bargaining question

[daf45]

I'm looking at a GS1200 ex demo bike with ABS and heated grips and 5,500 miles showing for £8495.
Can you expect the usual bargaining / haggling rules to apply when purchasing these bikes?
The dealer kept on about how much better the 'residual' is on these bikes, making them almost sound like an 'investment'...
I think given the time of year, an extra special price, or some of the seemingly expensive luggage thrown in, would be reasonable to expect.
They seem to be less widely available so walking away coz they wont throw in luggage is unlikely - specially since i'm like a kid in a sweet shop in bike showrooms.
Is an ex demo bike likely to be better set up and maintained to make a good impression or just thrashed by everyone who's ridden it since its not the one they are getting???
Advise please

 

[BBB61]

List price for the standard bike is £8715 OTR. ABS adds £795 and heated grips another £195. Total of £9705, so they are offering it for £1200 below the cost of a new one. One bargaining point will be the mileage, If its only a few months old with 5500 on the clock, that puts it above book mileage ( usually 4000 a year). If you have nothing to part exchange and have a big wad of cash to wave in their face, it may be possible to get some movement at this time of year.

Btw, which dealer is it?

 

[Sea Lion]

I wouldn't take too much notice of the residual value patter. When you try to trade it in the same guy will soon change his tune and offer you bugger all.

Quite frankly I find the 'you're honoured that we'll sell a bike to you' stance by most BMW dealers insulting. I prefer the saw dust on the floor and 'I'm sure we cut cut you a deal' mentality of my local Triumph dealer. Shame I don't like the bikes as much

 

[GSmonkey]

I bought an ex-demo from Vines with 7k on the clock. I paid similar money, but with top box and alarm. I had to bargain in a top box on the deal.

The bike will have been thrashed, there's a good possibility it had been dropped (mine had), but I've put almost 20k on mine without anything but the normal 1200GS problems.

Its a better option than buying new, especially if you're going to pile on the mileage anyhow.

 

[andyclift]

Has it been thrashed?

Would the saving you make on an ex-demo bike look so good if this results in big bills in the future 'cos the bike's been thrashed by God knows how many drivers of mixed ability?

BMW require running in at not more than 4000 RPM and no full load acceleration. When I did a test run I wanted to find out what the bike could do. Iam no `headbanger' but if that bike had been driven the same way since new I certainly wouldnot want to be stuck with it !!

I have just bought a new one and although the dealer must have known he had a dead cert sale he was still prepared to offer a deal I was happy with on the bike and options plus giving a good discount on riding kit. (bike + ABS + heated grips + engine bars + white indicators + chrome pipes = £9700. Panniers, helmet, clothing, etc. bought later with 10% discount)

Most of us struggle with the large investment in a new bike but I would rather find that bit extra and ride out of the showroom with a bike mileage reading of 000.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

demonstrator at that mileage is effectively the same as used.

ask another dealer for a trade in price as the bike stands now

see what they come up with

 

[Paul Wakefield]

There is a school of thought that thrashing them from new is a much better way of running them in than BM's recommended method. Do a search - I'm sure I read somewhere that dealers experience very few engine problems with ex demos. (Sorry I can't be a***d to look ).

In the unlikely event that you are buying this through a VAT registered business, an ex demo is a rare occasion when you can reclaim VAT on a used bike.

Paul

 

[sjwb]

Be prepared to walk away. Rule #1.
Offer £7750 and if they don't take it, find a nice secondhand private one.
Ex demo are usually the least desirable bikes to buy when you consider the death that people deal them.
Either way, the bike will NOT have been treated the way you would have wished, or done so yourself.

 

[Gipsy]

If you don't ask about a deal, you'll never get one. Dealers are always looking to make a sale, it's what they do for a living. As far as supply of secong hand bikes is concerned, IMHO it's likely that more second hand GS 1220's will be coming onto the market in the next 6 months. By that time they will have been on sale for 2 years or so, and some peeps will be upgrading. Also those peeps who have tried a GS for the first time based upon LWR, or magazine reports, may have decided its not for them and will migrate to other bikes. Also the simple fact of having sold so many of the 1200's is likely to be reflected in increased numbers of second hand bikes for sale.

 

[cookie]

i'd buy a new one, or something like this one.

that's £2k in the pocket in case something goes wrong, but it's got 18 months warranty anyway. would be an easy choice for me.

 

[Commuter]

i'd buy a new one, or something like this one.

that's £2k in the pocket in case something goes wrong, but it's got 18 months warranty anyway. would be an easy choice for me.

What he said.

If you really want this bike, pick a price (PICK IT) and then make sure that you get either exactly that or below. If not, get in the car and drive away. If the guy follows you to the car park, you have a deal

 

[Davel]

I'm very lucky because mine is a company bike, so residuals don't hit me personally.

If you have to consider residual values then you certainly would never buy a new bike unless you intended to keep it for a long time.

It's funny that, whenever you're buying then it's a seller's market and whenever you're selling then it's the other way round. You never can quite win!

If you're considering an ex-demonstrator, then you might also consider a looked after second hand bike, unless you want to recover the VAT.

Good luck...

 

[daf45]

hmmm

Thanks for all the opinions and helpful advice guys.
Guess I will have to learn to be patient and wait for the right bike and right deal.
Haven't gone back to them with my cheeky little offer yet, for fear of seeming too keen...
Will keep an eye on the 'for sales' here for a while and let you know the outcome anyway!

 

[Llama]

I certainly wouldn't buy an ex-demo machine based upon the demo bike I rode. The dealer admitted it had been dropped at least twice and the screen had petrol spilt on it making it opaque

He said that all the damaged/scratched bits would be replaced before its sold so it would look good as new. Although I dont doubt the honesty of the dealer I just dont fancy buying a 'nearly new' bike with that much history and not all dealers are the same and tell you the whole story.

I bought new, cause thats what I wanted but I'd rather by 2nd hand than ex demo at least you can speak to the previous owner and get a bit of an idea how its been treated. With an ex-demo any number of people will have ridden it in any number of ways.

 

[Nick Marshall]

demo

The dealer could probably sell the bike easily in a few days at full money, they probably dont have so much money to play with on a demo bike, Also these bikes are usually left out in all weathers, jet washed, and banged about going in and out the shop everyday, They will also be slightly harder to move on...Buy a loved s/h one, lots for sale at the moment, as a few owners wanting the new r1200gs adv. nick

 

[GBgolfman]

What ever you think off knocking off double it, you can always go up but not come down when they say yes. You know then its to late and you should have asked for more.

Loads of bikes about new and second hand.

I have a new one coming with £1000 of extras free, Jan delivery

 

[650EssexBoy]

I got a good deal last Jan on a 650 which was pre-registered - on the other hand I find dealer attitudes to haggling vary from place to place - one in North London is far more amenable to the idea than the place I bought the 650 from. Having said that, the one in South London was doing a very good deal - best thing is to avoid buying from a dealer at the start of the Summer just as they're starting to look forward to lots of sales after a long cold winter - I think its often best trying just after Christmas when everyone else is skint and the dealers are more keen to get a sale.

 

[vincenzoalberti]

got my 1200gs a few weeks back almost a grand off the sticker price ... defintely good time of the year to haggle