Finance deals appear uncompetitive.

[Kaya]

Mod 2 test tomorrow and then planning for a bigger bike. I really like the 650 but the finance deal does not seem competitive compared with other brands.

Has anybody been through this process and been able to haggle or does anyone have some good advice?

[Fatbelly]

If you wish to buy on finance, there are many places to borrow from. It would be foolish to only consider one of them as deals on offer will change all the time.

[geekay]

When I looked at a new gsxr 750 earlier in summer, Suzuki were offering 2%. Is that not still available?

[frez]

The Suzuki finance deals vary over the year.

At the moment you have to pay interest, but they are also giving you cash back, in a couple of months they maybe offering 0% finance but no cash back (I.e. the deal Kawasaki are doing at the moment). You usually get the best deals on models Suzuki UK has a surplus of in the winter months.

Look at what the overall cost of the bike will be over the time period you will be financing it over to compare like for like.

Also, keep in mind that you can negotiate with the dealers to knock even more off the price of the bike and get discounts on accessories, and get them to agree in writing to do the first service for the cost of the parts.

They will of course start from "I can't possibly discount the bike", but when they know they will lose your sale because you are shopping around they will do a deal. If you are not happy with the deal, walk away, if they don't chase you out the shop you know you have pushed them as far as they are willing to go.

[krisv]

Fowlers are selling 650s for 5699.. Seemed to have a good option for finance. I was quite tempted myself... can't remember the exact amount but I think they are doing 100 quid a month for 36 months. can't remember what the deposit it though!

[biglad]

If a dealer is offering 0%  it would usually have to be subsidised (generally with a contribution from the dealer). You should ask the dealer what price he'd do with the low rate and without - and make your mind up from there. Another option worth doing is to arrange your own finance elsewhere - personal loans can be had at very competitive rates just now. With the cash in your hand you can then find a dealer which will give you a good price and the extras you need - talk to him about it when you're buying the bike.... You'll also avoid the 'admin' and 'option to purchase' fees on HP provided at a dealer. From a dealer point of view, its quite handy having someone come in and use their debit card to pay for a bike. There's no risk of being declined for finance, though no commission either....

This info is from when I used to sell cars...

[2112]

If the deals offered are uncompetitive it usually means that Suzuki are selling plenty of them anyway, so they don't need to give them any help.

[Jacko]

Bank loans are far more expensive at present than dealer finance deals. I bought mine borrowing 3,300 over 4 years (proper purchase deal, not on of this CNC (or whatever) things where you have to buy the bike at the end anyway, pointless). So, 3,300, over 4 years £256 total interest. My bank wanted £20 a MONTH interest, and the bloke thought that was quite competitive! Piss taking jokers.

So, in conclusion, stay away from banks, you can buy a new bike cheaper on dealer subsidised finance than you can a 12 month old used one with money from a bank.

£800 off at the moment too, when I bought mine it was only £500.

[Yoyo]

A mate of mine bought a Triumph Explorer XC on 5yr 0% but had to travel to get the deal as our local dealer wasn't offering and 0% option, might be worth calling a few other dealers to see what they are doing

[biglad]

My suggestion was just that there are no 'freebies' when it comes to buying bikes/ cars/ whatever. You may well find dealer finance at a cheaper rate but if the dealer has to subsidise it then the profit from the bike will be less. I saw a loan ad for 4.9% APR the other day which is very close to the dealer rate. You will need to have a squeaky clean history to get it. I'm sure the dealer would give away something on the price of the bike if there was no other cost to him (I certainly did when I sold them). The admin fee and option to purchase fee should also be taken into account....these will be a few hundred £s on there own.

The whole buying process is like a toothpaste tube....the toothpaste is the dealers profit ( which will always come out. You need to decide where to squeeze it to get the deal for you.
 Its a balancing act- you need to weigh it all up and pay your money, take your chance.