Is it true that trading in my motorcycle is not a good choice and that I shoud sell it on my own...?

Question

I have a 2002 Honda VTX-1800c with 7300 miles.

Answer 1

as a general rule, yes, you will get more by selling private party then trying to trade it in. On the other hand, it means waiting to find the right buyer who has the cash. It can be a hassle. Trading it in means you get less, but you can deal right away AND if you are good at haggling, you can work a better deal with a good trade in.

Answer 2

I agree with everyone! If you sell it on your own you can get usually about $1500+ over the trade in at your local dealer. Of course it all depends on the condition of your bike and all that. The good thing about trade in is that you will get a tax break on your new bike!!! usually under $500. If you are in a rush then trade it in but if not then take some time to sell it and the money you get extra you can use it for accessories or a down payment.

My good friend trade in his six month old Honda Shadow and lost about two grand. He actually trade it his for a vtx 1800c. Now he regrets due to the loss of about two grand.

Answer 3

This is true of both cars and bikes. You'll always get more if you sell it on your own.

The question is whether you can afford to wait. It can be tricky (more so with a car) to sell your existing car, and then have to do without it until you can buy a new one.

I got lucky with my last car and with the bike I just sold. I picked out my new car, got the guy to agree to hold it for a week, then managed to sell my car (via online ad) in pretty much four hours!

As for the bike, it was a second bike that I no longer rode, but I had kept it when I bought the 6R because I wasn't sure how that would work out for me.

So I didn't have any compelling reason to sell it in a hurry. I listed it only on free sites and it didn't matter how long it took to sell.

Way more info than you needed, but I'm feeling share-y this morning.

Answer 4

Private sales are always regarded as better value than trading with a dealer.....simply because he's a business with overheads looking to make a profit.

That said, finding a suitable buyer might take longer than trading in.
You might find the dealer is prepared to deal in your favor if you are looking to buy a bike he's looking to shift.
You might also find that the price of the new bike varies depending on whether you are trading or buying cash or that the trade in for your bike is better than it's book price.....because the dealer has two means of making his money that way, he can trade one loss off against the gain from the other.

You simply have to decide if the extra cash you potentially get from a private sale is worth the effort.

My last deal was private and at the time it was a good idea.
The one before that was a trade in and at the time that was the best idea.
I paid marginally more for what I got from the dealer than I would have private sure, but I was more confident with it and still have the balance of a manufacturers warranty.
In turn I got slightly more on my trade in that it was worth to a dealer....I got more of a private sale price to be honest.
It was clearly worth it to him to balance the two to make the sale.

So, horses for courses......go ask for details and you decide.

Answer 5

Yeah, if you look a KBB prices for instance, trade in value is always lower than used retail. The bike shops want to make a profit on your bike so they will give you less. If you are impatient like me, you just say the hell with and take the beating. To me it is sometimes worth getting less for the bike to not deal with all the calls and visits you get from running an add to sell the bike.

Answer 6

Yes.
You will most likely get more for your old bike buy selling it your self, but don't get greedy. Buyers are like wise looking for a lower selling price then the dealers want for used bikes.

A reasonable price from a reasonable seller to a reasonable buyer will get you more money for the bike, get the buyer a good deal on a used bike, and everyone is a happy camper.
Ride Safe

Answer 7

You'll get a better price for the bike if you sell it on cycletrader.com or craigslist.com than you will from a dealership. It seems to me like dealerships don't really give you much for the extras you have put on the bike, but you should be able to get much more than what the trade in is worth if you sell it yourself.

Answer 8

You will ALMOST ALWAYS get more by selling it yourself than trading it in.

Answer 9

yeah you will get a lott more money because they usaully grap you at a shop