how to buy that new bike -for less!

[bazza 3,629]

As a retailer -plus a cheapskate on personal purchases- i always respect someone who

• asks my advice -after all I am an expert in my field
• tells me what they want -and how much they want to pay
• tries to haggle to close the deal

The Brits aren't too good at the last bit -idiots! I have had a bed salesman (Dreams) run across the car park when I walked after he turned down my final offer.

If you feel embarrased -have a long weekend in Marrakesh or Istanbul -you will get back the cost of the trip many times with your newfound training skills in bartering!

Remember the ticket price is there for guidance! As an example Debenhams have their "Blue Cross Sale" knocking off 25% on a lot of items.Do you think they loose money? No, just reduce the profit a bit.

Last weekend we went food shopping ( I usually do it, but 'er indoors wanted to be let out) and bought some Wyke Chedder cheese ( daughter once went out with one of the family) from Sainsburys.I wasnt amused when the £3.50 cost was  at £1.99 at Home Bargains. But both made money - and the bigger store made most -  maybe why they can afford a new supermarket? It's crazy but her indoors likes shopping in Waitrose - lovely choice but silly prices.The best was a half cucumber at more than a full one - extra labour cutting it I was told!

So with new bike time fast approaching -for some of you- maybe check if there's a discount app for bikes, like there is cars.

My friend Henry decided he wanted a new Audi and emailed all the local dealers -offering them the chance to quote WITH ONE E MAIL ONLY. Lowest price wins.He got thousands off!

Good luck -see you in Morocco on the discounted bike!

bazza

[Swissheavy 186]

A funny write up but a fair one!!! 

[Guest bonekicker]

Sir bazza is a expert haggler --- and we should listen to his hard earned ways of getting money knocked off-- or a better deal---money is hard earned and easily given away--most places may offer you a 10% discount to make you feel good--but go for 15% or more just for a challenge --- I just bet --if you stand your ground--you will get it--- and learn from the experience--- when buying cars or houses we can get hundreds or thousands of pounds off ---just by asking--and playing it cool. 

[Guest aldmannie]

Walked into local Suzuki shop in early January, how much for a new SV650 in red delivered in March on a 17 plate?

£4995

Great, can you take my deposit please.

Job done, nice and simple, no arsing around being a tightwad.

Salesman happy, me happy with £841 discount.

Picked it up yesterday, mmm shiny

 

Re groceries, me and wifey only shop for food in Lidl, I would need trauma counselling after paying Waitrose prices.

 

 

[Andy m 23,543]

I respect retailers who don't muck me about with archane tribal rituals and **** measuring contests. I tell any salesman doing the "Ow, your killing me" routine he's a bad actor and is wasteing my time.

 

I go online and buy from the retailer offering the best deal up front. I don't even start a negotiation with the others so their chance of selling me  anything is zero.

 

 

Andy

[Guest bonekicker]

Both members above are experts as well-- they do the homework--online--find out as much info as possible about the bike--this saves you having to ask the salesman questions--and mostly save him telling you porky pies about the bike--just make sure after getting a deal well below MRP ---that they don't over charge on the finance--if you can not pay cash---cash now a days is not any advantage to big purchases.

 

We usually shop at ASDA but have being trying Aldi and Lidl--- and some prices are quite a lot cheaper at these--especially the not famous named lables--- I just bet you could save a fortune over the year if you tried just a little-- our daughters brain as slipped into gear this year--- and the money she as saved as paid for holidays in Sunny Florida for the family 

 

 

[Guest Mac750]

As a service provider and retailer I offer the best price I can from the off. And I tell the customer that is my best price and it genuinely is. They and I know they can get it slightly cheaper off the internet, but it is a life saving bit of machinery and I buy from a trusted manufacturer . Off the internet it will mostly be sourced from the cheapest supplier from the Far East , it will not be inspected at the point of delivery and nor will it carry the 5 year warranty my item has. The price is the price, I have my overheads and know exactly where I sit in the market place. After 25 years in the trade I should.

They ether say yes or no. No haggling .

Am proud of my companies reputation I provide an outstanding service and if a problem occurs I fix it pronto. If they want to buy cheap as chips that's up to them. 

