| Author | Message | ||
     Texasmotoman |
I have been lurking for awhile, this is only my second post though. The information on this site is A+ and has been very helpful in my decision process. I am about 90% sure at this point that I am going to go ahead and sell my FJR, and get a Uly. Couple of questions, I want to go ahead and get an 07, I am not worried about waiting if needed as it will probably take a few weeks to sell my current bike.... the questions are: - What kind of discount from MSRP can one expect to get? - Has anyone used HD Finance for their bike purchase, if so what kind of rate/terms did they do for you? - American Eagle Buell/HD in Corinth Texas is the closest dealership to my home, has anyone dealt with them? If you did buy from them were they flexible on price? - Other than American Eagle in Corinth, what dealerships within a couple hundred miles of Dallas Texas are known to be pretty good (I have a trailer, and I'm not afraid to use it)! - I have Dairy Land for insurance on my FJR, they seem to be reasonable. I have not checked the rates for a Uly yet, what can I expect? Thanks in advance for your help!!!! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
My advice to you is to exude the attitude that if they don't deal then either will you. Be prepared to walk. Do not cave. Tell them what you want and at what price and if they really want your business they will make it happen. If they act like pricks then walk. It's your money and the only way it will become theirs is if you give it to them. You should be able to get it with all three bags installed for MSRP out the door. That includes shipping and whatever other doc fees and other BS they try to tack on. Out the door for MSRP with the bags. Anything less and you should walk. | ||
| Xbimmer |
x2. Insurance? I don't know about Dairyland but GMAC is where I go for bike insurance and Mercury handles my Ford and Audis. Blew EVERYBODY out of the water for F/C on my Uly. The rep I worked with on the phone actually HELPED me get the lowest rate! Financing, good luck, everybody's different here. HD offered me such a ridiculously high rate after I told them I planned to put 10k down with my abyssmal credit rating that I just paid cash... how stupid is that for them, I made money with no interest costs... Good luck! (Message edited by xbimmer on August 15, 2006) | ||
| Roadrailer |
How long are you willing to wait? If you walk in The week after they've uncrated their first 07 and start haggling on the price of the bike (particularly if you follow the "my way or the highway" approach) you're probably going to be walking out without a bike. They will be a lot more willing to talk turkey on a bike that is still on the floor in the fall. If you just can't wait, be willing to be flexible. Don't just limit your negotiations to the bike. While they may not be willing to come off the price of the bike, they may give you a discount on the bags. If they won't budge on anything else, see if they'll throw in the first service for free. Or maybe some free or discounted accessories. Be flexible, and have a few options worked out when you walk in. Above all, be reasonable. They're not going to sell you the hottest bike in the Buell lineup weeks after its release at a loss, and they're not going to deal with you if you're an unreasonable jackass. Someone else will buy the bike. Be firm with what you want, but don't expect them to cave if your demands aren't reasonable. Above all, remember this: The deal you got will be the last thing on your mind the first time you tip the bike into a corner.  EG, out the door for MSRP w/bags?? The bags alone are, what, $1,000? And then there's TTL. That would be quite a deal if you could actually get it. Maybe (but highly doubtful) on an 06 holdover, but I can't imagine a dealer making that deal anytime soon on an 07. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I sold my '04 FJR to buy the Ulysses. I LOVED my FJR, but my long legs couldn't take being folded up anymore. I've never regretted selling the FJR (except when it's really cold out...the Uly doesn't have the wind protection of the FJR). My insurance with Dairyland went UP $200 a year when I dropped the ultra powerful, expensive to repair FJR, and added the moderately powerful, cheap to repair Ulysses. Go figure?? Dairyland is supposed to be partnered with Buell/HD to lower insurance rates....I'm still waiting. As for what you should pay...we'll, deals are out there. I bought my bike for $9995 + TTL. I bought the bags from Daves later at his "Badweb" price. I drove to Ocala Florida from Nashville to get my bike. I bought from a dealer I'll never see again. All things considered, I wish I'd have bought from Daves. Yeah, I would have paid a bit more, but it's worth it given the amount of knowledge he shares with us here, and how much help he's given to others. Don't get caught up in price. It's all relative. If your local dealer gives you good service, treats you well, and is willing to work with you, I'd reward them with your business or I'd buy from Daves. