"And who cares if you are a jerk, they're not your best friends"

But they can be. I live in a smaller town an hour and a half from the dealership. They know most of my riding buddies by name and even their bikes. I bought a 2006 spotless Deuce from them bit over a year ago, first bike from them. I didn't haggle much, they came down $500, not a whole lot. I paid pretty much the going price for that year and model. It was a good deal for me and I think they did pretty well too.

It was lost in a fire 6 months later. I wanted to replace it rather quickly as there was still some riding weather before winter. They didn't have anything used that I liked. So I decided on a new Slim. I believe since I was already had purchased a bike from and they commiserated with me on my loss they offered me that new bike at a great place, winter coming probably didn't hurt either. I looked the other day at used Slims on line just for fun, '05's were going for what I paid for mine and several '06 were even more.

If you treat a good dealer right they will do the same for you. I once bought a Chrysler that was a new model. I shop several dealers looking for a certain color. None had it but I kind of worked on a couple of others. All the dealers had them marked up over sticker. I found even a nicer color at a dealer near me. I offered them $500 under sticker, not much I know but a lot less than all the others. They said sure, no problem. When I told them what I had found elsewhere, the salesman said we don't want to make a killing on one sale, we want you to come back for your next car. They have a stellar reputation, the Dodge dealer down the street not so much because they are known to play hardball. The Chrysler dealer is Denham Chrysler in Redding Ca.
kk

 

Yeah I did that on my last car, didn't need it but wanted the CPO warranty and the newer model. Told them my number which they wouldn't meet so I left. The manager called me 2 hours later and said if I came back today they would meet my offer. 5 years ago, still rolling around in that car and couldn't be happier. I'm a believer in making a fair offer and then letting them think about it. I'll probably also finance with the dealer since that can be a bit of incentive for them. I've also had much better luck on rates at the dealer than on my own so I typically go that route if their rates are competitive and they are typically better than anything I could get.

I also think it's best to be cordial and professional, it is a business transaction after all and not a fight(or shouldn't be). If a dealer is open with me and willing to talk about my offer then I'm more than happy to buy if I feel like it's an acceptable price. Unfortunately many dealers aren't like that and still try to get you for everything they can. The bike I'm looking at is at a dealer over an hour away. I have 2 dealers close by and one 30 minutes away. 2 of those dealers will absolutely screw you on price 1 will not but they don't have what I want used. The biggest dealer in the area doesn't put price tags on their bikes and when I asked about a stage3 Road King they said we have it price in the mid $30s because we sell the base model in the mid $20s and this bike has over $8k in work done to it. I promptly left and made sure I had my wallet in my pocket on the way out the door. I get that it's a business and you want to make as much money as you can, but they absolutely lost my sale that day and any sale I might have made in the future. If I do get a HD I most definitely won't go there for service work either.

 

it ain't personal, it's business....

 

Gee, I feel bad.

Every new bike I've ever bought came with LOW miles and had a GREAT price

 

I've been a business owner for many years and some of my very good friends own businesses. One thing we all have in common is an appreciation for customers who treat us like they want to be treated. It's no fun having a guy (or gal) with a get-tough attitude trying to bulldog you into taking less money for your product. Negotiation is one thing...and fine...but having someone throw down the gauntlet is quite another. For myself, when I'm on the receiving end of it I normally stiffen up internally and figure it's going nowhere. I don't need to sell my product badly enough to take a price drop "or else". I've fired or dropped more than a few customers who tried to force me into a lower price. I don't mind discussing it with a long-term customer, but if some guy I don't know walks in and acts like he deserves the lowest price he thinks he can beat out of me, he'll go out empty and I'll lose no sleep. My usual response to that is he's better off hammering away at my competition...let them deal with it. I wouldn't want to have the hassle now or in the future.


My typical m.o. in buying anything substantial is to make another friend. A sales guy, service guy or dealer who likes me as a person is way more likely to go above and beyond for me if I need it. Sure....I could act like I care less about anything except the lowest bottom dollar price and be tough on them. I will all but guarantee you they'll return THAT favor should I need warranty help or their assistance. For me, a friend in a position to help me is worth more than saving some money. And by the way...when I treat people respectfully I typically get a very satisfying price without needing to struggle or walk out.

 

Well put DILLBILLY Bone !!! Agreed

 

With respect to most business owners vs. the retail vehicle sales industry, how many hidden fees are woven into your pricing structure? Do you charge your customers $500 to "write up their contract"? Do you have the ability to manipulate their corporate financing interest rate?

Vehicle sales is a whole different world and requires a very different, sometimes hard-nosed, approach.

 

I think there's a lot of paranoia about what vehicle dealers make on a sale. I'm currently buying a $70k truck and with some effort I'm able to understand how a dealer makes his money. In 20 years I haven't had a dealer charge me to do a sales contract. There ARE document fees charged in almost every state but these are legally not optional and must be applied equally to all customers. They aren't the fault of dealers, even though they undoubtedly profit a bit from them. Profit should be a GOOD word and I often tell dealers I want them to profit from my purchase.


I also benefit from having a longtime friend who is an executive at GM. He has helped me understand the workings of dealerships and how they ultimately make their money. We all (should) know some of it comes back to the dealer from the parent company in quarterly payments and there's no way to prevent that...nor should any dealer be asked to forfeit that in order to sell anything.


I know my comments won't change any minds who tend toward being hard-nosed. They'll save some money here and there and feel good about it. It's okay with me.

 

We can agree to disagree and I'm fine with that. I find myself saying this a lot lately, but it's worth repeating...It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you.

 

I like your saying there. Here's mine: I catch more flies with honey than vinegar.


Have a great day!