Test Ride Nightmare!! Could use some advice please...

[ahchiu]

Hi Everybody,
Once again, let me just say thanks to all of you who have offered me your insights and knowledge. So here's an update on where I'm at now. After collecting all the information I had and crunching the numbers I went back to the dealer on Saturday and hashed it out.

Needless to say, negotiating under these circumstances is not so much fun. Normally, I love to negotiate with dealers but obviously in this case, the balance is skewed in the dealers favor because we both know that I'm either paying for the damages or I'm buying the bike.

Option 1

I owe Polarnut and JimNTexas a [SIZE=18pt]HUGE[/SIZE] thankyou because I contacted the dealer they worked with in Oklahoma and that dealer emailed me a price quote of $10798. I was then able to find another local dealer with a New 08 FJR AE and get them to quote me for $200 less at $10598 for the bike with a 1 year warranty before tax and license.

I brought this to my dealers attention and he matched the price of $10598. Then add $636 to replace the most obvious damaged parts at his cost, no labor. Add $400 for a 2 year Y.E.S. agreement. And finally tax/license for a total of $12800. (paying $400 for a 2 year YES warranty is not matching the other dealer, so that doesn't sit well with me.....if I decide to purchase, I'm going to counter-offer to pay $200 for the 2 year YES agreement)

Option 2

I took the parts list to another Yamaha dealer and had them price it out parts and labor. Parts were priced about the same but the labor was less at 7.5 hours.

After a bit of discussion, my dealer said he'd sell me the parts at 15% off and reduce labor to 6 hours.

Total $3400 plus tax.

I'm still undecided on this........going back an forth. Crazy!! Financially this is not the best time for me to buy a motorcycle but if the economy continues to improve and I bust my ass I should be able to afford it.

Some additional info:

I was the first person to test ride the bike, there was 10 miles on the odometer.

I confirmed that he is offering me the "real" 2 year YES agreement, which a dealer can choose to offer on bikes without the 1 year warranty.

I confirmed through multiple sources that Yamaha does sell NEW motorcycles at auction without warranties when the bikes are priced below a certain threshold (%25 or more below a certain value). As was explained to me by another friendly dealer (D+H in Alabama), Yamaha does this because it doesn't want those lower priced units to directly compete with newer bikes that have the warranty.

Thanks

David

Hey TW,

I have Opt 3, get the bike and shop for parts online and see if you can get it cheaper than 15% off from the dealer and I'm sure the gang here in the area will help put the parts on. you just need to get plenty of PIES....for payment. We usally have a fall and spring tech meet @ Brian's, aka AuburnFJR.

a good way to meet the local FJR riders

 

[rogdeb]

I've been following this thread with interest -- don't have anything to add (what's new ) except that option #1 seems the best choice so far to me.

Hope you join the forum also.

 

[chrisflock]

I'll throw in my vote for giving the guy a low-ball price 'as is', and replacing the parts that need them on your own time. My guess would be that if you walk in to the dealer and say: here's 10,000 american dollars, I'll take the bike as it sits plus the 2 year YES warranty, I'll let you know if I need to order any parts; they'll probably shake your hand and give you the keys. If they say they need another couple hundred, then fine.

It's the best case scenario, they'll still make a little profit on the bike over what they bought at auction, you get the bike. It's just like if you had bought the bike and dropped it on the way home: it sucks, but with some searching for parts online, some help from the guys on this forum, and maybe a spring 'tech day' you'll have the bike either as good as new, or at least as good as you need. Scratches suck, but they'll happen anyway.

 

[chivvalry]

I called my insurance company (Progressive) and they said that I would be covered under my current motorcycle insurance for this exact scenario. They also said that they would go after the dealer's insurance first and whatever was left over they would cover. Same deal if I dropped a bike on a test ride with a private party. All I would be out was my deductible.

I feel better about test rides already.

 

[spinblue]

Just remember about sales tax. They will try and charge for full tax but if there is a delta due to some mitigation/litigation, the sales tax on the original amount may not be applicable.

As an example, if you trade a bike in, you would only pay the sales tax on the delta of the trade in and the new bike. As least for me, they tried to charge the tax on the new bike total. This can add up to a lot on a $10,000 bike given the tax rate.

 

[Tailwalk]

GOOD NEWS!!!!

I'm now the happy owner of a 2008 FJR AE...............YeeeeeHawwww!!

Thanks to all of your advice and knowledge, some hard work, stress and a little luck I managed to negotiate a good, fair deal with the dealer. $10598 price for the bike(matching the best local deal I could find), $636 for the repairs at his cost no labor, $200 for the 2 year YES contract, tax and license for a total of $12600 OTD. Financed zero down 6 years at %6.99.

VERY VERY HAPPY!!

I've been looking at these bikes for about 2 years and this was my 3rd test ride. While I was doing the test ride I knew this was the bike I wanted.......I just didn't expect to be buying it quite the way I did.

It will probably take a couple weeks before I can pick it up, so in the meantime, I'm going to get some new winter riding pants and start the "farkle" list. Oh, oh......

I'm making the first farkle purchase tonight.....can you guess what it will be?

Ahhhh, I figure I probably should put some OES Frame Sliders on......ya think

I look forward to many future rides and meet ups with many of you on this fantastic forum.

Cheers,

David

 

[highcountry]

Option 1 sounds reasonable. Get him down to $200 on the YES and be the proud owner of a great bike.

 

[cruiser]

:yahoo:

 

[marcusorelius]

Glad it all worked out fer ya! Enjoy!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Glad it worked out for you David. Enjoy the new ride...and now you won't have to stress about the first drop.

--G

 

[fjrwalker]

Good news, David!

Sounds like a very reasonable final deal and it seems you're quite happy which will only grow as you get out and ride.

Welcome to the collective. Farkle On!!!!

 

[Patriot]

your, ah, unique experience and work done to get your gem will bond you more to her

congrats and official welcome to the asylum

you have been assimilated

let's ride SAFE and be CAREFUL out there,

Mike in Nawlins'

 

[FuzzyRider]

Congrats and way to turn a bad situation into a good one!

 

[Rogue]

Congrats!

I had a lot of advice, but figured it wouldn't be very helpful so for once I kept my mouth shut.

 

[Indian Scout]

Congrats!I had a lot of advice, but figured it wouldn't be very helpful so for once I kept my mouth shut.

+1 :clapping:

And welcome to the FJR brotherhood.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

I'm making the first farkle purchase tonight.....can you guess what it will be?Ahhhh, I figure I probably should put some OES Frame Sliders on......ya think

David,

What a story and way to buy a motorcycle.... Congratulations and Welcome... this is a Fun Bike to ride especially when it is off the sliders.

Many Happy Miles and Smiles to ya.... especially since your first drop is out of the way!

 

[beemerdons]

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...t=0&start=0 Congratulations David and Welcome to the Loony Bin! If I was in your boots, I'd join your fellow Seattlites at breakfast tomorrow. Niehart will give you a piece of pie! Watch out for Panman!

 

[08FJR4ME]

Welcome aboard.

In the end I think we all learned a lot from this thread. Many happy miles to come.

Good luck,

Dave

 

[chivvalry]

Congrats and +1 on those frame sliders! LOL

 

[happyPuppy]

Excellent news ! I am sure you will love the bike.