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Roadrailer, I bought my 06' in Oct or Nov of 05' for the out the door price of $11,500 with bags installed. And this was a bike I had to order and wait for. I am not the only one to get this kind of deal. In fact I believe others on this board may have done even better. Dillon Brothers Harley/Buell of Omaha, NE. There are dealers out there who make you feel like they can't come down on price because they are testing to see how badly you want the bike. If you name the price and they won't bend then just walk. If you want to give your hard earned money away then go ahead. | ||
| Roadrailer |
If that's true that's a very good deal. Just curious, did you pay cash or finance? Does that OTD include TTL, or did you pay that separately? | ||
| Josh_cox |
I wouldn't expect to see a discount on the 07 Uly at the beginning of the model year. The only problem selling the Uly before was the seat heat. Buell made that part easier, so discount right out of the gun probably won't happen. For finance, the ESB rates are not bad, "finance charge" markups can be, however. I would check with the dealership and your bank. So far on Buells, insurance is still hit and miss. Some people get great rates from Sentry/Dairyland, while others look elsewhere. If they don't come back looking good, these are others that usually are nice on price: State Farm Insurance and Foremost Insurance. I'm one of the dealers selling 06's with bags installed for MSRP plus our service department's setup fees. If you are looking for a leftover, I'm dealing  . | ||
| Michael1 |
I bought my left over 06 for MSRP OTD with Bags and that was a HELL-OF-A-DEAL. You will be lucky to get an 07 for any type of discount. I know I couldn't. For finacing. HD finacing was really good to me. I put down a chunk of change and wanted to spread out the rest of the payments just incase. I will pay it off way sooner...but the HD finacing is a simple interest loan with no prepayment penalty. Which means... win win for me. Insurance. It costs me $300 to insure my new Uly with Allstate. That's full coverage plus some extra stuff added in. Allstate also has my house, two other bikes and my two cars...so that may have affected the price a bit.... Good luck. | ||
| Creature |
Hi TexasMM, I wish you the best of luck dealing with those guys in Corinth. I've tried to buy a Uly from them back in January and again this month. Both times, they've asked for the moon and stars. They even wanted to charge $1,290 plus two hours of labor for the bags. I thought the bags were $995 list. Total, out the door with bags, $14,27? for an '07 or $13,6?? for an '06. I walked again. They claim to be discounting the '06 Uly's only $500. The other '06 XB's are discounted $2,000 or more. They have four black Uly's with a manufacturing date of April still sitting on the lot. They'll have to move the '06s eventually but not until they get a clue. As you can tell, I've turned somewhat bitter. I've had the cash burning a whole in my pocket since December. Rick at the Allen dealership seems to be a nice guy. However, he declined to give me a quote. He did say that they'd match any deal. I'm guessing it'd be with the stipulation that it be a deal in the DFW area and in stock. Austin dealer also says he'll match. Doesn't do much good since no one is courageous enough to provide a reasonably competitive quote. I'm growing tired of waiting for the Uly hype to die down. I've started considering once again bikes like the HP2, 1200 GS, 990 Adventure S, 1000s DS, etc. If I have to wait till Spring again, more choices may present themselves, i.e. Hypermotard and F800 GS, maybe a new Tiger. Sorry about the vent. Best of luck and keep us posted. Cheers. | ||
| Retired_cop |
