Am I being unreasonable?

[Andreas]

Your other issue is that dealers aren't exactly having trouble selling 250s since their redesign. This is also reflected in resale prices of these bikes.


Here's my other tip, if you've exhausted your quest: buy a used one. It won't lose much value, and this is the kind of bike that you will eventually (probably sooner than later) get tired of. You can sell it next year or the year after and not lose as much money as you would if you bought a brand new one.

If you'll only ever buy one used bike, it should be your first bike. Why not?

I agree with all that this poster has written..
I loved my 250 but even though it was the first bike, I knew it wouldn't be the last.

With that attitude, you might be more willing to look at a used one that you can ride the snot out of, not worry about it depreciating the second you drive it away from the dealer. If it is your first bike, you may even get a drop or two in, either doing slow speed in the city / parking lot crap, or in a corner from inexperience.. I say get it over with on the used bike , but in the end it's your money.

I've since bought two brand new bikes and have to tell you it gets easier the higher up in ccs you go. My 08 Fireblade was sitting in a warehouse last year because of the economy and lack of sales.. 600s will sell, new or used all the time, 1000s don't because of the insurance.

Have fun riding in any event!

[Jerico]

according to Jerico you are already following the enlightened path of telephone negotiations, I can't see how it could get any better LOL!!

How many dealerships did you drive around to in person before you typed that up?

I bet you pay cash for everything too. And not paper cash, I am sure you "man up" and use gold dubloons.

[AlienTech]

Chill Bro, you need to get a sense of humor before you blow a gasket

I've been in a lot of dealerships. I like window shopping, sitting on the bike I'm interested in, seeing how long it's been sitting on the show room floor, getting to know who I may be dealing with if I buy from them, etc. I did pay cash for all my bikes, paper cash though, sorry to disappoint

Guess I have more leisure time than some don't be hatin

[CBRJOHN]

Canadian dealerships don't like to haggle. I went around to maybe 7 or 8 Yamaha dealers before I even got anything CLOSE to a deal on my FZ6R.

I would offer a price, and like a robot the reply would be, "The price is $xxxx". No haggling. Just take it or leave it.

In the US apparently it's a much different story.

It`s not just the US.. Deal with small , Owner operated dealers without commissioned sales people outside of the GTA and develop a long term relationship with them.

Last couple of bikes I`ve bought new I paid about the MSRP price out the door. And that`s without any haggling. That is the advantage of dealing with the same dealer over the long term. loyalty both ways should be rewarded.

[jc100]

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

Not true. I used e-mail to get a deal on my car. I researched a fair price plus profit for the dealer from the internet (CarCost quotes, rebates etc). Waited until near the end of the month, picked dealers within a 150km radius and sent out a mass e-mail cc'ed to all of them (so they could see) telling them I have the cash and this is what I want (options, colour etc) and that I was a serious buyer for the right quote. I got about 6 replies (from about 15 e-mails sent out) and eventually got the model up from what I wanted for the same price as I was willing to pay.

The bike the OP is looking at maybe a hot commodity though in which case dealing anyway (even face to face) may not work. If that's the case then ask the dealer if he'll give you 20% off (or more?) your gear and accessories if you pay his price? The mark up on gear in this country is insane so this may be a better route to take.

[AlienTech]

Not true.

I stand corrected

[jc100]

I stand corrected

No problem. The reason I did things by e-mail was that after visiting a few car showrooms I found I was being subjected to the same old routine which seemed to be designed to make me buy a car out of desperation to get the hell out the dealership.

I got tired of the sales techniques so I decided to bypass all of that. My technique worked well for me and for the car dealership too. For minimum effort (checking profit margins etc) they got my attention and ensured I'd come in, cash in hand and seal the deal. This only works though if you are reasonable and know beforehand what a reasonable profit is for the dealer. If you lowball they will ignore you.

Some dealerships were greedy though, one Hyundai one in particular (I ended up buying a Ford). I did my research well and worked out the right price and one guy said that he just wouldn't do a deal for that price. He wanted much more so that he could cover the cost of my test drive etc (ridiculous). I told him that information was free for everyone to see what a fair price was and walked away.

[kamikaze]

Jeez, I'd forgot about this thread, guess I should update you guys...

anyway, I ended up getting the bike for what I wanted OTD from Edge Performance in Bradford, and i picked it up last friday. Drew was more than happy to deal with me over email, and even ordered the bike for me without a deposit as his credit card terminal wasn't working when I went to visit him. I took it in for it's first service this morning and I'm looking forward to dealing with Edge in the future. really a great bunch of people there