Incentives with a New Bike Purchase
#21
02-11-2011, 06:04 PM
My story is a little long winded - but the jist of it is- I treated them with respect and in return I got a great deal...
I did not intend to get my bike last week, it really was a case of me going in to get parts for my 89 and then sitting on a new one and getting a case of the "crazies".
But, when I spoke with the Sales rep from the very first minute, I talked to him just like I would any of my clients at work or any of our partners / subcontractors. I let him know up front that I understood that they need to run a business and make their margins.
With that i asked if he would consider me being able to trade in a 22 year old bike and I asked for a very low amount on the trade in so as to not scare him off. He said he would speak to the owner and that he would call me.
When the owner called we talked and again I treated him just like any of my clients that I have to negotiate with every day. The owner agreed to letting me trade in the old glide if it passed the service departments inspection.
I went down the next day with the bike and gave it to service . We then talked and they offered me the 11% off msrp for the bike if I bought it during this month and 11% off of parts and service for life if I joined the MVP program for 90 bucks. I paid for it right then and we continued to do the paperwork.
When service came back they had a laundry list of what was wrong with my bike, the owner looked it over, looked at me , told me it had been a pleasure to work with me on this deal and that most of the time, the guys he has to deal with are much more of a pain. With that he crumpled up the paper from Service, threw it in the trash and told the saleman to give me the amount we had previously discussed for the trade-in of the bike and seal the deal.
I thanked him and finished up all the paperwork. When I was done, the principle owner of the shop came over to me and told me that she had heard from the owner and the sales rep that it had been real good deal for them to work with me on it and welcomed me the dealership and told me I could come to her if I ever needed anything.
In the end, I saved 11% off of msrp on a fully loaded FLHTX and got 11% off parts and service for life -with a 5 year warranty, road hazard and road side assistance and the asking amount of my trade in.
I have zero problems with the deal and I'm glad they treated me as well as I treated them.
I did not intend to get my bike last week, it really was a case of me going in to get parts for my 89 and then sitting on a new one and getting a case of the "crazies".
But, when I spoke with the Sales rep from the very first minute, I talked to him just like I would any of my clients at work or any of our partners / subcontractors. I let him know up front that I understood that they need to run a business and make their margins.
With that i asked if he would consider me being able to trade in a 22 year old bike and I asked for a very low amount on the trade in so as to not scare him off. He said he would speak to the owner and that he would call me.
When the owner called we talked and again I treated him just like any of my clients that I have to negotiate with every day. The owner agreed to letting me trade in the old glide if it passed the service departments inspection.
I went down the next day with the bike and gave it to service . We then talked and they offered me the 11% off msrp for the bike if I bought it during this month and 11% off of parts and service for life if I joined the MVP program for 90 bucks. I paid for it right then and we continued to do the paperwork.
When service came back they had a laundry list of what was wrong with my bike, the owner looked it over, looked at me , told me it had been a pleasure to work with me on this deal and that most of the time, the guys he has to deal with are much more of a pain. With that he crumpled up the paper from Service, threw it in the trash and told the saleman to give me the amount we had previously discussed for the trade-in of the bike and seal the deal.
I thanked him and finished up all the paperwork. When I was done, the principle owner of the shop came over to me and told me that she had heard from the owner and the sales rep that it had been real good deal for them to work with me on it and welcomed me the dealership and told me I could come to her if I ever needed anything.
In the end, I saved 11% off of msrp on a fully loaded FLHTX and got 11% off parts and service for life -with a 5 year warranty, road hazard and road side assistance and the asking amount of my trade in.
I have zero problems with the deal and I'm glad they treated me as well as I treated them.
Really... I mean come on man. What did I do wrong. I got no discount for life!!! The sales guy talked more with my old man (fomer 25 year US Master Diver) than he did with me and I bought the f'n thing!!! Only bought this past August, can I go back and complain? More than likey not. ****!
#23
02-12-2011, 12:46 AM
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I took the forum threads and showed it to my Dealer well all of a sudden he starts droping the price for the Bike $2K and talks of pick-ups and drop-offs and 15% off on Accessories , I mean what the HECK happened ??????
I could get maybe $200 off with NO Free-Be's at all, They must have opened up the gates. But now I have to go to 2 more Dealers and see what happens to them when I ask about Discounts and EXTRAS !
I could get maybe $200 off with NO Free-Be's at all, They must have opened up the gates. But now I have to go to 2 more Dealers and see what happens to them when I ask about Discounts and EXTRAS !
#24
02-12-2011, 04:49 AM
Traded off my 07 RG with 60,000 on it yesterday. Dealer I always use no madder what, here is the deal.
2011 Road glide ultra
MSRP was 22,499 they discounted that 1000 down to 21,499 or use the 1000 for extras my call.
No dealer prep or freight never has been with them.
600 for state tax. 860 dollars parts and labor in some changes I wanted .
After tax Lic, Mods came to 10.700 and my 07. With 60K on it I good with it. Higher mileage used rides not worth as much right now on trade for sure.
