Buying used - what are your pet peeves?

theinternetkid 10/31/2013 6:21am
10/31/2013 6:21am
From my experience "never raced" almost always equals "never maintained".

When I'm selling a bike I hate when i get emails that say, "Whats your bottom dollar?" If you are serious about buying it, come out, take a look and make me an offer. My response is usually to ask what their top dollar is.
jsmx97
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jsmx97 10/31/2013 6:29am
10/31/2013 6:29am Edited Date/Time 10/31/2013 6:30am
When someone lists an old bike as a way newer model year. "For sale 2003 Honda cr125r" and it ends up being a 1999
Zesiger 112
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Zesiger 112 10/31/2013 6:51am
10/31/2013 6:51am
Four strokes.
MiSledder
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MiSledder 10/31/2013 6:52am
10/31/2013 6:52am
theinternetkid wrote:
From my experience "never raced" almost always equals "never maintained". When I'm selling a bike I hate when i get emails that say, "Whats your bottom...
From my experience "never raced" almost always equals "never maintained".

When I'm selling a bike I hate when i get emails that say, "Whats your bottom dollar?" If you are serious about buying it, come out, take a look and make me an offer. My response is usually to ask what their top dollar is.
I do that sometimes and Ill tell you why, When I'm on the fence about driving 1-2 hours to look at something giving me your absolute bottom dollar might make the difference in me coming to look any further, I've seen the bike and I'm contacting you so the interest is there, you shouldn't take offense to the "bottom dollar" question, The Inet gives you a much larger group of potential customers then what your local paper used too.

And lets not forget bikes always looks 5x better in pics and everyone thinks their stuff is in excellent shape

The Shop

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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 10/31/2013 7:07am
10/31/2013 7:07am
Not sure about "buying used" pet peeves, but my "selling used" pet peeve is stating (prominently) NO TRADES PLEASE in my ad, and then having every asshat that responds to the ad ask me if I'll take a trade.
queen of spodes 10/31/2013 7:23am
10/31/2013 7:23am
RMT wrote:
"Only 26 hours from complete top end rebuild". Only??
I saw a CR125 advertised locally with "only 51 hours on new top end". No shit.
-eagle-
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-eagle- 10/31/2013 7:23am
10/31/2013 7:23am
Clean bike, Clean work place.
If they do not have enough pride to post a clean bike in a clean garage, then they have never taken any pride in owning the bike.


Unless you are just going for a basketcase, bottom dollar, restore.
queen of spodes 10/31/2013 7:24am
10/31/2013 7:24am
jsmx97 wrote:
When someone lists an old bike as a way newer model year. "For sale 2003 Honda cr125r" and it ends up being a 1999
THIS. This. Always an older model sold as a newer model.
TL_36
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TL_36 10/31/2013 7:58am
10/31/2013 7:58am
Used bike = guaranteed leaky fork seals.
The owner insists on starting the bike and directly holding it wide open, telling you "how great it runs".
Tires are in good condition = only about 1,000 road miles on them.

Also love listing a bike for sale, specifically "no trades", and yet still people want to trade a jeep, a mini bike, and six chickens.
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IWreckALot 10/31/2013 8:13am
10/31/2013 8:13am
theinternetkid wrote:
From my experience "never raced" almost always equals "never maintained". When I'm selling a bike I hate when i get emails that say, "Whats your bottom...
From my experience "never raced" almost always equals "never maintained".

When I'm selling a bike I hate when i get emails that say, "Whats your bottom dollar?" If you are serious about buying it, come out, take a look and make me an offer. My response is usually to ask what their top dollar is.
MiSledder wrote:
I do that sometimes and Ill tell you why, When I'm on the fence about driving 1-2 hours to look at something giving me your absolute...
I do that sometimes and Ill tell you why, When I'm on the fence about driving 1-2 hours to look at something giving me your absolute bottom dollar might make the difference in me coming to look any further, I've seen the bike and I'm contacting you so the interest is there, you shouldn't take offense to the "bottom dollar" question, The Inet gives you a much larger group of potential customers then what your local paper used too.

