The best advice is to save up money, sell your current bike privately, and then buy a new bike for cash. If you aren't willing to do that then sell your current bike privately and do a loan for the new bike through a local credit union. Take the financing out of the hands of the dealer.

 

I'm in SC and was at my local dealer looking to trade my 2009 Nightster in on a used 2014 FXDL they had in stock. They wanted the high end of NADA reatail for it and made me a completely ludicrous, lowball trade offer on my bike. I just walked out. I did not want to deal with the hassle of selling my bike on Craigslist but ended up doing so. Selling the bike was relatively painless. I sold it in about a week and got significantly more than I was offered at the dealership. I turned around and bought a likely new, 2008 FXDL with 4.5k miles from a private seller. I'm really happy with the way things turned out. Good luck, I hope you get a deal you are happy with!

 

21k it'd with trade of 1500? Did I read that right?

Nope, I'd pass on that

 

You might sell your bike for $3500-$4500 private, now is the time to sell it...buy a nice used bike with low miles, look at metric dealers...

 

Knowledge is power. Going in knowing what the bike you are looking for has been sold for in your area is a good start. Having the cash on hand or the trade in helps, but the STEALERship is going to lowball you right from the start. Be firm, but not a *****. Be willing to say "no" and pack up and leave.

 

Yep, they gave me "cash" I could spend at their dealership on anything I wanted. $750 if I recall. And $500 off the sticker price... and free tires for life.

It was a very hot model when I bought it, they just started being able to put them down on the showroom floor. They where being sold before the dealer had it on hand. I bought it in December. They had seen me a lot as they're about a mile from my house and I would hang out thinking about it for a couple months, ha.

I checked with other dealers, watched the promo's they had. Emailed a few (gives you a reply you can see if a dealer is being difficult, but I never experience a need for it), got the best offer I could on one, took it to them and asked if they would beat it and they did. I suppose I could have gone back and forth a bit between dealers doing that but in the end I was happy and those guys had legitimately helped me.

It's a hot time to buy and it's a hot bike. That makes getting a deal difficult since they know the next guy to walk in 'will buy it'. But with that being said, that attitude comes down the salesman himself. I got pawned off between 3 of them, finally landing on the gentleman who had been there for years and years. He didn't push a single thing, no fear tactics or anything else. He just knew people would buy when they where ready to and it was his job to help them figure out what they where looking for. The other salemen gave me a lot of fear tactics, a lot of "if you walk out they will sell this last one and they won't make another one and they'll be impossible to find ever again" type stuff. Those guys won't help you, they won't make a deal with you. Hang around the dealership, get to know the salemen. It's their job to be your "friend" but find one that will be a better friend to you than the others. Being "known" by them makes that easier than just walking off the street one day and buying a bike.


Oh, and I'm up in Washington, near Everett.

 

Ok so it's been a few weeks. Oakland has quoted me 21k and hasn't moved much but I also haven't pushed too hard because I wanted to try other dealers. SAN francisco said 19,500 OTD right out of the gate. Now I'm gonna see if Oakland is willing to beat that and see what happens. Pretty stoked about this bike!

 

I don't know if this question has been asked? Do you have cash? Straight up 19000$$$ if so place that on their desk, and if they don't budge go elsewhere!

 

At this point, just waits til the 18s come out. Make a decision then. Seriously. No telling what will pop up for the new models or how deep the discounts will go. Hold out.

the lrs aint going anywhere.

focus on unloading your sporty.

 

Go to Dudley Perkins they will treat you right.