As they have been for years. Local economic conditions, dealer saturation, availability of alternatives, negotiating skills etc etc etc all have an affect on pricing. So even if you find someone in whatever place who got a deal, it has zero bearing on what you will be able to negotiate. (help me understand how this would work: "Dealer: "your price is MSRP". You: "I know a guy in Yuma AZ who got $1K off MSRP!". Dealer: "Well ok then! $1K off MSRP for you!". Is that what you imagine?)
Cross over the river on 77s and check out that dealer at the first exit into WV. A guy on the CVO forum only buys bikes there because of the deals He gets. Biketown up in the Youngstown area supposedly will make deals but that may be a longer distance than you care to go depending on what part of the state you're in. By all means, avoid anything owned by Mike Davis which includes Adventure HD in Dover.
Gotta be reasonable with them. The're in business to make a profit. They won't sell at a loss on present or next model year bikes. You can always find a deal on past model year bikes, but there really shouldn't be any of those left around now.
Knowledge is power. Know the suggested MSRP from HD Corporate, know your local freight and PDI costs. Also know the price of accessories that you may want. It is all available on the interwebs.
1K-2k off of MSRP is reasonable. They still get to make a few bucks, pay the salesperson and keep the lights on at the dealership. 10-20% off parts for a limited time after purchase is reasonable as well. Gives you 6 months to figure out what you want/need in the way of customizing or comfort. Some dealers will throw in the first service to sweeten the deal as well, usually about a 400$ charge. The ESP has gone up considerably in price as well, there is some wiggle room on that as well, maybe 10%. The ESP is your option, it is not mandatory. They do from time to time tie a 5 year ESP to a fantastic interest rate of say 0.99% or 1.99% to move current model year bikes but beware; there is no negotiating price on the ESP in these cases, price is the price. Usually see the interest rate incentives in late July into August just before the new model year units are released at the end of August. Will see them again at Christmas and after New Years to get rid of past model year inventory. This is a great time to buy a bike because HD offers rebates to the dealers on this stock to clear them out. The dealers get rebates on the invoice pricing they pay and can pass that along to the customer.
If you want them there for servicing your bike in the future they need to sell bikes at a profit. Sales and Service both contribute to keeping the doors open.
Good luck with your negotiations, the most important thing in getting your price is being willing to walk away from the deal. Decide before going in what your number is, how much over that number you can live with, 100$-200$-1000$ and be prepared.
when you figure out what you are willing to pay, and you and the dealer have come to an agreement, don't worry about how it writes it up on the contract. as long as your otd number is what you agreed on.
for example, dealer and i agreed on a price for my bike. when i read the contract, it had listed $399 for theft protection (not to be confused with security, this is something else completely), $1000 for dealer prep, etc. totally irrelevant, as the bottom line number was what we agreed on.
just for reference, i just bought 2 2019 road glide specials. my otd with tax, tag, title, license, dealer add ons, 5 year esp, and first service was still under msrp. as we are coming into prime riding season here, i was happy with that deal.
Calgary and Skratch - very sound advice. I'm in the process of helping my GF trade her Altima for an SUV. I told her the first thing she has to do (after we do our research and figure out what the OTD price should be) is be ready to walk out the door. If you're not ready to do that, you're not ready to get the deal you want. Dealers (car, bike or other) spend a tremendous amount of money to get you onto their lot and into their office, they're not going to let you walk away permanently without finally making a solid attempt at matching what you are looking for if it's within reason. Walk away and I guarantee you'll get a call back (or two) before the next sunset. And 'skratch' you're absolutely right about it all being about the Out the Door price. Who cares if you were able to get $500. off the MSRP, if you're paying double that it junk fees and add-ons. One of the dealers we visited last week had a complete additional page window sticker of extras they had applied to the vehicle. I didn't know 3M had so many spray on products! In this case there was an extra $2,400! of spray application protectant products that cost the dealer about $400 - including labor.
I just ordered my wife a car this week. Told my local folks what I’d like to pay. They said no but would work on it. I sent offers to 5 other dealers in neighboring states. New model so not expecting much off msrp - certainly not what I offered. Most told me sticking to msrp. Then Birmingham offers me $2500 off. Tell my local guy I’m leaving town to purchase and without knowing my deal, comes off $3500. Haven’t bought a new car in YEARS so still chocking a little - but happy w the deal. Wife doesn’t know will be birthday present for her to celebrate my retirement : )
Easy 2grand off MSRP. Plus parts(stage 1, tour pack) 20% off, 1st service free, better warranty.
My local dealer is Sun Harley in Thornton CO. They sell motorcycles!
I just posted on my older thread "why I hate Virginia Beach" about the deal I got here with my local dealer. Bottom line is I think the relationship you have with your dealer goes a long way. Although I have never bought a bike here in VB, I do by all of my service parts here for my bikes and have developed relationships with parts guys over my short 2 and half years here with those guys. 1 of them moved over to sales and asked me what it would take to get me on a new Shark instead of converting my 2011 Limited to a Shark and when they agreed to my price I couldnt believe it!
Everything that everyone here said is true...location, research, holding to YOUR number but I would add that the relationship you have with your dealer can also influence that "deal" you are looking for more than you may think. JM2CW.
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