06-08-2013, 08:04 AM
Thought I'd share my experience hitting dealers today. I visited three dealerships around Los Angeles County and after having read this thread, I was surprised at how high the OTD prices were at all of them. Not a single one started out at less than $12.5k.
I negotiated pretty hard with all of them but was only able to get 2 of them down to just below $11.2K...beyond what I'm willing to pay for this bike. What seems to be driving up the cost are their bloated freight and assembly fees. The freight fee at each dealer was over $700 and the assembly fee was over $400. They all claimed it's because we're in California and they have to do special things and use real mechanics blah blah blah. It seems ridiculous to me. I pressed the last dealer on these added costs and told him for $10.5k OTD, I'd write him a check on the spot. He wouldn't budge and I'm not considering anything over $11k OTD.
Thanks to everyone whose been posting their experiences here. It was really helpful in establishing a budget I'd be happy with and making sure I don't spend more than I need to, even if I REALLY want it. I'll keep looking and will check out some bonnies as well.
I negotiated pretty hard with all of them but was only able to get 2 of them down to just below $11.2K...beyond what I'm willing to pay for this bike. What seems to be driving up the cost are their bloated freight and assembly fees. The freight fee at each dealer was over $700 and the assembly fee was over $400. They all claimed it's because we're in California and they have to do special things and use real mechanics blah blah blah. It seems ridiculous to me. I pressed the last dealer on these added costs and told him for $10.5k OTD, I'd write him a check on the spot. He wouldn't budge and I'm not considering anything over $11k OTD.
Thanks to everyone whose been posting their experiences here. It was really helpful in establishing a budget I'd be happy with and making sure I don't spend more than I need to, even if I REALLY want it. I'll keep looking and will check out some bonnies as well.