Has anybody negotiated the price of a bike like a car at a dealership. Is it the same? Can you do this or pretty much stick to there price set? :Sport:
negotiate?
- Thread starter bikerider
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taco
Junior Member
I always negotiate. Well really what I do usually isn't negotiating. I usually get the invoice price online and then go in and tell the dealer what I will buy it for. They usually try to counter but I never budge. They almost always give in. On a bike in the fz price range I usually offer 400ish over invoice usually make it a somewhat round number.
I usually also don't like to spend much time in there. If they don't like my number I usually leave quickly and try and make sure they have my phone number. This works better with car dealers, usually they will call you back in a few days and accept your price.
I usually also don't like to spend much time in there. If they don't like my number I usually leave quickly and try and make sure they have my phone number. This works better with car dealers, usually they will call you back in a few days and accept your price.
Now, all we have to do is print this!
http://www.600riders.com/forum/main-lobby/303-how-much-did-you-spend-your-fz6-7200-a.html
steveindenmark
Older Member
I have always found that if you go in with the asking price in cash stuffed in your pocket you are a lot more confident in "Haggling".
The sentence "Look I will give you ??????? in cash right now" usually gets you a discount.
Steve
The sentence "Look I will give you ??????? in cash right now" usually gets you a discount.
Steve
Rolly
Junior Member
Depends on the bike. A bike for which there is more demand than supply will never be discounted. Not many of those around though......I'd say its always worth a go.
For second hand bike dealers, ALWAYS haggle. I found an Fz6 in a Midlands dealer a couple of weeks ago. The sticker price was £3300 but I offered him 2800. He didn't bite but came under £3000 for me. I walked away and found a better deal elsewhere.
Rolly
For second hand bike dealers, ALWAYS haggle. I found an Fz6 in a Midlands dealer a couple of weeks ago. The sticker price was £3300 but I offered him 2800. He didn't bite but came under £3000 for me. I walked away and found a better deal elsewhere.
Rolly
i usually go in with an idea of what i want to pay and tell them that right up front by saying "I am looking at buying this bike, and i want to pay $X for it, if you think we can work something out then i will stay, if not just let me know and i will still consider you for my future accessory purchases, if you waste my time i will never purchase anything from here."
Just being upfront and honest with your intentions is the best way IMO.
Just being upfront and honest with your intentions is the best way IMO.
H
HavBlue
Haggling will always be worth it but the end result of that haggling may very. There are two places a dealer has to play in terms of not changing the MSRP or digging into that price and they are shipping as well as set-up fees. The dealer invoice price has both within that price and they are a far cry from what you see on the sticker. Bikes like Harley-Davidson are a bit different in that the way Harley works is more like a cage purchase.
In terms of cash, keep it as I would rather have the financed unit because I can make money off the financing where I can't in terms of cash. Therefore, I would be more willing to play on the financed unit. Using a credit card to full pay doesn't work either in that I must pay a percentage of the price for you to use that card and it isn't the same as cash.
Dealer invoices can be purchased on line and this will give you a heads up on what the actual dealer cost is for the specific unit. Keep in mind this is what it costs that dealer so you can now see what the mark up is for the bike you want. Now you have something to haggle over. Here is the one I use......
CycleBuy Invoice Information
You can also go to a credit union or your bank and ask for the printed edition of the Kelley Blue Book Official Motorcycle Guide. There is a section in the back called "loan codes." The dealer invoice for many motorcycles can be found in that section. This book may also be found in some public libraries.
Haggle on...
Charlie
In terms of cash, keep it as I would rather have the financed unit because I can make money off the financing where I can't in terms of cash. Therefore, I would be more willing to play on the financed unit. Using a credit card to full pay doesn't work either in that I must pay a percentage of the price for you to use that card and it isn't the same as cash.
Dealer invoices can be purchased on line and this will give you a heads up on what the actual dealer cost is for the specific unit. Keep in mind this is what it costs that dealer so you can now see what the mark up is for the bike you want. Now you have something to haggle over. Here is the one I use......
CycleBuy Invoice Information
You can also go to a credit union or your bank and ask for the printed edition of the Kelley Blue Book Official Motorcycle Guide. There is a section in the back called "loan codes." The dealer invoice for many motorcycles can be found in that section. This book may also be found in some public libraries.
Haggle on...
Charlie
good link for the invoices, and it is a great idea to have the dealer cost in your knowledge.
PlasticPig
Member
Always, always, always negotiate.
