Haggling
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Stay the heck away from dealers! Look for a repo or indi that buys them or an individual that needs cash. CaSh does talk with them. There are a heck of a lot of late model bikes out there that are just like new with a lot of remaining warranty. Just make sure the title is clear, if the seller needs to clear the title first then don't hand over the cash unless you can do it right at the lien holder where they can sign title right over to you. Bikes are just like cars when you drive them off the lot they loose value immediately. The difference last year between my '08 from a indi and one just like it at the dealer that I priced the same day was over $3500 and the one at the dealer had a lot more miles. Also look for one that does not have a bunch of mods or bolt-ons. No sense paying for someone else's vanity or mistakes.
I picked mine up from an individual for 4 k less than book and about the same amount less than most dealers.
The bike is an 04 Heritage Softail with less than 10,000 miles for $8800. It had a few extras also. (Stage 1 kit) and some chrome.
The down side is I did have to register it at the DMV out of pocket (About $650).
I used USAA for the financing at 5%. The way it works is they approved me and once I found the bike I wanted I would have them send me the draft. As it turned out with mine the seller had USAA as his bank and they just transfered the money to his account.
Lots of late model bikes out there with warranty for way less. I always try to buy clean late model stuff and let someone else take the depreciation hit.
Just a thought.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,308
Likes: 8
probably will pay m.s.r.p. for the bike. refuse to pay shipping...dealer has to pay to get product to his store regardless of whether he sells it today or in six months. prep. and make ready are figured in price from moco to dealer...some dealers will wave it. have you ever seen the porters at the dealer uncrate a bike--put on front wheel and handlebars and other little crap. couple of hours work for not a highly trained or paid employee. ask for the 1k service. demand a 20% discount on parts and labor for the first 90 days(gives you time to decides on add ons). walk out the door and wait for them to call you it they don't negotiate right then. talk to at least 3 dealers.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 444
Likes: 1
Every Harley dealership gets an annual allotment of bikes from the factory. That total number of motorcycles, as well as specifically how many of each model, varies by dealership. To maintain previous numbers a dealer has to sell all of their bikes from the last model year. It is likely difficult to increase an annual allotment now because Harley has been intentionally cutting production. That said, a dealership with a relatively small allotment will have little incentive to discount. Harley dealerships also have an advantage due to their access to H-D financial, which is sometimes the lender of last resort, and is another reason to try and maintain high prices. Every dealership is in a different situation and will behave accordingly. What passes for a discount in Ohio will be different than in California. These factors all add up to a retail experience that can't always be compared to buying a car. All you can ever do is ask and go from there.
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Ironbarr
General Harley Davidson Chat
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Jun 17, 2009 08:01 PM
