Originally Posted by panz4ever

So my wife has been encouraginging me for several years about buying a newer bike for distance riding. (Me, I thought I had done her a favor when I went from our 65 FLH to our 84 FLH.)

So....I see a bike at a local dealership that she would like and make some inquiries.

First thing I do not like is that I cannot get answers to specific questions on costs, specifically all the costs related to taxes licences and such. They just throw out a number and move on...quickly.

To answer this question, find another sales person or another dealership. I have about 3 dealers I am talking to and all 3 seem to answer just about any question I have about the cycles I'm eyeballing. One even went as far to say that I could prolly get the bike for way less than asking b/c they are trying to move inventory right now. LOL

Next thing is the associated price on the bike costs. It appears to me that they are adding all the costs on their "for sale value" and not on the price after the money I am willing to put down. (i.e...If I put down 5K on a 10K bike, shouldn't the associated fees (tax, license and whatever) be based on the 5K price and not their initial 10K price).

I'm not a salesperson or an expert on taxes, but I will speak from experience. Depending on where you live/purchase the bike will depend on your taxes and fees. The fees that you may want to ask about are the dealer prep and shipping fees that may be thrown in there without your knowledge. If i'm wrong on this someone please let me know. I know here in GA, when you buy a car, truck, boat, whatever, you now pay 6.5% of "fair market value" upfront and then your taxes and tags are paid for. Not all states do this i don't think. And as others have said, your are going to pay taxes on either the full price of the vehicle or as they do here in GA, you'll pay on fair market value.

I am asking becuase, at age 68, I have never bought a used bike/vehicle from a dealership. I have bought 2 new vehicles for me (1970 Boss 302 and a 1974 Chevy 1/2 Stepside) and most recently, a 2012 Ford Escape for my wife.

Nice car BTW.

As it stands now I am not willing to go through with the deal on the bike that I have looked at (absolutely no incentives for me and every incentive for the dealership). I just would like to know if I am off the grid regarding cost related to the sale of the bike. If it is normal practice I will say nothing. If not I wil point it out to them and move on.

Originally Posted by Phideux

I got my used Fatboy from the local dealer. After a couple of months of looking around, scouring Craiglist, E-Bay, Cycle trader, all the other dealers both new and used, I found it on my local dealers website, a 9yo garage Queen with 5k on it that was traded in for a new garage queen. Their asking price was lower than all the others I have been seeing around too. I went in there with a wad of cash in my pocket. Long story short, I rode out a couple of hours later.
They came down $1600 off the price that was advertised, did all the paperwork, went to the dreaded DMV and did all that paperwork, gave me a 50/50 warranty on the drivetrain, gave it a fluid change and a 5k checkup, and threw in a grand worth of free goodies. Plus I walked out with some cash still in my pocket.
Still came out way better than any of the deals I saw elsewhere.