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Spyder Resale Values

NancysToy

Motorbike Professor
There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding poor resale and trade-in values for Spyders. I didn't think they were out of line, in my experience, so I decided to do a little research. It turns out that Spyder values are in the middle of the pack, better than many bikes (or autos), but worse than the BMWs and HDs that skew the averages. Much better than most Hondas or autos, BTW.

Using a 2008 Spyder GS SM5 as an example, it had a book trade-in value of 60% of the MSRP, and a retail value of 80%. Other vehicles compared are listed below. All are 2008 models.

Vehicle - Trade-in/Retail
Spyder GS SM5 - 60%/80%
BMW R1200RT - 70%-95% :yikes:
BMW F800ST - 63%/93%
Boss Hoss Trike - 57%/67%
HD XL1200C - 63%/82%
HD Softail Dlx - 73%/91% :yikes:
HD Road King - 68%/91% :yikes:
Honda Goldwing Airbag - 64%/82%
Honda CBR1000RR - 48%/69% :(
Honda ST1300ABS - 50%/71% :(
Chevy Malibu LS - 54%/74%
Ford F-150 - 50%/75%

So you see, Spyder values are pretty normal. I think many owners fail to realize that added accessories bring only a fraction of the original cost at the time of resale, and virtually nothing in a trade (except maybe for Harleys). Your on-the-road cost also included tax, license, and title, and probably shipping and setup. These are always lost the second you drive out of the dealership. You can't mistake the total you have invested in the machine with it's MSRP...which is what values are based on.
 
Very interesting Scotty.
I wonder about the driving force behind these ratios. Is it as simple as brand name?
Thanks for posting,
Max
 
I believe it may be based more on demand than on just the brand name. For example, the Ford F-150 is probably listed low because there are tons of them on the road. So even though they are great trucks, there may be more than enough available to meet the demand. Where the other vehicles listed may actually be harder to find. :dontknow:
 
Very interesting Scotty.
I wonder about the driving force behind these ratios. Is it as simple as brand name?
Thanks for posting,
Max

I believe it may be based more on demand than on just the brand name. For example, the Ford F-150 is probably listed low because there are tons of them on the road. So even though they are great trucks, there may be more than enough available to meet the demand. Where the other vehicles listed may actually be harder to find. :dontknow:
:agree: It is not just brand name...at least at the trade-in level. Look how the value for trade-in value for the Sportster doesn't approach the values for the other Harleys. In the end, it is strictly supply and demand. A little or a lot of either one skews the value one way or the other.
 
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At a 2008 retail of $15,900, Roaddog was initially offered less than 50% of purchase price this past weekend.
All I had to go by was book values. KBB and NADA were quite close to each other. Dealers that lowball book values will always exist. It's one of the best ways for them to make money. One of the worst things for the rest of us. Best thing we can do is be aware of the book values before we walk in the door. Sometimes even taht doesn't help. My condolences to Mike.
 
Out of all the bikes I've sold over the years, only my SV650 [99] went for more than my asking price.
I get what i can then move on. It's a toy a used toy at that.
It's a buyers market. It always is. It always will be. I don't worry about resale value when i buy a bike.
I buy it to ride and have FUN.
 
Out of all the bikes I've sold over the years, only my SV650 [99] went for more than my asking price.
I get what i can then move on. It's a toy a used toy at that.
It's a buyers market. It always is. It always will be. I don't worry about resale value when i buy a bike.
I buy it to ride and have FUN.

what he said
 
Another thing that skews these numbers is that they go off MSRP.
I just bought a 2009 RAM 3500 MSRP $52,000
All I am gonna say is I paid something that started with a 3
My middle # on Edmunds is $33,500
On paper I am down $20,000 but in reality only like $5000

But like someone else said, I didnt buy it to make money on it, I bought it to ...(insert reason here) .... for me ..... pull my 40ft gooseneck

Some vehicles sell for over MSRP (Dodge Chalenger RT for example have 2-5000 bump on them)

All I am saying is to take these numbers with a grain of salt ...so to speak.
They do work well for trending as Scotty originally posted them.
 
one of the guys who works for me decided that he wanted a new bass boat over his harley i called a buddy of mine at the dealer his bike is a 2008 softtail custom deluxe he bought it new it's in perfect shape with about 2000 miles on it he paid almost 20000 for it he added 800$ pipes and a power commander ... the bike looks new my friend said because harley flooded market he would be lucky to get 14000 for it ... he still owes 17000 and that was to sell it out right.... who knows how a trade in would be,,,,,
 
I have to agree with the supply/demand statments - when I visited with the Hardley stealer, he offered 50% of retail (with farkles) for the Spyder, but $1,500 more than I paid for the Valk - there are very few pristine Valks with 10K on the clock, and 4 Spyders for sale - two of which have been on the market for over a year.
 
Great research :2thumbs:

I have no complaints of my trade-in price, I got a fantastic deal :clap:
If you are trading with a dealer that sells the brand you should get a better price:ani29:They can wash the numbers a little better:ani29:In the deal :thumbup:
I couldn't include it in the deal until they had a verbal agreement from a wholesaler :ani29:And then 500 over book and my mileage killed me 21,000 now my glide with 36'000 they were able to wash it to 12.000 not bad for a 5 year old bike with out them ever seeing it:ani29:Orignal price for glide was 18'000 :doorag: Oh ya great research Scotty
 
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