Hi, I am new here, first post. My name is alex, I'm in Columbus, Ohio I am looking to buy a 2003 Monster 602ie. I have been riding for 6 years on and off and I have had 3 bikes before, a Honda CX500 Custom, a Ninja 250 and a Yamaha Seca II 600. The last was the Seca II, I bought it for cheap, evuilt the transmission and replaced the starter gear. 3 weeks after the rebuild I was hit by a car. a 16 y/o girl on her cell phone made a right on red and took me out from behind and I never saw it coming. I almost got my head run over by an Escalade and I stopped riding for a couple years. Well now I want to get back on a bike. This bike is a step up from all of those, in power, performance, and price The bike in question has 3k miles on it and it is spotless. The complete lack of wear on this bike tells me that it really does only have 3k miles on it, break rotors hardly worn, brake pads look fresh, tires have not much wear, grips, seat etc have no marks or wear. it is absolutely mint, not even a scratch on the pipes or the tank. My question is, how much should I pay for this bike. I offered 3600, it comes with 2 HJC helmets and a couple riding jackets ( idk what brand, but they are protective ones with winter liners). it also comes with a trickle charger. the guy will not take a penny under 3900. is that too much for this bike? is this a decent deal? should I shell out the extra cash, or look elsewhere?
Hey..
I just recently bought a 2002 S4. I had been shopping for a while. There are some crappy bikes out there and trying to keep my options open I lost the chance on some good bikes. They were good deals, not excellent price wise, but good bikes. Moral of the story, a cheap price means a cheap bike, you seem to have a good deal, very good deal! In Miami I could not find a mechanically good bike and aesthetically well taken care of bike for less than $4k.
NADA gives a range of $2,495 to $3,285. based on the condition, I'd guess you're on the high end.
here's a couple other questions - what if you don't take the gear. Are the helmets and jacket something you even want? Or would fit? Generally, to me, package deals like that aren't worth the money/additional price. So perhaps you could negotiate down that track.
Also, dose he have maintenance docs? At 8 years of age, there's probably a number of things that need to be looked after. IF they have not been attended to you need to:
Get new tires - they are over 5 years of age
Get new cam belts - they are over 2 years of age
Replace hydraulic fluids - they are over 1 year of age.
Test battery - they don't last forever.
If you really want to get crazy, the fork oil might need to be replaced too.
If the belts are ties are still factory you're looking at several hundred in parts alone...
I plan on doing the service myself. Belts, valves, oil, and hydraulics. all but the hydraulic fluid will be in the first week of ownership just because I don't see that Battery is a year old, been on a trickle charger, so it's fine. Tires look fine, I will keep them.
I will say that I paid slightly less than his 'bottom line' for my 2003 Monster 800 Dark with 2000 miles in the middle of February two years ago, in very good condition.
Sad Panda is spot on about replacing parts.
You'll probably be able to sell the gear for around $300 with riding season coming up.
Good luck
Quote from: pyromancy5 on March 10, 2011, 09:37:42 AM
Tires look fine, I will keep them.
Tires might look fine, but tires have a usable life. Most manufacturers say it's about 5 years from install. Over that age they get stiff and hard. Not ideal in moto tires at all.
And remember, I'm pointing these things out to help you negotiate a lower price.
3900 is the lowest he will go. There is no more negotiation at this point. I have been through several rounds of negotiations with him already. On the subject of tires, again, I believe them to be fine. I am not going to be riding agressivly, especially on this set of tires. As far as the package deal thing, he is giving the stuff to me regardless. He is moving and does not have time to sell the stuff seperatly. It will be nice to not have to buy helmets, and the jackets are nice, but I can always sell them if i want to, and recoup some cost. The bike really is "like new" in condition... even the exhaust headers have very little discoloration.
I know that it is at the high end of NADA guide price, but it also has 1/6th of the milage, so I really don't have to worry about a lack of maintenance on the owners part because it had a 600 mile service, and I will service it if I buy it.
What youd you do?
Quote from: pyromancy5 on March 10, 2011, 09:49:55 AM
3900 is the lowest he will go. There is no more negotiation at this point. I have been through several rounds of negotiations with him already. On the subject of tires, again, I believe them to be fine. I am not going to be riding agressivly, especially on this set of tires. As far as the package deal thing, he is giving the stuff to me regardless. He is moving and does not have time to sell the stuff seperatly. It will be nice to not have to buy helmets, and the jackets are nice, but I can always sell them if i want to, and recoup some cost. The bike really is "like new" in condition... even the exhaust headers have very little discoloration.
I know that it is at the high end of NADA guide price, but it also has 1/6th of the milage, so I really don't have to worry about a lack of maintenance on the owners part because it had a 600 mile service, and I will service it if I buy it.
What youd you do?
If you REALLY want it and the price isn't too far out of your range then buy it, you'll be happy. Even if you paid a little more than the "book" says. Betcha that book doesn't have a price range for happiness!!
I will say, however, that if you are having any sort of second guesses about the bike and/or upgrading for more power soon down the road then hold off. There are plenty of great deals to be had out there!
The price doesn't sound out of line to me for a nice clean one. I'd buy it, toss on new tires and belts and have fun! Prime riding season is here and its not worth missing out on some great ridding to quibble over a few bucks.
Have fun [thumbsup]