I'm in the market to buy a new bike at my local HD dealership soon. Anyone who has been through the process have any tips, pointers, strategies for getting the best possible deal at the dealership?

 

When they say their price, just say "I can't do that much."

I was looking at a Breakout when I had some work done on my bike and they offered me $14k for mine and payments of $390 a month. I said it was more than I could pay and they went down to $310. It was still too much for me.

 

If you have a wintertime where sales slow dramatically, the dead of winter gives you the most leverage. Right about the end of January when they haven't sold a bike in 2-3 weeks.

 

Haggling requires tact. Going in acting like you are doing them a favor buying their bike isn't the way to get a sales person to work with you.

And you have to know a good deal when you see one. I would go around to several dealers and talk numbers. Then you can start whittling away at the asking price. No need to rub their noses in dog poo by threathening to go elsewhere but politely let them know the dealer that offers the best deal will be getting your business.

"Cash Money" isn't important to a dealer. They'd rather finance so they can make money on that as well

Ask for things to sweeten the deal, Does the place offer anything over and above the factory freebies? scheduled maintenance services, discount on parts for guys who bought their bike there?...etc. It never hurts to ask.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Research prices, shop around, let them know yow are serious. Very quickly you should be able to find their bottom line. Negotiate on discount parts, first service and paperwork fee. At this point, you should be able to make them the offer that you are comfortable with.

I bought mine in january, not sure if they would be as negotiable this time of year.

Good luck.

 

you need to treat it as a fight

they are trying to TAKE your money, you are trying to TAKE their bike

they are in the business of selling bikes, they are better at this then you are

be prepared to leave if you are not happy - go to as many dealerships as you can, DO NOT get tied to one dealer because you feel loyal - they don't care about you no matter what they say


as for pricing, you guys up north get screwed! - call the dealers down here in FL on the phone, negotiate the hell out of the bike, play one versus the other - then take a nice trip down to Orlando and either drive your bike home or ship it, either way you will make out in the end

if you want some help on that - I have a buddy you can call who can get your pricing on the bike your looking for and you can compare that to your pricing up north

last year we bought two bikes from two different dealers - same bike - 2012 Limited Merlot / Red combo - one at the beginning of the model year, the other at the end

same price - $19300 Plus - OTD at $21400 basically (actually $21462) on a brand new, zero miles 2012 Ultra Limited - bike has an MSRP close to $26k and both guys were less than $22000 OUT THE DOOR!

one financed, one paid cash - doesn't matter to the price of the bike

here's the buyers order from one of the sales

 

Agree with most of the above, but I'd look at it more as a game rather than "fight" - pretty much the same idea though. I believe that the keys are patience, respect and never getting to the point where you want that particular bike more than they want to sell it to you - you need to be able to walk away. About 18 months ago I bought a '12 Street Glide. The negotiation took about 3 months starting with a quick pop in to the dealership and a mention that was basically planting the seed. I'd say hello to the Sales guy whenever there for parts or if in the area and he'd call me occasionally with a deal in mind. Finally, in January, 2012, which is the best month to be a buyer, he called me with a VERY aggressive deal. I went over and we fine tuned the deal just a bit more and it was done. I got a smokin' deal on the bike - they still shake their heads and give me a bit of light-hearted grief whenever I'm over there, and I also made a friend in the sales rep - we respected one another throughout the process. It's funny because usually on a purchase like that I go in to my head for a bit and get a bit of buyer's remorse. Not this time, the deal was too good. Good luck and have fun with the process - that's a fourth key to it.

 

The end of the month, or end of the quarter, leading into the coldest time of the year is the best time to buy a bike. The best tactic is to say nothing at all.

By all means do some initial negotiation but as soon as it appears to get you nowhere you ask "is that your best price, your not willing to go any lower or throw in anything to sweeten it up a bit for me?". Let them respond but don't say anything further at all. Your lips are now sewn shut until the sales guy walks away. You are allowed to sigh heavily, look around, scratch your chin, look like you are seriously thinking.

The sales guy won't know what to do. He can't leave the discussion until you respond. It's just as awkward for you as it is for him. He will ask you questions like "what do you think of that price?" And "clearly you need more time to think it over, so I will leave you alone for a bit, OK?" Now as long as you still don't say a word, he doesn't have your permission to leave the conversation. He feels really awkward and wants to get out of the situation, so he starts lowering the price or throwing in freebies. i think the official term is "dropping his pants".

Think of it as a staring competition, it goes against all natural instinct.

I convinced a mate to try it a few weeks back when he was buying another bike (Kawasaki unfortunately) after he had already negotiated a pretty good deal. He started the silent treatment and the sales guy offered him a $500 store voucher, my mate started nodding a bit and raising his eyebrows but still didn't say a word. Sales guy then offered him a free first service.

I dare you to try it.

 

The only way "haggling" works would be if BOTH PARTIES come to a reasonable agreement that allows BOTH PARTIES to gain from the transaction. That being said, I have always gone in KNOWING what I wanted, what the listed prices were, what the discount I would be hoping for was, and what the taxes were. I give the salesman a "give me a complete out the door price, with taxes and delivery" line and see what he comes up with. They can throw around any BS line they want, the bottom line will always be the bottom line.

Now comes the fun part. If they drop a lowball number on you, try to contain your enthusiasm! POKER FACE!!! You can always counter their offer or walk away, but be prepared to walk if the deal isn't right!

Once the deal is done, that would be (at least for me) the time to start talking mods. Have fun!!!

 

All good advice.

So here's where I'm at with my dealer:

Black Denim Street Glide w/ cruise option, Rinehart True Duals, SE Heavy Breather intake, SERT and sissy bar for 22,500 out the door. Should I attempt to bargain even more?