I wish optimas were still the batteries they once were and I would get another one of them.

OK... so here it goes from a guy in the battery biz
the basics:

First and foremost, DO NOT base your opinions on one manufacturer or another on batteries that were made 8+ years ago. Manufacturing process and facilities have changed over the years. Especially with regard to Optima and other (now) johnson control-owned brands.

Also, DO NOT buy used batteries - these are sourced from crashed/junk cars or batteries others have replaced. It might get you to work one day but what about the next? in the long run it's not worth it. Also there's a strong chance they were sitting dead for an extended period of time and recovered via trickle charging.

our vehicles take a group 65 battery (don't use a group 58, they don't last as long and it's not much cheaper) - the factory battery is 650 Cold Cranking amps. With this size from most major manufacturers you should get 4-5 years. You can put in an 850cca or 875cca battery but it doesn't necessarily buy you anything extra except a longer warranty (could be worth it) and a little higher reserve capacity. You MAY be able to get another year or two out of it as long as it's not over-discharged at any point or consistently run down (alternator going out or leaving keys in the ignition - i've done both)
there are three major manufacturers serving the US - most likely your battery is made by 1 of them. there's Johnson Controls, East Penn, and exide. There's also a couple of one-off manufacturers who make 'value' lines of batteries - one being Superlex out of kentucky.

Johnson controls owns and builds most of the lines of batteries you see - advance auto, autozone's duralast line, costco, interstate, diehard (varies regionally), mopar, motorcraft, acdelco). Now just because they make the most batteries, that doesn't mean they are the best batteries (they're just the most profitable to sell). Also, FWIW, johnson controls has steadily moved most all of it's battery operations to mexico

Exide is another big player in the market, they manufacture south of the border as well. Also, they've been in financial trouble a few times recently. Their batteries are... just ok - not terrible, but overall not great in terms of longevity and construction.

now my personal favorite is East Penn Manufacturing - you will find these batteries wearing many different labels, but the nice thing about east penn is that they don't build to spec for customers like JC does - walmart gets a cheaper battery, interstate gets what they want, etc. They make one battery of a particular spec and you're welcome to put your label on it or sell it under their home line "Deka". The other nice thing about east penn batteries (in this size) is that they they are completely sealed and have a flat top that vents any gases to the sides - this translates to no corroded terminals like standard top-vented batteries. You can find these batteries at Meijer in the midwest, Battery Giant under their own label, BatteriesPlus or Sams Club under the Duracell label, Napa auto (varies regionally), Oreilly auto, and a number of other smaller battery shops and retailers. Their defect rate is about as low as you can get - less than 1 out of 1000. In the past 2 years I have replaced one battery under warranty (I get more than that back, but they're mostly just dead and need to be charged but test out fine or they're destroyed due to neglect/user error)

NOW - As far as finding a decent battery as cheap as possible, I'd start with costco - should be around $90-$95. Meijer and Sams Club are pretty much tied in my area @ about $105 for an 875CCA ( I sell the same battery for $124.99 and that's still a decent price) and about $95 on the 650cca.
IF you just happen to have a manufacturer's outlet store nearby (or an interstate battery store - not a dealer, an actual interstate store) you can check around for "seconds" or "reconditioned" batteries. These are batteries that have sat on store shelves for 6-12 months and have been returned for fresh stock. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these batteries most of the time and they come with substantial savings.

What you don't want to do is put in the absolute cheapest no-name "value" brand battery - these are made with the cheapest materiels possible and their lifespan is unpredictable. The only exception to that is autozone's value line. In some areas (sadly it varies by region) they use east penn's batteries - Some of their value line batteries actually cost (the store) more than than their duralast gold counterparts (a lot of the cost is to pay for the "warranty")

Lastly, no matter what battery you buy - look at the date codes! most manufacturers use a letter-number system. A12 or A2 = Jan 2012, B13 or B3 = Feb 2013, etc, skipping over the letter I.

I was talking battery brands with a fleet maintenance tech and he said that some batteries can tolerate multiple re-charges better than others. From experience, he said that Costco nee Johnston can be re-charged from dead multiple times without damage and that others can only be done a few times before frying. I'm sold on Costco.

I was talking battery brands with a fleet maintenance tech and he said that some batteries can tolerate multiple re-charges better than others. From experience, he said that Costco nee Johnston can be re-charged from dead multiple times without damage and that others can only be done a few times before frying. I'm sold on Costco.

I have a Duralast Platinum (65-AGM) battery. No issues. I always go with AGM batteries...I find they last longer and are more reliable. Plus, no corrosion which is nice.

http://www.autozone.com/1/products/130396-battery-duralast-platinum-65-agm.html