NJ/PA dealer frustration mounts

[Dragonrider]

Wow - quite a thread.

I bought my RS from a dealer 180 miles away, because the price I wanted to pay was acceptable, the used '08's were too rich, and the local dealer would not budge $0.05. That said, the locals are decent folks and the service is OK, just pricey.

I was fortunate to find a great deal on my RT S - in NH, and had it shipped to OR (no sales taxes or pers prop taxes at all here). Shipping costs were under $700, and I ended up with a $28K ride for $21K delivered (license & reg was $125 for three years).

Given the quality of the folks I've met on this forum, I wouldn't hesitate to consider a lightly used bike from the forum. Put the extra $$ into farkles and road trips (gas is $4+ now…)

[ARtraveler]

--interesting thread. I am guessing they are not big on my two favorite selling points. Customer Service & Good Mechanical Service. I understand the concerns about the motorcycle endorsement--but a customer deserves to be treated by a knowledgeable sales person who will try to make the sale. Hope you get things worked out to your satisfaction.

[woodchuck]

Well, as i continue my quest to spend 25k, I am amazed at the lack of response or caring of the people i have run into so far dealership wise.

I'm in NJ and have tried contacting the closet dealer to me who is across the bridge in PA. One call & 3 emails have gone unanswered. Not only that, I received an email from BRP asking me if this dealer has responded and called me as of yet. Of course i answered no, that was 2 days ago and haven't heard anything. They are off the list.

Today, i was driving home from North jersey and called a second dealer. We did have some correspondence but they "lost" my email with a list of questions i had for them 2 days ago. It turned out I was right at the exit(no jersey jokes, lol) where they are located so i got off while talking to him and went to see the spyder in person for the first time. Impressive showroom with about 12 spyders of diferent flavors there. I was impressed by the size of the spyder, its no little toy....it's a BIG toy-)

Anyway, the Red rt-s really caught my eye, sweet looking in person. Salesperson didn't know squat nor was he offering any information. So i threw a few softball questions at him...How do you open the side bag luggage compartments...he didnt know....what do the buttons on the dash do or mean...we studdered through that together...I mean holy crap, I don't like it when i know more than the guy selling me the equipment just because i have been on this forum.....thanks to you guys at least i am prepared.

The real kicker: I asked him if we could go for a test ride. Nope, becuase i don;t have a MC license/permit, they can't do it. I said ok, fair enough, i'd like to sit on the back and you drive so i could at least get a feel for being on the bike. Nope, couldn't do that either. I asked him if the place was open for business.....FINALLY he said YES!!! I can be a sarcastic SOB, but by now i was past frustrated. I asked if it was ok if i sat on the bike with no license, permit and once again a big YES!

A few more questions about the spyder techs etc..."All of our guys work on them"... Well, i don't know, maybe thats true.

So the dealer 15 minutes from me doesn't respond to SELL one, the place 40 minutes from me doesn't seem to excited to do it either..lol

Sat, I travel 2hr & 15 minutes to test drive and hear someone tell me about the bike who at least on the phone seemed to know everything about it.

The bike itself was impressive, nicer than i thought actually...so.maybe saturday....I know one thing, BRP should stay on top of these places because in the end, they will be the big losers.

john

To amend this slightly, I did talk to dealership in California, guy could not have been nicer, gave me a verbal price and a good one and checks back every once in a while. Go figure

From what I see on this forum as far as prices and service, it can't be beat by Horn's outdoor center.
1169 Mount Bethel HWY. Mount bethel PA. This is outside of Wind Gap PA. I went to the dealer near Scranton PA and they did not want to deal. That is how I bought from horns.
610 588 6614
Good luck on your search

[Roger]

Yeah, i think someone else had mentioned Rusty,(3+hours i think) I just figured I would rather deal as local as possible. But, i guess thats not all that important in the end. I'll be happy to get one thats put together right the first time it leaves the showroom floor and worry about where to do the maintenance later on.

john

Rusty palmers is a nice place but they don't do demo rides thats why i did not buy from them. i don't know why they just don't. And yes nobody will let you do a demo ride with out a license.

[NJERNIE]

I just walked into East Coast Cycle Center in Bensalem, Pa. and traded my
2008 Spyder in on the 2011 RT Limited yesterday. Had no problem whatsoever and actually got more for my trade than I expected and a better deal than Extreme Machines in Millstone, NJ. Been dealing with East Coast for three years and have never had a problem, service department has always treated me well. They area also handling the NJ sales tax and all the motor vehicle paper work.

Hope you find a dealer you are comfortable with and are able to begin the fun of riding a Spyder.

P.S. Remeber don't take any s---, it's your money.