Don't draw a line in the sand that you cannot cross or erase. Be flexible and willing to negotiate. I got an 06 at MSRP, with a discount on the bags of 15%, when I bought mine. It was the 3RD one sold in PA so the demand was high and the wait was long. As to insurance, start shopping. The quotes are all over the place. Whatever you do, just find a dealer that you are comfortable with and do what needs doing. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Roadrailer, I had to pay 5.5% state sales tax plus an assortment of other local fees (wheel tax, ect) a few weeks later at our county department of motor vehicles. We have no city sales tax so I didn't have to pay that. I don't finance vehicle purchases. If I can't pay cash then I don't buy. This had nothing to do with getting the deal since the dealer didn't know this until I paid for it when the bike finally arrived. If you want to make a trip of your purchase then contact Dillon Brother's HD/Buell in Omaha, NE. I've had no problems with my bike or dealer so far. Their Buell tech went to Buell tech school according to what they told me. http://www.dillonharley.com/ | ||
| Daves |
So the 11,500.00 wasn't "out the door". And the bags were 125.00 less then. I am not doubting you got a good deal but generally when you say out the door that means everything. Bike,acc.,tax,lic,fees. What you got was the bike and bags for 11,500.00, which like I said, is a very good deal. We, and most every dealer I have ever heard of charges the state tax,lic and fees right here as long as you live in the same state. Nebraska must do it different to make you go pay that stuff at the courthouse or wherever? My out of state customer pay their tax,lic,etc when they get home. They do not pay any tax,lic,etc here. Anyway, if you guys that are looking for Ulys want to make a trip to Wisconsin I have 06 Ulys on sale for 10495.00 That includes all the frt and setup charges. It is "out my door" but you will need to pay the tax in your home state. I promise to not be a "prick" as long as you promise not to "exude attitude"  | ||
| Daves |
PS, I would also figure up a deal on a 07 if that is what you want. | ||
| Chellem |
Everyone seems to think that frieght, prep, license, all that crap is just "tacked-on" for dealers to make money. You guys know that H-D charges US freight, right? We don't mark it up here, just whatever they charge us, we charge the customer. The bikes come in a crate. There IS prep involved. We pay the DMV to do the title work, and we charge what they charge us. We submit the taxes to the state, we don't keep it. I'm sure there are deals out there, but see my post about what happens when you demand discounts and deals. If you don't let the dealer make a little money, there's no value to carrying the entire Buell line, and then THE DEALER STOPS CARRYING BUELL. Then, everyone complains that there are no Buell dealers. Hunh. Imagine that. A good deal is one that is fair for everyone. I don't think we're discounting our '07s right now (you'd have to talk to a salesman, maybe mutation_racer), and if we HAVE any '06's, they might be discounted. But waltzing in and demanding a price or threatening to walk probably isn't going to get you that far with a Harley dealer. Or anyone in life, really. Just my $.02. | ||
| Boixb12 |
BULL$hit! When you are selling a bike for MSRP you are making a healthy profit. Freight -- I'll pay for that, because if I bought the bike somewhere else, I'll either have to drive to get it or pay to have it shipped to my house. Setup? BULL$hit again. Your dealership is not going to sell the bike in a crate and what does it entail -- straightening the handlebars? Every Harley dealership I've seen is in an amazing building, which to me is a sign of making more than a fair deal. Yes, I agree the dealership has to make money, but I only agree to let them make a FAIR profit. It seems to me that Harley Davidson dealerships are making more than a FAIR profit and it shows by their overhead and arrogance of salesmen. But then again, I live in Idafornia. | ||
| Daves |
first off it is a lot more than straightening out the handlebars. I posted the setup procedure about a year ago(I should've saved it) You think the HD dealers are building those big building off the profit on a new Buell? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah That is a good one.  | ||
| Roadrailer |
Roadrailer, I had to pay 5.5% state sales tax plus an assortment of other local fees (wheel tax, ect) a few weeks later at our county department of motor vehicles. We have no city sales tax so I didn't have to pay that. I don't finance vehicle purchases. If I can't pay cash then I don't buy. This had nothing to do with getting the deal since the dealer didn't know this until I paid for it when the bike finally arrived. If you want to make a trip of your purchase then contact Dillon Brother's HD/Buell in Omaha, NE. I've had no problems with my bike or dealer so far. Their Buell tech went to Buell tech school according to what they told me. http://www.dillonharley.com/ So sales tax alone was more than $600. Add in the other fees and your deal starts to sound a bit more realistic. Still a good deal, though. | ||