And lets not forget bikes always looks 5x better in pics and everyone thinks their stuff is in excellent shape
I haven't bought too much online but I have bought a few things. When discussing price, I generally throw out a number and say "would you consider $xx". Asking what their "bottom dollar" is comes across as spam. The price the seller wants is listed in the ad, if the buyer has a different number in mind, I think it's the buyer's place to make an offer and see if the seller would consider it. The old addage of "he who gives a number first loses" is a bit antiquated. If you arrive and the bike isn't in the shape you thought it was in, you can negotiate further.
early
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early 10/31/2013 8:35am
10/31/2013 8:35am
queen of spodes wrote:
I saw a CR125 advertised locally with "only 51 hours on new top end". No shit.
Its a Honda, it will run forever! Haha!

Seriously the used bike pool is so much bigger now with free internet classifieds so you can bide your time until the bike you really want in the condition you want to buy it in comes up for sale. Its a good idea to add $300 at least onto any used bike for incidentals. If the seller takes really good care of the bike they will probably want to recoup the cost of actual new tires, chain etc.

That being said I love how FAST! every bike online is.
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Lightning78 10/31/2013 9:18am
10/31/2013 9:18am
RonSkj wrote:
"Comes with a paddle tire" = I am out!
This^^^
Utrider
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Utrider 10/31/2013 9:28am
10/31/2013 9:28am
Around here the sellers are really proud of their "New Graphics!" so I always post in my ads, sorry no new graphics. Just a little fun to brighten my day.
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Wandell 10/31/2013 10:08am
10/31/2013 10:08am
Nothing is a bigger red flag for me than a bald rear tire. You know what I mean, not just rounded off knobbies, but completely worn flat in the middle of the tread from blasting up and down the highway. A few months ago while shopping for a 125 for my son I saw a perfect example on Craigslist. It had Metal Mulisha graphics, black plastic and a slick rear tire. It even came with a "Slayer" helmet! All I could picture was some 14 year old screaming up and down the roadway in from of his house with Slayer pumping through his IPod until his neighbors called the cops! No thanks!!
Sloaner104 10/31/2013 10:39am
10/31/2013 10:39am
I just recently bought my first used bike ever when i saw the bike the dude took the handlebars off that it was pictured with and gave me some bent ones ! I guess he was lucky i drove 2 hrs it pissed me off false advertising man
Bigfoot
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Bigfoot 10/31/2013 10:57am
10/31/2013 10:57am


When the nasty blonde that appeared in the ad isn't actually included with the bike!

I HATE it when that happens!
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RobKacp 10/31/2013 10:59am
10/31/2013 10:59am Edited Date/Time 10/31/2013 11:02am
"really fast" is by far the best guarantee of a clapped out POS, followed closely in second by "never raced."

Might be just my experience, but when the seller of an MX bike says "the dealer does my maintenance," that's been a pretty solid indicator that all consumables on the bike are roached.

Biggest peeve, though, is a bike that looks solid in the pictures and I'm told well maintained, only to show up and in 30 secs discover bad wheel bearings, hooked sprockets and a dirty air cleaner.
Tarz483
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Tarz483 10/31/2013 11:32am
10/31/2013 11:32am
#1 Black plastic

And on a side note its amazing how many bikes claim just rebuilt or fresh
Top end on craigslist .
Recieps or Im not believing it
Its gotta be like 80%
Claiming that!

Pit Row

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philG
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philG 10/31/2013 11:55am
10/31/2013 11:55am
Never raced , and when you get there its got 200 tech stickers on it
yosmithy
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yosmithy 10/31/2013 11:56am
10/31/2013 11:56am
I hate it when I finally get back to the room, and the B*tch tells me that it will be another $50 "For that"

Gawd I hate that!!
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BAMX 10/31/2013 12:04pm
10/31/2013 12:04pm
RonSkj wrote:
"Comes with a paddle tire" = I am out!
It might as well say "On its last legs"
GeorgiePorgie 10/31/2013 1:25pm
10/31/2013 1:25pm
Metal mulisha graphics.... Mis matched tires.


