Buying a Spyder - Dealership woes.........

[PeterKelly]

I am a 72 year old relic who is in the process of going from 2 wheels to 3 due to some health issues. My first venture is to replace the HD Street Glide that I use in Southern California during the winters. If my transition down there is successful I will replace my Gold Wing up here in Vancouver BC.

I have ridden a Spyder a couple of times and narrowed the choice down to a new or used 2020 plus Spyder RT Limited. That is proving to be the easy part.... now comes the challenge of finding one without being the victim of highway robbery from dealer. There aren't many available and the dealers are keenly aware of this. The 2022's are not expected till March or April and the dealers are keen to maximize the profit on every bike they have currently have in stock.
I was quoted Dealer Fees or Markup on top of MSRP ranging between $2K to $4K on new bike and $300 to $900 on used bikes.

I have spent the last 2 days on the phone and emailing dealers in SoCal AZ and NV. They all seem very busy and some don't respond to voicemail or email messages. When they do they go in to hard core sales mode and it's difficult getting sensible information from them. Here is a rough transcript of a call I had with one sales guy about a used 2020 RT L with about 1000 miles on it. I had filled an online enquiry form and got three spam like emails in the next few hours saying "thanks for the enquiry ...how can we earn you business today?......"

Me "Hi I'm calling to get some information on the used 2020 RT L you have in stock."

Sales guy " Sure what do you need"

Me "My first question is is there any warranty remaining on the bike?"

Sales guy "Spyders come with a two year warranty"

Me " I know that but this is a used bike"

Sales guy "You can buy an extended warranty"

Me " I know that but is there any factory warranty left on the bike"

Sales guy "Probably"

Me "Could you be more specific"

Sales guy "I would say between 2 months and 12 months"

Me " Cant you look up the date the bike was first registered?"

Sales guy " I don't know - I don't think we sold it" "How can I earn your business today?"

I decided this was a dead end and would move on to something else

Me "I see from the photos the bike has passenger armrests - do you know if there are any other mods or accessories?"

Sales guy "We offer a 10% discount on accessories when you buy a bike from us"

I decide once again to move on to something else

Me "Can you tell me about the condition of the bike and its history - specifically any accidents damages scratches etc?"

Sales guy "Its a really good bike and well priced" Can we do a deal today?"

Me "I really don't believe we can. Have a nice day"

I have since received two further emails along the lines of "How do we earn your business today?"

The above exchange was extremely frustrating at the time but now I can find the humour in it. I guess it doesn't take a lot of sales skills to sell bikes in this market but you would expect a guy like this to really struggle in a more competitive environment.

After much frustration I am close to pulling the plug on 2020 used RTL with 1100 miles and a year of warranty left. I am comfortable with the price and reasonably comfortable with the trade on my HD. I tried had to get the right deal from iMotorsports who will waive the Dealer prep fees but they offered me $2K less on my trade in.

I wil report back when I have a signed deal

 

[sledge]

don't look too good to me.

 

[JayBros]

You're dealing with s***head salesman who will lie, cheat and steal to make a sale. You must be very politely blunt with those kind. Tell them that if they will not answer your specific questions about bikes by VIN you know they are not serious about doing a deal but are just focused on dumping inventory at the best price for them. Call Imotorsports, a SL sponsor, and see what kind of deal they will give you and deliver the Spyder free to you CA address. They take trades too.

 

[PeterKelly]

You're dealing with s***head salesman who will lie, cheat and steal to make a sale. You must be very politely blunt with those kind. Tell them that if they will not answer your specific questions about bikes by VIN you know they are not serious about doing a deal but are just focused on dumping inventory at the best price for them. Call Imotorsports, a SL sponsor, and see what kind of deal they will give you and deliver the Spyder free to you CA address. They take trades too.

As mentioned in my post I tried to do a deal with iMotorsports. Nice people but they were $2k less on my trade than a California dealer.

Just to clarify the used one I’m close to getting is not at the dealership where I had the the Sales guy experience

 

[CopperSpyder]

As mentioned in my post I tried to do a deal with iMotorsports. Nice people but they were $2k less on my trade than a California dealer.

Just to clarify the used one I’m close to getting is not at the dealership where I had the the Sales guy experience

At this point its not even about a few dollars here or there. it should be about what you really want color, model, year, warranty. There are still some left over new ones that you can get cheaper than used sometime. At 72 get what you want; the price between the used ones your looking at and what you want are to close. Live to Ride, Ride to Live. :thumbup:

 

[bikerbillone]

Granted it is a tough environment out there today trying to buy the machine you want at a reasonable price, but here's the thing, it is a seller's market on anything you buy, you find the machine you want, just bite the silver bullet and go for it. That's just the way it is these days, sales people do not have to work to sell, just answer the 'phone and be snarky if they want. Like the poster, that irritates me no end, I usually walk away with bad thoughts and I've shot myself in the foot and didn't get what I wanted.

 

[acdcking12]

I paid 21K for my 2018 F3L with 20K miles. It was in phenomenal shape, but the price high. And I had little choice, if I wanted a bike. So I pulled the trigger. But it still pisses me off about the price. But I try and just enjoy the fact that I have one to enjoy.

 

[beerandchips]

Buy from iMotorsports, sell your bike private.

sn

 

[rustin921]

Be careful to of newer low mileage bikes, I looked at a 2019 with 5k miles in great condition and price, and not from a Can Am dealer, but a motorcycle dealer.

I opened up the seat and found MUD.

I contacted my dealer and they stated that bikes that were flooded out in the hurricanes in southern US are coming north and dealers are selling them.

Be careful

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Be careful to of newer low mileage bikes, I looked at a 2019 with 5k miles in great condition and price, and not from a Can Am dealer, but a motorcycle dealer.

I opened up the seat and found MUD.

I contacted my dealer and they stated that bikes that were flooded out in the hurricanes in southern US are coming north and dealers are selling them.

Be careful

That's one good reason to always order a CarFax report.

 

[2dogs]

Be careful to of newer low mileage bikes, I looked at a 2019 with 5k miles in great condition and price, and not from a Can Am dealer, but a motorcycle dealer.

I opened up the seat and found MUD.

I contacted my dealer and they stated that bikes that were flooded out in the hurricanes in southern US are coming north and dealers are selling them.

Be careful

Holy Crapenda! How is a factory warranty gonna work out in that situation?