from deep within. I wanted to buy the BMW 535i and that was the end of my obsession. I went to the BMW dealer and said I wanted the car and wrote my number down that I wanted to pay. The dealer agreed! Took about 4 hours to examine the car, test drive, finance, detail, and drive it home. Now that I have completed my transaction, I am at peace with it. I encourage all others to do the same and not second guess your purchase. Buying a car is a personal choice and many factors influence the decision. As my friend says, once you buy the car it is the best car in the whole world.
My final thoughts to Hyundai if they are reading this forum ….
I think you have a great product… Just keep the innovation and quality up and you will reap the benefits.
If there are some teething pains with the Genesis fix it immediately, and keep the owners happy.
Work on the dealerships… I know it’s a long term project but it is a must.
Make sure the product does not get hijacked by a market segment that adversely affects the brand. (e.g. I saw one of the Genesis at the dealers that was pimped up. It made me release that had no idea what the image on the genesis will be)
I think it will be hard to get the BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes folks since they will make adjustments.
It is definitely easy to snag 300M, infinity, Acura, Maxima, buyers in the short term. That should be enough to get the car established.
Be very careful about your marketing, I saw several interviews from sales and product experts from Hyundai that did not inspire confidence for a high end crowd. Poor language skills and remarks that gave me pause about the product.
I will be moving to the BMW forum going forward....
I wanted to say thanks to all the great information that was posted over the last two months. Though I don't own a Genesis, I will be rooting for it... I hope they do well and stick it to the competition.
I knew I had to buy a car since my second car was running out of life. A 93 Altima that I was hoping would make it the end of the year. I was actively looking for cars with the idea that at the end of the year I could bag one heck of a deal. I was following the Genesis closely here on the forum and I knew I wanted it. I was willing to wait till the end of the year to get a good deal on the Genesis v8.
Then, my car broke down and was seriously affecting my work since I had to pick up my son at school at 3:00! The week the car broke down just about every important meeting was being scheduled at 3:00. Go figure…. So I started a campaign to get a car. In my mad quest; I drove the Genesis v6 & v8, MB E350, Audi A4, Audi A6 v6 & v8, bmw 328, 535i,, Jetta wolfburg, golf GTI, Mazda 6, Pontiac V8 GT, Lexus GS350.
Driving impressions
Genesis v6 40K – Not enough power for me but beautiful and loaded.
Genesis v8 42K – Loved it. Not too happy with the dealer experience. Not sure were the image is going to end up. Loved the gadgets, stereo, great engine, very smooth, handling was good.
Audi A6 v8 45K– good image, Nice interior, 4WD, powerful, didn’t like the handling, like the dealers
BMW 535i ?? - awesome car, knew it was bit outside my price range
BMW 328i 40K – too small and too expensive, loved the drive, d
E350 – Great drive, good sales person (Tina was the best of all). Concerns about reliability for electrical and old man image.
Pontiac v8 GT 27k – Really loved the drive. Awesome engine, roomy in the back which was plus, dated interior, less gadgets, great price, some concerns about the image, also felt the car might not hold up well in the long term e.g. paint, seats, etc
Lexus GS350 – great quality, interior was refined, good image, good dealer experience. It seemed like dealers weren’t dealing. I could be wrong since I didn’t seriously negotiate.
I also, researched and seriously considered the Lexus E350, Odyssey EXL, Azera, Santa Fe, Accord LX, Sonata, Veracruz, Highlander v6, MDX, Acura TL, Camry, civic, and, corolla. I know I went from budget, to practical, to luxury. That is because, I felt I could buy a less expensive car like a slightly used jetta, corolla, civic, and then buy an expensive car on my terms and sell the small/budget. I was even open to settling for a mid size and forget about the luxury car if the budget/value/fun was right e.g. Mazda 6, santafe, ES350, odyssey, Azera, Sonata.
For the luxury car I really wanted I was looking at BMW, Audi, Hyundai (Genesis), Lexus, and Mercedes. I considered the Audi v8 4.2L that easily could be had for about the price of the Genesis. I was quoted a fully loaded fleet Audi A6 with 16K miles 4.2L with 100K maintenance and warranty for about 35K. Another dealer told me the new 2008Audi v8 had 10K off MSRP and I could negotiate more if I came in. I am sure I could end up with a brand new 2008 v8 Audi for about 42K. Talking to Tina at MB on 59S, I knew a fully loaded Mercedes 350E could be had for about 42k to 45K with some cool pkg(don't remember the name). The Genesis was always the number 1 choice since this in the only forum I actively looked in for months and felt it was good value.
I went to 4 Hyundai dealers and out of which I was ready to sign and made an offers on the v8 + tech with 3 since they had the color and options in the v8 I wanted. All were holding out for MSRP+ that I could not get myself to sign.
On a whim I went to the BMW dealer this weekend they were willing to deal below invoice for a car I dream about .... I got a fully loaded 2008 blk/blk 535i for 52K that I financed for 5 yrs at .9APR. I was getting the 4 year free maintenance + dealer experience + 2 more years of .9 APR + the BMW drive+ better depreciation + history. Doing some rough math with the APR, maintenance, etc I was paying about 4k to 5K more than the Genesis v8... That is about what I make in about 2 weeks.... For the BMW purchase, I am sure I need to consider the maintenance costs after the 4 years. Looking at some forums, I see you can buy the extended maintenance package from BMW for about 2K if you look hard enough. I decided to think about the maintenance later. Just like all the major decision I have made. I consider all the facts and obsess about it in detail and then I turn everything off and let my gut make the decision. Lo and behold the answer arose from deep within. I wanted to buy the BMW 535i and that was the end of my obsession. I went to the BMW dealer and said I wanted the car and wrote my number down that I wanted to pay. The dealer agreed! Took about 4 hours to examine the car, test drive, finance, detail, and drive it home. Now that I have completed my transaction, I am at peace with it. I encourage all others to do the same and not second guess your purchase. Buying a car is a personal choice and many factors influence the decision. As my friend says, once you buy the car it is the best car in the whole world.
My final thoughts to Hyundai if they are reading this forum ….
I think you have a great product… Just keep the innovation and quality up and you will reap the benefits.
If there are some teething pains with the Genesis fix it immediately, and keep the owners happy.
Work on the dealerships… I know it’s a long term project but it is a must.
Make sure the product does not get hijacked by a market segment that adversely affects the brand. (e.g. I saw one of the Genesis at the dealers that was pimped up. It made me release that had no idea what the image on the genesis will be)
I think it will be hard to get the BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes folks since they will make adjustments.
It is definitely easy to snag 300M, infinity, Acura, Maxima, buyers in the short term. That should be enough to get the car established.
Be very careful about your marketing, I saw several interviews from sales and product experts from Hyundai that did not inspire confidence for a high end crowd. Poor language skills and remarks that gave me pause about the product.
I will be moving to the BMW forum going forward....
I wanted to say thanks to all the great information that was posted over the last two months. Though I don't own a Genesis, I will be rooting for it... I hope they do well and stick it to the competition.
