First Time Buyer Looking For Advice

[mininsx_imp]

Am I the only one who thinks dealer prep is a rip-off? They have to uncrate the thing and put it together before they can sell it, and they expect the customer to pay for that?

[emptysea]

I suppose it's all in how you look at it, mininsx. The dealer is going to charge for "prep" one way or another, so they either disclose it as they did for ctmtb or they bury it someplace else. Also, I think it could be a requirement in some states that prep be disclosed on its own line, but I'm not 100% sure of that. I guess I wouldn't characterize it as a rip-off since no one is being cheated out of anything here.

[the Ferret]

As someone who worked in the industry I can somewhat agree to both arguments. Dealers do have to set up and prep motorcycles. In some cases it can be time consuming, in most cases it's not. For the CB I think they put a battery in it, put some gas in it, maybe check the tires and it's done. They pay a kid about $10 an hour to do this and it takes him 1/2 hour. So if they charged what they actually paid labor and fuel to have it set up and prepped, that would be reasonable. To charge $200 for this is just padding the bottom line, and a rip off. $50 prep would be reasonable on a CB 1100. Also it doesn't cost them $600 to get the bike freighted in. More like $150. Charging more is just padding to the bottom line and ripping off.

[emptysea]

If they didn't put the charge in "prep" but rather just added $200 to "bike" would it still be a rip-off? To me, asking a higher price for the bike is not a rip-off. Now, knowing that the prep on this bike may only be $50 does give the buyer some negotiating leverage, but if he gets the bike he thought he was getting at the price that was agreed upon, he's not being ripped-off, even if they charged $1000 for "prep", $6000 for "destination" and $1600 for "bike" (although this absurd example might be a better deal for the buyer depending on how sales tax is applied to the various categories).

[Verdecken_imp]

So what I did, and I don't remember specific numbers now, but I found the price I wanted at a dealer 3-4 hours away, confirmed it over the phone, and then emailed the sales manager at the dealer 30 minutes away. Told him I wanted to get this bike, didn't want to drive to dealer far away, could you match the price? If so I can pick it up this weekend.

Worked like a charm.


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[LongRanger_imp]

Really no different from what I charge my employer for my time. It doesn't "cost" me what they pay me. Instead, they pay the market rate for the value and experience I provide. It's no different from what we charge our customers for our products. I agree $200 to install a battery and top off the tires is a bit ridiculous, but it's generally accepted and "everyone pays it."

[Hondahawkrider_imp]

So what I did, and I don't remember specific numbers now, but I found the price I wanted at a dealer 3-4 hours away, confirmed it over the phone, and then emailed the sales manager at the dealer 30 minutes away. Told him I wanted to get this bike, didn't want to drive to dealer far away, could you match the price? If so I can pick it up this weekend.

Worked like a charm.


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This works quite well...

Unfortunately, this is often why many sales people in stealerships (not a typo) use the "I want to be your friend" approach.. They will try and prolong it by asking things about yourself ... The idea is they want to make you think that since they are you friend - they will give you the best price - so you won't look elsewhere.. They also want you to think that since the sales process takes time. That won't want to start all over somewhere else for a few dollars savings....

The latter is simply not true... I have bought several new vehicles over the years. It takes me more than about 30 mins to seal the deal (tho it can take awhile while they actually prep the vehicle)..
All you really have to do is tell em what you want and you need a quote IN WRITING they will honor for 48 hours, and you need it in 15-20 minutes or you are leaving..

Keep it as impersonal as possible. I'm upfront that I don't get a good price, I WILL take it elsewhere to see if they can go lower. If the sales person gets their panties in a knot about it, simply tell em to give you a price that the other dealer can't beat (note - that's beat not match.. I usually start off at the further most dealership from my house that I am willing to deal. So if I think I can get a match, I am going to the one closer to home. If they run your license, the salesperson will know this)


Now the CB11000 while cool and not made in high numbers, if it's still in the dealership, it's been sitting for at least 18 mos by now.. To me this means they should be considering any reasonable offers... I would check the local listings - try http://www.searchtempest.com to search craigslist for cb1100 for as many miles from home as you are willing to go. If they won't deal - show em you will buy one of em..

