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275 Posts
Was wondering if anyone had any interesting stories about their new bike purchases (ex or not I guess) and maybe we could trade ideas and methods of getting the very best price on a new bike...
New Motorcycle buying experiences(tips?)
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New bikes.
If you're mechanical then the best buy on a new bike is one that a new rider tipped over. The insurance company doesn't want to repair it so takes the bike & sells it cheap. Assuming that it's readily repairable for relatively few $$ & some sweat equity... that may be your best buy.
Or... find a married couple that's splitting up & someone is selling off a motorcycle to help settle "shares."
Or... find someone that is moving/transferring & can't or won't take the bike with them: may sell 4 cheap.
Otherwise, shop the dealers. If there's only one dealer you don't have much leverage unless you're willing to travel to the next dealer. Some places... if you PHONE CALL directly to the sales manager you may get a deal compared to walking in & getting a salesman's routine pitch, & paying his commission.
Let them know that you are keeping your mind open to buying used (Craigslist, local paper, E-Bay) or from an insurance sell-off (?) & have some samples ads with you. Play it cool- no "Must buy" look in your eyes... no rush. Sometimes the end of the month, end of the year, brings some meet-the-quota sales deals.
If you're mechanical then the best buy on a new bike is one that a new rider tipped over. The insurance company doesn't want to repair it so takes the bike & sells it cheap. Assuming that it's readily repairable for relatively few $$ & some sweat equity... that may be your best buy.
Or... find a married couple that's splitting up & someone is selling off a motorcycle to help settle "shares."
Or... find someone that is moving/transferring & can't or won't take the bike with them: may sell 4 cheap.
Otherwise, shop the dealers. If there's only one dealer you don't have much leverage unless you're willing to travel to the next dealer. Some places... if you PHONE CALL directly to the sales manager you may get a deal compared to walking in & getting a salesman's routine pitch, & paying his commission.
Let them know that you are keeping your mind open to buying used (Craigslist, local paper, E-Bay) or from an insurance sell-off (?) & have some samples ads with you. Play it cool- no "Must buy" look in your eyes... no rush. Sometimes the end of the month, end of the year, brings some meet-the-quota sales deals.
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25,498 Posts
haggle, haggle, and harass.
Joined
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275 Posts
What should your realalistic target be?
MSRP?
Invoice?
???Below Invoice???
What is a good deal and whats a GREAT deal...
Should I settle for Oakland's OTD motor sports and pay MSRP OTD??? or go else were and try to haggle?
MSRP?
Invoice?
???Below Invoice???
What is a good deal and whats a GREAT deal...
Should I settle for Oakland's OTD motor sports and pay MSRP OTD??? or go else were and try to haggle?
Joined
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275 Posts
I actually found a great deal on a 2005 R6 w/ 1000 miles due to a couple who were splitting up ... However this bike every damn bell and whistle mod... I CAN'T stand some of the common mods people do to their bikes. I personally think fender eliminators are tacky and just a piece of poop in general. lower gears... I'll pass thank you. Stickers, pain in the rear... The list goes on, if I could find a good opportunity to buy a barley used bike at a good price I would consider it... but its tuff! Sometimes I cringe when I see the atrocities done to some really sexy bikes. I am mechanical, however I want my next pruchase (the toy/NONcommuter) to be BUY-N-RIDE... as stock as possible.MrSciTrek said:
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·If you're at all uncomfortable will haggling, dont shop alone! It helps if your shopping partner is either a) a chick b) your dad or c) a super confident person who knows about mechnics.
The chick gives you the "Let me talk it over for a moment" option if you need a moment alone.
Your dad has been around the block, and the salesmen knows an old guy won't be duped easily.
The buddy can point out flaws and lowball the guy for you.
All those tips are if you're not confident in dealing with a salesperson though.
Having worked retail back-in-the-day, I know all the techniques customers and sales people use to try to get some advantage. That being said, I payed the asking price when I bought my EX used - felt it was a fair price though, and the buyer was a good guy (there's your plug Newfie!)
The chick gives you the "Let me talk it over for a moment" option if you need a moment alone.
Your dad has been around the block, and the salesmen knows an old guy won't be duped easily.
The buddy can point out flaws and lowball the guy for you.
All those tips are if you're not confident in dealing with a salesperson though.
