Concerns as a private seller

[Peter Aawen]

A (former) Spyder Ryder here in Aus had to sell his Spyder due to his rapidly increasing infirmity, & went the 'Private Sale' route. He could no longer get aboard to ryde at all, so even him ryding it to provide a demo was out of the question. A prospective buyer did all the right things, asked all the right questions, assured the seller he had ridden Spyders before, handed over his Motorcycle Rider Endorsed licence along with a (relatively small) cash deposit on the verbal understanding that it was re-fundable if he didn't proceed with the sale, & took the Spyder for a short test ryde. Said test ryde was even shorter than originally envisaged, he lost control on the first corner not 50 yards from the seller, counter steering as you would on a 2 Wheeler, & speared off the road taking out a fairly large tree & totalling the Spyder as well as himself!! I can't recall exactly how it went down from there, apart from hearing that the Spyder was written off entirely with barely any parts even recoverable as scrap, and I believe that despite extensive & heroic medical intervention over some months, ultimately the prospective buyer didn't make it. I do know that now, more than 2 years later, the various insurance companies concerned are still arguing & they seem to be settling in for a protracted process!! :yikes:

So a 10% Consignment fee sounds pretty cheap to me, just so long as their insurance covers any damage or losses while it's being test ridden - that is, of course, IF it gets test ridden at all!! :shocked:

 

[Sarge707]

Basic rule, you can ride it when you put the cash in my hand and I give you the title. That's it. I'll let someone look it over, sit on it, and ask all the questions they want. I'll run it up and down the street, idle it. Test rides? No way.
On the flip side...
I've never asked to ride before buying either. Do your homework on the machine your buying and the seller. Know what your looking for and educate yourself.
Usually it's pretty easy to spot the junk, shady sellers, or machines you want to avoid if you pay attention.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I agree!! Cash First- I give you title and take off plate and its Yours!!!
If they really want it they can follow ME around a 20 Mile circuit just to make sure it runs well- BUT No ride till I got $$$ and you got title and Bill of Sale.nojoke

 

[Samson]

I have NEVER allowed anyone to test ride a bike or car I was selling. The mess this would cause if there is a crash is beyond description. I have ALL service records, maintenance work and pictures for documentation and if that isn't good enough then buy someone elses mess. My machines are always in as new condition and once anyone with any kind of research done immediately realizes what they are getting. I sold a 1966 Corvette to a guy 3000 miles from where I lived for well into 6 figures and he never even looked at the car in person. I had video and over 1000 pictures of every nut and bolt of the entire restoration.

 

[PapaHotel]

There are two sides to every sale.

In this case I am a buyer, and not only a buyer, but a long distance buyer. And added to that, I only took a dealer demo ride for about four miles, so I have no real Spyder experience over the fact I knew which model I wanted and I know to hit a button on the left grip, put on the brake before starting!

So how do you do a long distance transaction, well it helps to have a person recommended, it helps to read their posts, and it helps to have a conversation.

I really wanted to send a full offer check, but in today's world it just can't be done. Either one of us could die or the product could be mis-represented....

Do your best with the due diligence, hope for the best, or just bite the bullet and trade up at a dealer and lose the extra $1000 or more.

I have found (at least for me) that it is easier to buy than sell, and that is why I have five motorcycles and five lawnmowers and five....

 

[Cruzr Joe]

In this case I am a buyer, and not only a buyer, but a long distance buyer. And added to that, I only took a dealer demo ride for about four miles, so I have no real Spyder experience over the fact I knew which model I wanted and I know to hit a button on the left grip, put on the brake before starting!

So how do you do a long distance transaction, well it helps to have a person recommended, it helps to read their posts, and it helps to have a conversation.

I really wanted to send a full offer check, but in today's world it just can't be done. Either one of us could die or the product could be mis-represented....

Do your best with the due diligence, hope for the best, or just bite the bullet and trade up at a dealer and lose the extra $1000 or more.

I have found (at least for me) that it is easier to buy than sell, and that is why I have five motorcycles and five lawnmowers and five....

:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:, I wish i would have gotten 5 more hundred dollar bills from you also. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

Cruzr Joe

 

[Bob Denman]

If he decides to start giving out five-hundred dollars bills: please count me in for some! :thumbup: :roflblack:

 

[cuznjohn]

i have only sold 2 cars to a pvt seller, and they were family. i know it's nuts, but i would rather take a loss and trade or have a dealer take it on consignment, then to sell it to someone, and have them call me if something goes wrong.

 

[Cruzr Joe]

i have only sold 2 cars to a pvt seller, and they were family. i know it's nuts, but i would rather take a loss and trade or have a dealer take it on consignment, then to sell it to someone, and have them call me if something goes wrong.

Mine that i am selling still has about 18 months of factory warranty so i have no concerns about someone buying it and somewhere down the road having a problem.

Cruzr Joe

 

[tecnodog7]

I am considering selling my F3. But I have a number of concerns.

What if someone wants to test ride it? I am concern about several things. 1. They don't come back. 2. They crash. 3. They abuse it. Is it customary to allow test rides when you are a private seller?

And what other things do I need to know to protect myself in such a transaction? An example, they ride off after the transaction and the transmission fails? Can they come after me?

I just bought my can am from a gentleman in NH. I got there with my car gave them my drivers license showed him I had cash on hand. He took out his bike and I got on the can am. I just followed him around to get a feel of the bike. I went with my cousin so he was at the house and especially we drove from NY it was a good 300 miles. We came back to the house and signed the title. The gentleman was nice enough to let me borrow his plates( I kept a deposit of the plates plus a copy of my drivers license as well).

As far as coming back. All sales are final. Check all you need to check and inspect because that's the reason I am letting you test ride is. All sales final AS IS

Usually you would get a feel for the person while you are talking to them on the phone. Personally I would NEVER accept a check unless if it's a CERTIFIED CASHIER CHECK which is basically CASH. Other than that no dice!

 

[Cruzr Joe]

I just bought my can am from a gentleman in NH. I got there with my car gave them my drivers license showed him I had cash on hand. He took out his bike and I got on the can am. I just followed him around to get a feel of the bike. I went with my cousin so he was at the house and especially we drove from NY it was a good 300 miles. We came back to the house and signed the title. The gentleman was nice enough to let me borrow his plates( I kept a deposit of the plates plus a copy of my drivers license as well).

As far as coming back. All sales are final. Check all you need to check and inspect because that's the reason I am letting you test ride is. All sales final AS IS

Usually you would get a feel for the person while you are talking to them on the phone. Personally I would NEVER accept a check unless if it's a CERTIFIED CASHIER CHECK which is basically CASH. Other than that no dice!

as we just found out, an out of state buyer can go to our local motor vehicles office and get temporary tags good for 14 days so that he will have tags to get home with.

Cruzr Joe

 

[tecnodog7]

as we just found out, an out of state buyer can go to our local motor vehicles office and get temporary tags good for 14 days so that he will have tags to get home with.

Cruzr Joe

Man if I had only known. But the gentleman I bought was from a life saver to trust me with his plates. I was also kinda nervous taking that much cash across state lines (Civil Forfeiture)

.

The only problem was I went on a long weekend (due to work) but honestly for future that is good to know that there are other options. Thank you