Bike Shopping Tomorrow and KBB question

[jbs80106]

Hi All!  Been awhile for me.  Going to check out a Sprint ST 1050 tomorrow.  Looks pretty excellent condition.  BUT...KBB says expect average price for a 'good' 2008 ST 1050 is ~$4700.  The bike is listed as ~$6500.

I can start negotiating.  Obviously don't want to overpay.  I see one for sale here in Cali for $4600, 2005 model with some mods -- alas I'm in Alabama...so....

Thoughts or suggestions on how strong a KBB bike price is?

Thanks!

 

[Sport-Touring]

[Blue is Best]

All I can say is this isn't the best economy. So ultimately the value of something is only what someone else is willing to pay for it. Find out how long the bike has been advertised. That may give you a very good leverage point to negotiate from.

[jbs80106]

Thanks!!!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Also consider mileage, maintenance and any "farkles" that might have been added previously.

Or plan to buy the one in California and have a helluva "getting to know you" ride home  

[kver]

FWIW -- the 2004-2007 had a different subframe / pillion seat -- that tended to crack if the saddelbags and (especially) top box were overloaded.  

2004-2005 had sprag clutch issues? if you kept trying to start it with bad gas??...  those kinds of things don't factor into kbb price when comparing a 2005 to a 2008 for instance...      

[Baz]

All I can say is this isn't the best economy. So ultimately the value of something is only what someone else is willing to pay for it. Find out how long the bike has been advertised. That may give you a very good leverage point to negotiate from.

I used to curb cars for a second income. I had a friend who was in finance and would sell me their repossessed or returned vehicles for what was owing on them. Just to be clear these were pristine used vehicles with few miles on them. While I had access to book prices. When you pay bluebook price for something you are basically paying full retail price of which a dealer lives by. In the real world (bad economy) where you have many people trying to get out of a car loan who may have just lost their job, asking blue book price for something is almost a pipe dream. Dealers can get away with blue book pricing but offer things like financing etc where the average seller can't offer those things. I remember during one of our famous oil industry busts here, I was buying & selling year old cars below black book (dealer wholesale pricing). During those same times, our auto trader magazine used to be as thick as a bible with toys for sale.

Blue has some very good advice for you here. So ultimately the value of something is only what someone else is willing to pay for it.

[kver]

Blue has some very good advice for you here. So ultimately the value of something is only what someone else is willing to pay for it.

unfortunately with many toys -- people also have strong emotional attachments and are unwilling to lower the price to market values.  I know I won't sell my toys to a lowballer, but I might to some poor kid who approached me the right way and I thought would cherish them...    

And when I've gotten "toys" from other people at a great price -- I make sure to send them pictures and stories about the toy for a while...  even let them come back and ride for nostalgia's sake.