I will be shopping for my first harley starting the next couple days. Going to look for used electra glides. My question is how much below sticker should I start out offering? I will only be shopping at dealers due to needing to trade my current bike. I already have my financing lined up through my credit union. So all I really need is to find the right bike at the right price. I was thinking about offering them 2000 below sticker to start. Is this a good offer, or should I go lower or higher to start?
thx in advance for any responses. I will check back in later tonight.

 

Blockhead, trading in your bike will impact what you can buy your new one for, you will lose $ with this thinking. You need to throw your bike up on craigslist and dump it for what you can get.

I have sold both of my harleys in the last 5 months and bought a new one. Without the trade in the dealer was 1500 under MSRP on the bike and was throwing in 500 worth of chrome extras.

It will take you a bit longer to go this route but in the end it could be a significant difference in price..

 

Craigslist is your friend!!!! Get it on here also.... Good Luck..

 

You are very vague about what a "used" bike is.
What year and model are you looking for?
If you're looking at Touring bikes you should try to stay with 2009 or newer.
Use Craigs List and E-Bay to search for your new bike.
Many of the sellers are dealers and you can get a clear picture of the price range that your desired model is selling for.
Be sure to research the "sold" sections since many of the bikes don't end up selling for the posted prices.
Good luck.

 

I cant sell mine outright. I owe on it and getting the title will be a pain.
I am looking at an 07 or 08. I cant afford any newer than that. Probably an 07.
I am not a wheeler dealer type. I hate shopping for ****. So any other tips will be appreciated.
Thx for the responses.

 

+1 Agree, try to sell your bike privately. People sell bikes that have a lein on them all the time, it's not that much of a hassle. Also, I would consider buying privately...The market is flooded with good low mileage bikes with sellers in need of money. If you do have to trade it, DO NOT tell them about your trade until you get a firm price on your new purchase. Then talk about trade value. That way at least your somewhat protected from the dealer giving you more off the bike and less on your trade or vise-versa. Believe me, the dealer will make money...That's why they are there, but at least you can know that you got the best price on the bike before trade.

 

Then you're not going to have very much negotiating power since you owe on your bike. Hopefully there are several dealers in your area that have the year bike you a looking for. If there are then go to each of them with your trade-in and see what deals they will offer first. After you have everyones offer then go back to the best one and try to negotiate some. Keep in mind that your used bike may be easier for them to wholesale out versus the used model that they have on the floor. That used model is costing them bank interest and also using up valuable floor space with which they could be displaying a new 2012 HD. If they are sitting on a 2007-08 Electra Glide it may be on consignment too. Either way that Dealer would rather not have that old of a Harley sitting on his floor.

Good luck but once you buy your Electra Glide you'll be happy with it. Keep in mind whenever you are doing a trade-in plus oweing money, it all comes down to "what is the money difference" on the deal because that is what will be the determining factor. You really only care about "how much is this new bike going to cost me inorder for me to feel I've got a good deal".

 

Are you saying you owe more than you can get for the trade?

 

I'm a lot like you when it comes to car/bike/vehicle shopping. I hate it. I'd say go with your gut. I went in to put a deposit down on a new 2012 Switchback, but came out owning an 07 Road King Police cause everything about it just worked out. So I said F'it. LOL!! I do understand most in here and not wanting to get raked over the coals. So do keep your head on through it all. You'll know what makes sense and what doesn't. Good luck.

 

I saw an 09 Limited on Craigs list last week for $17K. I don't think there is a dealer out there that can beat that. Just remember your dealer will probably add at least $500 bucks for processing + tax. If your state has a vehicle tax you will have to pay that from a private owner too. The dealer is not going to want your used non HD bike so private sale will be your best bet.
I would start at $2500 to $3000 below list. They will come back two or three times with higher offers. Donm't increase your offer by more than $400 bucks at a time. Put your coat on and go out of the office a few times. When you get close to what YOU want ask for trades or upgrades for the difference in what they want. End of month is a good time to be at dealer as they need to boost sales more than at the beginning. Try not to be intimidated by them YOU are the one spending the money and they actually know that.

Happy Holidays