okay, just for ***** and grins, i did some math.

msrp on 2012 road glide custom: $20194.00
average retail on nada right now: $14185.00
that puts it at 70.2% of original value. but once you add in all those 'upgrades', even at the low end of $10,000.00 that puts the value at 46.9% of original value.

msrp on 2013 road glide custom cvo: $33199.00
average retail on nada right now: $23,555.00
that puts it at 70.3% of original value.

so 30% depreciation vs. 54% depreciation? tell me again how i overpaid for my cvo....

 

First of all bikes don't sell for NADA list or blue book or red book or any of the other "little books" value. They sell for what someone is willing to pay. I have see bikes and cars sell for well more than they should have been worth and I have seen good deals sit unloved for months.

Now as to trade in values. You guys are comparing apples to oranges. Comparing a totally stock 5 year old CVO to a stock 5 year old Limited is totally unfair. To make it fair you need to make the bikes the same.

For example I just traded in my 2011 FLTRU with 36K miles. I got $11,000 trade in for it. Not bad, nearly 50% back on 7 year old bike, right?

WRONG!

Why? Because I also had over $12,000 ( which adds up to just over MSRP on 2011 CVO RGU) in add ons on the bike (not including installation) My bike was totally chromed out with a stage 2 and TMax. My bike except for the paint job was equal in bling, options and power to a CVO. But when you take that into account I only got about 30% of the money I had in the bike as trade in value. As we have already noted CVO's get back much more than that.

Will I spend $ on a few add ons for my 2018 CVO Limited? Yes, of course, but no where near the $12,000 plus I put on the 2011. The CVO just doesn't need it. My wife actually required me to buy a CVO if we got a new bike just for this very reason...

My point being unfair comparisons prove nothing.

 

if you're responding to my post, well, of course i had to use a 'guide' for values. i damn sure wasn't gonna go out and try to sell my bike and my wife's bike just for discussion's sake.

i feel my comparison was fair. i used the same guide for both bikes. in real life, is it going to be totally accurate? probably not. but it's all academic anyway, neither bike is going anywhere anytime soon. at least not without my *** on it

 

You've got to have some frame of reference, measuring stick to conduct a comparison and i think if you were able to run a survey the numbers would be close.

 

thats what i figured. i guess i could be wrong though....

either way, i'll get more for my bike, than my wife will for hers, and we both have about the same money in them.....

 

For all here I know is this will come across as arrogant but who here actually buys a CVO with the intention it’s actually a good financial investment? For me personally it’s about the awesome opportunity to own a one of kind and have a Limited production cycle. Other then that, invest your fricking money in anything but a ICE (internal combustion engine) toy. My two cents and I won’t post pics of all my ICE waste of money Toys LOL. Cause I have a few and plus some. Whoever dies with the most toys wins LOL.

 

Yes sir,been there done that a couple times.

 

When I started this thread, I was simply stating that once again my local dealer had low balled me on my trade, the discussion has gone all over the place with comments about harleys not being good investments and such.

I was not willing to take the hit they were throwing out, so, I walked.

Since then, the dealer called me back, they got the right bike that my wife wanted, they gave me the original trade value that I asked for and the original price on the new bike that I wanted.

All that said, The CVO is gone and I now own a 2018 TriGlide Anniversary addition.

Moral of this story, set your limits, stick to them and reap the benefits.

 

Very nice trike hope you have a blast traveling this summer.

 

Beautiful bike. Never thought about the dealer calling me back with a better deal. Always tried to avoid giving out my phone# if they weren't reasonable to begin with.