I'm in the market for a used Harley, I have the money up front and I have a hard line price that I won't go over. I'm not comfortable buying from and individual, I would much rather buy from a dealer instead because I feel I'm less likely to get a lemon especially if it's a registered Harley dealer.

I guess what I really want to know is how much can I expect them to come off of the price I see on places like Cycle Trader?

And any other helpful hints I could get would be appreciated.

 

From my dealings it really depends on the dealer. I have seen that are bottom line priced and some that leave room for negotiation. Look around and always try. Hurts nothing at all to ask for a lower price.

 

One way to find out is to ask them and see what they say because not every dealer does business in the same way.

 

I would reconsider buying off of CL then a dealer if i were you. Youll pay about $1500-2K more for a bike from a dealer vs craigslist. It will cost you only $150 to take it into a independently owned MC shop and have them run a lemon check on it if you dont feel like you can check it out yourself. The HD shops by me sell garbage that they dont even check out before selling. Dont believe that just because they are an HD dealership that they look at the used bikes before selling them. And dont buy a bike off of CL and take it to them for the once over....they wont do anything other than park it in the back then wheel it to the front when you show up. I am not stretching the truth, at least not by what ive seen at my local HD dealership.

 

I guess just not being mechanically inclined im always leary of getting screwed. But I will give it a shot. Thanks

 

I've bought lemons from a private party as well as a HD dealer. All my fault, because I tend to trust people at their word. Bad mistake. If you can find that one-owner, reasonable mileage bike from a mature person who maintains their own home and yard as well as you'd like them to maintain the bike, has service receipts on hand, and the bikes looks, sounds and rides as it should...you've got a contender IMO.

 

You can find a garage queen on CL quite often. I see them all the time here. Later models with low miles and some older models with low miles as well. Just don't be in a hurry, research prices on the bike you are interested in, and be ready to jump on a good deal.

 

I personally would not trust a dealer more than some guy I met off Craigslist when it comes to buying a bike. Now don't get me wrong, I am not going to trust everyone, but if a private party has all the info require before buying a bike then I have no problem buying private party and saving the money for service/upgrades. Being in the business (I run a bike shop) I know plenty of people that work at dealers. The bikes that get traded in barely get looked at in most cases. They typically get a light detail, a top off of fluids and are put out on the floor. The dealer will tell you the bike has had a multi-point check but that is a load of crap. My point is, don't write off a private party sale as with enough due diligence you could end up with a better bike for less coin, or a good bike with enough scratch left over to take it to a shop and have it professionally serviced/looked over for a baseline....

 

i actually found mine at a non harley powersports dealer and got a
really good deal. 2013 iron 883 for $4800. had 3k miles on it. i
did look around quite a bit before checking it out, and once i fould
the 883, i haggled, and got close to the price i was willing to pay.

just be sure you stick to your budget. don't get emotionally wrapped
up on one bike. be willing to walk away, and happy hunting !

 

I've had good experience on CL buying low mileage bikes.