[suffolk58 2,286]

I am a glutton for "bargains" and often buy "BOGOF" (buy one, get one free) items at the supermarket, because of the deal....forgetting that no one actually likes the product.

At the moment I'm getting very hot under the collar, as a local Aprilia dealer is about to change to Yamaha (about time too).

They are selling off their old stock at silly prices. They have a new but pre-reg Aprilla Caponord Rally 1200 (the top of the range model with all sorts of extras such as active suspension) at £3146 off list price.

My heart is saying "a Ducati Multistrada beater at Suzuki VStrom prices, grab it you fool."

My head is saying, " the only Italian bike you've ever owned was an Aprilia, and just remember the problems you had with it".

 

Please, somebody buy it, before I go mad.

 

[Guest Bratterz]

Haggling is brilliant, I've always been addicted to it, and have fond memories of deals struck over the years:

 

Walked into caravan sales yard and said to bloke, "Need a cheap caravan for temporary accommodation, please pass me the keys to your cheapest 'van so I can have a look but only if you're willing to sell it for half the sticker price."  He hesitated then passed keys to 'van at £1800.  Quick look, basic but ok. £900 soon became £600 and both parties happy.

 

As they say, "If you don't ask...".

[Andy m 23,543]

My Moto Guzzi moved up a model ( V7 to V7-II) and gained ABS when the dealer I bought the NC from tried to sell it on. This is the same expert who told me the NC had a 22 litre tank and Yamaha XT660's have tubeless tyres. The Internet does not lie (as much).

 

I don't do finance and accept that by moving myself out of another potential profit stream I am a less attractive customer, but are there really queues of people wanting to take  13 month rental , accessorise and upgrade deals? I work in sales and still follow the idea that the customer giving no hassle but waving his money is a certainty. Sign him up and move on to dealing with the hagglers in a stronger position.

 

The supermarket comparison sites work well. Aldi etc. can't sell me a full weeks worth and time on a second trip to another shop is worth too much.

 

Andy

[embee 7,288]

I'm not much good with haggling face to face, so tend to do the research and find the "best" deal for me, which often as not is not the cheapest. I won't buy stuff which is notoriously faked from anywhere other than a trusted supplier, things like Makita power tools are a classic case. Buy cheap off the auction sites it's often as not a fake, unless form a trusted trader (usually with a bricks and mortar shop somewhere in the country).

I don't have a convenient Aldi/Lidl, the petrol would offset most of the savings if I drove there. I tend to "play" off Sains vs Tesco, swap between them, they give me offers which amount to 10 or 20% off (just got £8 off £40 from Tesco). When I haven't been to one for a few weeks the offers turn up and I swap, then a few weeks later the reverse. Tesco do try the push though, I bet the next offer will be on £60 which I don't use, then they drop back to £40 the next time.

I did get a good deal from a local timber yard. Went to get some tanalised stuff, the guy sorting through the pile was rejecting obviously bent bits. I asked what happened to them, and he said they'd be thrown away, so I offered to take all the bent stuff from him, saving him the cost/effort of disposal. Got a big pile of stuff free, much of which is perfectly usable for the right job, just made a load of 18" long 2x2 ground pegs for someone from it, charged for material at usual rate so all profit.

 

Next year Rodney ..............

[Guest Mac750]

My wife came home from shopping at  Aldi, or Lidal, or BM Home Bargains, or what ever it's called. (Not my area of expertise) The back of the car was full of bags of food shopping. I watched through the window as she struggled up the drive with all these heavy bags, so I thought I would help her and opened the front door it saved her having to put the bags down to find her keys. 😁

Edited March 2, 2017 by Mac750
Predictive text

[gonzo 2,211]

I did just that.! Approached 6 honda dealers from south london to cornwall, Told them im a cash customer , no finance no part exchange and if the price is right i will pay a deposit NOW. Some took a couple hundred off and said that was it.Apart from dobbles this was face to face, Farnham honda said they didnt do discounts as he didnt need to (farnham is a very affluent area).I said he obviously isnt hungry, he walked away, so did I.To cut a long story short , i phoned torbay motorcycles  got a price straight away of £6300. ! result.!! i went straight down and paid the deposit,  I was glad he was" hungry". He supplying a centre stand for £120 and fitting it for free.Befor i paid i asked if i could see in the workshop,not a problem he said. What i wanted to see was the mechanics,both of them where in there 40/ 50s. i was informed they both been HONDA trained since the 80s,I went away happy.    