Having worked retail back-in-the-day, I know all the techniques customers and sales people use to try to get some advantage. That being said, I payed the asking price when I bought my EX used - felt it was a fair price though, and the buyer was a good guy (there's your plug Newfie!)
I got my 2005 w/ 3000 miles & the right side of the fairing missing for $1600. A guy in St Louis ran it unto a truck & he said the Insurance Co would sell it back to him for $1300. I bought it from the guy who found it for that price & hauled it to Nebraska. It was a lucky find (via e-Bay though it didn't sell there), but I was also being patient having passed up a very nice Ninja 250, in Lincoln, for $1800.
I'm working on several little repairs& maintenance, besides the fairing, but I've got the winter.
(Crossing fingers that there's nothing wrong with the engine/tranny that'll show up later.)
I'm working on several little repairs& maintenance, besides the fairing, but I've got the winter.
(Crossing fingers that there's nothing wrong with the engine/tranny that'll show up later.)
hmmm.. all I can say is what I did.
I drove up to my local Kawi dealer, after 15 minutes of walking around with no one approaching me, I went up to the desk and asked who I had to talk to about buying a bike. A saleman was paged for me, and I told him I wanted to buy an '06 500R. He quoted a price and I told him I wanted to buy a bike, but I wasn't going to pay that. After some talk we ended up going our seperate ways. Two days later I went back in, and gave the same speech to a different saleman. Started with the same quote, but this time I got some quick haggling in. He then mentioned some Kawi payment plan, so we went to his office to look at some numbers. While I was in his office I saw the magic number on the dry-erase board. He needed to sell 6 more bikes (it was the last Saturday of the month). Then I went with my own financing, as I didn't like his interest rate.
As we came in close on a target price I asked about a helmet (since I didn't have one), and he eventually offered to throw in $200 for a helmet (I think I nearly broke his arm for that concession).
The main thing to know is who is more anxious to buy. Make sure it's him, not you. If you aren't ecstatic about the buy, don't do it.
My initial quote was $5300+ fees . I ended up at $4800 OTD.
I drove up to my local Kawi dealer, after 15 minutes of walking around with no one approaching me, I went up to the desk and asked who I had to talk to about buying a bike. A saleman was paged for me, and I told him I wanted to buy an '06 500R. He quoted a price and I told him I wanted to buy a bike, but I wasn't going to pay that. After some talk we ended up going our seperate ways. Two days later I went back in, and gave the same speech to a different saleman. Started with the same quote, but this time I got some quick haggling in. He then mentioned some Kawi payment plan, so we went to his office to look at some numbers. While I was in his office I saw the magic number on the dry-erase board. He needed to sell 6 more bikes (it was the last Saturday of the month). Then I went with my own financing, as I didn't like his interest rate.
As we came in close on a target price I asked about a helmet (since I didn't have one), and he eventually offered to throw in $200 for a helmet (I think I nearly broke his arm for that concession).
The main thing to know is who is more anxious to buy. Make sure it's him, not you. If you aren't ecstatic about the buy, don't do it.
My initial quote was $5300+ fees . I ended up at $4800 OTD.
Normally I'd agree, but I honestly don't think he would've come down any further. I may have been able to do slightly better by going to a few more dealerships, but as it is: I'm happy with the price; he's happy with the sale. To me that says good deal. Ultimately, that's the final method of measure. (IMO)
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Ive been a carsaleman for over a decade. The one thing I found interesting is unlike cars finding the invoice for a motorcycle is next to impossible. But that doesnt change the process of negotiation. Now, in defense of the salesperson please dont make a rediculous offer. As a salesman it kills me to have someone offer me $15,000 for a $35,000 truck. When you negotiate be sure to negotiate your "out the door" price. This includes any tax or fees that are in addition to the msrp. Some states dont charge sales tax so you may not need to worry about that. If there are taxes involved the STATE not the dealer requires YOU to pay it. This is a non-negotiable item. IF a salesperson says theyre taking care of the sales tax they are lying to you. All they did was discount the cost of the taxes off the bike. The one thing you shouldnt have to pay is a prep fee. This fee charges any preperation that needed to be done to the bike when they got it. Things like attaching fairing checking oil. Things that have to be done anyway. Above all else, if youre not comfortable with your salesperson get one you are.
