Am I being unreasonable?

[kamikaze]

I will sell you my seat cowl if you want, its green though... not sure if it will match your bikes color.. Its currently on a 2009 250r SE

thanks, but green is actually the only colour I don't want

[TomC]

Yes, I payed $6082.53 Out The Door (after all taxes, freight, pdi etc..)

brutal, the 08 ninja OTD price was cheaper considerably cheaper than this if IIRC

[Brodie_laj]

brutal, the 08 ninja OTD price was cheaper considerably cheaper than this if IIRC

hmm, i found it to be quite reasonable.... and i didnt even get charged an ECO-fee :P

[apstndp]

Why dont you look into 500 cc? and maybe you will keep the bike more than 2 months and learn on it before moving to ss.

I got a email from kahuna about some sort of deals they had on 250, zx6 and others. they have 09 ninja 500 for $5399

http://www.psnnewsletter.com/newslet...14_2_47_1.html

[TomC]

hmm, i found it to be quite reasonable.... and i didnt even get charged an ECO-fee :P

perhaps, if you are not comparing the cost to anything else.

someone already mentioned that at least $1000 can be saved from purchasing used. That's more than enough to pay for my insurance for the year. I haven't heard many, if any horror stories that stem from buying recent (08+) ninjas.

[Streetfighter]

no offence, but you sound just like the salespeople

I get that there isn't 2 grand worth of markup like on some of the supersports, but I think a couple hundred offa MSRP should be doable.

It has nothing to do about being a salesperson. A couple hundred off a $5000 motorcycle (Dealers don't keep the tax, fees and levies) will hurt them. Even $300.00 off is a massive hit! That's 6% of the MSRP gone right there! That kind of loss in margin is NOT sustainable for a motorcycle dealership ESPECIALLY a Canadian dealership that's located within a seasonal location that sees about 6 months of steady riding. Face it, bikes don't sell in the volumes that cars do, so they're a luxury item here and as such the prices reflect that.

You ever ran a Car Cost Canada report? The gross profit margins on the Japanese and Korean midsize and economy size cars is about 3-4%, with the European and Americans having around 5-6%. The larger fullsize, SUV, sport segments have higher margins. The higher end marques like BMW, AUDI and MB having margins of about 8-9%.

Stop being a brat. Pay the price of a new one, or buy used. I would hardly consider any ninja 250 under 10k "old". These are solid bikes.

[kamikaze]

insurance is the main reason I want the 250, I feel more comfortable on the 250 since I can't flat foot a 500 (i know, I'm short), and besides it's still quicker than my car. I'm not after blistering speed otherwise I'd be looking at 600's (which is a dumb idea for a new rider, imo). I just want something that I can learn on for a year or two before moving up, assuming I even want to move to something faster.

[Sushii]

I tried to haggle on the prices but no luck. Bought the bike for almost $6300 OTD. But i got deals on the gears. about 20% off the gears i bought, and a couple freebies like tank guards and rim tapes.

[kamikaze]

It has nothing to do about being a salesperson. A couple hundred off a $5000 motorcycle (Dealers don't keep the tax, fees and levies) will hurt them. Even $300.00 off is a massive hit! That's 6% of the MSRP gone right there! That kind of loss in margin is NOT sustainable for a motorcycle dealership ESPECIALLY a Canadian dealership that's located within a seasonal location that sees about 6 months of steady riding. Face it, bikes don't sell in the volumes that cars do, so they're a luxury item here and as such the prices reflect that.

You're absolutely right. a bike is not a necessity like a car is, and yet they don't have any problems selling for less than MSRP. THe fact that I'm buying something that I don't particularly need should give me some leverage on price. If you can sell me something that I don't need on your terms then you are laughing all the way to the bank.

You ever ran a Car Cost Canada report? The gross profit margins on the Japanese and Korean midsize and economy size cars is about 3-4%, with the European and Americans having around 5-6%. The larger fullsize, SUV, sport segments have higher margins. The higher end marques like BMW, AUDI and MB having margins of about 8-9%.

Can't say that I ever have run a car cost, but we aren't talking cars here. I realize you are just using this as an example, but a car is a necessity item and a bike isn't.

Stop being a brat. Pay the price of a new one, or buy used. I would hardly consider any ninja 250 under 10k "old". These are solid bikes.

resorting to name calling isn't really helping you case. I fail to see how I'm being a brat because I don't want to pay full price for something. Cheap might have been a slightly better name, but I like to think of it as being frugal. Since it seems like $300 doesn't really matter much to you, maybe you can send it to me via Paypal, and then you'll be happier since I can then buy the bike for MSRP. I'll pm you my Paypal address

[thunderhorse]

I think haggling only works well when you have something to offer the seller. Last year's bike that you'll get off their showroom floor, or a quick and easy sale that's still somewhat lucrative for them. The local dealers obviously feel that $400 off MSRP would cut too much into their profit margin, and if they have no problem selling the bikes.. well, what are you gonna do?