"Johnny Over-tighten-the-shit-out-of-everything"


And I hate the asshole who has a clean looking bike but you get it home and find out he over tightened every effing bolt on the bike.
motokiwi 10/31/2013 1:51pm
10/31/2013 1:51pm
Stripped seat bolts.
Stickers under the fenders.
Mulisha Graphics and / or Monster stickers.
Bike not washed with detergent / not washed in the right places / not washed at all.

...These are all pet peeves and signs of a n00b owning the bike and probably treating it bad.
MR. X
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MR. X 10/31/2013 2:27pm
10/31/2013 2:27pm
I hated selling used bikes and some guy shows up with his "expert" mechanic who is gonna tell you about your own bike .
Jharper
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Jharper 10/31/2013 2:53pm
10/31/2013 2:53pm
When selling,

BRO, you wanna trade for My BANSHEEEEEEE ? It's so BADDDDD
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/31/2013 3:12pm
10/31/2013 3:12pm
Being lied to and not being smart enough to check anyways...in other words...

I get mad at myslef for Knowing Better; but, giving some ass-hole the benefit of the doubt!

Which is ALL MY FAULT.

On the other-hand: My most recent purchase...this guy wants to give me ALL sorts of "spares". I'm at his house buying a 35 year-old bike that was MY DREAM bike...the bike that made me become a Moto-Head...the Bike that Marty Smith rode...even on the damn-brochure!

$2K.

REALLY NICELY BUILT and Beautifully running 35 year-old Nikasiled-Cylinder-Ceramic-Coated-Exhaust-Port BEATIFUL SOUNDING bike...the guy won't even discuss taking more money; because, "I said Two-Thousand and I want YOU to have this bike. The things youo knew about this bike, the way you talked about the riders at Honda. Yu're supposed to have THIS bike".
He's a professor at Chico State.
Not a job that makes huge $.
Not one single extravagant thing in this guy or his wife's life...that I can see...other than THIS bike; so...I tell him. "You hang on to those spares and put a price on'em. Then, then I'll take'em" so, he's working on that.
We're talking SPARE Aluminum Tank
Spare OEM ALuminum shifter
Spare OEM Side-Panels
SPARE MOTOR! (In parts in a crate; but, it was ALL THERE! DOH!)
Spare OEM Carb...from 35 YEARS AGO.
All this stuff and the bike can EASILY cost up to $10K on eBay...ALL DAY! Most of this stuff is the crap you see on eBay that always says, "Correct" and costs STUPID MONEY.

There are some really good folks out there with really great stuff that they just want to sell to the right person.
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TeamGreen 10/31/2013 3:14pm
10/31/2013 3:14pm
MR. X wrote:
I hated selling used bikes and some guy shows up with his "expert" mechanic who is gonna tell you about your own bike .
That happened to me, once.

The mechaiinc guy...rolls up with the buyer. H elooks familiar to me. Looks at the bike. Looks at the stuff in the garage...

"Shit! I've been race this fool for years!"

Tells his freind to just buy it and we go have a beer. San Jose, 1990. Good times!
Barrett57
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Barrett57 10/31/2013 3:24pm
10/31/2013 3:24pm
When bikes look mint in the pictures but are pure shit when you get there.

"Not for the faint hearted" or "race tuned"
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HOPSTOOPID 10/31/2013 3:49pm
10/31/2013 3:49pm
MR. X wrote:
I hated selling used bikes and some guy shows up with his "expert" mechanic who is gonna tell you about your own bike .
x2. Also, walk away if you see any zip-ties that are used for anything other than to cluster cables together.
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BAMX 10/31/2013 4:26pm
10/31/2013 4:26pm
jsmx97 wrote:
When someone lists an old bike as a way newer model year. "For sale 2003 Honda cr125r" and it ends up being a 1999
queen of spodes wrote:
THIS. This. Always an older model sold as a newer model.
The best is when they want to argue about it. Or that they think that since it was bought 2 years late, it is that years bike.

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