I'm torn between

[NTXFJR]

I don't need my ass kissed, but don't lie to me, don't try to screw me out of money, and don't treat me like I'm stupid. That's just bad business, and it will piss me off.

Well said! It's a game to some of them to see what they can get away with?

 

[Fred W]

OK, so playing the devil's advocate, turn the tables and tell me how you would feel if...

You are working as a salesman at a bike shop. Your sales margins are minuscule and your volume is less than spectacular. You have overhead that needs to be paid for. A guy comes in and negotiates a deal on a nearly new bike with two trade ins in great condition. You figure to give him a decent price on the bike he wants because you'll make it up on the trades. Then on deal day he shows up and one of the two trades is not as how it was represented and may need a bunch of work to get it ready for sale. What would you do then?

There are at least two sides to every story.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks to all for the advice. I especially like the vindictive streak of 'Zilla and Hud - Don't Get Mad, Get Even. There's plenty of bikes out there.

Haha...I've done that more than once.

The first time, my wife and I bought a Nissan Murano. My wife loved that car. One Friday, we got a recall notice that the alternators were not charging correctly and we needed to take our SUV to Nissan for repair. I called our dealer and was told parts were two weeks out and would have to call back for an appointment.

On Monday morning my wife called me...The Murano's battery was dead. It wouldn't hold a charge, so I called Nissan and told them I was taking it in. I explained the recall and the service girl told me it was a warranty issue and was covered. When we got to Reliable Nissan, she changed her tune, saying the battery was a maintenance item and if it was bad, the cost was on us. I reminded her that our alternator was probably not charging the battery correctly, leading to a premature death, which was what prompted the recall. I told her to call me, but not to call and try to BS me into thinking the battery was just bad.

A couple hours later, they didn't call me, they called my wife. Told her the battery was bad and it would be $200 to replace. She told them to fix it, knowing we would argue the alternator and should win. NOPE! We got there to pay, and they wouldn't even acknowledge the alternator recall. I was pissed, but my wife loved that car and had a $60 coupon for a service visit, so.I srated quiet. She presented the coupon and was told she couldn't use it. That did it. My green monster came out and I let them know I was pissed. I told the lady to get our paperwork because we were getting rid of the Nissan and I wanted my extended warranty refunded NOW. Her boss came out and honored the coupon. We paid $140 and drove from Reliable Nissan to Bob Turner's Ford and bought an Expedition. My wife calls the Expo our $35,000 battery. Haha...

Then, I took my brand new Expedition and parked it in the middle of the Nissan service bay, blocking two lanes in the garage. The same service advisor lady we dealt with the day before told me I couldn't park there. I told her to get fucked and dared her to tow it. Then I went in and got our warranty refund. I peeled out on their shiny, indoor concrete as I left, making sure they fully understood I would NEVER go back and I would talk shit about them every opportunity I got.

A couple years later, I had set my sights on a 2007 FJR. We were teaching a firearms class to some of our reserve guys, and turned out, one of them, a guy they called Lurch, was a salesman at Bobby J's Yamaha. We talked about the 2007 on their sales floor for two days. Lurch said he would be back at the dealership on Friday and told me I would get 10% off the bike with reduced fees. Awesome!!

On Friday, I went to the dealership and we started the numbers on the bike. Lurch came out with full MSRP plus TT&L and dealer fees. When I asked him about the 10% and reduced fees we talked about on Tuesday and Wednesday, he told me, "Oh, I didn't know you wanted an FJR. We can't discount those." I left, telling him I'd look somewhere else and buy from the first good deal I found.

A month later, I found my FJR at Handlebar Motorsports in Durango CO. They made me a very good deal. Not the best I've seen, but far from the worst, and way better than Albuquerque. I rode it home that weekend.

On Tuesday, I rode to Bobey J's. I was purchasing a service agreement because I knew nothing about maintaining motorcycles. I parked out front and walked in. Lurch smirked to his sales buddy and asked me, "So, you here to make a deal on that bike?" I said, "Nope. I bought one in Colorado. I told you I would, and I got a great deal." He looked outside and the dejected look on his stupid face made my day. Never saw him again, and I don't care.