As others have said, looking used is never a bad idea. It's the easiest way to save yourself a couple grand and get the same experience.

Looking at it another way though, $400 isn't all that much. If you finance the bike, it's an extra payment or two.

[kamikaze]

I think haggling only works well when you have something to offer the seller. Last year's bike that you'll get off their showroom floor, or a quick and easy sale that's still somewhat lucrative for them. The local dealers obviously feel that $400 off MSRP would cut too much into their profit margin, and if they have no problem selling the bikes.. well, what are you gonna do?

As others have said, looking used is never a bad idea. It's the easiest way to save yourself a couple grand and get the same experience.

Looking at it another way though, $400 isn't all that much. If you finance the bike, it's an extra payment or two.

Yea, I know $400 isn't much, but you have to agree it's better in your pocket than someone else's.

I think I'm going to start looking at used again. If I can find someone desperate to sell, I might end up getting a good deal

Thanks guys

[loyal.uvf]

There is hardly any profit to be made selling 250r's hence the dealers not wanting to budge on their price.

[romey]

...and nothing wrong with being dropped, trust me, you'll drop your newish/new bike too, and it'll hit right on the same spots anyway...save even more cuz scracthes/mild rash will decrease the value, you want frugal right?! it's just cosmetic. it's your 1st bike, you will drop it in the silliest way when least expected. it will hurt less if you already have some mild rash...and you'll get tired of it and upgrade soon.
you will thank everyone who's suggested used.
but it's your money, drop it however way you want.
cheers.

[mxs]

Dealers wont budge on the 250's because the margins on them are slim.

Really? How much is the margin and how do you know?

There used to be people saying the same thing about CBR125R when the price was 3300 + tax OTD. In 2007 you could not get one if you offered more than MSRP. Back then even some magazines wrote that Honda is not making much on this bike blabla ... How much do the new one sell for no? 2300 + tax is the best I've seen ..... Thousand bucks less, I am, sure someone is still making money, otherwise they would just leave the bikes in the whse as Honda is famous for, Hence they still have plenty of 08 stock.

OP, I am not much into buying used, especially in Canada, but you might look for used 250. But be careful a lot of the sellers in Canada think they are selling collectible piece, after they put a crappy slip-on on the pipe they will try to sell it for the same price when bought new ...

[pluto.saunders]

Face it, bikes don't sell in the volumes that cars do, so they're a luxury item here and as such the prices reflect that.

You ever ran a Car Cost Canada report? The gross profit margins on the Japanese and Korean midsize and economy size cars is about 3-4%, with the European and Americans having around 5-6%. The larger fullsize, SUV, sport segments have higher margins. The higher end marques like BMW, AUDI and MB having margins of about 8-9%.

Did you just contradict yourself there ?

[AlienTech]

No one is going to give a deal over the phone, at least no good salesman I'd hire would. You don't know who is calling, why they are really calling, etc. it's called a fishing expidition and no professional saleman is going to fall for it. You want a deal, you deal face to face like a man not like some pussy hiding behind the phone. Either you have the chops to work a deal or you don't.


Obviously the OP don't

[CBRJOHN]

brutal, the 08 ninja OTD price was cheaper considerably cheaper than this if IIRC

No kidding, My Wifes '08 was $4980 out the door.

Try small dealers outside of the city, A lot of the small owner operated dealers that don't have salespeople don't charge the extra fees.

Don't ask the price on the bike, Ask the "out the door" price.

From a dealers standpoint, Why would you discount a high demand item that you only have limited stock on ?.

[Kawithumb]

S&D. As long as there is a barrage of people lined up willing to pay full price, why would a dealer sell for less or even spend time dealing with someone who wants to. They're already looking at the person behind you with their cheque book open thinking; 'get out of my way'. If the dealer has three bikes on the lot, but routinely sells 5/week at list, he's not going to have much time for you. Can you blame them? As soon as the dealer has more inventory than customers, negotiations will begin. Look for a dealer with lots of inventory and your chances are better.

damn! CBRJOHN summed it up in his last line.

[inreb]

Yea, I know $400 isn't much, but you have to agree it's better in your pocket than someone else's.

Not really. If they don't need to budge on the price making you $400 apart and you're willing to trade $400 in exchange for missing the rest of the riding season I don't see how it's better in you pocket. That $400 is going to seem like pocket change(no pun intended) down the road(no pun intended) when you have an extra year of riding under your belt.

[Kawithumb]

Not really. If they don't need to budge on the price making you $400 apart and you're willing to trade $400 in exchange for missing the rest of the riding season I don't see how it's better in you pocket. That $400 is going to seem like pocket change(no pun intended) down the road(no pun intended) when you have an extra year of riding under your belt.

Good point!