Bike dealers are generally slightly harder to negotiate with as there is not so much competition, however on the flip side the salesmen are generally bike people and have some empathy for you.
I think I said in an earlier thread that I worked on a car dealership once, was the one they salesman came to when he "has to go and see his boss".
So, and this is for car sales but I guess that bikes are very similar.
Invoice price is indeed what the dealer pays but there are almost always manufacturer incentives and volume discounts, so the dealer will make more on the deal than just the difference between sale and invoice.
Finance, the dealer will always be making money from the finance deal, so that is in fact a better negotiating tool than cash, however be very careful with this as it is so easy to just tickle up the payments a bit and make the deal not so attractive to you.
Accessories, huge margins here, also the dealer giving them away in the price of the deal is common as they do not cost the dealer a lot but are worth a lot to you.
Dealer costs, what a rip off, in the UK they did not exist, I asked a dealer here once what they were for and he told me that it was so they could make some profit in the deal, I suggested that he gets his invoice out, shows me all the current dealer promotion incentives and then we could work out exactly what the car cost him and that is what I would pay as he will make his profit out of the dealer fee...strangly enough he refused and I bought elsewhere.
2nd hand, we used to make far and away the most profit out of used rather than new, however we were much more willing to negotiate as the vehicles had already been paid for and were depreciating by the month, so moving stock quickly was a bonus, also the salesmans commission was structured in such a way that he would make more money selling a used car (particularly if he got you for finance and warranty).
When I came here I had a V Star to start with as I thought the cruising idea would be fun but soon wanted to get back to the sort of bike I had in the UK so traded it for a used FZ6 (1 yr old, 135 miles!!, guy collected them and just stored them and then got ill and sold them all to a dealer), negotiated hard and got a stupidly good price so it can be done. On a trade in all you need to consider is the cost to change, forget the value of your trade just focus on the cost to trade and set your limit, make sure that you tell them that this is a true cost to change an includes all taxes and registration costs as the will always try and tap those on at the end. (yes,I know you have to pay them but there is no reason why they cannot be included in the one off cost, thats what I did when I bought mine, if the dealer adds them at the end on top of the agreed price then it is just pure pofit to him).
Hope this helps, but as I said, always, always negotiate.
Bike dealers are generally slightly harder to negotiate with as there is not so much competition, however on the flip side the salesmen are generally bike people and have some empathy for you.
I think I said in an earlier thread that I worked on a car dealership once, was the one they salesman came to when he "has to go and see his boss".
So, and this is for car sales but I guess that bikes are very similar.
Invoice price is indeed what the dealer pays but there are almost always manufacturer incentives and volume discounts, so the dealer will make more on the deal than just the difference between sale and invoice.
Finance, the dealer will always be making money from the finance deal, so that is in fact a better negotiating tool than cash, however be very careful with this as it is so easy to just tickle up the payments a bit and make the deal not so attractive to you.
Accessories, huge margins here, also the dealer giving them away in the price of the deal is common as they do not cost the dealer a lot but are worth a lot to you.
Dealer costs, what a rip off, in the UK they did not exist, I asked a dealer here once what they were for and he told me that it was so they could make some profit in the deal, I suggested that he gets his invoice out, shows me all the current dealer promotion incentives and then we could work out exactly what the car cost him and that is what I would pay as he will make his profit out of the dealer fee...strangly enough he refused and I bought elsewhere.
2nd hand, we used to make far and away the most profit out of used rather than new, however we were much more willing to negotiate as the vehicles had already been paid for and were depreciating by the month, so moving stock quickly was a bonus, also the salesmans commission was structured in such a way that he would make more money selling a used car (particularly if he got you for finance and warranty).
When I came here I had a V Star to start with as I thought the cruising idea would be fun but soon wanted to get back to the sort of bike I had in the UK so traded it for a used FZ6 (1 yr old, 135 miles!!, guy collected them and just stored them and then got ill and sold them all to a dealer), negotiated hard and got a stupidly good price so it can be done. On a trade in all you need to consider is the cost to change, forget the value of your trade just focus on the cost to trade and set your limit, make sure that you tell them that this is a true cost to change an includes all taxes and registration costs as the will always try and tap those on at the end. (yes,I know you have to pay them but there is no reason why they cannot be included in the one off cost, thats what I did when I bought mine, if the dealer adds them at the end on top of the agreed price then it is just pure pofit to him).
Hope this helps, but as I said, always, always negotiate.
pedwards89
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Agreed it is always worth haggling. Even if you only get a few quid / bucks knocked off the price or some accessories thrown in.
