2012 Concours -- Too much money!

[Jorge]

I have been reading all about the Concours online, and finally decided today to go to my local dealer and buy one. Check in my pocket, I went to the dealer, and I picked out the Candy Arabian Red bike. We sit down to do the paperwork, and the salesman tells me that my out the door total was going to be $20,495. 

It was my understanding that these motorcycles were selling for $15-16k out the door, maximum. But $20,495?!? That is absurd. The lowest that they'd go is $18,300, which I think is still very high. 

Am I horribly mistaken on what these bikes sell for, or was this dealer trying to rip me off? For what it's worth, this was in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thank You.

[Excavator]

That is too much! Shop around, you should be able to beat that. I bought a new leftover 2009 abs in December 2010 for $10,000. Look at ebay to get an idea of realistic prices. Good luck.

[Pokey]

That is California for ya.......and yes that is way too high "big time".

[feelergaugephil]

There a guy near me selling a 09 with 860 miles on it for $10K,

[wally_games]

Found a new black 2012 for $13,999 in Burbank, so you might look online at cycletrader (dot) com. Not the OTD price, but surely TTL/Prep can't be THAT much.

[maxtog]

There a guy near me selling a 09 with 860 miles on it for $10K,

Yeah, but that is also a 3-year-old model, semi-used, lacking heated grips, probably lacking ABS and other features.

In early 2011, I paid $15,500 (out the door) for a new 2011 Concours with trade of a 1999 ZRX.  I suspect the ZRX was worth about $1,000.  So I really paid about $16,500.  Sounds about right for a new, current-year Concours.

[maxtog]

Found a new black 2012 for $13,999 in Burbank, so you might look online at cycletrader (dot) com. Not the OTD price, but surely TTL/Prep can't be THAT much.

OTD also includes taxes, which on my bike was $420.  My invoice showed $1,004.53 just for "Freight & Assembly".  Then there is license, title, "dealer license" (), "Gap" (?), etc.  Dealers love to make things complicated.  In the end, all that matters is "OTD" (out the door).

[Jay]

Jorge,

Businesses in San Francisco will ALWAYS charge a premium for whatever they sell: Sandwiches; movies; clothes; and motorcycles. They pay more to do business there, and so will you.

The suggestions from wally & Excavator make a lot of sense. You can save literally thousands of dollars with a little research and some patience.
If it's those black wheels on the 2012 that twist your knob, you can get a new leftover 2010 or 2011 with 99.8% of the same DNA, buy those black wheels and still be ahead money-wise.

The dealerships didn't want to deal and I wanted to buy, so going online was the only viable option left to me. Took about 2 months of looking and comparing online dealerships and online private parties in The Bay Area to find my 2011 C14. It had 3k miles and was $12.5K from a rider who was local. That was in October of 2011, the end of the season (but the weather didn't know that!).

That was more than $3,000 off MSRP--which is a load of Horse Sh*t in itself.  MSRP = Must Sell (for) Ripoff Price. I consider MSRP to be the absolute final price OTD, if it ever gets that high.

If you've got to have a virgin bike from a dealer, go in armed with market knowledge, a list of other dealers' inventory, and the willingness to walk away. Time is on your side unless you're in love and desperate. However, once Spring is in the air all bets are off. That's when motorcycles are at a premium. You've still got a couple of months.  Drooling on the bike is a dead giveaway, so be cool.

-Jay

[W14]

Jorge - price is way to high, as others have said, check cycletrader.com to get an idea of asking prices for the bike; you may have to travel to get one at a reasonable price and you may want to consider a 2011 or earlier model

[DonB]

my 2012 Candy Arabian Red otd was 14,600 with taxes
your place is out of line

[Supatramp]

I was just out visiting an old girlfriend in San Diego for Thanksgiving and would have jumped all over this Craiglist Concours, if it had been listed then.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/2759921991.html

[rcannon409]

Is this oen of the dealerships that does the cute little "sheet", lot sof bright colored marker, and many trips back to "The boss" who has to agree to the deal???

Is so, throw them off their game.   Make the offer and fill out the sheet. As the salesman walks to the boss, follow him.  Now you are in front of the "man" who makes the deal.  Be as nice as you can, and have your checkbook in your hand. Tell them you dont have a lot of time to make this deal, but you'll buy right now.  Figure out a reasonable offer then give the "Man" the offer..make sure to say, out the door..with everything. If the retail price of a 2012 c14 is 15,899, try somewhere around 13,500-14,000. Low, but high enough to let them know your serious. It will probably be too low, but at least your starting low and working your way up. Far easier than the other way around.

If you dont say, "Out the door" or "everything"  this leaves the door open for huge freight, set-up, and doc fees. When it comes down to it, OTD is all that matters. Not how the price got there.

[ZG]

I was just out visiting an old girlfriend in San Diego for Thanksgiving and would have jumped all over this Craiglist Concours, if it had been listed then.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/2759921991.html

Nice price there! 

[Gsun]

I was just out visiting an old girlfriend in San Diego for Thanksgiving and would have jumped all over this Craiglist Concours, if it had been listed then.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/2759921991.html

Sounds like a scam. 14K OTD new, in CA? That's about 12.5K plus taxes and prep. I'm sure the dealer pays more than that. Worth looking into though......

[Jorge]

I'm really bummed out because I was looking forward to riding the motorcycle home today.
So, in California, is $15,500 about what I should expect to pay, out the door?
If I install an electronic cruise control, peg lowering kit, and handlebar risers, do you suppose I can comfortably do 1,000 mile days? I enjoy those and am hoping my Concours will do that job great.

[W14]

For 1000 mile days, you will need add an after-market seat and windshield

[Supatramp]

do you suppose I can comfortably do 1,000 mile days?

I have an 08 with a stock seat, that I road over 7000 miles in three weeks, last Sept.. I use an AirHawk seat pad and never experienced anymore discomfort than, one could expect. I did a 1200 mile/24 hr. jaunt on the way home also, with no seat issue.
I would suggest using riding pants that eliminate seams, as I did find when I wore bluejeans, the seam running from front to back got a little annoying.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

There is lots of good advice in this thread, hopefully you get a chance to go back to the dealer today with that same check in hand to make a deal.  It is your money but I wouldn't go a dime over 14,500 OTD for a 2012 C14. Good luck.

[SimonSaysDie]

Tell them if you wanted to spend that much, you'd be buying a BMW.   

[SVonhof]

Jorge, are you a Costco member? A buddy of mine who lives in Hayward sent me a picture from the Costco in Union City and they had a Concours in there to advertize the Kawasaki Purchase program through Costco.  I have no idea how it works, but it would be worth looking into. Or, go for a drive to one of the dealers outside of SF. The Kawa dealer in Hayward is part of a small chain that includes Tracy and 3 other locations.