[fred_jb 10,265]

3 hours ago, suffolk58 said:

I am a glutton for "bargains" and often buy "BOGOF" (buy one, get one free) items at the supermarket, because of the deal....forgetting that no one actually likes the product.

At the moment I'm getting very hot under the collar, as a local Aprilia dealer is about to change to Yamaha (about time too).

They are selling off their old stock at silly prices. They have a new but pre-reg Aprilla Caponord Rally 1200 (the top of the range model with all sorts of extras such as active suspension) at £3146 off list price.

My heart is saying "a Ducati Multistrada beater at Suzuki VStrom prices, grab it you fool."

My head is saying, " the only Italian bike you've ever owned was an Aprilia, and just remember the problems you had with it".

 

Please, somebody buy it, before I go mad.

 

I was very keen on the Caponord for a while, watched lots of great YouTube reviews, and in virtual reality form it looked ideal for me.  I couldn't get a test ride on a Rally as my nearest dealer had sold their last one, but tried the non-rally version, and all the little online hints of slight problems with it became very real.   It looked nicely made but the on/off throttle transition was like hitting a brick wall.  The Rally version has supposedly got the fuelling a bit better sorted, but I would be very wary - plus where are you going to get service and spares? They will not be making any more as they are not prepared to invest enough in this model to make it Euro 4 compatible, and your next nearest dealer may be some distance away.

 

My impressions here: http://www.nc700.co.uk/index.php?/topic/13581-couldnt-resist-trying-one-aprilia-caponord/

 

Have you had a look at the new Ducati Multistrada 950?  That looks a really nice bike, engine is not as insane as the 1200, and it doesn't have the electronic suspension, but the conventional suspension is fully adjustable unlike many similar bikes, though of course it is chain drive.

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by fred_jb

[Guest machinman]

4 hours ago, aldmannie said:

Walked into local Suzuki shop in early January, how much for a new SV650 in red delivered in March on a 17 plate?

£4995

Great, can you take my deposit please.

Job done, nice and simple, no arsing around being a tightwad.

Salesman happy, me happy with £841 discount.

Picked it up yesterday, mmm shiny

 

Re groceries, me and wifey only shop for food in Lidl, I would need trauma counselling after paying Waitrose prices.

 

 

That is a cheap bike.

[bazza 3,629]

4 hours ago, aldmannie said:

Walked into local Suzuki shop in early January, how much for a new SV650 in red delivered in March on a 17 plate?

£4995

Great, can you take my deposit please.

Job done, nice and simple, no arsing around being a tightwad.

Salesman happy, me happy with £841 discount.

Picked it up yesterday, mmm shiny

 

Re groceries, me and wifey only shop for food in Lidl, I would need trauma counselling after paying Waitrose prices.

 

 

a quick haggle and you could have treated her to Waitrose -and you a heart attack!

[bazza 3,629]

52 minutes ago, Mac750 said:

My wife came home from shopping at  Aldi, or Lidal, or BM Home Bargains, or what ever it's called. (Not my area of expertise) The back of the car was full of bags of food shopping. I watched through the window as she struggled up the drive with all these heavy bags, so I thought I would help her and opened the front door it saved her having to put the bags down to find her keys. 😁

You are all heart!

[bazza 3,629]

33 minutes ago, fred_jb said:

I was very keen on the Caponord for a while, watched lots of great YouTube reviews, and in virtual reality form it looked ideal for me.  I couldn't get a test ride on a Rally as my nearest dealer had sold their last one, but tried the non-rally version, and all the little online hints of slight problems with it became very real.   It looked nicely made but the on/off throttle transition was like hitting a brick wall.  The Rally version has supposedly got the fuelling a bit better sorted, but I would be very wary - plus where are you going to get service and spares? They will not be making any more as they are not prepared to invest enough in this model to make it Euro 4 compatible, and your next nearest dealer may be some distance away.