| Chellem |
BULL$hit! When you are selling a bike for MSRP you are making a healthy profit. Freight -- I'll pay for that, because if I bought the bike somewhere else, I'll either have to drive to get it or pay to have it shipped to my house. Setup? BULL$hit again. Your dealership is not going to sell the bike in a crate and what does it entail -- straightening the handlebars? Every Harley dealership I've seen is in an amazing building, which to me is a sign of making more than a fair deal. Yes, I agree the dealership has to make money, but I only agree to let them make a FAIR profit. It seems to me that Harley Davidson dealerships are making more than a FAIR profit and it shows by their overhead and arrogance of salesmen. But then again, I live in Idafornia. Wow. You're almost arrogant enough to run your OWN dealership.  The huge overhead is an INVESTMENT which needs to be PAID FOR. The simple fact that dealerships are investing in their buildings is GOOD, it means they are reinvesting rather than just keeping the "huge profits" that they're making. And like I said, we're charged freight from H-D. If we don't charge it to the customer, it is a "defacto" discount right there. And we're still talking about the Harley side of the dealership. Buell has less profit, by default because they retail for less than a large Harley. Then, adding in all the discounts that you feel are "fair", or rather, subtracting them, and you arrive at the reason why there AREN'T more Buell dealerships. There is not enough profit in Buell, Buell parts, and Buell clothing to even put a dent in the dealership overall expenses. The decision to carry Buell, at least for the first few years, is not a "business" decision. It is a "passion" decision. Any good businessman looking at how most regular dealerships operate would say "why are you carrying Buell, you're not making any money." It takes a large investment in both time and money before there is any return, and most H-D dealers are NOT in the position to do that, what with all the huge investments in the buildings that H-D expects - comes as close to REQUIRING as legally possible - from the Dealers. I'm all for fair deals, but you can't possibly believe that the standard profit in a Buell is enough to run a dealership on. I'm not suggesting we're hurting, but I mean, please. How would you like it if your boss told you, hey, here's the deal. I'm cutting your hourly pay in HALF, but it's ok, all you have to do is work for twice as long, and you'll break even! Sounds like a GREAT deal, doesn't it? But that's what people expect Salesmen to do. How many hours do YOU work for free? | ||
| Boixb12 |
Okay Chellum, What do you consider a FAIR deal? I'm not being arrogant I would just like to know. By the way. . . I work in the airline industry and they HAVE cut my pay in half and took away 20 years of retirement! NO sympathy here, but that's my problem and another story. | ||
| Jlnance |
Everyone seems to think that frieght, prep, license, all that crap is just "tacked-on" for dealers to make money. You guys know that H-D charges US freight, right? We don't mark it up here, just whatever they charge us, we charge the customer. Chellem - I've personally no problem with dealers passing on costs. What upsets me is when these costs appear late in the perchase process. When I go to the grocerie store the price marked on the products already includes the markups for the stores overhead. I wish buying a vehicle was the same. Admittedly, the price in the grocerie store does not include sales tax. And I don't expect the HD dealer to cover my government taxes and fees. Those are my problem and the dealer is simply obligated by the government to collect them on it's behalf. But beyond that it would be nice if you could actually buy the bike for the price on it's sticker. | ||
| Daves |
We price all of our bikes on the floor listing MSRP,frt,setup,1000 miles service,tax,lic and all other fees. The bottom line on our stickers is the final price of the bike. No surprises. I like that way of pricing too. | ||
| Josh_cox |
Same here. Whenever you buy a bike, the advertised price is what you pay when you ride home. Hidden costs would make customers much more upset than a higher price on the sticker to begin with. | ||
