new or used?
 

hey all ive decided on getting a klx 250s. i went to the dealership today and checked out a 2013 and a 2014. i actually like the 13 better looks wise. their both black and white but just reversed. the 13 is 5400 out the door including all the dmv crap. the 14 is 5500 out the door. so only a hundred dollar difference. im sure the year older would hurt the resale value but personally i like the look of the 13 better. neither bike have even had gas in them. i tried like hell to squeek a better deal but thats the best i could do.


what do you guys think? i got burned on my 05 z-400 i bought used and it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. it would be pretty sweet to get a brand new bike with 0 miles on it though. but if i went to sell it id prolly take a 2500 dollar hit :(

any thoughts would be great thanks!

That seems a little high to me. But then again you didn't say where your located. I bought mine through Costco and paid $5,160 out the door plus I got a $250 Costco gift card.

At the very least start playing dealership against dealership.

im in connecticut i forgot to put that.ive made a few calls i found a dealership that will do a 14 in green for 5300 otd. seems to be the best i can find. i found another place to equal it but i havent tried bouncing one off the other as of yet.

I bought mine as a leftover in Ossining, NY at Hudson valley motorcycles for $4400 OTD! I bought the 09 which got totalled....then replaced it with the 10 for the same price. BUT I have bought a total of 7 brand new bikes from them!!

You don't want to "ask" what their best price is out the door. If the best price you have right now is $5,300 OTD you call the next dealer and say so-and-so has it for $5,200 OTD, can you best that price. You then call the next dealership and see if they can best that price and so on. Eventually you'll hit their rock bottom price and you'll get a good deal.

Are you financing or paying cash? Cash will help as these bikes don't move fast and they presumably have already paid for it. I did the 9.9% financing with $0 down and included a helmet in the deal.

Just don't do what someone I know did and pay almost $10k for a 2008. He didn't understand what APR meant. Derrrp

I am in CT too - where are you?

Have you considered any other bikes, or are you set on a KLX? What type of riding do you do?

i sell mine, but in sf area in california

MSRP for a 2014 is $5,099.00. I bought my 2012 new for $4,700.00. The MSRP was the same. Can't imagine paying more than $5K.

How much?

So, what we're saying here is to do exactly what we all seem to complain about - lying about the deal!

Remember one thing - a salesperson can say anything over the phone. They can lie as good as the buyer. Buyer says "I can get one for $5200" they say can say "I think I can get you one for $5100" just to get the buyer to come in, hoping when they tell them "I couldn't quite do it, I can do $5350" hoping the buyer is tired of running around and figuring they lied about the $5200 since all dealers pay the same for the bike. Quite common. One dealer I knew, who is no longer a dealer, commented about how he had to lie to customers because of all the cut throat motorcycle dealerships, then he commented, "You know the biggest liar here walks through the door.", the customer. He had heard so many lies it became obvious he had to be one too. He hated it.

Another game for a less honest dealership is to sit down and play with the numbers to gain, again figuring the buyer is probably tired of running around and may not notice the finagling in all the numbers. Some might do it just because they know the buyer is just plain lying. Side story - We had one guy who told us one dealer would sell for a ridiculous price... just happened my employer was on the phone to that dealer and, being friends, he asked about that crazy price - it was a lie. We told the guy, "we're on the phone with them, they won't sell it at that price." It was a high demand hot item too.

Having been in sales an honest buyer should consider where they WANT to buy. If there is a preferred dealer, how much would the buyer be willing to pay above the lowest price they get to buy at that dealer. A good dealer close to home can be worth a couple hundred pretty quick. Especially when it comes to dropping off and picking up a bike. The doing the deal in a great fun friendly way instead of making it miserable and trying to wring the last nickle out of the sale, will make for the start of a good relationship that can save money in the future.

At the sale the buyer should ask if they can give them a card to get a few (or at least one) discounts on accessories/equipment to be bought in the near future. It shouldn't be hard to get 15% on at least one purchase. One that I just thought of, but never did - free mount/balance on the first set of tires when the OEMs wear out. Maybe a break on the first tune up. It's easier to play with future money that has some margin than to hack it all off the bike.

If the buyer and salesperson both end up coming away from the deal happy to have done it, it will definitely help in the future. It especially helps with future purchases on bikes or big ticket items. I know we had people we truly liked to see come into the shop, because they were just plain fun, buying or not buying, they were fun. One is now my closest friend - and he's a riot to go riding and goofing around. He always got treated right.

If there is a preferred dealer, make that preferred dealer the last stop, be honest. Don't be afraid to make a low offer, just not a stupid offer. They will counteroffer if the buyer is clearly serious and they will be at or very near the bottom dollar. And again, what is it worth to buy from that preferred dealer?

I just saw a bike here in the Columbus area with a dealer plate frame from a dealership 120 miles from Columbus OH, the license plate was from the county here in Columbus. I know that dealer, known him for a couple decades now. He sells a lot of bikes all over the place. Riders have heard about the shop, not a big shop either, but they have heard about him. He isn't the cheapest, he is just a great dealer. He gets references from miles around as was obvious by that bike with the plate frame. Riders are willing to go to his dealership. He's a good guy, shooting straight with his customers. Worth more to them than that last buck.


Oh, for the OP, how soon do you figure you'll sell the bike? If it is in the near future go with the newer year, but if it will be maybe five years or more down the road, buy the 13. Or better yet, do what I do - Buy what I want, screw resale since I don't plan on selling it. If it was an investment I wouldn't ride it, I'd resell it or save it.