12-03-2018, 03:09 AM
Not all Honda dealers pay the traditional flooring fees. "Powerhouse" dealers don't have to pay it, so they don't care if their new stock sits on the showroom long enough to have multiple birthdays.
As to the documentation fee, our local DMV rep explained it thusly: "It's not a mandatory fee, until a dealership charges even a single customer for it. At that point, once it was charged to one customer, by law it must be charged to all customers."
I've sold motorcycles and other vehicles for over thirty years, and the "doc fee" has never been waived for an in-state purchase. It's nearly always $80.
Freight and set-up? Total hogwash. Nearly all pure profit. These days, most bikes arrive just about fully assembled. All the PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) typically entails is uncrating the thing, adding fluids, and performing a cursory once-over.
For new motorcycles that aren't three-year-old leftovers, a general rule of thumb is msrp OTD (out the door, including all fees) is a decent deal. The dealer isn't giving it away at a loss, and you aren't getting gouged. It's a perfectly acceptable feel-good number, and it cuts through all the back-and-forth, fees-based b.s.
As to the documentation fee, our local DMV rep explained it thusly: "It's not a mandatory fee, until a dealership charges even a single customer for it. At that point, once it was charged to one customer, by law it must be charged to all customers."
I've sold motorcycles and other vehicles for over thirty years, and the "doc fee" has never been waived for an in-state purchase. It's nearly always $80.
Freight and set-up? Total hogwash. Nearly all pure profit. These days, most bikes arrive just about fully assembled. All the PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) typically entails is uncrating the thing, adding fluids, and performing a cursory once-over.
For new motorcycles that aren't three-year-old leftovers, a general rule of thumb is msrp OTD (out the door, including all fees) is a decent deal. The dealer isn't giving it away at a loss, and you aren't getting gouged. It's a perfectly acceptable feel-good number, and it cuts through all the back-and-forth, fees-based b.s.