| Daves |
The dealership I left to come to Appleton used to price the bikes on the floor at base MSRP. Then, after the customer decided they wanted the bike us lucky salespeople got to spring the news. Well, we have to add frt,setup,tax,lic and oh there is 3000.00 worth of acc. on that bike. Used to piss a lot of people off. I hated it. It is dishonest to price them that way if you ask me. | ||
| Blake |
Begrudging folks the right to make as good of an honest profit as they can? Begrudging the right to sell non-essential products/stuff for what the public is willing to pay? Communism. | ||
| Court |
>>>The decision to carry Buell, at least for the first few years, is not a "business" decision. It is a "passion" decision. That's an accurate statement. My bet is that if some folks talk to their dealers with the same tone and language they use here, that they can expect to see a line item for "pain, suffering and putting up with you". What a shame. | ||
| Wademan |
Man...... I was nice with my dealer and told them what I would like to see and they did the best they could. I came in mutiple times so they knew I meant business and things went great. I got a hell of a deal and both parties were happy. Going in and demanding a price and threating to walk will get you no where. Be nice, be honest, be real with them and they will hopefully do the same. I paid $10,675 OTD on a 06' two weeks ago. Free 1K service and a shirt. Couldn't be happier. | ||
| 44mag2 |
- Has anyone used HD Finance for their bike purchase, if so what kind of rate/terms did they do for you? HD finance offered me a ridiculous rate ... 13%!!! And I have a perfect credit rating. State farm offered 5.99% to my friend for a new Ducati. I circumvented the loan by selling stock and paying cash. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
DO NOT USE HD FINANCING!!!!!!!!! They merely are issuing a credit card with a Prime + or LIBOR + interest rate structure. I have 690-720 credit, and they hit me with this (and made me wait almost 2 hours for a decision). That's fine, I'll just have my bank finance it. They offered 6.5%. I would have gotten 5.75%, but the search HD did TWICE on my credit dropped it to a Beacon score just below the best rating. I got mine in June for $10,495+TTL. I would look around. If you have to drive a couple hundred miles, but it saves you $500 or $1,000 bucks, it's worth it. If your local dealer has only one, they will charge more. If they have four, they would be more willing to deal. Appleton HD, Clarksville where I bought my bike played hard ball when they first came out. Later they ended up with 5 on the floor and were willing to deal. I had a very good experience with them except that they had to search for 30 minutes to find A Buell T-Shirt to give me. BTW--Most dealerships make more money off accessories, hats, shirts, HD panties, kids clothes, and dog collars than they do off the bikes. (Message edited by ft_bstrd on August 16, 2006) | ||
| Chellem |
I don't know how to define "fair", really. I mean, what's fair for a dealership in a 5,000 square foot building who holds no events and has no real overhead and 2 techs in the back who don't really do anything but service work, well that's not the same "fair" as a 50,000 square foot dealer who just took out a multi-million dollar loan to spruce up the place, has an event every month with free food and entertainment, a full-service service department with well-trained, certified techs - it's just not the same number, whatever that number may be. Our dealership is somewhere in-between. Most dealerships who have opened in the last few years, or have done extensive renovations in the last few years, probably did so with their pro-forma based on MSRP sales. Go back a few years earlier, and their business model may have been based on an ability to get above MSRP. So for those newer dealers, I'd have to say MSRP is fair, or at least, the expectation of what will keep them afloat. For older dealers who own their own land, or have lower overhead or fewer employees, maybe less is fair. But then, that's not really "fair" to the surrounding dealers who are forced into a pricing war that they probably can't win. I'm sure not everyone will agree with that. But fair is kinda subjective. I was more responding to the "bullsh!t" accusations, as if I were somehow lying or making something up. We don't do that here. At least, we'd better not. And if I found out someone was, they'd be dealt with accordingly. All of our bike charges are clearly marked on the tickets. We don't surprise anyone at the end. |
