I would not buy the warranty.
Harley and the dealers profit well from these warranties...
how they do it is by knowing that for the five years following your standard 2 year warranty period they know that it is very unlikely for you to actually need 1859 dollars worth of work that would be covered under the warranty!
Yes there are a few out there who do benefit from the warranty but by and large most do not...
also if financing you get to pay interest on that money as well...

The house always wins.

 

As Rounder says, it's a gamble. Like any other insurance, they are going to take in more money than they pay out. My dealer didn't push it and I didn't ask for it. My philosophy on extended warranties is to never buy them on anything - TV's, appliances, cars, bike, etc. Sooner or later, something is going to bite me. But chances are, I'll still come out ahead in the long run all things considered.

Also, if you intend on modifying your bike like most of us do, be sure the dealer doesn't have a problem, from a warranty perspective, with you doing the work yourself or having someone other than them do it. If they are just going to cop out on the warranty later on if they find something was done by someone other than them, what good is it? I've heard of dealers trying to trap people in by telling them they can add on certain parts, such as pipes, etc. as long as the dealer does the install. Otherwise, they won't stand behind it. I would run, not walk, from such a dealer.

 

I got my FXDLI for $1000 below MSRP back in 2006. You should be able to get at least that in today's market. As for the warranty......I have had 3 on various vehicles & boats. Never recouped the $$ on any of them. $1,800.00 will cover a lot of maintenence & repairs after your 2 year complete warranty expires.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. and yes, the sales tax is correct, only 4.5 percent here in Alabama. I'll check with the other dealers, it can't hurt....

 

Gossamer, welcome to the forum by the way. You aren't too far from me. I live over in MS and work in Moss Point. Used to work in Mobile for about five years.

 

Dang, I never knew Alabama had such low sales tax, and I only live an hour or so from the state line. It's 7% here (S.W. GA). I agree that you should be able to do a little better than retail, even if it's just a store credit. They run $1,000 merch. credit specials here regularly.

 

definitely do some shopping around, check with other dealers, when I bought my sporty 2 years ago I got the deal i wanted by letting my "home" dealer know what id found elsewhere. im on a fat bob now, did the same thing and got a good price out the door. take your time, the right deal will come.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. I have the "fever" but I am not in a hurry. It usually takes me 2-3 months to get the deal I want on a new truck, so I'll apply the same principals. I'll be sure and ask about the store credits, see if they will throw in a few complimentary services, free extended warranty, etc... I'll make 'em work hard for my cash

Thanks again,
Rob

 

If you can let the 09's sit for a month or two and get into the cooler months as well, you'll probably see them offering specials without you even having to negotiate for them. Bike sales are down but the drop anyway seasonally in the fall and winter months.

I don't know about the dealers down there but all of the ones up here post their specials on their websites. Find the sites, save them, and check them periodically to see if they have any offers out there.

I bought from a dealer in late 06 that didn't charge extra fees and crap but they didn't offer any incentives either. They told me they normally do business that way vs. jacking up the costs with fees so they could "give" you something back as an incentive. 2 months later they were advertising a free extended warranty (not 5 years), free first service, and $500 worth of in store credit with the purchase of a new bike - go figure.