So, I'm looking at buying a 2005 V-Star 1100 Custom. I've never bought a new bike before; haven't even bought a new car !!
I'm wondering;
1. What's the procedure?? They don't let me take it for a spin, do they?? Do they even let me start it up to hear it?
2. When's the best time to buy? Some say wait till October. Some say wait till September. Some say it really makes no difference; go now.
3. I haven't gone to any dealers to talk seriously just yet, but the ones offering online quotes are quoting me the MSRP with tax. Is it ever possible to get a dealer to go below this?
I think the test ride is dependant upon the dealer. The few dealers we have up here allow test rides although some are more willing than others. You just have to have your endorsement.
Best time to buy, again I guess that depends on the dealer. When I looked last fall one dealer up here knocked about 1k off each of their bikes since it was end of season. Another dealership it was only a few hundred. So, I guess it depends. if you look around you can usually find a decent price to make it a good buy now.
Yes it's possible to get them below the MSRP. Sometimes they throw it at you sometimes you need to talk them down, but they'll haggle just like a car. Go talk to them and see what they say. When it comes time to negotiate figure out a fair value to you and stick to it, see what they'll do.
I bought my bike new and it's a relatively painless process. Good luck, I hope this helps.
HELLO,THIS IS A GREAT BIKE,MY FREIND,GOT ONE LAST YEAR,THE DEALER STAYED FERM WITH THe PRICE,I GOT THE YAMAHA WARRIOR,THIS TO A GREAT BIKE,FROM THE SAME DEALER, NOW THE 06 ARE COMEING OUT ,THEY NEED THE 05 TO MOVE,THE DEALER, MAY COME DOWN A BIT ,
FIREBIRD wrote: HELLO,THIS IS A GREAT BIKE,MY FREIND,GOT ONE LAST YEAR,THE DEALER STAYED FERM WITH THe PRICE,I GOT THE YAMAHA WARRIOR,THIS TO A GREAT BIKE,FROM THE SAME DEALER, NOW THE 06 ARE COMEING OUT ,THEY NEED THE 05 TO MOVE,THE DEALER, MAY COME DOWN A BIT ,
Psssst: When you use BOLD FACE AND ALL CAPS it seems like you are shouting and/or angry. Upper and lower case type is easier to read than all caps.
P
Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity - Alice Paul
Test Drives do tend to be at the discretion of the Dealer, but mine let me take an 2003 XB9 for 2 days while my Buell Blast was in for service. Couldn't take the one I bought, it was still in the crate (besides by time I came back with the 03 it was a done deal for the 04)
Sometimes fall is a bit cheaper, depending on the bike and the dealer.
If you can't get a better deal on the bike, try for some nice accessories, with my first bike I got leather chaps, new windshield and bags, with my current bike I got some HD Electric gloves and a bag for the passenger seat and a price reduction.
Never hurts to ask!!!
Seeing as this is posted in two forums, I didn't think you'd mind if I posted my reply in both.
Canuckerjay, just a few suggestions...
Financing: Unless it's factory financing at an incredible rate, do as Loonette says and stick with your own financial institution. I've discovered that in Canada, (I'm guessing from your name, that's where you're from.) Yamaha financing is usually by Household Finance at close to 15% or better. Whereas in the US, it is factory financing, and at good rates. If you're using your own bank, try to get it pre approved, or even on a line of credit. That way, walking into a dealer and saying, "Here's the money, lets talk turkey!" you'll have a bit more bargaining power.
Test riding... well, if you're serious about buying a bike, a dealer will definitely let you test ride one. It may not be of the same year, it could be a service loaner, but if you're writing a deal with a salesman, a good condition of sale is, "Subject to test drive." This gives you an out if the bike just isn't what you'd thought it would be.
There are deals to be had pretty much all year round, but as mentioned by Scott, looking in the off season is sometimes a bit better. A hungry saleman might be a lot more willing to horse-trade for goodies and price in the off season.
Purchase price vs MSRP... A dealer will always quote the MSRP unless they have a clearance on an overstocked model. It's not in their interest to start dealing online before you show up and start the deal in person. For them, a "BIRD" in the showroom is an easy mark...lol.
There are a couple of things I would include in the completed deal...
Passing lights, some people call these driving lights.
Make sure the seat is comfortable and consider an upgrade if it's reasonable.
Windshield, unless you're getting the "Silverado" edition, a windshield is obviously extra. I'd go fo an after market quick release windshield, that way if you're looking for the tradional look for around town, you just have to pop that baby off, but if you're going on a road trip, there's nothing like a good windshield to ease the fatigue.
The local dealership I usually deal with, has an etching program. I don't know if this is dealer wide or industry wide, but it is a great idea. Blues2cruise or a dealer, would be able to tell you more details on this service. Basically, if your bike goes missing, the Etching is like another insurance policy, it gives you a set amount in cash, then deposits another amount with your original dealer for a down-payment on a replacement bike. The total amount will more than likely cover any depreciation your insurance company will apply to your claim. When I get a new bike, this will be a given.
Gloves, helmet, Jacket... anything you can get the sales person to throw in for no or near to no additional cost is going to depend on your own ability to make him know the deal is going to depend on it. No bluffing though... lol. Most salesmen can read a customer like a book, if you say the deal depends on it, be willing to walk out the door and head to another dealer.
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"Four wheels move the body.
Two wheels move the soul!"
Forgot about the whole accessories bit. I just bought my bike in may and they gave me 10 percent off all my gear. Not the greatest deal, but considering how much I spent on gear I was happy.
Another dealer I had talked to gave free storage for the first winter you owned your bike. That's was a nice feature.
Just a note on financing too, as someone mentioned yamaha in the previous post, they do either directly through yamaha or household. Household was going to be almost 20 percent on my bike. I went through a local credit union and got it for just over 8 percent. Unless you've got great credit to go through the manufacturers definately secure your own loan.
HELLO,THIS IS A GREAT BIKE,MY FREIND,GOT ONE LAST YEAR,THE DEALER STAYED FERM WITH THe PRICE,I GOT THE YAMAHA WARRIOR,THIS TO A GREAT BIKE,FROM THE SAME DEALER, NOW THE 06 ARE COMEING OUT ,THEY NEED THE 05 TO MOVE,THE DEALER, MAY COME DOWN A BIT ,
