Trade-in Question | GTAMotorcycle.com

Trade-in Question

faivious

Well-known member
Is there a huge difference between Private sales and Trading-in at your local moto dealership? (Pros & Cons)

I've got a '16 Ninja 300 ABS KRT Edition purchased brand new in store ($6.1k All-in) that I'll be keeping for at least 2-3 years (Until my insurance lowers for higher cc bikes).
If the bike is relatively stock, average km's, no damage, decently maintained, how much do you reckon it'll sell for after 3 years in private and dealer trade-ins?

If you guys have any insight you want to share in your personal experience please let me know! (New to the biking community)

Thanks!
 
there will be a difference between trading it in and private sale


You'll be taking a hit either way since you bought your first bike brand new, and the 'special edition' at that
 
It's the same as with cars. The dealer is there to make money, and they're going to offer you alot less than what it's worth. Only benefit is that it's a quick deal and you don't have to meet too many people. Private sale will bring you alot more money that a trade in, but you have to deal with people, and it can take a while to sell. For best results wait until June, when for most people, the itch will have fully set in.
 
It's the same as with cars. The dealer is there to make money, and they're going to offer you alot less than what it's worth. Only benefit is that it's a quick deal and you don't have to meet too many people. Private sale will bring you alot more money that a trade in, but you have to deal with people, and it can take a while to sell. For best results wait until June, when for most people, the itch will have fully set in.
You will be luck to get 3 but the dealer trade nets you an extra 15% as you only pay tax on the difference. If you can get 15% more selling privately then that is your better option.
 
like stated, trading in with a dealer is convenient
but you'll get wholesale less a bit for value

so say your bike is worth ~3,500
dealer will offer prolly starting at 2,500
and you can possibly get that up a bit
depends what you're buying
and how badly they want the deal

if you're patient you can do it yourself and get the retail number
but you have to deal with buyers, which usually sucks

there is a tax advantage when trading
HST only applied to the difference
can be significant if you have a valuable trade
but won't be much on a 3 year old 300
 
The original poster has a great bike as it sits right now. The KRT edition looks great, too. Just ride it, keep it in good shape, and don't worry about what it's worth on paper.

Entry-level bikes are easy to sell. Higher-end models ... not so much.
 
It was worth it to me to trade in versus dealing with the doosh baggery of the selling on kijiji world.
 
Figure out what a private sale would bring you vs. a dealer trade in + including the dealer tax credit. The different between these 2 numbers is the $$ gain in a private sale. Then decide if dealing with private buyers is worth the potential hassle. Selling privately can be a breeze or it can be a nightmare, just depends who shows up at your door in response to an ad as you have little control over this.
 
The last time I changed cars, dealers offered $1000 for my car, sold it privately for $3500. I always check trade in offer first as it is much easier and faster (I had to delay pickup of new car for a month as I found a buyer for the old car). As others have said, if the dealer gets within 25% of the private price, I normally trade it in to make my life easier.
 
OP

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enjoy your ride.
 
with the arrival of the Ninja 400 , your chances of trade in is limited since 3 years from now, people are going to start trading in their Ninja 400s to upgrade to bigger bikes...this is some thing that really pisses me off when manufacturers tout a new model all up the creek and then dump it in 4 years time , only to bring in the latest model...they did this with the 2008 ninja 250 and now they did this with the ninja 300...

In any case, in 3 years time, I'd be looking to sell private if I was in your shoes..
 
or just track the 300?
 
.....how much do you reckon it'll sell for after 3 years in private and dealer trade-ins?

If you sold it next season, maybe $3500.
At a dealer, maybe half of that. They have to make money.


All the extra stuff that you pay for new bikes (taxes, PDI, random dealer fees) is pretty much lost money right off the hop. The next person to buy that bike isn't giving you money for that stuff since they're buying a used bike.


A brand new, old stock 2016 KRT is listed on the Kawasaki website for $5300. With a bit of searching at dealerships, I'm sure one can be found for 5k+fees. So $3500 would seem reasonable for a bike you've farted all over as long as it's in immaculate shape and low KM.


....but if it's low KM, you haven't ridden it enough.
 
Dealers buy at the wholesale price and sell at retail. They allow for overhead, commissions, advertising, safety certificate and bank costs.

If they're discounting the model you're interested they might highball your trade but not give you a discount.

Selling private is a hassle with lowballers, dreamers, test pilots and no-shows. You have to decide how much BS you want to take and what your time is worth.
 
Insurance for Ninja 650 is not that much different. I'd say do your upgrade to 650 next season and enjoy riding however you like, wherever you like at the speed that you like (rather than adjusting your riding to what your bike can do). Who knows what happens in 3 years?
 
Sold my car privately for about $1500 AS IS

Probably would've made more money at scrapyard than what dealer wouldve offered lol
 

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