If you are confident enough you may negotiate a substantial discount. But remember, motorcycle salesmen negotiate for a living, they do it all day & every day. They are bound to be better at it than the average Joe that walks in off the street.
If you are confident enough you may negotiate a substantial discount. But remember, motorcycle salesmen negotiate for a living, they do it all day & every day. They are bound to be better at it than the average Joe that walks in off the street.
Yes, always. I was able to get about $1,700 of the bottomline price of my purchase. They had tacked on $675 in shipping, $575 in prep and $175 in paperwork! Shipping on my truck was only $200. And for an '07, after seeing what others paid, I think I still paid too much, by about $750 or so. Also shop around, I didn't do that and wish I did now. For example there is a Kawi dealer about 30 minutes west of Austin who does not add any BS and will neogotiate off of suggested retail. He shoots straight were as the place I bought my bike from was as bad as a car dealer.
H
HavBlue
This is so true and they have ways of making things sound and look great when in fact they are not.
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definately, i told them that i was on my way to another dealer to buy one and they had one chance to give me what i wanted and they gave in, i was glad cause the other dealer was too far away.
I think I did a much better job buying my brand new '04 Dodge Ram 4x4 Laramie (leather package) edition quad cab pickup than buying my FZ6. I'm sure there is more flexiblility in terms of negotiating when buying new vehicles than bikes. Back in '03, I just came off a lengthy tour from work and I was in great shape financially. My lease on my other vehicle expired while I was away, so when I got back, I was driving a rental car. I explained to the dealership that this is what I wanted, and I'm going to buy one today or the next day, whoever gave me the best deal They saw that I was driving a rental and I had to return it in two days, so they new I wasn't just giving them some everyday custromer line. I went to one dealership, the biggest and known as the most aggresive, and they actually printed me an actual invoice, showing their cost of the vehicle. I then went to a rivaling dealer and showed them the invoice. They were very surprised that the other dealership gave me an actual invoice showing their cost. Not only did they sell me a truck $500 below their invoice, but they sold me a truck with the leather package since it was the color I wanted. I honestly left feeling good and got a great deal.....When I bought my bike, I honestly felt I paid too much and from the other posts that I have read regarding how much everyone paid, I definatlely paid too much. However, I do not regret buying the bike, I enjoy and love the bike. Buying the bike has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life, just not the price I paid for it. The dealership that sold me my truck benifeted from my sale because I always got the vehicle serviced there, and bought a lot of accessories from their parts department.
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trailblazer87
Curve Hound
Always haggle! There are enough bike shops around here that carry all brands (Yamaha, Kawi, Honda, etc.), 6 within 20 minutes, that you can get a good deal. If they won't negotiate the price, sometimes they will throw in free gear instead (helmets, jackets, gloves, luggage).
H
HavBlue
Hey Vegas, I'm glad you bought the bike too. Had you not bought it you wouldn't be here........
What that dealer didn't tell you was the $1,500 they made in incentives for selling that truck. You made out and so did they. Good deal ain't it?????
What everyone fails to realize is that too much haggling will require you to service your bike elsewhere. Salesman are very tight knit with the service team and you may win the initial haggling war, but do not expect your bike will get properly serviced or treated the same as if you pay full price. This may not always be true, but bike salesman like car salesman are finger snapping hey there "shooter" blokes who will shake your hand during the sale, but call you **** behind your back and tell the service crew what a wanker you are and your bike will be the one that suffers from the haggling.
Haggle away, but have an alternate service station for your new ride. My 2 cents from experience.
Haggle away, but have an alternate service station for your new ride. My 2 cents from experience.
What hasn't been mentioned in any of the post, and I have failed to mention before, is that after every purchase, you as a consumer, after some time, have a chance to fill out a survey on how your overall experience was buying your new vehicle. This survey usually come in the mail from headquarters a couple of months after your purchase. I'm sure everyone received a survey from Yamaha so you know what I'm talking about. Most dealership live and die by these reviews. A poor review will kill them, and you can always get the final revenge. When I bought my Dodge pickup, the dealership pretty much bribed me for the survey. They would tell me to bring in the survey blank, and they would trade me for a free tank of gas. That's how this dealership maintained there "Five Star" dealership. They would aquire these surveys from the customers and fill them out themselves. Personally, I was happy with the dealership anyway, so I took advantage of the free tank of gas. As far as my Yamaha dealership, different story. I kind of gave them a bad review, and I have not gotten any service done on my bike from them either.
