Buying from a dealer

I've decided to buy a CB400 ABS and just phoned a dealer to arrange a
test ride.

The dealer didn't have a demonstration bike there, so he said I /
could/ get around the problem by signing a contract of sale subject to
a satisfactory test ride. Does this happen often?

He then rang around and apparently (after speaking to Honda) there is
ONE bike coming into the country matching the specification I have
given and then nothing until November (the other bikes on the ship are
all back-orders). Is this likely?

This will make it difficult to shop around the three local dealers
won't it? It looks like I will be getting a back-order if I wait a
few days!

He does have a demonstration bike of the same model so at least I can
try riding one before I buy it.

Any comments on that would be appreciated.

Also, I would like to know what extras are recommended from the basic
model as I may try and bundle them into the price when I buy.
Staintune exhaust? Oggy Knobbs? Ventura rack a Req. Anything else?

Thanks,

 

do you understnad
"snookered""

 

Sure can as one helmet given away free, may not match the quality of one
given away from another dealer, even though it is a cheaper price overall

I feel that with bike dealers, you will get around the same price for the
same bike
As you say, extras cost more and look good if they are included in the price

 

Don't be pressured into buying a bike. I wouldn't buy anything I hadn't ridden
unless I was after something exotic and expensive like a 1198s or similar.

I wouldn't bother with an exhaust until you have run it in. Oggy knobs are
always a good idea. Ventura racks are great but after having both I now prefer
a top box. More secure for leaving shit like helmets and jackets with the
bike.

Fraser

 

No demo, no sale.

If the smaller suppliers, Ducati, Guzzi, Triumph, Aprilia, Harley and
BMW can have demo bikes available, surely Honda can. I've never had a
problem getting a demo ride when buying from a dealer. I do have to
sign something promising to pay some ridiculous excess if I drop it
(thousands of dollars), and hand over my credit card and licence
details, but that's it.


**********************************************

Zachary the same when you hire a vehicle from Budget, Avis or any other hire
car mob


********************************************
Tony F

 

He managed to find a demo bike in Somerville and I am going to have a
go tomorrow. I'm asking for the price with Ventura rack & bag
fitted.
Interestingly both dealers insisted there was only ONE unallocated
bike in the entire country - but they are different colours! Could
there be an internal market ('Honda') that dealers tap into?

Phoning around, it's clear the sales guy is just quoting the retail
prices from memory. Even for a package it's "this costs about $x and
y normally costs $z plus such-and-such fitting time. but come in and
we'll work something out." It gives me the impression that I'll have
to be actually sitting in his office before I will get considered
numbers - no great deals by just phoning around. I'm bound to get a
price and phone up the next dealer and he'll better it by a tiny
amount.

Any better strategies? I think I will just get the colour I like most!

 

Calculate what it's worth to you , be prepared to walk if they don't do
a "buy it now"price , it will be cheaper next week so be patient

 

Extras, my selection is Scott Oiler, Oggy knobs, Ventura rack and bag and
heated grips, fitted.

If you want a test ride, it is up to the dealer to provide it. Do they want
to maximise a chance of the sale or not? What is wrong with the motorcycle
if a test ride is not offered on request? If they cannot give a firm quote
within a couple of days at the outside. I would expect that they would
state payment methods.

John Dwyer.

 

OK. Bought it and learned a lot. It happened exactly as I predicted
it would.

Go to the dealer you won't end up buying the bike from and do the test
ride. Then go into the office and get a written quote. Next go to
the dealer you will buy it from and show them the quote. THEN they go
into a room and talk amongst themselves. You'll get just enough off
the first quote for them to get the business off the other guy (after
all, you'll end up getting it serviced where you buy it probably). No
point in mucking around and playing one dealer off the other - they
know each other.

There was only one unallocated bike. Honda appear to have an orders
and sales system that accurately predicts what they will sell in each
sales period. The container ship (due to dock soon) was loaded up
with the entire allocation of bikes for Victoria for this sales period
(ie. bikes for dealers showrooms and 'unallocated stock'). It may
have also contained the whole allocation for Australia. Dealers sell
bikes and, if they don't have it on the floor, they 'claim' from the
available pool of stock on the ship (i.e. a back-order sale) via Honda
head office. I think there were only 5 ABS bikes in the container, 4
were on back-order when I asked, and one was unallocated. I've just
put a deposit on the last one - and the ship is nearly in the port.
If the last unallocated bike is claimed, there is still a possibility
the dealer can get one interstate. My new CB400 will be with the
dealer by Wednesday at the latest (which is lucky for me because I'm
playing the Just In Time game too - the bank hasn't cleared the money
I just spent yet!).

 

OK. Bought it and learned a lot. It happened exactly as I predicted it would.

They played you well and sounds like you fell for 80% of the tricks in
the book.

 

Congratulations!
You are not one to rush into things are you. ;-)

 

Bingo

 

At some point diminishing returns set in and at some other point the
savings become less per hour than the time invested.

Sometimes 2 happens before 1.


G-S

 

I agree with both Jordan and Nev. I /could/ have got a better price
by giving dealer 1 an opportunity to undercut again (Jordans point)
but, as I said, there's no point in playing them off against one
another 'cos that would be me thinking I was really clever and just
being annoying (Nev's point).

The dealers are with 20km of each other and they both have
certificates all over the walls for the various Honda courses they've
all been on. It's inconceivable that the sales guy, who's been at
dealer 2 for over a decade doesn't know the sales guy at dealer 1, who
sold my neighbour his fist bike nearly a decade ago. Car dealers
might be different but I think it's a much smaller world for
motorcycle dealers. When I showed the quote to dealer 2, he asked who
gave me the quote. It /is/ conceivable that he phoned him up whilst
sorting out the new price for me.

In fact I do not want to get into this game at all, so I phoned dealer
1 after putting the deposit on the bike and said "dealer 2 undercut
you by so much I didn't think you would match it, so I've paid the
deposit already." He sounded a bit crestfallen. I only wanted to
pour cold water on any possible follow-up calls from him.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 10:54:04 +1000

It's different in small volume bikes of course.

Being into underpowered underbraked overweight overpriced Eurotrash,
there's less dealer competition and the dealer you buy from matters.
BEcause what you want is someone who you know has a mechanic with clue
who will do the predelivery properly and who you can trust to have the
parts and not bugger up your bike.

Hence me buying from a dealer miles from where I lived and not
dickering price at all. I was paying for them having clue. WHich
they did, at least more than any other "motorbike shop with mechanic"
compared to "mechanic who sells the odd bike on the side".

Now if someone was buying a Guzzi in Sydney I'd tell 'em to screw hard
on the price but get the bike sent to Dave Ward for pre-delivery...
Because there's no spannerer to trust at any of the "dealers".

Zebee