Dealing with dealers.....

Yeah theres a small independant shop kinda near me i might check out, i'd feel like a douche walking in with a tire for them to mount, also they have seen issues of tires bought online that wouldn't balance out. I guess i just gotta shop around local and see whats best.

I would like to this spring get my girlfriend a jacket and helmet that we'll have to buy at a dealer to make sure it fits right, it sucks knowing i could save money going online so i guess if its where they have to order it in then i'll just buy it online since we'll be guessing/waiting either way.

For the helmet you want to make sure it fits right, so no harm trying different helmets on and buying accordingly. For the jacket and other protective stuff, just go to the manufacturer's website and find their sizing guide. Then measure her correctly and you should know what size to order.

Definitely check the selection and prices with the local guy first though on that stuff. If they are close in price compared to online, then might as well buy it all locally and save on shipping.

I have a different view on that. If they stock the gear (at least the brand) I don't have a problem trying it on and then deciding where to buy it. I'd say it's 50/50 online or local. On the other hand, I know I am a euro 43 boot, large jacket and 36-38 waist pant. The type product I buy has a big range for error. In other words, the stuff is pretty loose. I have bought things sight unseen and never had anything that didn't work.

On the NEXT other hand, I am looking to buy my last suit. I think it will be Klim. I want it to fit well, since the money is so big.

Not sure the solution, but given the total expense, I might pay shipping for a couple sizes if I can't find local.

Sorry to hear that. As is your local dealer. Maybe they could charge you rental while you try things on?

Agree... If I am working with a brick and mortar shop, I never expect them to beat or even meet mail-order. If they are not too much higher, I'll buy. Got a local shop and some of the consumables are 60-100% higher than mail-order. I can't justify that. On the other hand, I've purchased several helmets from them, and other things.

Again, I will NOT go to a dealer with the express purpose of sizing stuff that I know I plan to buy online. That's a douche move and I applaud others that feel the same way.

Barry

Ask the local shop if they price match. Mine does.

It helps when the dealership has knowledgeable staff to assist you. They do not come free. If you listen to them and they listen to you in the end it can save you a substantial amount of coin by making better purchases even if they are not the lowest price on everything.

This x1000

I went to a local dealer looking for a pair of gloves. I rode in on my bike. I spent 20+ minutes looking at the various gloves they had and found a pair I like, but in a color I didn't like. I then saw the then new Arai XD4 and tried several different sizes on. I spent another 20 minutes looking at, and trying on helmets. Not once did any staff contact me.

I went back to the same shop a week later (I'm a slow learner) and again tried on gloves and helmets. Again, I was never contacted by any staff. I would have bought both if someone would have helped me and been able to get fairly close to online pricing. I ended up buying both online shortly after my second visit.

I also looked at a few bikes while I was there both times, and the bike sales guys were all over me. However, their pricing was outrageous, especially on the used bikes. How they stay in business, I don't know.

We bought a new Toyota yesterday.
Went to the dealership to look at a used 2010 Rav4 & a used 2010 Forrester that they had on the lot. Rav4 had a deposit put on it about 10 minutes before we got there, and we weren't impressed with the Subaru.
We were prepared to move on to our next shopping location when the salesman said "You know, its end of year, we have a lot of rebates and good financing available, I bet I can make a deal on a new one that is at least as good as what you were going to pay for this two year old one. I know its not what you were looking for, but if I can't do it I'm more than happy to wish you luck in your search."
Up to this point, he had been nice, informative, honest, competent, and seemingly genuine. So I gave him a shot at it.

They ended up printing up the invoice sheets for the car we wanted, gave us an extremely fair trade value, worked in some extra rebates and got us great financing. We are paying less for a brand new car (11 miles when we drove it off the lot) than were expecting for a 2 year old with 23k miles. There were no back and forth games, they came out with "These are our numbers, here is what we can give you in trade (first offer was very good, more than we expected or that any of the online tools led us to believe was possible), and here is the rest of what we can do for you.

I went out to buy a used car, he sold me a new one, all because he was honest, genuine, and informative without feeling like we were entering a combat zone. AND when its time to replace my GLI, I'm already pretty sold on a Tacoma Prerunner. Guess where I'm spending my money? He sold more than one car yesterday.

Mine actually beat on line pricing for a pair Olympia pants last year. They came down a lot on a Synergy jacket liner, but were still too high for my budget. I'll always give them first chance.

Go to Apex in the Springs. By far the best dealership I've ever dealt with. The parts counter is a different story. Gary, the tire guy, is a great guy and great help when you go to buy tires.

Denver dealerships are a bunch of overpriced tools.

If you have cash, make them aware. Quote "out the door" and tax included for your county/city/area. Don't be afraid to walk. You have the advantage this time of year.

Ah, I've had a similar experience dealing with the Beemer dealer in the Springs...offered much, much more on a possible trade-in and then way overpriced their OEM ad-ons to get to a higher price than the local Denver dealer offered...shop around people...

