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Thinking about purchasing a new '13 -- discounting, etc?

2K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Gerry 
#1 ·
I'm thinking about buying a new 2013 TW200 on the West coast.



Any suggestions on what kind of discount off the $4,590 MSRP I might look for? What about nonsense like dealer "delivery charges", etc.?



I kinda know how to answer those questions for a new car -- but haven't a clue on a motorcycle, much less a fine T-dub.



p.s Great forum and good advice... Thx to all!
 
#2 ·
In my experience, you have far less leverage as the buyer of a new motorcycle than you do as the buyer of a new car.



I wouldn't expect a break on any of the dealer fees, as it seems to be the case that all of the motorcycle dealers have decided to charge very similar fees to eliminate that profit center from their competitive exchange with one another.



Similarly, I wouldn't expect much of a break on current-year models either. Expect to pay at or above MSRP until there's a model year clearance sale.



Now, if you're willing to shop around and drive a little bit then you might be able to get a stupid good deal on a last year's model. I bought a brand new 2011 TW200 about 4 months ago for about $4K out the door. I had to drive a couple of hundred miles to get that deal, but when the best out-the-door price I could find locally was a USED 2011 TW for $5300 I felt like it was a steal.



Now this is all assuming that you're paying cash. If you're financing then you're going to get ripped off no matter what, but if you've got cash to put on the table then you should be able to find a deal on a leftover if you google Yamaha dealerships around your closest metro areas.
 
#3 ·
I shopped around at various dealers in Southern California. They were all withing $500.00 of each other when I got to the "out the door price".



One dealer gave me that price with no haggling or pressure. One dealer gave the price to me when I asked for it about the third time. Another dealer subjected me to 15 minutes of "I'll have to check with the manager...."



If you have several dealers within 50 miles, call them up and see which one is least aggravating.



If you want discounts, look for an older but still on the showroom floor new. In my experience, you won't get much of a discount on a new one.
 
#4 ·
Now this is just anecdotal, but I was still able to talk the most annoying dealer down about $750. My approach to buying from a dealer is not to make him my friend, but to make him my http:/insert_vulgarity_{female dog}. A salesman is never your friend, even if YOU are a salesman, to another salesman you are a mark and that's all. To succeed in the negotiation, you have to make the salesman YOUR mark and be completely willing to walk away. Part of that is knowing the market and a big part of knowing the market is checking out the competition. I gave the local dealer a chance to beat the deal I was going to get up in Phoenix and he didn't want to play ball so I walked away.



I got a better deal a few miles North and I feel lucky that I did. I'm not saying that everybody will find themselves in such a lucky position, but at the very least I think that in the internet age everybody should be willing to click a few links to keep A*holes from ripping off us consumers!
 
#5 ·
My local Yamaha shop here wants something like $5200 out the door with tax and everything. I called another shop in Nevada that is 2 hours away, and they quoted me $4617 out the door. So I would say, $4500 total or less for brand new is a good deal. Needless to say, I decided to be patient (didn't want to be) and hold out for a nice used one. I ended up with my 2009 with 500 miles and some nice rack upgrades for $3000 even.



Bart
 
#6 ·
Due to the lack of changes & technological advances why would you buy new? Especially, if you have to save every last penny. Heck, bought mine for $125, put every necessary farkle on it I could think of. As it sits, I have $1,800 in it and I'll put it up against any new one any day.
 
#7 ·
I can't speak for the OP, but I bought new because at the time I could barely bend over. I didn't want a project. Even using a motorcycle lift, it would have been too much and I never would have been able to enjoy the bike.
 
#8 ·
Likewise, I bought new because I wanted a bike that I could just ride without having to worry about it breaking down on me. One quick look over in the "technical help" forum is enough to show that the older bikes are not exactly worry-free! If I was going to buy a second TW then I would probably buy an old beater as a fun project but I really like having at least 1 motorcycle that starts up and runs right every time.



My TW is my first bike too, and I felt like I had enough of a challenge on my hands learning to ride (outside of an MSF course!) without having to figure out what to do with a dead bike or broken chain/cable/etc when I wasn't yet comfortable on 2 wheels in the first place.



I'm all for saving money, but an extra $2000 for peace of mind and a bike that's 7-10 years newer seemed worth it to me.
 
#9 ·
+1 to that! I just wanted a bike that was worry free. Plus I had the little kid voice in my head saying, "I want it now!" Went to the dealer and got it financed the next day. It was that night that I found this forum and have enjoyed both just about every day.
 
#10 ·
I bought new because I hardly ever saw one for sale locally and when I did it was sold when I called about it. I also dont plan on ever selling it because I have wanted one for along time so I really wanted a new one. I bought my new '12 about a month ago for $4400 out the door.
 
#11 ·
It seems the TW is unique enough that it attracts folks that are looking for something 'outside' the box. Something to hang on the motor home, something to induce your significant other to ride with you. Perhaps as well, something simple and small to support you in re-living years gone bye. Many folks here have found great deals on used/low mileage TW's. Likely, this forum has been responsible for inflating the price of used bikes. Not that they are not worth what is being currently asked. Likely 7 years ago the buy to sell ($$) ratio favored the buyer. Now it seems (generally), the person selling can have lots of interested parties.





I live in Northern California. When I was looking for my bike a number of years ago, the six dealers (in Calif.) that I contacted all had pretty much the same story/price. I contacted a dealer in Nevada (Reno) and they had a couple of Calif. bikes (new) that they were selling and for me, the savings was substantial. Shop around. Gas prices in your state may not be the same across the border, so demand might be different, as it was in my case. In areas where there are regional requirements, like California, you can bet that dealers on the border of neighboring states have the bike you need, and perhaps for less. Just my opinion. Good luck. Gerry
 
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