Trade In Value - How Much?

[Stuart]

As a matter of interest, what's the general thought on a fair trade in price for:  10 Plate 650X, with 1,500 miles, truly immaculate condition (ACF50'd & complelety corrosion free), usual X spec extras plus Kappa Panniers & Rack, Givi Top Box & Rack, Cymarc Stainless radiator Cover, Pyramid Hugger, GiPro Gear Indicator, Full Service History.  I've been provided with an "around" trade in price by a dealer... but would like to hear the Groups thoughts... then I'll publish what they offered.  Oh, and that's on how it fares when the workshop look at it!!!  Even though they've been provided with excellent pics of its immaculate condition!

[Strommer]

£4-4.5K?  You can get a nearly new L2 for £5.5k

[Locky]

Bet the dealer offered you less than 4k .

[Dilly]

Doubt the dealer will offer any extra for all the extras you have fitted, so I would take them off and sell them separately, my guess is £3600  

[Stuart]

Well, Autotrader has a few - one 07 Plate 14,000 £5,149.  An 11 Plate (bog standard, no extras) £4,995.  The 11 Plate's maybe the closest (minus the X goodies & added extras) in age & miles.  The Trade In I've been offered is "around" (meaning less!!!!) £3,400.  So, if the 11 Plate's the closest, they'd retail mine at over £5,000 making over £1,600 instantly - for a bike they won't need to spend a cent on to prepare!! It's in above showroom condition!!  

On a similar note... a few years ago two of us crafty types (Job!) visited Car Auctions.  We'd watch a few known dealers & after a week we'd visit them as two "customers" & enquire about the cars (we watched them buy at auction).  Almost every single one would say "we bought it dear", "we paid top money" for it & "oh yes, it's a trade in... got top money".  Bike dealers probably aren't any better... perhaps that's where Suzuki got the name for the Bandit... by watching a few dealers!

Anyway, needless to say the bike won't be leaving - maybe next year, but that'll be to a private seller who might appreciate paying a wee bit more for an honest bike in excellent condition, from an honest seller!!

[PHIL FAT]

the dealers will rip you off they tried it with me about 14 months ago ,told them they were having a laugh and kept the bike and still loving it try and sell private you will always find someone on here looking for one  

[Strommer]

You might want to check this out:

http://www.v-strom.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13199

[Stuart]

Extras don't add value and most dealers prefer a standard machine.

Everyone's idea of "mint" or immaculate vary.

Surprisingly dealers have to make money. The profit margins on new machines are very small and when buying a  bike in or taking it in part exchange, consideration has to be given to how long it may sit in stock, depreciation and even end up being traded on, some form of warranty when sold, any servicing due etc plus the usual overheads of running a business.

After all, everyone expects to get their new machine as cheap as possible and you can't have it both ends.

Most aren't selling volumes of bikes each week and costs have to be covered and a profit made.

Being offered £1000 - £1500 below what a private sale might realise sounds like a rip off to some but doesn't actually make a huge profit for the dealer when everything else is taken in to consideration.

Oh for goodness sake - this is exactly the arguement (almost word for word) I hear from a family friend - a car dealer and one of Scotlands richest men!  Same old "poor me - it's a tough business" - while banking millions from the "greedy" customers who demand discounts!  The same bloke who "loathes" the minumum wage legislation, & whose wife refuses to shop with him because he demands huge discounts on everything he buys - never, ever paying the sticker price!!  There's three bike dealer families in the West - all very, very rich, all been in the business for decades, none planning to leave anytime soon (wonder why??!!), all decent enough folk - but the bleeding heart moans about hard times stop when you see how well they're actually doing!  Everyone's entitled to a profit - but very few can mark up by hundreds or thousands!   Every business has lying stock - that's business.  As for extras not being worth jack sh*t - why then, do dealers go to great lengths when selling a vehicle with these "worthless" extras - oh, and add the appropriate premium??!!  Bottom line is:  yes, the dealer is absolutely entitled to make as much as possible - but 'yes' so in the customer entitled to save as much as possible!  Lets turn the tables - who on earth, would walk into a dealer, look at an identical car/bike on retail, & accept a couple of grand less for their identical trade in, nod politely, then pay top sticker price for the new vehicle, nod politely (like a jolly good chap!!), knowing the huge mark up they've just been shafted for??  My neighbour recently bought a new car - but spent ages with the salesman trying to agree a trade in price.  Eventually leaving when the dealer reached his "absolute top price" which wasn't suitable.  However, driving home, he received a call with an offer £300 higher than this "absolute top price", plus premium mats, plus at least a half tank of fuel, if he returned & signed!  He got the deal & sale - but only after having to cut his margin a bit (but obviously only as much as still to make a decent profit)... both happy, both doing business, but doing nothing for dealer integrity or fair play!

[Stuart]

Selling at a loss, tight margins, next to zero profit... they all vomit the same - and interestingly, the owners (not the staff) always appear to make a very, very healthy living - drive very, very nice cars, living in equally nice houses... then, when (they decide) it's time to go down the drain, retain that life style pleading not a penny to their name (usually true because it's all been moved to the wife!), avoid creditors, HMRC & everyone else.  Obviously if the deal's not right it's time to walk... the point is, regardless of model, vehicle, make etc, these people will ALWAYS try & work the customer over.  Also a cop with the Fraud Squad, I've seen far, far too many rodents to have any sympathy, or believe a word they say.  Like Double Glazing/Kitchen firms... anyone who believes these characters deserves all they get & shouldn't be allowed to vote... or breed.

Oh, and by driving 75 miles East of here, a Suzuki dealer is selling a new DL at £803 cheaper than a West Coast dealer... hmmm... making next to nothing on new bikes eh?  Well one's making a healthy profit & one's making a decent profit (strangley the greedy dealer won't even let prospective buyers sit on the bike - "you'll sit on it plenty when you buy it" is the reply they get... & he's beed in business since the 50's... it's a hard life!