Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I'm still doing research and just looking at cycletrader.com to see some pricing on some bikes. When I do make my first purchase, it will be used and I've sat on both the Yamaha V-Star Classic as well as the Honda Shadow Ace 750. I'm a big guy (6'2 275lbs) and I found those to be pretty comfortable bikes. A guy I know who is an instructor in Ohio said either is a great choice for somebody new and my size (though he - like most other people!! - said that after some time I will want to go with something bigger that has a little more zip).

A local dealership (in Daytona Beach, FL) which has a pretty good reputation (they're an independent dealer) in the area has several of these bikes for pretty good prices (anywhere from $3995 to $4495), but what seems strange is the pricing they putting out there. For bikes all within $500 of each other in price, one will say, "Zero down and $112 a month" while another will say "Zero down and $100 a month" and a few with "Zero down and $80 a month." I'm pretty sure the indy dealers don't have the credit card type loans that the major dealers have, but does it vary like that? Or is there just somebody throwing the description out there based upon numbers they have seen and it doesn't really mean anything?

Also, what kind of fees can I expect them to try and add on? When I decide to make a purchase, I'd like to have an "out the door" price in my head before I walk in there.

A buddy of mine set himself a 'limit' of $6500 a couple of years ago, but when he went to the Kawasaki dealer, he was talked into by the sales guy to get a Vulcan 900 Classic with saddle bags, shield, floor boards and such. Out the door price? $10,000 and it was like he paid every fee imaginable. I am assuming like a used car, a used bike won't have the same list of fees, but I'd like to be sure.

Thanks!

When they throw out payments like $0 down and $100/Mo for 3 years... the fine print shows the remainder after that - its just back end loaded... they could say $8k for one month with zero down, or $8k down with $0 payments for 60 months, etc.

There are a bazillion different ways to finance or spread dollars across time, but in the end you still have to pay the same dollar amount on a net present value basis (with their interest rate as your alternative cost).

The best way to do it is pay cash up front unless they're offering a smoking rate where you could leave your cash in the bank or money market and collect more interest than you're paying (not likely).

And for fees, tax, tags, title, freight and prep.

jayc28 wrote:A buddy of mine set himself a 'limit' of $6500 a couple of years ago, but when he went to the Kawasaki dealer, he was talked into by the sales guy to get a Vulcan 900 Classic with saddle bags, shield, floor boards and such. Out the door price? $10,000 and it was like he paid every fee imaginable. I am assuming like a used car, a used bike won't have the same list of fees, but I'd like to be sure.

When you go to a dealer, it is the salesperson's job to separate you from as much money as possible. If you're willing to accept it, they'll be more than willing to charge you.

Buying a used bike shouldn't have fees like destination and assembly charges, but that doesn't preclude the dealer from making some other ones up. My buddy ( a dealership owner) referred to the ever present "doc fee" as the profit enhancement fee. I once bought a used bike at a dealer and the salesguy attempted to add in an "inspection fee" after the fact.

Bottom line is that you have to negotiate an out the door price for the bike that includes whatever bogus fees the dealer likes to tack on. Negotiating a price, then having the dealer tack on hundreds in fees is the sucker's method of bike buying.

A dealer near here charges $195. document fee for used bikes.