So I am planning on trading up to a Road King. I own a 2013 Iron 883, but in September or October my commute is changing from 20 miles to 70 miles so I want something with a bit more comfort and I just feel like I have outgrown the Sportster.

So when I bought my Iron I was antsy as hell to get my bike so I overpaid, got sold the extended warranty and took a ridiculous APR (refinanced afterwards lower with CU).

But this time I want to avoid the same mistakes. For as close to base as possible what should I be expecting to pay for a Road King out the door?

Should I wait to as close to winter as possible? Will that allow me to squeeze more leverage? I live in Houston, TX so last year I was able to ride year round (drove to work less than 10 days last year). So I'm not sure how desperate they might get.

Any other tips for negotiating? What are HD dealers usually lenient on? I paid full freight and shipping on my Iron. =\

I am definitely able to walk away this time because I already have a bike. That's what held me back last time. For anyone familiar with Houston I am probably going to Republic HD for my bike again.

Thanks in advance.

 

I've used www.seedealercost.com to get a good starting point. Everyone will start off telling you to sell your current ride outright, then use the cash as a down payment. The hit you take on a trade in will be tremendous compared to what you can sell to the public. Keep in mind dealerships make more on Used bikes and accessories than anything else in the store. As for timing, you may see a slight decrease in price on current stock of 2014's when the 2015's start rolling in the fall......but then you will be limited to stock on hand which will reduce your color/option choices.

Good luck!

 

If you limit yourself to 1 dealer then you are at their mercy. Check around and if willing travel a little to get a better deal. Also go to your CU and get pre approved for the loan. Don't finance it through them and don't buy any of their extended anything.

 

Be prepared to travel.
Buy in the winter time or early-middle fall.

 

Thanks everyone! My trade in is something I forgot to ask about. She might be hard to sell in the winter though I imagine haha

Is there anywhere I can look to get an idea of what the private market price for 2013 is?

What's the typical "slight decrease" in price for current year stock when winter/late fall rolls around? I actually wouldn't mind paying more for more features on my bike. I just don't want to overpay for the value (which I did on my Iron).

Will dealers typically bid against each other?

Sorry for some ignorant questions. I've had terrible credit for years and was generally at the mercy of whoever would help me and now that I have great credit I have no idea how to negotiate.

 

If your dealership is ANYTHING like the one here, be prepared to shop around.
Try to sell the iron on your own if at all possible.
My experience:

-Start with MSRP, NEVER A DIME OVER...don't believe the BS about holding value, what the market will bear...etc... If they are pushy about it, walk off. You can tell that line is a load of CRAP because look at how much they want to push your $h!t in with trade value on a relatively new bike.

-Everything is negotiable, they make decent money on each bike based off of invoice pricing.

-Don't overpay dealer prep fees, set-up costs for the bike, etc.

-Dealers may try to "earn your business" by offering different incentives, pay close attention to the hidden costs of setup, doc, prep, etc., interest rates (yeah they make money there too). I share the best offer of one with the other. Make them duke it out.

- If at all possible, don't roll negative equity into the loan if you grossly over-paid.
Educate yourself on the cost of the bike you want. Dealer incentives etc.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/conte...e-payment.html

Build your bike online to make sure the dealer offer smells right. Make them EARN your sale.

 

You will probably get a lot more selling your current ride rather than trading it in but honestly the market in my area is flooded with sportys and the only ones that seem to sell fast are the ones priced close to trade in cost anyway. I would go ahead run an ad now and see if you get any bites. I would imagine the only time dealers will come down in your area would be when the new model years are coming out since your riding season is much longer than most. Here in the Midwest it seems like they start to deal more when the temps begin to fall in the fall. Good luck, you will live the road king.

 

May not necessarily be true. Around here, there are very little used bikes around because dealers can't get enough '14s in to sell, so no one is trading. That drives up the trade-in values. Again, that is around here, so you'll need to shop around.

2 weeks ago a buddy of mine traded in '03 Sporty (while we were on a road trip in PA), and got a VERY solid deal on towards a 2013 Heritage.

 

2 days ago I bought a 2013 FLHP Police (103ci, 6 speed, ABS, bags, bag rails, windshield). The bike was advertised for $14K. I traded a 2002 Fatboy (16K miles). They offered me $5800 for the FB (it had some corrosion, needed tires and had tip over damage on the bags). I said I wanted $7K, they said $6200. Then I said since they ran down the condition of my bike, did they notice the dent in the front fender of the bike they were selling me (it had 170 miles and had probably been a demo). He said no, show me. It was a dent, with no cracking of the paint. He blubbered, and said that is why the bike was $14K. I said, ok, what is my OTD cost after my trade. He said $9400 with shipping, bullsh*t, virginia tax, reg and title, etc. I said make it $9K even and I'll write you a check right now. They took it.

I had paid $6K for the fatboy less than a month ago (was a friends late wife's bike, I got a deal). So they way I look at it I got a demo RK Police for $15K OTD. The "handlebar tag" for the bike said it was a 18K bike with 1K in ABS added. Is it really a $19K bike? No, it is worth (to me) what I paid.

 

If money is tight, consider selling your sporty yourself, and buying a used Road King.

One of the issues you might be facing is your need to use your bike to commute to work. If this is the case, you might be stuck with trading yours in, and riding out with a new bike.

You might also trade your sporty in on a used Road King from the dealership. Might keep your payments down that way.