Why I Never Look at Classifieds…
Sunday, July 13th, 2008 at 7:52 pm by angrybob
…for a bike that I just bought.
Back in November of 2007 I bought a 2006 YZ450F for about $4k, and I shopped the hell out of it. The bike was used but overall in good shape. Who knows how many hours were on it, but it was not one of those “never ridden” machines.
Today, for giggles, I check craigslist to compare prices. Ugh. Seems that people are dumping toys faster than Jesse Jackson can cut the nuts out of… Ah forget it, lets just say people are dumping their toys.
I saw my same bike for “$3500 obo”. I saw a 2007 for “4500 obo MUST SELL”. With any motorcycle, you never know the true condition until you inspect in person, but prices on my dirt bike have dropped about 25% in terms of the asking price in about eight months.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my bike and have gotten the $500-$700 difference worth of fun out of it. But I broke the most important rule of a post-motorcycle purchase:
NEVER, I MEAN NEVER LOOK UP THE COMPS OF A BIKE YOU HAVE RECENTLY BOUGHT!!!
Truth be told is that while I would have spent less on my 450, I would have definitely gotten less for my 426. One reminder that is served here is to know that you should not look at a dirt bike as an investment…you will consume its value in (hopefully) good times in only a couple of years.
Permalink
Filed under: 
Motorcycles are almost never a good investment. Most lose half their value in the first couple years.
If you’re buying a bike to make money, unless it’s an EXTREMELY rare model and vintage, you’re a fool.
Right now there’s a glut of bikes on the market, both new and used. The situation is very similar to the middle ’80s. If you’re a buyer, it’s your time. If you’re a seller, you’re screwed.
Our precarious economic times have caused a lot of people to “dump” their toys in an effort to make ends meet and feel more secure.
Rhino