IMHO you should take the time to work every dealer possible to assure you get the best deal. Here is what I did for my recent Fat Boy (Chrome Wheel Option) Purchase in April. There are 7 dealers in my area. I went to each one. Found a salesman asked him for his best price out the door. Two gave me a two step. Three put their price on a business card and asked me to come back with my best price and they would beat it. Told 'em they got one shot, so make it a good one. One jerk asked me why I wanted his best price! He said
'you're only going to take it to someone else so they can beat it!!!" DUH. I looked at him, laughed and walked out. He chases after me, I kept going.
OTD prices ranged from $15.5k to $17.9. Went back to the dealer with the $15.5k deal. Then I started negotiating and got 20% off all parts at dealership up to a limit of $4.0k plus 3.9% Interest for 60 months.

I say work them against each other. It's a buyers market. You work hard for your money take some time and get your best deal. When you get it, you'll know it.

Happy Hunting!

 

Thank you all for the input.

I think that I may be a littler over zealous asking that much but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I am planning on keeping you all up to date on my progress.

I sent an email to all the dealerships last night and my plan is to work all of them via the phone and email and take the 4 best offers and visit them and work them against each other. Once I am satisfied with the best offer I am going to take that in to the original dealership I have been kicking tires at and show him the best deal and ask what he can do for me.

Since last night this is what has happened:

This is only with me sending an email and never talking to anyone face to face.

3 out of the 9 dealerships have responded.

Dealer #1- Guy is appreciative of me giving him the chance to "earn my business" and comes back with $17,259.93 otd.

Dealer #2- Been going back and fourth with this guy all last night and is at $16,476.93 OTD with exhaust, air cleaner and a fuelpak.


Dealer #3- Calls me and sounds like he's drooling to get my business. Super pushy about me going in to visit him this weekend so we can "talk". He wants me to promise him that I will come see him before I accept any other offers. The only problem is that this last guy is the farthest away (2 hours).

I think I am making good progress and plan to go see some of these guys in the next couple of weeks.

Bad part about this is I am traveling a bunch for work in the next few weeks.

 

the way the economy is going (and they know it) you can push your deal or just go to the used market. which is always the best choice. a 2 year old CB will be already there with the air cleaner, pipes and the rest.

 

Update:

Dealer #4 will match $16,476.93 OTD with the accessories and do 20% off in store.

Again this is all via email.

Once I go in to these places I hope to turn the heat up.

Thank you all again for your suggestions.

 

Good luck getting 15K!

Sticker on my bike with options was $18219 (Denim paint, security system, Cal emissions and freight)

My negotiated price was $16234 before any taxes/license etc...NO trade-in.... and I bought my 09 in 09. It was $17.9 out the door. No extended warranty, no extras, didn't want any.

That was a deal IMO...especially in Kali where we pay sunshine tax. We were also pretty deep in the recession by then.

 

I think this a a really good deal!! Now's time to go back to the other dealers with this offer to see if they'll beat it.

FWIW, I'm much too impatient and wouldn't pass this up if it was an offer I'd been given. But hope you can get it lower...I'm very interested to hear how this plays out.

Good Luck!!

Yup! I think you gotta hellova deal there too.

 

The deals out the door in the 16K range sounds pretty good. Getting 2 and 3K in a gift card or store credit most likely will look around the 500 dollar range.

The one dealer throwing on the parts is pretty good. Better talk to the service manager about your warranty. The local dealer here said the first question H-D asks when submitting a warranty claim is are they using some type of power commander. If you are using the H-D tuner you got noting to worry about.

 

Don't count on getting a good deal because the 'Bones is going out. Most dealerships I've gone to have starting jacking up the price because of it. It is now going down as a "collector" bike. I walked out the door with my 'Bones having paid $15,000 for it. No other deals or savings. I felt like I got a good deal on it. Of course, I've seen better, too. I really don't think you are crazy to essentially offer $13,000 for one, but I will tell you they won't go for it. I'm being straight up honest. I know of a few people to sell their '09 - '10 model year 'Bones within the last few months outright to the Harley dealership and get back $13k on it. So, chances of acquiring a new one at that price is slim-to-none.

Hope that helps.

 

The real issue with wheeling and dealing for a motorcycle (ESPECIALLY a Harley) is that they're essentially toys. And dealers know that. It effects both the seller and buyer's mindset. Most folks who are seriously in the market for a bike (again- especially a Harley) are VERY eager and hyped up about it- and dealers know this. They use it to their advantage. I would think that most people, once they actually SEE the bike they want in the flesh, are VERY reticent to just walk away and go to another dealer (who may be hours away) who may or MAY NOT have that bike in stock.

I don't even recall what I got my Train for. I DO know that it was less than MSRP and that the monthly payments were quite manageable. I didn't hurt that my buddy was best friends with the owner (they were LEO's back in the day). I remember being amazed that I got a Harley for anything less than what was on the tag. From what I had heard at the time, that was UNHEARD of. Then again, the Recession was in its' embryonic stages at that time...

Seriously, the economy sucks- you work hard to your money- walk in with an attitude that says, "You want my cash? Make me WANT to give it to you."

 

...do we ever get what WE want from a dealer? I think not.
You think your getting what you want, but creep in the hidden fees, don't forget the guilt trip with having to purchase the extended warranty, the mark ups that you think are accessory sales and at the end of the day, if the dealer is making money, you might walk out the door thinking you got what you wanted.

Bottom line for me was, I just wanted my bike out the door asap.