If the guy will hang around there long enough, they might give him a bike just to get rid of him.

 

I thought you were going to say the offered him a job since he is always there and then give him an employee discount LOL! Well I would never do a 72 month loan-60 is the max I go on cars and I pay cash for my bikes. Seems to me if they are willing to give a sweet deal then I would put down what he has saved up and then get a loan for the rest, but that's just me.

 

Never been to St Paul HD but have been to TC HD several times.....

 

Sorta on topic...sorta off topic...but, the missus and I invented our own way of negotiating car deals. We both go and find the one we want, and then I go back without her. When the sales man does the whole "let me check with the manager" routine, we pull our own version of that and I tell him I have to check with my wife, and go outside and call her on the cell...or, at least act like I'm calling her. It's always her car/truck we're buying, and she can't be there for whatever reason. Playing the buyer against the manager seems to work well for the dealers, so we just play them the same. Not having the "target" there to play on their emotions somehow seems to take the edge off the dealer. The last time we did that, the manager himself finally came out and told me there was no way he could meet our price...which was well below book retail. I "called" the missus, hung up, and told him she said no way and started heading for the door...when he asked if they hit our price, would she buy the car. I "called" her back, and told him she said yes as long as it came with a warranty...he was getting kinda pissed by then, but we ended up getting our price AND an extended warranty. I think he was glad to finally get rid of "us".

 

So what model bike did he finally luck onto, what options, and what price? Sounds like he is determined to get his best bang for the buck. Good for him!

RD

 

John, that method is called "the agent of least authority close" and it works every time if you play it all the way out. Sounds like you & the Mrs. did the trick on that guy....congratulations! You can usually figure you got a decent deal when they tell you to "take your new car (bike) and leave"

 

Hell, I didn't know it had a name...has worked pretty good for us. We always research book and market values online before going to negotiate...and, we stand our ground on what we find...so, we usually end up with a good deal compared to the current market...not just the book. Also helps to keep in mind that it's not the last vehicle of its kind out there...a mental trap way too many fall in to, and seemingly forget they CAN just walk if the price ain't right.

 

Also called the "**** or get of the pot" technique. LOL
I usually save money that way also.....because by the time I get
to buy whatever I wanted, someone else has it.

Glad it worked out for him.

 

Here's what I've done in the past on a used vehicle. I looked up the trade in value of my truck, and put that down on paper. I then looked up the "private party" value of the dealerships truck. I then went to the dealership that morning as soon as the doors opened. The dialogue went like this:

Salesman: "Well, let's sit down and do some numbers".

Me: I already did that. Here's what I need for my truck, and here's what I'll give you for yours. Here's my phone number. I'm leaving now, call me ONLY if we have a deal.

Salesman: "Well, let me take this to the sales manager, I'll be back in a minute"

Me: No. I am leaving now. DO NOT CALL ME UNLESS THIS DEAL IS APPROVED. Do you understand??

Salesman with stunned look on face: "Um, Ok....."

I then left the dealership. Upon arriving home about 20 minutes later, I walk into the house and the wife says "The dealership called and said to come back and pick up your new truck".

I then drive back to the dealership, and walk in.

Salesman: "No one's ever done that to me before. I took your papers to the manager and told him what you said. The manager looked at it and said, Damn. Just sell him the truck".

I knew they would make a profit, but not what they are used to, so it worked out very well for me. One of my best friends was a top car salesman at a large chevy dealer for a long time. He told me that sales managers hate it when people do this. Also, don't ever believe it if they tell you "We're not making anything on this deal" BS. If they were making a profit, they wouldn't be selling it to you.

 

Although related to car buying, this "confessions of a car salesman" series is an interesting read if you have the time. Talks about the 'tricks' that salesmen try to pull, as well as the differences between various dealers.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying...2/article.html