Local Dealer wouldn't negotiate on cb close to me when I was in the market (I had missed out on a mint totally stock on for $5500 - I hadn't made up my mind to sell my KTM 990 at the time, and by the time I decided, bike was gone). The dealer thought that since I didn't have that many options, they had me. I was jonesing for one at this time, and Im sure it came thru despite myself.. Yeah it was new, and it wasn't a bad price, but it wasn't what I thought it should be. They called two weeks later with a better price, but by then I had bought a used one for $1500 less, had less that 1k miles (basically new). Yeah it didn't have a warrantee, but it did have at least $1000 in cosmetic mods (mirrors, black side covers, black fenders, tail light, catseye mini turn signals - all stuff I liked). I had to travel to get it - but it was worth it...

So, don't be afraid to work the dealership a bit. If you don't get one there - you can find one somewhere else...

[the Ferret]

True Sea, the bottom line is the bottom line no matter how they write it up..for example my son just bought an FJ09 and he had a trade. They retailed him plus frt and set up on the FJ so they could tell him they would give him a lot for his trade. We all.. my son, and I and the dealer all knew his trade wasn't worth what they were showing, but they couldn't tell him they were giving him a lot for his trade without inflating the price on the new bike. The bottom line is the difference between the final price on the new bike minus the trade, which is the number we looked at. The details could be arranged any way and it doesn't really matter.. except to the salesman.

If you dont think the frt and set up isnt a padding tell me why the salesman makes x amt on the profit of the bike and gets 50% of how much frt and set up he can tack onto the deal? (and 50% of the selling price of an extended warranty, and 50% on life, accident and health insurance). I know because I did it for 17 years. I would rather discount the bike than discount the frt and set up (or other padding features) because I made more commission on those...and so did the dealer. Not sure if that is still how it is (I suspect it is) but that's how it was from 1972 to 1989 I can assure you.

But the bottom line is, are you willing to pay X amt of dollars for the product? My son was willing to pay x amt for the new bike difference, with his trade and didn't care how they wrote it up. They could have low balled the new bike and low balled the trade, didn't matter to him, the bottom line difference was the only number he was concerned with. Problem is most people want the new bike for nothing and want the world for their trade, and it just isn't going to happen that way. Inflate the new you can inflate the used. Where salesmen really gamble is when they try and inflate the new and at the same time low ball the used. They either make a ton of commission or lose the customer all together.

[CA200_imp]

Ferret is right, I also worked at a large dealer for 9 years and even though I worked in com. parts I know how it
"worked". The owner where I worked liked to keep the depts. at odds with each other. When I bought my new scooter and traded in my Yamaha XT250 I could tell from the contract that each dept. got their piece of "Meat".
even though I did the whole trade for $250. They listed the scooter at retail - the Honda rebate and showed
my trade in very much inflated and the F&I got his "fees". It worked out in the end. I had gone in with the idea
of not spending no more then $1000 so I thought I did well , I did kinda freak out though when they sent me over to parts to check out acc. and I had to tell the young fella about all the times I did the same thing standing behind the counter just like him. He looked at the gray hair and all the age lines and gave me a strange look \_/

[silver90_imp]

I brought my 2014 Std in Nov. 2015 and paid the following.
Bike - 8040
Shipping - 495
Settlement - 199
Battery/Tire - 4

Total less Taxes - 8738

A new 1100 cc bike for 8700. I thought it was a good deal. Yes, the shipping and settlement is padding, but all bike and car dealers work that way now. A lot of dealers advertise a low bike price, but they have high padding costs. I offered 200 less and they turned me down. They must have thought I was hooked.