I don't need my ass kissed, but don't lie to me, don't try to screw me out of money, and don't treat me like I'm stupid. That's just bad business, and it will piss me off.

Awesome. Just awesome.

 

[RaYzerman19]

A salesperson is a sales person. Most of the time they are vague about numbers, and nothing is firm until it's on paper and signed. Sometimes they'll say lots of stuff to get you in there, and when you get there, the story changes...... eliminate the trade (sell your own) and it gets simpler. I've even had one that wanted my credit card up front before we finalized numbers........ I walked out.

 

[petey]

If you don't think you're treated fairly, just walk away. I've done it many times. I bought a bike once and this included a trade in. My bike was in very good condition and we could not come to an agreement on the price. They had my bike in the shop trying to find something wrong to justify their position, but could not. I stayed firm on my offer and told the sales guy give me my key and bring my bike up front and I'll go. Well, would you believe he refused to do so by giving me a lot of BS about that I should agree with his offer because it was the best he could do. Now this was after spending an hour at this place. Well I told him if I didn't have my key and my bike in five minutes I'll call the cops.

I did leave the place with a new bike under my terms.

 

[mcatrophy]

.... Well I told him if I didn't have my key and my bike in five minutes I'll call the cops....

Yeah. Call 'Zilla .

 

[gixxerjasen]

1. Sell your bike on your own. It sucks, but you are less likely to get screwed. Sometimes you sell before, sometimes you sell after. I sold my FZ1 a month after getting my FJR.

2. Buy used from private sellers. You gain almost nothing by buying used from a dealership except headache. You also will pay much more than you would from a private seller.

I've had success with this and it seems to work well. I've tried once or twice to buy used from a dealer and it never has worked out.

Speaking of headaches and dealerships and changing stories....

My buddy that I talked into buying an FJR, he looked at one at this shop. He had me come along and I looked the bike over. It was of course being sold "As is" as most used bikes are. I pointed out that the price was fair and that especially with brand new tires (still had the titties) and stuff that it was something he could buy and ride and not put money into. He put a deposit down and went to his bank to get the money. Came back the next day and sat down with the sales guy to finalize everything. There on the sheet was extra charges on top of the price of the bike. Charges for oil change, tires and installation, etc. They said they did this stuff to the bike prior to putting it up for sale and expected the buyer to pay for it.

I said BS, that's the cost of making the bike attractive to buyers as it did for us and the dealership should eat that cost themselves. Told him to walk away. He was already emotionally involved with the bike and paid it unfortunately. Still, crappy sales tactics. The price on the bike states "As Is" then that means I don't expect (maybe ask but not expect) anything else done to it, and you don't ask me to pay any more. If it has bald tires on it then we can negotiate if I want them to put new ones on it. But if it is sitting in the showroom with new tires, that's how the bike should come to me at the price on the sticker.

 

[FJRRYDER]

Thanks to all for the replies and the insights. I'm thinking of the smoothie mods.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Here's my personal writeup on the process.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=145160

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Thanks to all for the replies and the insights. I'm thinking of the smoothie mods.

The G2 Ergonomics Throttle Tamer and the Power Commander with the smoothness map are both wonderful and make a huge difference with the '06 and '07. Another mod that is free, easy, and hugely effective is to adjust the idle speed to 1100 RPM. You would be amazed.

Financially, it is a better move to modify your old bike but there are more advantages to the Gen3 than just the throttle smoothness. Lots of goodness has happened to the Gen3.

 

[FJRRYDER]

I picked up the Kawi at the shop where "oil leak" was being fixed. It was a timing sight glass O-ring that was weeping, had collected inside the beauty cover, then spilled out. They replaced the ring, declared it fixed, and I will check the garage floor after work today. The sales guy at the dealer called me and now wants to go ahead with the deal. I'm still thinking of doing it. I had just reposted my ad to sell the Kawi and had lowered the price again. What the dealer will give me, and my new asking price is only $300 apart. I'm pretty much good with that just to get it gone.

 

[RaYzerman19]

No rush, take your time........ and if you're OK with it, that's all that counts!

