[chowdown]

looking at a scrambler in the local dealership, in texas. they want $700 for freight and prep. isnt frieght and prep included in the MSRP? so for an$8600 msrp, + $600ish in tax, + $700 in fees.

i have my money in order and plan on trying to make a deal with them shortly, i think my first and only offer is going to be $8600 out the door, including all fee's AND tax. i'll let him know i plan on spending around 2k on accessories (arrow exhaust, skid plate, engine bars, etc etc).

does that sound fair or am i out of the ballpark on this ? (first time buying a brand new bike)

 

[propforward]

See what you can negotiate. The dealer fees and tax are always added on top of the MSRP. That is true for cars too.

I don't know what the current going numbers are for setup and tax, but see what you can talk him into. I doubt if he will cave to the value of 1100 bucks though.

 

[Pokeyjoe]

$700 is steep for setup and prep. My dealer charged $500 and did little or nothing. Its definitely a negotiation point.

 

[bradlyallen1]

I recently bought a thruxton for MSRP and no additional fees. In hindsight I should have offered $500 less than MSRP and no fees to see if they would take it. They also threw in the tank knee pads for free. The economy is not favorable to dealers right now so it's definitly a buyers market.

 

[Baltobonneville]

The only thing that matters is the final total price. Let the dealer move the numbers around as much as he wants, as long as the total is agreeable to you. If it's not, make him an offer, but make clear what your offer includes, e.g. total price before taxes and state fees.

 

[DriftlessRider]

I paid zero prep fees. They're making a profit on MSRP alone so I imagine you could get movement on those fees, depending on how easy he thinks the bike is going to sell if you don't buy it. Taxes are between you and the government though, nothing he can control about that. Asking $600 below MSRP (taxes) sound like a lot to me, especially when the selling season is just warming up. But I bet you can get him to give you a discount on any aftermarket stuff. My dealer gives me a standard discount on most stuff I buy from him since I bought my bike there.

 

[davidc]

$8600 sounds resonable to me, and if you have the money/financing in place, that is a sale to them. They'd be fools not to horse trade a bit.
That you are going to buy accessories? Don't know what clout that has, but keep that in reserve in case the battle intensifies.
"F" all that prep crap. I think these things arrive in a crate without the handlebar attached - too much money. Don't think you can ignore it entirely, but haggle that!
Good luck.

 

[hintonrsvr]

It never hurts to make a low offer, the worst they can do is say no. I would ask for a deal on the extras to as part of the bike deal. And always be prepared to walk, they are never going to haggle if they know your a buying.

 

[chowdown]

thanks for the replies.

i guess i'll start out with MSRP-tax = first offer and go as high as msrp+tax, and try for 10% off accessories, which would save me another $200ish.

i wont pay the fee's, with airfare pretty much $100 to anywhere in the country i'm more than happy to travel to pick up a bike, i'm also not in any rush and quite willing to walk out if they wont drop the fees. there's enough places around that dont charge them (otdcycles etc).

 

[KingOfFleece]

Every time I do this I get a wrath of crap, but here goes: Triumph charges the dealers to deliver the bikes to them; the service dept. does much more than uncrate the machine and attach handlebars-Triumph mandates a PDI form be completed and this inspection takes at least one hour of shop time and it must be done. They follow up with the customer and it's a major grading factor for the dealer. These two items are not completed for 75 bucks and a burger by the dealer.

Yes, it's total $$$$ spent by the buyer and it's also total $$$$ spent by the dealer. This could go on and on but you get the idea. Make a reasonable offer-and make it like a gentlemen 9or woman) and you'll most likely get what you want or close to it. Purchasing accessories at the time of sale is a great idea for both sides.

It seems everybody thinks the dealer makes 5 grand on a 9 thousand $$ bike. They don't.

If you saw the economics of a single line M/C dealer you would most likely not purchase his business. Not unless you want to work 80 hours a week, never ride 'cause you're at the shop, and pay EVERYBODY else first.

Now, don't cry for them-but realize they need to make a living also. Dealers NEED good customers and the fair ones get treated better and better.

 

[propforward]

Actually, I think it's great to have a bit of dealer input like that, so we can see the story from both sides.

I have chatted with my dealer a bit about these things, but not in great depth, you really can't go heavily into it as dealer / customer.

