Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[twincam]

That's why they are asking 35K for it! It's a Rare Find

very rare!!!

[SPIDERMAN]

This has nothing to do with you personally or how much you spent at the dealership. It's business the Harley used market is so soft right now its unbelievable. They need to be able to resale your trade in for a profit. Either wait it out or bite the bullet...

YO Everyone listen up to what Sid is sayin here. The man doesn't post very often, but when he does he's talkin truth

B B

[napalm]

Good Dealers will work with you, if you are a valuable customer.  I had a '06 SEUC and was involved with the bad paint, radio problems, etc, etc.....  I finally go the OK from HD to have the painted parts replaced, but got tired of waiting.  Visited my main dealer two hours away, explained the situation.  They agreed to sell my bike on consignment for $300 and guaranteed me an '07 SEUC coming in December.  Long story short, my painted parts came into another dealer that had ordered the parts.  The dealer that had my bike on consignment bought the parts from the dealer and changed all the parts under warranty, fixed all the issues with the bike and sold it two days later for $29,500.  They were happy, I was happy, especially when my '07 came in.

A lot of all this has to do with the dealer.  The good days are over with Dealers selling over MSRP, with freight and set up tacked on.  With my '07 purchase the Dealer hug my Rinehart True duals and other accessories at no labor charge and my 1,000 mile service was FREE!!!!!  They did not charge me freight or set up.

It pays to find a dealer that appreciates the guys and gals that spend thousands of dollars at their dealership!

My 2 cents!!

napalm

[cdog]

This is the same story with cars or bikes.  As I recall, there's usually a point around the 3 year mark where the remaining balance on a 5-year loan will about equal the trade-in value.  This is where you can get out without having to swing some cash onto a new loan.

If you get out sooner than that point, you either need a good private party buyer OR just bite the bullet and throw another few thousand on your new bike purchase.

People say that motor vehicles are bad investments, but I think the return on them is great when you consider the fun they provide on a per mile basis.  My cars/bikes are the things that I have never regretted purchasing.

[biz44]

Biz so do you have a place in NYC as well as Jersey?   Your sig says NYC the post says Weehawkin 

No.....not any more. I lived in NYC up until about three months ago....555W43 between 9th & 10th. I am living in NJ full time now.

[theslash]

Harley is starting down a road that will take some time to turn around. The new bikes 07 and 08 are having trouble with heat not so great colors and the like. This turns new buyers off. They also will not want the older models eather. Harley needs to start making bikes people want to buy, are the price will keep going going lower.
My dealer has more than ten 07 ultras and two UCSE a 06 and 07 in stock. And will not have any 08 before next month. I say keep what you have and make Harley think about why the new bikes aren't selling and maybe they will wise up. 

[altugo]

No.....not any more. I lived in NYC up until about three months ago....555W43 between 9th & 10th. I am living in NJ full time now.

I used to live around there.Weehawken,Guttenberg than Port Imperial.I love the area.Its convenient and your at a stone throw away from the city without the hassles of the city.I will sure visit you guys who live around there next time im in New York.

[Seegarsmkr]

I used to live around there.Weehawken,Guttenberg than Port Imperial.I love the area.Its convenient and your at a stone throw away from the city without the hassles of the city.I will sure visit you guys who live around there next time im in New York.

I love that area...but it THE City area is one of those places that if you love it no other place will do, but if you don't any other place will do!!!

Seegarz

[BobD]

OK I feel better we all get screwed.

Reading this thread absolutely amazes me. Some of you evidently are expecting your local dealer (who most of you aren't really too loyal to) to give you what you paid for your SE, one , two or even three years ago. Are you crazy? Does anybody out there own a business or actually participate in the real world? Your H-D dealer who has invested several million in his business and has untold costs of operation has to make money to just keep the doors open. Yes, you can wash out on your trade better if you sell it yourself. So why don't you? Because most of us are lazy and not willing to take the risk. So we turn it over to our dealer of choice who has overhead expense you wouldn't believe and expect him to do it for us. Just letting your trade-in set in his inventory costs him several hundred every month. It's a crap shoot for him too. And then he has to pay commissions to employees, insurance premiums, taxes, etc. and hope guys like us don't return their purchase bitching about issues we expect him to remedy for free. And for those of you who bought your SE as an "investment", you guys really need to talk with a professional money manager or councilor. No motorcycle is an investment. They are a recreational expression of the inner person you have kept repressed most of you life and are looking to release. That's it - nothing else - accept it.

[UltraPolecat]

Finally, a voice of reason....