Working with a dealer depends on how you interact with them.
They know I am coming back for things I need not just shopping to get a deal and never come back.
It took 15 minutes to work the deal.
2011 Road glide ultra
MSRP was 22,499 they discounted that 1000 down to 21,499 or use the 1000 for extras my call.
No dealer prep or freight never has been with them.
600 for state tax. 860 dollars parts and labor in some changes I wanted .
After tax Lic, Mods came to 10.700 and my 07. With 60K on it I good with it. Higher mileage used rides not worth as much right now on trade for sure.
Working with a dealer depends on how you interact with them.
They know I am coming back for things I need not just shopping to get a deal and never come back.
It took 15 minutes to work the deal.
#25
02-12-2011, 04:58 AM
I have a pretty solid relationship with my sales guy and local dealer, so when I bought my '11 Limited last week I got what I consider a fair deal (Bike and $2000 MSRP in parts at about MSRP for the bike and freight). The short version of this is that there is X margin in the business (not the bike, the total business). Most dealers have a good handle on what they need to make per transaction to stay open, although I'd bet that some have a clearer picture than others.
The freebies that people get are not free to anyone. If a dealer is willing to give you a jacket, helmet, a t-shirt, or a larger discount on parts, there's likely more you could have done to negotiate down the price.
So to put it another way, do you want the free stuff or money off the bike? I got 2 free rubber key chains with my deal, but I'll take the money off the bike and parts!
The freebies that people get are not free to anyone. If a dealer is willing to give you a jacket, helmet, a t-shirt, or a larger discount on parts, there's likely more you could have done to negotiate down the price.
So to put it another way, do you want the free stuff or money off the bike? I got 2 free rubber key chains with my deal, but I'll take the money off the bike and parts!
#26
02-12-2011, 06:27 AM
Cruiser
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Shoot for the moon and settle for somewhere between that and the earth. What can it hurt? It's a dance of negotiations. My buddy got his bike with 1k off MSRP and no setup, freight etc charges and it wasn't even on the floor. They had to find it. 20% any extras. 2 months later he added a hard tour pack to match his Sen? Orange color. Got 20% off again. The point is to ASK. You don't have to be an A-hole - just confident in your approach and know your $$ figures. You're not taking any food off the salesman's table. They'll make that profit off someone else and they know this. Dealerships are a buy, sell, trade business. Don't worry about them. You can still have a good relationship with them and they will be glad to have you for future purchases and any main work. But always remind them you bought your bike there and ASK for a % discount.
#27
02-12-2011, 06:27 AM
Road Warrior
I make out a signed check for what I want to pay, without the payee name on it. I then tell the sales manager (only person I deal with) what else I want in the deal and then I ask, "do you want me to complete this check with your dealer name on it"? Been buying bikes this way for years. It helps if you are loyal to one dealer with your buying of bikes, parts and service. Building a re pore with one dealer over many years helps. I don't negotiate and I take no prisoners. By the way, this last bike purchase took 2 minutes. They gave me what I paid for the 08' SG with 30K on it on trade for the RKC, plus first 2 oil changes, docking hardware, sissy bar, t-shirt (of course) $50 gift card and new grips.
#28
02-12-2011, 10:40 AM
Some great points here. Thank you guys for all this. I agree on getting the price lower over incentives. Just seeing if I can get some discounts on some parts. I talked to the dealer, they are willing to do 15% off parts/clothing indefinitely, i asked for 20%, bike at MSRP, no discount on labor. first oil change free. 3.9%, 48months. good deal?
#29
02-12-2011, 10:48 AM
Stellar HDF Member
this is not a bad deal, this is a deal most respectable dealers would give, they certainly are not giving away the farm but are giving you something, if I liked the dealer and this is where I wanted to do business I'd go for it
Some great points here. Thank you guys for all this. I agree on getting the price lower over incentives. Just seeing if I can get some discounts on some parts. I talked to the dealer, they are willing to do 15% off parts/clothing indefinitely, i asked for 20%, bike at MSRP, no discount on labor. first oil change free. 3.9%, 48months. good deal?
#30
02-12-2011, 11:11 AM
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Why would you not get any thing OFF of MSRP and NO Prep-Ship Because that is BS anyway ?
But to get nothing off of MSRP now is not making any sense ? NONE ?
Taking only 15% off Labor and Clothing and Free Oil changes, you can get a Finance rate that is close to that one as long as you have a Good Credit Score. So really the only thing they are giving you is Labor and Cloths and that may be 15% ??
I think you could work him way more and you deserve it , Get that 10% off MSRP Also.
But to get nothing off of MSRP now is not making any sense ? NONE ?
Taking only 15% off Labor and Clothing and Free Oil changes, you can get a Finance rate that is close to that one as long as you have a Good Credit Score. So really the only thing they are giving you is Labor and Cloths and that may be 15% ??
I think you could work him way more and you deserve it , Get that 10% off MSRP Also.