 

My impressions here: http://www.nc700.co.uk/index.php?/topic/13581-couldnt-resist-trying-one-aprilia-caponord/

 

Have you had a look at the new Ducati Multistrada 950?  That looks a really nice bike, engine is not as insane as the 1200, and it doesn't have the electronic suspension, but the conventional suspension is fully adjustable unlike many similar bikes, though of course it is chain drive.

 

Oh dear Fred i despair with you!

I reckon you are changing your bikes faster than your underpants at present!

If that dealer is ditching Aprilia - ask yourself why?  where will you get the spares / backup? Yes t'interweb but its not quite the same.

We all know that the Japs have a a sound spares network - but smaller firms?

Maybe you are looking for the impossible? I do think you should have 2 bikes - one for general use (sporty maybe?) and a pillion lugger monster. Then when the urge takes you to get another bike you can take the other out for a ride?

Why not build something to suit? If you built a Hardly it would also be worth more than the sum of parts!!!!

[fred_jb 10,265]

6 minutes ago, bazza said:

Oh dear Fred i despair with you!

I reckon you are changing your bikes faster than your underpants at present!

If that dealer is ditching Aprilia - ask yourself why?  where will you get the spares / backup? Yes t'interweb but its not quite the same.

We all know that the Japs have a a sound spares network - but smaller firms?

Maybe you are looking for the impossible? I do think you should have 2 bikes - one for general use (sporty maybe?) and a pillion lugger monster. Then when the urge takes you to get another bike you can take the other out for a ride?

Why not build something to suit? If you built a Hardly it would also be worth more than the sum of parts!!!!

Bazza - it is not me currently looking at a Caponord, that link was from when I looked at one some time ago.  I was just commenting on Martin's (suffolk58) post about him lusting after one for sale near him.

 

But thanks anyway for your evident concern regarding my mental health! 

Edited March 2, 2017 by fred_jb

[Guest Mac750]

2 minutes ago, bazza said:

Oh dear Fred i despair with you!

I reckon you are changing your bikes faster than your underpants at present!

If that dealer is ditching Aprilia - ask yourself why?  where will you get the spares / backup? Yes t'interweb but its not quite the same.

We all know that the Japs have a a sound spares network - but smaller firms?

Maybe you are looking for the impossible? I do think you should have 2 bikes - one for general use (sporty maybe?) and a pillion lugger monster. Then when the urge takes you to get another bike you can take the other out for a ride?

Why not build something to suit? If you built a Hardly it would also be worth more than the sum of parts!!!!

I got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime, you'll know it's me when I come through your town. 

(Johnny Cash)

 

[Rocker66 34,451]

When I had my Aptrillia Pegasus some low life nicked the rear light lens off it. Judging by the waiting time I was quoted I can upmost understand why. Luckily the dealer had one with front end damage so he gave me the lens off that to keep me on the road. He eventually gave up the apriiia dealership due to the spares (or lack of) situation 

[Guest Mac750]

No one in my neck of the woods stocks them. We have the big four, as well as

Moto Guzzi, Triumph, HD and KTM. The last three are just over the boarder in England.  

 

[Guest aldmannie]

5 hours ago, Mac750 said:

My wife came home from shopping at  Aldi, or Lidal, or BM Home Bargains, or what ever it's called. (Not my area of expertise) The back of the car was full of bags of food shopping. I watched through the window as she struggled up the drive with all these heavy bags, so I thought I would help her and opened the front door it saved her having to put the bags down to find her keys. 😁

 

Really good husbanding technique that, good man.

 

I hate to watch the wife struggling to do the housework on her own, so I go to the pub instead.

[PoppetM 16,845]

8 hours ago, gonzo said:

 Farnham honda said they didnt do discounts as he didnt need to (farnham is a very affluent area).I said he obviously isnt hungry, he walked away, so did I.

 

You had a lucky bloody escape from them muppets!  I seriously need to change my number plate so their name isn't on it, I keep getting stopped by people with horror stories!

But then I did manage to off load my unroadworthy Vespa for £900 which judging by DVSA has now been scrapped. 😀

[Guest aldmannie]

Is that the same Farnham that's just along the road from Aldershot?

If it is I've been there back in my army days.