Ernie

[burg650]

You can try Ledgewood Power Sports in Ledgewood NJ ( http://www.ledgewoodpowersports.com/ ) that is where I get all my work done. They always say that they have demos to ride not sure if that both the RS and RT.

[Marker]

Spyder3, sorry to hear about you being so jerked around!!! Makes me angry to hear about people not being taken care!!! I'll promise if your up for an adventure, I'll pick you up at st.louis airport set you up with a room and you can come out to spyderfest. You get to meet everyone be a part of the largest Spyder party in the U.S and a story to tell. Be a bit of a haul but a very cool story and a great adventure. And I can promise me you'll be very well taken care and you will get to see about every color,mod, and shape possible. Your looking at RT's there the king of the road! My personal cell is 314-623-4743 the store number is 800-258-6898 call anytime and we do have the limited eddition spyderfest bikes avialable! Complete with Elka custom shocks!!!

I wish I lived closer to you , and we were on the same side of the border I would not hesitate to buy a spyder from you . Not only have you given back to the community but you continue to give. I have read your posts and threads , You set the standard for customer service very high and I congratulate you for that. I wish all the dealerships cared about their customers as you do so Thanks for being a great dealer and a dealer BRP should be proud of !!


[QUOTE=WackyDan;303117]You Sir, continue to put us in awe of you and Cow Town. The next Spyder I buy may just have to come from you and I'd be willing to go all that way just to give you the business you deserve.]

[bone crusher]

Welcome to NJ...you should be used to that now. ***Nope, not used to it and won't settle for it***

#1. I'm sure an empty church lot nearby would have sufficed and not broken any laws.

#2 The bike is for 2 people, why would that be odd for a salesperson trying to sell something?

#3. If he was sick of me for asking questions about the bike, hes in the wrong business. This was an entire 10 minute chat. And NOBODY gets sick of me!!

#4. You buy out of state, register it in state and pay the sales tax you normally would.

#5. There is plenty of horror stories on these threads for people who bought bikes at one dealer and now take them elsewhere becuase the dealer sucks.

#6. i am going to get it soon, then i'm gonna hunt you down!!:


Anyway, you cannot take a bike for a ride without a license...and asking to sit on it while a dude rides it is a bit odd for some folk...can't blame him for that...by that point, he was probably getting sick of you (sorry)...

I'd get the license and then test ride the bike yourself...you can't ride it anywhere without a license anyway...

I'd be careful buying it out of state as I'd assume NJ has really harsh tax laws....meaning, you get a good deal somewhere else and then you get taxed to death when you bring it back to NJ...

Plus, better to buy where you will have service...I think it leads to better overall rapport.

Get your bike soon...riding season is almost upon us!

1. Really...so you go to a local Church lot and run the bike into a light post...you then come off the bike with the impact and get a concussion...who's responsible?

2. You're not buying the bike to be a passenger...you won't get a feel as a passenger.

3. I'm sick of you and I don't even know you (just kiddin')

4. You buy out of state and let's say save $800.00 over what you'd buy for in your state...you pay tax, but on a smaller amount...still save, no?

5. Agreed

6. When you get it...hunt me down and we'll go for a ride! I'm excited for ya...you're gonna love the bike!!

[spyder3]

I wouldn't be buying out of state just to save money. In fact, I haven't even talked money yet. I wanna buy somewhere where the dealer has a lot of experience and qualified techs to put the spyder together correctly the FIRST time and not have issues that are from poor or sloppy workmanship. My impressions so far is that this is happening and i want to TRY and avoid it. Read some of these thread, loose wires, not fully charged batterys, etc. That kind of stuff is ridiculous IMO. All the pm's i have received, i can't find 2 people that like the same dealer in NJ. Seems like its hit or miss.

Buying out of state: Seriously, what aren't you grasping here?

In State 30,000.00 x .07(NJ sales tax) = 2100.00 total 32100.00

Out of ST 29,200.00 x .07(NJ sales tax) = 2044.00 total 31,244.00

total savings 856.00

In case you have missed it, I HAVE been trying to buy local.

No light poles on the parking lot i had in mind.

So, no more need to fret, hopefully tomorrow i will take the written test for permit, and set up a class for next weekend. Of course, i could fail both a few times and be riding in December....

[bone crusher]

I wouldn't be buying out of state just to save money. In fact, I haven't even talked money yet. I wanna buy somewhere where the dealer has a lot of experience and qualified techs to put the spyder together correctly the FIRST time and not have issues that are from poor or sloppy workmanship. My impressions so far is that this is happening and i want to TRY and avoid it. Read some of these thread, loose wires, not fully charged batterys, etc. That kind of stuff is ridiculous IMO. All the pm's i have received, i can't find 2 people that like the same dealer in NJ. Seems like its hit or miss.