Well said Bob

[Rooster]

Roger,
You hit it right on the head.  All of the additions that we make to our bikes, that are important to us, and yes, cost us a fair bit of money too, means absolutely nothing when you trade a bike in.  Having traxxion, air seat, GPS, and all of that stuff means nothing to the dealer when it comes to what they are going to give you for trade-in value.  (I speak from experience on this with my 02 Ultra that I traded in on my '07 SEUC).  When I told the dealer what all I had on the bike to get more money out of him for trade-in, he said that doesn't raise the value of the trade-in.  So when it came time to trade the bike in, I removed my air seat, GPS, pipes and stuff that he said didn't raise the value.  When I traded the bike in they asked me what happened to all of the stuff that was on the bike when they appraised it.  I told them I took it off after you said it wasn't of any additional value for the trade-in.  They were going to give me less for the trade in and I said I don't think so.  You told me those additional parts had no additional value, so I took them off and put it back to what you were appraising, a basically stock, plus all the chrome I didn't take off, Ultra.  They weren't happy, but I said I would have been more than happy to leave those items if you had given me fair consideration for having them on the bike.  I ended up selling the parts out right and made a few bucks on the side and got the trade in price for the bike. So I didn't feel too bad.  Just my $0.02 here.
Cheers ,
 

Good for you, how could they argue with you it was their appraiser that made the comment.

[grc]

Reading this thread absolutely amazes me. Some of you evidently are expecting your local dealer (who most of you aren't really too loyal to) to give you what you paid for your SE, one , two or even three years ago. Are you crazy? Does anybody out there own a business or actually participate in the real world? Your H-D dealer who has invested several million in his business and has untold costs of operation has to make money to just keep the doors open. Yes, you can wash out on your trade better if you sell it yourself. So why don't you? Because most of us are lazy and not willing to take the risk. So we turn it over to our dealer of choice who has overhead expense you wouldn't believe and expect him to do it for us. Just letting your trade-in set in his inventory costs him several hundred every month. It's a crap shoot for him too. And then he has to pay commissions to employees, insurance premiums, taxes, etc. and hope guys like us don't return their purchase bitching about issues we expect him to remedy for free. And for those of you who bought your SE as an "investment", you guys really need to talk with a professional money manager or councilor. No motorcycle is an investment. They are a recreational expression of the inner person you have kept repressed most of you life and are looking to release. That's it - nothing else - accept it.

Bob,

Yes, you are correct, but it still doesn't make a lot of folks feel any better.  Especially those who fell for the BS from the dealer about exclusivity and holding their value when they were being gouged for a few thousand over MSRP.  

Motorcycles are like any other vehicle or recreational device, they depreciate rapidly in value.  The reason many have forgotten that fact is that the Harley market for many years was in a constant state of shortages.  Dealers sold new bikes at MSRP plus what the traffic would bear, often after the buyer had been on a waiting list, and used bikes sold for more than their original MSRP also.  Dealers would offer original MSRP or close to it on one and two year old trades because they could easily sell them for even more, and since they were raping you on the new purchase they still made excellent gross profits on the overall deal.  It's a little difficult to feel sorry for any of those dealers, since even the ones with little real business sense became millionaires.

The only way to approach the Harley market now is to view it just like the domestic auto market.  Fight for the best deal you can get on a new purchase since the depreciation will be immediate (as soon as you sign the paperwork).  If you just have to have a particular model, you automatically limit your bargaining power and you need to resign yourself to the fact that it's going to cost you.  And maybe trading every year is not such a brilliant idea afterall.  It's a brave new world in Harleydom - get used to it.

Jerry

[Seegarsmkr]

I agree whole heartedly...and did not purchase my bike to make a profit or even to sell at all.  The problem that I have with the dealers is that ALL they are trying to do is make a profit.  I understand completely that a business is only in business or stays in business because it makes money.  I know that this is a broad generalization but so far the CUSTOMER SERVICE is lacking and the money hunger is still present as it was when they could charge way over MSRP and people would thank the dealer profusely.  I think that they could still be financially happy but not feel at EVERY exchange that they are RAPING us and we WILL like it damn it!!

Seegarz

[SBB]

And for those of you who bought your SE as an "investment", you guys really need to talk with a professional money manager or councilor. No motorcycle is an investment. They are a recreational expression of the inner person you have kept repressed most of you life and are looking to release. That's it - nothing else - accept it.

Bob D

I'm a little confused about the repressed and looking to release verbage of your post.
I have had a motorcycle since I bought my first at age 14.
At any given time I have owned one or more Harley's at a time for the past 29 years.
What is it that I have been repressing and looking to release?
I'm thinking I must have missed out on an important phase of my life and don't even know it!


I usually count on TwoLane to analyze my issues but you seem like a smart man!
Where have I screwed up?
Inquiring minds want to know!


 

[Hoist!]

Bob D

I'm a little confused about the repressed and looking to release verbage of your post.
I have had a motorcycle since I bought my first at age 14.
At any given time I have owned one or more Harley's at a time for the past 29 years.
What is it that I have been repressing and looking to release?
I'm thinking I must have missed out on an important phase of my life and don't even know it!


I usually count on TwoLane to analyze my issues but you seem like a smart man!
Where have I screwed up?
Inquiring minds want to know!


 

I gotta agree with Chip here. "They are a recreational expression of the inner person you have kept repressed most of you life and are looking to release. That's it - nothing else - accept it." That's the biggest bunch of BS I've ever heard. Not the investment part, because I agree with that. But not for the reason you give. Maybe to you it's just another toy. But to some people, it's actually their lifestyle, with the bike an integral part of it! Don't go minimizing what role bikes play in someone's life. I think their are many "bikers" that would agree that it's not their recreational toy. It actually sounds like the words of a HD dealer!

Hoist!