Top 10 Reasons to buy a new MC now

[Gas Man]

From a mc rag. Found it interesting. Do you think it truely applies?

TOP 10 REASONS TO BUY A MOTORCYCLE NOW
Prices for new bikes dropping across the country
By Beth Dolgner

There’s no better time than the present to buy a motorcycle: the struggling economy and lagging vehicle sales mean that manufacturers and dealers have begun offering unprecedented rebates and incentives. If that’s not enough, even the government thinks you deserve that shiny new bike for Christmas. Take a look at our top ten reasons why you should buy a motorcycle now.


1. Prices are lower than in recent years -- a lot lower. A 2008 Honda CBR1000RR used to retail for $11,599, but the going price right now is $8,000. A $1000 discount on the 2009 Suzuki LTR 450 drops the price tag to $6,399. “We’re back to prices from back around 2003,” says Jim Wertman, General Manager of Carolina Honda in Columbia, S.C. “There’s never been a better time to buy.”

2. Even best-selling bikes are being discounted. Discounts used to be given for bikes that weren’t selling well, but right now retail prices are lower for nearly every model. The Honda Shadow 750 is a top-seller, but that hasn’t stopped Honda from lowering the price. Aiken Motorcycle’s Marsha Hopkins reports that her South Carolina store’s inventory of Shadow 750s is now $1,200 cheaper per unit, thanks to invoice reductions and a $500 Honda Bonus Bucks incentive.

3. Manufacturers are offering special incentives to dealers, and that savings is being passed on to customers. You thought that old line “We’re passing the savings on to you!” was just a sales pitch? It’s not. “We’re certainly making deals and passing on the savings to the customer,” says Erico Motorsports owner John Beldock in Denver, Colo. “It’s worth it for us to keep the customer.” After all, a happy customer will come back to the dealership for parts, accessories and service, so it’s in the dealer’s best interest to sell at a discount.

4. Dealerships are sweetening the pot by adding their own incentives. Suzuki of Sarasota (Florida) offers freebies with new bikes: a free helmet with a child’s dirt bike, free maintenance packages, or even gift cards for local businesses. Dealers don’t have as big of a profit margin on bikes as you might think — lessening their ability to add further discounts — but they are utilizing other ways to encourage sales.

5. The longer the bikes are on the showroom floor, the more they cost the dealer, and the more likely the dealer will make a deal. At Carolina Honda, the $350 rebate on the 2009 Rebel 250 resulted in thirty sales in just one month. On the flipside, a bike that’s just sitting there actually costs the dealership money.

6. Manufacturers are unloading noncurrent models at steep discounts. It’s cheaper for the dealer, and cheaper for you. There is a surplus of new 2007 and 2008 models, either leftover in warehouses or recalled from dealerships that went out of business. Suzuki of Sarasota added more than 100 ‘08 Suzuki models to the store’s inventory in 2009. Owner Dave Gillum says, “This year, it’s all about deals. People don’t care if it’s an ’07 or ’08, so us being able to sell ’08 models was a huge success for us.”

7. Technology isn’t becoming outdated as quickly. New models feature styling changes, but buying a 2008 model won’t send you back to the Stone Age when it comes to technology. Many of the differences between 2008-2010 models are merely cosmetic.

8. Financing isn’t all bad news. Sure, it’s not as easy as it once was to secure financing. But if you do qualify, then you’re in for a treat. Interest rates are lower than they have been in the past, and some financing plans include no money down or even no payments for six months.

9. These deals won’t be around forever. Florida Motorsports (Naples, Fla.) manager Bill Shenk predicts that costs will go up on 2010 models. “Production numbers have dropped, so the cost will be going up,” he says. “The 2008 and 2009 models have better prices in comparison, especially with the factory incentives.”

10. The government wants you to buy a motorcycle, too. Thanks to the Stimulus Act, you can write off state sales tax on a new motorcycle. However, you only have until Dec. 31 to take advantage of the offer. So what are you waiting for? Your local dealership is waiting for you, and they’ve got a deal on the model you want.