GS500F on Craigslist--Good price?

[medjen]

http://lansing.craigslist.org/mcy/3200003464.html

After a couple emails back and forth with the current (second) owner, there's good tread depth left on the tires, one small scuff to the fairing decals where the previous owner dropped it. Current owner is a licensed mechanic so has done all the maintenance himself: yearly oil changes, new spark plugs at 2k miles, and a new battery last spring. Garage stored.

Seems like a decent deal to me on the model of bike I'm most interested in, but they guy's a bit of a hike from me, so before I go all the way out there, I thought I'd ask you knowledgeable folks.

[MadMax96]

http://lansing.craigslist.org/mcy/3200003464.html

After a couple emails back and forth with the current (second) owner, there's good tread depth left on the tires, one small scuff to the fairing decals where the previous owner dropped it. Current owner is a licensed mechanic so has done all the maintenance himself: yearly oil changes, new spark plugs at 2k miles, and a new battery last spring. Garage stored.

Seems like a decent deal to me on the model of bike I'm most interested in, but they guy's a bit of a hike from me, so before I go all the way out there, I thought I'd ask you knowledgeable folks.

Personally I wouldn't spend that much on such a small bike.  That 500 engine has been around forever - all Suzuki did was wrap the GS500E with a fairing and call it the "F" model.  

You should be able to find a nice Bandit 600 for that same price - or even a 1200 if you look hard enough.

Have you checked KBB?  For my zip code retail is $2300 and trade in is $1500 - you should be aiming for something in the middle.  Retail is what a dealer might ask - and in this market you could probably get it for closer to $2k - my opinion anyway.

[medjen]

Personally I wouldn't spend that much on such a small bike.  That 500 engine has been around forever - all Suzuki did was wrap the GS500E with a fairing and call it the "F" model.  

You should be able to find a nice Bandit 600 for that same price - or even a 1200 if you look hard enough.

Have you checked KBB?  For my zip code retail is $2300 and trade in is $1500 - you should be aiming for something in the middle.  Retail is what a dealer might ask - and in this market you could probably get it for closer to $2k - my opinion anyway.

Thanks for the input!

As a not-very-big/tall almost-beginner, the gs500f seemed like a decent bike and had what I wanted: low-ish seat height, a bit of a fairing, controllable power, reliable engine, newb-friendly, etc. I even found a set of brackets that'll let me mount some decent hard bags. I'm coming from a 1986 Honda Rebel, so I'm looking to not go TOO crazy...

KBB pricing for me is similar to yours, though local-ish pricing is at or above the bike I posted (though many of those have been listed since the beginning of the summer or before), so perhaps folks just aren't realistic. There are a few that are even posted at higher than they went for retail when new... for a 4-6 year old bike   I'm also learning that low-mileage bikes are the rule, not the exception as their owners would believe.

This guy didn't sound like he'd had much interest, so he might go for a lower price to get it off his hands...

Bandits seem to be in short supply here... the two 600s (both 2001s) I've found are listed for 3k and 3800.

[Carbonero]

There's a lot to be said for the reliability and simplicity of that old-style machine, too. I like the package over all. $2500 isn't awful, and you do have the quality of scarcity to buff that price IF you want THAT bike.

It's a good machine. Only you can decide if it's $2500 good enough for you, though.

Around here, $2500 gets you rashed up, abused, rode-hard crap from wannabe stuntaz and rev-limiter heroes.  

[ScottysB12]

I know of a 2003 Bandit 1200 to be had for 2500

[Carbonero]

Make the deal; I'll help deliver it. I want some road time.  

[medjen]

There's a lot to be said for the reliability and simplicity of that old-style machine, too. I like the package over all. $2500 isn't awful, and you do have the quality of scarcity to buff that price IF you want THAT bike.

It's a good machine. Only you can decide if it's $2500 good enough for you, though.

Around here, $2500 gets you rashed up, abused, rode-hard crap from wannabe stuntaz and rev-limiter heroes.  

Thanks for the input. I suppose that's an important point: What's the bike worth to me. At my size and experience level, I don't have quite as many options as some other folks might.

I know of a 2003 Bandit 1200 to be had for 2500

Make the deal; I'll help deliver it. I want some road time.  

  I don't know what I'd do with that much displacement...

[Carbonero]

  I don't know what I'd do with that much displacement...

While there are times when you can have too little, you can NEVER have too much. :-)

(I say that in practical terms, not in "faster is better" terms)