I went thru 4 dealers in 3 states to find the 1250fa I wanted. I usually give a dealer one pass to get a deal done, my time is valuable and I dont like to listen to BS, and I have a rule, never beg someone to take my money. heres what im willing to offer, what are you willing to offer? get your boss or whatever, but if it cant be done in a half hour then it cant be done this isnt complicated.
1st dealer salesman, no we dont have one of those, despite the cycletrader listing saying we got one, please come buy it. left a card with name and # on it for the owner who is a family friend. he called later that evening pissed after the salesdroid told him I came by and they blew me off. not mad at me, just his salesman. I got offered the guys job if I wanted it.. I declined job offer and the offer he made on the bike. we are still friends and ill prolly buy from him again later.
2nd dealer. a little background, I will usually find a good internet price, not the cheapest one ,one of the lower not obviously bait and switch ads and call for a quote, if they wont fax or email me a fixed OTD price no thanks dont waste my time. anyway I take my quote to any dealer I walk into and offer them quote plus $500-$750 just to keep from having to drive an overnite, waste gas, motel,etc. basically offer them the cost of the trip out of state plus a little more. if one can sell it a this price so can another.they hate this, but cash speaks louder than words. the saleslady at the 2nd dealer looks and says "WE DONT CUT OR MATCH PRICES" I offered that she wasnt matching anything and im offering her more that what I can buy this for at another dealer who is making money on the deal just so I dont have to do a 2 day trip to wherever. on a leftover bike that isn't going to move ever in this area. no way she says we dont cut off sticker... good day says I,tell your boss I was here here's my card. they used to be my bmw dealer and Ive bought 4 bikes from them over the last 25 years, Ill be getting a phone call later.. sure enough rob calls and is pissed, but I wave him off, sorry old buddy,dont hire stupid people and you'll sell more bikes... she is pretty tho must sell a lot of bikes to young men. that she does he says, call ME the next time you come in tho and we will make it happen, Rob knows my one pass rule.
3rd dealer ya, we will fix you right up got one right here on the floor. fine I says get the bags put on it and draw up the paperwork Ill be back monday evening to pick it up at x price, done deal. get call monday lunch hey we gotta have an extra 1k for the bags and all. no says I, you got to find another customer x is what im paying for it and all im paying for it,get stuffed. wont be back to that particular dealer altho I did call the manager and informed him of the lost sale and the foolish salesman"s name who tried to jack me on a made handshake deal and explained the one pass rule to him. later..
4th dealer yeah its right here, heres the price bags are 200 extra which is what they were supposed to cost, not $1000
they threw in a 4 year extended warranty and 1st service and I still got out the door for a k less than msrp after taxes which is right where I figured I would wind up. the warranty I considered a bonus that may or may not ever be used but its there if I need it.
long story short walk away from poor service or shoddy deals, its your money. might take a bit of time but someone out there will have what you want at a reasonable price. carry a checkbook, cash is a pain for them to deal with in new bike buying amounts. be prepared to wait a few hours or even a few days till everything clears and if they are not willing to make a deal on your terms walk away. the 3 dealerships I walked away from will remember me as a lost profit opportunity. and i will remember them as generally incompetent or not willing to do business on anyone's terms but their own.
Remember no one gets all they want out of a deal, if so someone got taken, hell I would like to get a free bike but everything costs. what it costs is open to negotiation if its not then I walk away. I dont mind someone making money, I depend on people willing to pay me for what I do but I dont gouge for my services and wont stand to be gouged. its my money after all.

BE PATIENT it took me over 6 months to get the bike I wanted at a price I was comfortable with. I am probably the worlds most difficult customer due to the fact Im careful with my money and research thoroughly any major purchase so I walk away from a lot of stuff that others would take without doing the research. time and market conditions/competition are on your side so use it to your advantage.

So you visited 4 dealers in 3 states over a period of six months just to save a grand on a $12k motorcycle??? And what did you save over the offer from the owner of the first dealer? $500?

No thanks. I have taken the offer from the owner of the first dealership and worked with it. Even if it were only $250 off MSRP, you would have had six months of enjoyment with the bike for your $750.

I got one word for your "One pass" rule: dumb.

Really great advice. I am coming up on my buying window and so far have yet to find a dealer in CA that is not charging 600$ in dealer fees not including tax/reg

+1

:eek1

Ah, but you dont understand, I have bikes already, I dont need another and am in no hurry, plus I run construction crews all over the US and travel widely so it costs me nothing to be there and may as well see if I can do a deal on something I want. plus the offer was about 1500 high after I have to pay taxes to bring it into the state, he knew this and could have got down more without hurting his margin but tried to hustle me for about half the tax bill. its called hustle the hillbilly cause you knew his dad and and have dealt with him before, simple solution= walk away, I dont owe him or anyone else anything not even common courtesy if theyre not deserving of it.

one pass/half hour means Im serious, tell me what you want and ill tell you what im willing to give if we are too far apart I walk and we dont waste each others time. I bring a checkbook with me when Im shopping. do your numbers however you want to make the bookkeepers happy, heres the numbers we are dealing with. I will leave a card with a decent offer and my number if we cant get together on price and occasionally I will get a callback however I move so much that im rarely in the same place for long and refuse to drive/fly back to wherever it was and waste time and effort without knocking the price down a bit to cover my costs for travel. I made a fair offer then,now they're calling 2 months later when it didnt sell like they expected it to and want to come running to me to unload something off their floorplan. dont think so, bad bet on dealers part so I get a little reward for covering the failed bet. I grew up around a family of used car dealers, this is nothing new to me, a sale and some profit beats the hell out of a maybe sale and maybe better profit in an unknown future but most people are greedy and risk a loss, kind of like trying to fill an inside straight in poker terms.
and I dont deal with sloppy sales staff or those trying to run up a ticket. know what you have, be a professional know what youre selling and quit trying to tack on those extra profit items after we have agreed to a price.
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as i said im a difficult customer and make no apologies and expect no favors, its a business transaction to me.

The only thing I found shoddy in your post was you. You are the type that I enjoy saying "NO" to.

I would bet those people were all laughing at you and stringing you along for their own amusement.

And here is a news flash for you. Cycletrader often re-lists bikes that have been sold. (sometimes even months old) It is a common practice for them to fill their pages and there is nothing that a deal can do about it.

You spent six months grinding axles off yet you claim your time is valuable.