Purchasing from a dealer? Safer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SlayerofSouls
  • Start date Start date
S

SlayerofSouls

Guest
Forum Sponsor
I havent had the best experience in the private market. First person tried selling me a bike with a lien registered against it. 2nd bike decent experience and 3rd had a bit of modifications however odometer broke (500 cost to repair)

I am upgrading to an r6. I know a lot of them have been stolen or have significant mods or crashed.
Ideally I was looking to spend around 6k on an r6. Dealers are selling 08 for about 9k plus tax. Ideally I think it would be better if I did any mods myself. One issue about getting a mint bike is the fact that 1) I might crash 2) someone might knock the bike over. Its happened before on my ninja. And if I make a claim from insurance I can be sure my insurance premium will spike up so there is no remedy there.
What do you think the value would be of a good r6 raven 2008.

Would it be safer to go through a dealer rather than the private market for these bikes?


I plan to keep an r6 for a while. so i dont plan to resell. i dont see the need for upgrading to a bigger bike. hell a ninja 250 serves my purpose :D
 
Dealers charge significantly more than private sale. For that premium you get a small bit of peace-of-mind and a 30 day warranty on the powertrain (usually)

To me, definitely not worth it. You generally have no guarantees that the bike is mechanically better than anything on the private market, assuming you're gonna inspect it properly (or pay someone to do so)

You seem worried about a thousand different things... you can get run over by a truck tomorrow and never get to ride again. Who cares if it gets stolen or you drop it, what does that have to do with which bike you're buying and whether its a private sale?

If you have 6k to spend on an R6, the answer (to me) is pretty clear... look at the private market. You won't get a current generation R6 at a dealer for that much.
 
Good point. The only plus to an 08 imo is the slipper clutch and better mid power. dont think it is worth the extra 4k. i will keep looking in the pvt market. just too many weirdos out there... see stolen bike thread
 
Dealers give you a few things

Hassle free - Clean title, safetied, UVIP, potential financing... just walk in and pay.

Private sales give you a good price.

I personally go to dealers because if I take 2 afternoons/ evenings to go look at bikes, I basically just wiped out my savings.
How much your time is worth is up to you.

I am not sure why you are still so so set on the R6 though. I imagine its the look, but I think people have mentioned before how it is the least street friendly of the Big 4's 600s.
 
You're paranoid. I've bought and sold tons of bikes... the market is docile. Kijiji is a bit of ******** but you have to weed through the OBVIOUS scams.

Look for 06-07 and don't be a princess about it. If your budget is tight you can't expect a MINT bike, gotta take what you can get.

I'd suggest trolling around on motors.ebay.com for a bike but something tells me you wouldn't be up for travelling across the border to save some money.
 
OpenGambit said:
Dealers give you a few things

Hassle free - Clean title, safetied, UVIP, potential financing... just walk in and pay.

Private sales give you a good price.

I personally go to dealers because if I take 2 afternoons/ evenings to go look at bikes, I basically just wiped out my savings.
How much your time is worth is up to you.

I am not sure why you are still so so set on the R6 though. I imagine its the look, but I think people have mentioned before how it is the least street friendly of the Big 4's 600s.
Click to expand...

I bought 2 bikes from dealers and you're right, it's a bit less hassle. But I've also purchased probably 5+ bikes privately and it never involved more than 1 visit. With most bikes you're getting whats advertised, I always bring cash and a truck and close the deal on the same day. You get to take your bike home as soon as you hand over the cash, whereas at the dealer you generally have to wait a few days or a week for them to sort everything out.

Pros and cons to both. My first bike was a new purchase from a dealer, and the only other I bought from a dealer was my current bike but it was an opportunity that couldn't be missed. Otherwise, the savings are too great on the used market.
 
I bought my last bike through a dealer (the one before that was done privately).

I would say the dealer's the safer route. If anything goes wrong, you have a bit more recourse (Omvic) and leverage (dealer's reputation). If you go the private route and, they sell you a lemon, you'll have no one to turn to for help (like Omvic), and you'll have to spend your own dime to sue them.

With that said, though, if you do your due diligence, you can buy a great bike privately.
 
In either case you should do your homework on the model you want so you know what to look for and what questions to ask. If you go in blind then you may end up sorry regardless of where you bought the bike

As mentioned, OMVIC is a handy tool you lose out on in a private sale.

I remember seeing a sticky for a checklist for buying used bikes.
 
I was looking at a vstrom at Brampton Powersports and noticed the following:

Dealer:
http://www.bramptonpowersports.com/...trom+650-3743d17a40463845012c788761b1d9c1.htm

New 2011 Suzuki VStrom 650 DL650 Naked - $6,999 + tax (freight & PDI included in price)

Kijiji as of Feb 9, 2012
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...ouring-2007-Suzuki-V-strom-W0QQAdIdZ344582800

Suzuki Vstrom 1000 cc with 20.000 kms - $6900


Disclaimer: Not the same year or engine size, but same model type.

So... the dealer you have full tax ((freight & PDI included in price)), and you can probably negotiate a bit better with a private sale. But is it that big of a difference?

I'd like to own a vstrom one day but I think I'll probably end up buying it from the dealer when I do. No sense in buying one used when you can spend a bit more money to have full warranty and support for a limited time with a bike that's guaranteed to not have any surprises.

That being said my first bike I bought used, it had problems but I got it for under $1000 so it all depends on what you want.
 
Last edited:
Depends on the dealer. Depends on the private seller. Also depends on the buyers confidence level. There isn't an a) or b) answer here.

I've bought 2 bikes from GP Bikes and they're great to deal with. I've seen other dealers I wouldn't buy a jug of oil from, let alone a $15k bike.

My last bike was bought from a salvage yard in Pittsburgh. Now that was interesting.
 
for me private deals have turned out to be very good. But, i usually take my time. I start my search usually 2 months in advance and then am i able to find a good deal. But as some fellas mentioned you have to sacrifice some time.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom