For those of you thinking about a new HD under the tree, or at least next to the tree, I thought I'd share that the dealers in the Northern climates (specifically in MN), seem to be quite willing to negotiate.

On Saturday, I completed paperworkon a 2008 Street Glide (Vivid Black) with ABS and Cruise Control. MSRP on the bike was around $20,300. I got the bike for $18,000 ($19,200 out the door). Naturally, I turned right around and dumpedthe savingsinto Rinehart TDs, Vance & Hines headers, chrome forks, etc., etc,. The bike purchase price made it a whole lot easier to justify the aftermarket stuff...

Obviously, there are a number of factors that influenced thier desire to deal... (I imagine factory incentives to the dealers,snow on the ground, lots of bikes on the floor, etc.are at the top of that list).

St. Paul HD was the dealer. Mark F (sales guy -good guy.) Also, I opted to accept a standard simple interest 84-month loan from Eagle (HD Credit) instead of going with the 0% for six months offer. Accepting the standard 84-month (1st payment in 30 days) lowered the interest rate by 2%, saving about $1600 over the life of the loan. (Which I'll likely pay-off early anyway)...

Now, if I could only warm it up about 50 degrees I could actually ride this thing...

Thanks to you in the Touring forum for answering all of my stupid questions! See you out there!

 

Here in Columbus Ga, I believe a business has to pay tax by a certain date on what they have in inventory. Before the tax is due may be a good time to buy a bike. Just a thought.

Hack

 

While I'm not in the market and haven't talked price, dealers here in NoVA sure seem to have a large stock of bikes on hand. I agree that anyone looking for a new scooter might be in for a sweet deal this year.
Motorcycle sales seem to be getting "soft" across the board and HD stock is going down for the first time in a few years.

 

I will certainly agree that the floors are full. I am in the DFW area, I have not seen the floors as full as they were last weekend. I went to three dealerships. Not sure how much they will deal in this area. For I just purchased mine two months ago, probably should have waited to see if any dealings. Still I am happy.

 

My dealer in NJ is offering free tires or free scheduled maintenace for life, or a free 5 year extended warranty with the purchase of a new bike. I'm sure the tires and maintenance are good only for the original owner. You gotta think that bike sales are down with incentives coming this early.

 

No deals in NJ that I can find. List price is the norm. Keep all the above and give me a cash discount. I worry about the tires later............

 

I got $1000 off MSRP on my '08 Ultra Classic here in So Cal.

 

LA Harley is giving a $1000 g/c with an 08 purchase.

 

Damn, seven years? Just out of curiosity, what is the monthly payment? And, did you roll all of your accessories into the loan? I'm not busting your *****, I am just curious. Feel free to PM me. Also, what was the interest rate, and how is your credit? The only reason I ask is, I was lucky enough to buy my bike with cash, but the wife is starting to ride, and I would like her to get an '08 so I will have another bike to ride. If you feel like telling me to f*** off, I understand, I am just curious, and was always taught it is better to ask a question directly, than beat around the bush.

BTW, good deal on the OTD price, IMO.

 

PapaTravis, all fairquestions, allow me to explain my rationale...

I rolled the stage 1 and chrome forks into the loan. I've got pretty solid credit, so the interest rate for 84 months wasaround 8.99% (look around, I doubt you'll find a 7 year loan interest-rate on aMotorcycle for much less than that). I put$6000 down on the bike, and my payment is right around $250/month.So, in total I'm financing $16,000.

Why I did this...

1.) I have no intention ofkeeping this loan for 84 months. I am in sales and basically get 75% of mycommissions in thelast quarter of the year (October-December). So, I was looking for the lowest monthly payment I could get (reducing the financial burden during those non-commission months). Then, when the big commission paychecks arrive, I make significant payments against principle...

2.)I have repeated this practice on both of my cars, paying them off in less than 1/2 the total loan's required time - therefore foregoing the total interest paid over the term).It allows me to get the bike, (with a good chunk paid down up front) then pay either the lowest monthly payment required ($250), or make significant payments (multiple thousands of dollars) - what ever is comfortable for the month.

3.) There will be other modifications and accessories I'lladd to the bike (shocking, I know...) but I will pay for those out of pocket. This way, I get some of the mission critical elements up front, then the "nice to haves" down-stream.

The extra "fee" for doing style of financing (in my case) was an extra 1-2% interest for going from a 5-year to a 7-year term. But, for this "fee" I get great payment-flexibility.

Other (sensible) options might be home equity - get to write off interest, etc. ButHD Credit (Eagle)worked out quite easily for me and was a simple process (not requiring the paperwork-laden process associated with HELOCs) - in addition, Home Equity interest rates were'nt that much cheaper than the interest rate I got on the bike...

And, I do realize that when you push a loan out for 7 years, interest is weighted toward the front end... Something to be considered.

Hope that helps...