Posts
35
Joined
8/17/2007
Location
Roswell, GA
US
Edited Date/Time
10/18/2014 10:51am
Why do they advertise a new '13 yz450f for $4,498 on cycle trader.com and charge so much more...? I called in attempt to save everyone's time and one of the internet sales guy invited me to come in, "for an awesome deal." He would not quote OTD over the phone. I go in and 15 minutes later find out with freight, sales tax 6% and prep OTD is $6,498...! Insulting & shameful. I guess it's cheap marketing for them. I s/h known better... Sick of this shit. It's like when you buy a new car (14 f'ing hours later for some reason 
then you get hard sold
then you get hard sold
The Shop
1. They want you to come in and make the deal, now I disagree with all the extra "Fees" but as a practice no sales manager will ever let a salesman "Desk" a deal over the phone the goal is to get the customer in the store.
2. And this one is probably the most important one, they wont quote you a deal over the phone because 99.9999999% of people will take that number and shop it around to every shop within 100 miles of their location and usually dealerships talk and know when this is happening and in some cases will not go for it.
I sort of get the set up fee (PDI), but admin. costs ($250 around here) I don't get.
And delivery charges, that is just nuts. (for cars too).
PDI/setup.. ok I get that.
but yes, freight and everything else.. NOT A CHANCE.
I actually just contacted Moto City in Tucson AZ recently.. They gave me an OTD price on a 14 Husky TC250 of $6105.
They MSRP for like 7400 or so. (7200?). Those guys shoot it straight. If other shops were like that, they'd sell more bikes.
But.. I am guilty of pulling the "just come on down. I'll take real good care of you line" many times back in those days.
For example- I can think of a handful of dealers in WI who support the local racing scene and will give you a fair/honest price on a bike..
If they quote you a deal so good that it's barely worth their time to do the paperwork, some other dealer will beat it by $20 just to earn the business.
If they give you a fair and honest price out the door, any other dealer can easily beat it by at least $100.
If they give you regular retail, you'll buy somewhere else.
The way I approach it is this: Go into the store in person. Let them quote you a ridiculously overpriced total. Offer a ridiculously lowball offer instead. Then, say, "let's cut the crap and I'll give you a fair price" and offer them a realistic number.
By the way, if you don't know what a realistic number is, it's usually about MSRP with the dealer paying your tax and setup. Go ahead and give them the $45 for DOC or DMV just to be cool. Don't ask them to "Throw in" a new Shoei helmet, but by all means ask to get a deal on one if you purchase it with the bike.
Dealers are just people too, trying to make a living in a cutthroat world. Often times they have to make a homerun on 1 deal to some unlucky bastard just to make up for the 10 next-to-zero-profit deals they just had to make. Don't be the unlucky bastard. On the other hand, don't be the dude that swears up and down that you "know how much they pay for these things, so here's $900 for your 2015 RM-Z450." (Unless you really do know and are willing to offer the dealer a small profit.)
What do you guys think a dealer should make on a sale? 5%, 10%? Just curious.
Pit Row
Set up cost the average dealer about $85.00 if they do it themselves, a little more if the have an outside assembler do it for them.
I'm all for paying *a bit* more for local, but that's just bad business.
What the OP put up about '13 yz450f for $4,498..... freight, sales tax 6% and prep OTD is $6,498......that is insane and I would never deal with that shop ever again plain and simple.
So what am I supposed to do? Make money on parts and service? I can't because most of the people that are buying new bikes from me are buying all their parts online and fixing their own stuff!!
The real problem, in my opinion, is that the internet has made it so easy for people to price shop, that they only care about the price of the bike now, instead of the quality of the dealership that they are buying it from. As some people stated above, the best thing to do is find a dealership that you like, and establish a relationship with them. For example, when I sell a vehicle, you get a discount on all your parts for a year. Well, if you actually use that discount, and come to me for your parts after buying your vehicle, your discount continues on after that first year, and usually grows larger as you buy more and more from me. But Joe Blow, who just wants me to quote him my "best price" over the phone, isn't going to drive 3 hours to get parts from me after he buys that bike, so why would I quote him my lowest price over the phone? I'm just supposed to sell it to him at dealer cost and try again on the next guy? I don't think so...
You are much better off finding a dealership that you love, shopping around for a price, and then offering the dealership that you like a chance at selling it to you at that price. That way you know you got a price you're happy with from a dealer you're happy with. Then you'll get dealers doing things for you like throwing in parts, setting up the bike for your riding style and weight, and giving you support in ways other than just an extra $100 off the price of the bike.
My best advice is this: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get an "out the door price". The setup, freight, prep, doc, tax, and title fees are meaningless. The only thing that matters is what you write the check for.
Learn how to shop before you complain about how people sell.
And remember, "best price" does not mean "best value"
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