What I will say is I know that there is more to it than bolting on handlebars, because I have seen a bike in a crate, and I have also negotiated the dealer fees a bit, again by plonking in accessories, and also negotiating things like the first service and so on.

I think there is some good advice here - top of which is behaving like a lady / gentleman as the case may be.

 

[McBike]

I was at my dealer last Saturday. I would say that most, if not all of his bikes were marked down, roughly the cost of set up. He also mentioned that due to the world economics, Triumph would be cutting production by 40%. It's all comes down to supply and demand.

Good Luck
Mike

 

[chowdown]

i understand the dealership needs to make money, and i do want to start a relationship with them that benefits us both. i'll be polite for sure, but i do think the fee's are a bit of a rort. they'll make money on the sale, on the accessories, on ongoing farkles and any repairs over the years. making me feel like i got a good deal (as long as i am being reasonable, and i think msrp+tax at best case is being reasonable) will only help them make more money down the road.

just curious, with dealers selling 2008 model scramblers for $6000 OTD, no fees, on ebay, which msrp'd at what, $8k?, are they losing money or do they really have atleast 2k of fat in the msrp ?

 

[Overkill0084]

Actually, I think it's great to have a bit of dealer input like that, so we can see the story from both sides.

I have chatted with my dealer a bit about these things, but not in great depth, you really can't go heavily into it as dealer / customer.

What I will say is I know that there is more to it than bolting on handlebars, because I have seen a bike in a crate, and I have also negotiated the dealer fees a bit, again by plonking in accessories, and also negotiating things like the first service and so on.

I think there is some good advice here - top of which is behaving like a lady / gentleman as the case may be.

I would love to get more input from dealer staff on these sites. I don't want to screw the dealer, I just want a fair price. What constitutes "fair" seems to be open for debate. People with actual dealership experience should pipe in whenever threads like this get away from reality. To add to the difficulty, there aren't nearly as many resources for bikes as there are for cars. I would love to know more about factory to dealer incentives on bikes. If that info is floating around the web, I haven't found it yet.
I really wish that the US would go to "On the road Pricing." It makes it easier to compare apples to apples.

 

[BillyO]

MSRP + set up

I just bought a left over 08 Thruxton for $7,800.00 out the door.
Thie pepresents a VERY good price.
The key to negotiating a fair deel is to not act arrogant or insulting
by low balling so much as to anger the owner.

 

[hintonrsvr]

I would ask for more than 10% of assessories, more like 25%.

 

[B02S4]

Last time I checked, Triumph had a $750 accessory promo going on for leftover 08's, & dealers really do pay the delivery freight charge, & MOST pass it on. I personally would not pay a setup charge.

 

[KingOfFleece]

No, you are mistaken. No specifics from me-if your dealer wants to share them with you that's another story. Suffice to say that Triumph will work with a dealer on non-current inventory.
Does UPS deliver to you for free? Does Triumph?

 

[hintonrsvr]

You are not buying the bike from UPS or having them deliver it to your house after the sale. When you walk into any retail store the price a item is marked is the most you pay and the cost to ship to that retail location is included in that cost. Why are bikes and cars any different? There is always the used market and if the dealer does not work with you then keep shopping.

 

[Roughcut]

I agree that some dealers seem to have alot of fees added into there prices. MSRP is just that a suggested price, freight is not included in that and it is a cost. Set up is also a cost,I am willing to bet any dealer would waive this fee if you come and get your bike in a crate. Then you can have the joy of disposing of the crate material, and doing all the set up and cleaning. I want to get a good deal just like the next guy, if you think motorcycle dealers are raking in the cash, maybe you are missing a great business opportunity.
I think the appeal of a great price fades away long before the relationship with a quality dealer does. There are good customer and bad customer, who do you think the dealer goes the extra mile for. The price grinder, or the guy that sees value in having a dealer close by and profitable. The local Triumph dealer here, spends time having a R.A.T. pack, they pick up and deliver bikes if needed, they order parts with NO money down to their customers, they always get the newest bikes on the floor as fast as they are released from the factory.
I would always advise shopping around for what you want, however by the time you spend time and gas going from dealer to dealer, have you really saved that much, and have you built or underminded a favorable relationship with your local dealer. Value is not always measured by the price paid.