 

[G Squared]

I love the way you act like you've met and interacted with every salesman in 2 countries for YOU to be the know all and end all of sales. Amazing how someone whom has never done something in their life is a bonafide goddamn expert on that profession. Are there some jackasses that hurt the image of sales professionals??? Hell yes there is. But I'll also bet there are some real jackasses that work in your profession also. In your office I'll further bet.

 

[DiggerDr.]

Little testy aren't ya? Buyer does not have to buy. Seller don't have to meet buyers terms. Both have a choice.

 

[art miller]

I love the way you act like you've met and interacted with every salesman in 2 countries for YOU to be the know all and end all of sales. Amazing how someone whom has never done something in their life is a bonafide goddamn expert on that profession. Are there some jackasses that hurt the image of sales professionals??? Hell yes there is. But I'll also bet there are some real jackasses that work in your profession also. In your office I'll further bet.

WOW, you must be off the meds!! Just who uncorked you??

 

[HotRodZilla]

I sold cars and trucks, new and used, for a year, so I know what goes on behind the customer's back SOMETIMES. As with any profession, there will be idiots and there will be people who deserve the business or praise. Hell, my profession sticks out like a sore thumb.

I don't know who you were pissed at G, bit looking at previous posts, I didn't see anyone that fit your rant. Maybe a bad day, or it sounds differently than what you meant?

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I am guessing G was pissed with post #43 from RayZerman19. I pretty much see why that would set him off. Of course I see both sides of this so let me see if I can smooth this out a bit.

All of us have a story about how "The Crooked Salesman" tried to cheat us. Maybe it was a car salesman, maybe it was a motorcycle salesman, maybe it was the cashier at WalMart. Yeah, there are some idiot salesmen out there. Yeah, there are some crooks and cheats out there. But, all sales people are not stupid, and they are not all crooks. If we were honest about how much or how little the sales person actually stood to gain by "cheating" us out of a few hundred dollars we might rethink our opinions. We also should consider what these folks think about dealing with dishonest customers who are constantly trying to cheat the dealership. All of us know someone who lied/cheated/misled the salesman on a trade in. But somehow it is okay to lie to them. They just cannot lie to us.

I have left car dealerships so mad I almost wound up riding away in a cop car. I have left motorcycle dealerships filled with contempt for the stupidity and ignorance that filled the entire showroom. I left a boat dealership begging the salesman to come outside and take his ass whipping. I still get pissed off thinking about some of those things.

However!!!

I have learned to spend my money with the sales person of my choice. I have respect for a sales person who knows their product and who does their job properly. I do not enjoy haggling over prices but I enjoy being educated about whatever I want to buy from a good sales person. The right sales force with the right managers behind them!!! can make all the difference when I am about to exchange my hard earned dollars for their expensive product.

I will end this by saying that the guy who "sold" me my 2015 FJR was an honest professional. Every time I ride Scar I remember that man. I do not know how much he personally made off the deal and I do not care. He did his job, I got my bike. That is what is supposed to happen.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

When I shop for a new bike, I don't care how the dealer plays with the #'s.

I simply tell them I have tag (licence plate) and "WHAT IS THE OUT THE DOOR PRICE" (tax, tag fee's, set up, delivery, tire disposal, etc) and go from there. That's for a cash purchase (or have financing already approved).

Keeps it simple...

For my old 04 FJR and 04 Goldwing, I offered an exact # ($) for the bikes and got them both for that #...Had to threaten to go across the state to save 3k but they caved...

 

[FJRRYDER]

I've bought and sold some bikes, cars, and boats. Like the song says, sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield but as the years go by, I've found that time can be more important than saving a relatively few bucks. I could have driven some harder deals on some things, but the fact is, I wanted it RIGHT THEN, and was willing to pay for it to close the deal quickly.

 

[FJRRYDER]

Sold the Kawi yesterday, got pretty close to my price (the latest price drop, anyway). Going to keep the '06 FJR for a while longer. Anyone in SoCal going to the Bike Show in Long Beach this weekend? I'm going on Sunday.