Buying out of state: Seriously, what aren't you grasping here?

In State 30,000.00 x .07(NJ sales tax) = 2100.00 total 32100.00

Out of ST 29,200.00 x .07(NJ sales tax) = 2044.00 total 31,244.00

total savings 856.00

In case you have missed it, I HAVE been trying to buy local.

No light poles on the parking lot i had in mind.

So, no more need to fret, hopefully tomorrow i will take the written test for permit, and set up a class for next weekend. Of course, i could fail both a few times and be riding in December....

I think you should go back and ask to sit on the back even when you get the license...the guy really won't know how to react!

I'm sure you'll soon get a decent consensus on which dealership close to you is good to work with...there has to be one...none are really 'perfect.'

I'm fortunate as my dealership is a family-run, platinum ranked dealership...haven't had a problem as of yet...hope I never do...

[Roger]

If you buy it in PA and register it in NJ you don't pay the PA sales tax, you just pay the 7% NJ sales tax.

That is correct you pay the tax for the state you live in.

[Trickie Dick]

That is correct you pay the tax for the state you live in.

It depends on the state. Some states have a reciprocity agreement and some don't. Some will have you pay the difference in the tax rates if there is not reciprocal agreement. I would definitely check the state where you purchase as well as the state where you reside.

[Mr. White]

In Texas, and you buy out of state, the dealer should give you a "certificate of origin" which you take to your local tax office, pay the Texas sales tax and get your license and Texas title.

Dealers, I went to a local (20 miles) dealer, a huge, beautiful building and looked at several Spyders. Two salesmen were 12 feet away from me, looked at me and continued to play grab butt.

I went outside and looked at more Spyders and no one asked if they could help, etc. I stayed 15 minutes and went to a second dealer, 50 miles from my home.

A husband and wife owners greeted me at the door, answered ALL my questions, showed me demos and explained the differences between the RT-S and my Wing trike that I was riding.

They then asked I ride both the SE5 and SM5. Then they took me to meet their service manager and he answered my questions about the GPS/CB and XM radio and said he personally installed these items and is training his techs to do them.

Guess where I bought Big Red 1 ??

[Bob Denman]

It's all up to the dealer... If they value their customers then they'll do what they can to make the sale possible. A little extra time spent showing the features of the machine and answering questions is time invested in building a good relationship.

[Campverdefela]

All dealerships are different, where I bought mine they didn't have a problem taking it out on the service road [held my wife hostage]. A couple of years ago we were checking them out at a different dealer and they wouldn't let me take it off the lot, both times I wasn't asked if I had the endorsment. I ended up buying in Phoenix, 80 miles away but get it serviced in Prescott Valley, 30 miles and they have been fantastic [Star Island] Buy where you get the best deal, don't worry-be happy....

[DietitianBill]

I'm from southern NJ and the best experience I had with a dealer is J&J cycle in wilmington DE. Small place, but they really take care of you and the mechanics name is CJ, super nice kid. He took me in the shop while he did my DPS recall in front of me. I couldn't be happier with them. It is a small place so there is no big showroom although they will definitely have bikes there for you to see. All they do is sell BRP products (jet skis, ATV's, etc). Worth the drive imo

[spyder3]

I was contacted by BRP today concerning my first post on this thread.


So, they do read here and expressed a great deal of concern. I think thats a good thing!

[Webhead]

Although I didn't end up buying from J&J in Delaware, I can say they were great to deal with and wouldn't hesitate buying from them. Also, DE is a state where a MC endorsement is not required to drive a Spyder. (I know it's supposed to follow the laws of the state on your lic, but the DE dealers are good about it.) Might be an option to go for a test ride before your endorsement comes through.

Also, Blackman's Cycle near Allentown is a great dealer for service (bought somewhere else and do all my service at Blackmans). Very knowledgeable and willing to help - I know they sell a lot of bikes out of there and delivered two RTs on the day I was there for my DPS replacement. Might be too far for you, but maybe worth a shot.....

Good luck,

Steve

[SpyderWolf]

I was contacted by BRP today concerning my first post on this thread.


So, they do read here and expressed a great deal of concern. I think thats a good thing!

Good deal. I hope it all works out for you soon.

[richie]

I just walked into East Coast Cycle Center in Bensalem, Pa. and traded my
2008 Spyder in on the 2011 RT Limited yesterday. Had no problem whatsoever and actually got more for my trade than I expected and a better deal than Extreme Machines in Millstone, NJ. Been dealing with East Coast for three years and have never had a problem, service department has always treated me well. They area also handling the NJ sales tax and all the motor vehicle paper work.

Hope you find a dealer you are comfortable with and are able to begin the fun of riding a Spyder.

P.S. Remeber don't take any s---, it's your money.

Ernie