Most car dealers have a used lot next to the showroom and on the lot are a few immaculately prepped 1-3 year old models from the same manufacturer and next to them a few rough examples of the same 1-3 year old cars from competing manufactures. If it is say a Honda dealer the used Hondas will be way over priced while the used Mazdas/Toyotas/whatever will have a really low price.
The salesguy says we can get you into this Honda for less less but it will have to be a used one. They then show you the immaculately prepped used model as well as a few rough examples of competing models from Toyota,Nissan/Mazda. The customer then thinks gee the brand new Honda is a better deal and will only costs $1000 more than the used one. Also the Honda is not going to look as worn out after a few years and it won't depreciate. Usually you get a story too about the unfortunate sap that bought the Toyota and hated it and traded it at the Honda dealer for a Honda.
I use a Honda as an example but I've seen this same tactic at used at most dealerships.
The salesguy says we can get you into this Honda for less less but it will have to be a used one. They then show you the immaculately prepped used model as well as a few rough examples of competing models from Toyota,Nissan/Mazda. The customer then thinks gee the brand new Honda is a better deal and will only costs $1000 more than the used one. Also the Honda is not going to look as worn out after a few years and it won't depreciate. Usually you get a story too about the unfortunate sap that bought the Toyota and hated it and traded it at the Honda dealer for a Honda.
I use a Honda as an example but I've seen this same tactic at used at most dealerships.
If you're looking for something a bit more updated and modern, so to speak, dealers are good to look at, but I would also recommend that you check out private sales, such as craigslist. I actually got my 500 through that method. A few things to look out for IF you do go thru a private route:
That being said, you can find some really sweet deals from private sales. In my experience, people were selling because they have no time to take care of their bikes, and would rather pass them onto people who will give these bikes the care they deserve. If you're comfortable with all the factors, then by all means, go for it
- Owner: I think it's important to be comfortable with the seller. If their vibe is positive, this is an honest sale. If you feel anxious, then something is off. You can tell a lot about the bike by the mannerisms of its owner, so be sure to pay attention to the guy/girl as much as you do to the bike.
- VIN #: Take that down and run a carfax report. Ex: A guy was selling his 250 because he had upgraded to a gixxer. Much like the rumors say about gixxer owners, the guy was dumb as a pile of bricks. He knew close to nothing about bikes...I asked him about the scratches on the side of it. He kept wavering between the previous owner and his girl dropping it. Didn't know what a slider was, and obviously couldn't tell me if the bike could have those installed . My bf and I checked the VIN.. The bike was salvaged. While a salvaged bike doesn't necessarily mean it was a mangled pile of metal previously, but it would've been nice to know that.
- Color: If you're like me, color might be very important to you, and if it is, my word of advice is not to pay attention to that so much. You're only going to limit your choices and you can always repaint it later.
- Cost/Financing: Find a price point you're comfortable with. If someone is selling an 07 bike for 2500, depending on if there's damage on it and previous history, see if you can haggle to lower the price a bit. If the bike is super dirty, needs an oil change, dirty chain, worn sprockets, etc., see if you can haggle down to 2200 or 2000. Be reasonable - if the guy is an *******, lowball him, but don't overstep the boundaries either.
That being said, you can find some really sweet deals from private sales. In my experience, people were selling because they have no time to take care of their bikes, and would rather pass them onto people who will give these bikes the care they deserve. If you're comfortable with all the factors, then by all means, go for it
That won't even tell you if the bike runs.luukasama said:
I'd say one of the most important things is making everything is in good mechanical state. Big thing is tire alignment. Checking for any scratches from a drop (Obvious, but don't forget).
Sometimes owners say things they shouldn't. There are tons of craigslist ads with the whole,"This bike is crazy fast and handles well on one wheel", that they probably should have just kept to themselves.
So don't discredit that, but be as skeptical as possible.
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If I could do it again, I'd never buy a new bike, or almost new bike.
It was pointless getting a brand new bike and paying so much more for it than the same bike just a few years older and less than half I paid.
My bike is paid off, and I'm not looking for the next bike No payments is worth so much more than 'flash'
It was pointless getting a brand new bike and paying so much more for it than the same bike just a few years older and less than half I paid.
My bike is paid off, and I'm not looking for the next bike No payments is worth so much more than 'flash'
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