Buying Private or from a stealer, (S'right, every pro is out to rip you off, YAWN).

Hi

going to be getting my first bike once i (hopefully) pass my test in a few weeks, now i have always got cars from stealers as heard to many bad stories about buying private. Is this is the same for bikes? obviously looking around private bikes are cheaper and usually come with extra goodies compared to a bike from a stealer

Any views from more experienced bike buyers

i have about 2.5-3k to spend

depends on if you want some kind of warranty really, buying private means you won't usaully get one and youre right in thinking that buyin private you might get xtra's thrown in service manual, original parts etc, IMHO i'd buy private for a first bike (I did)youre gonna get more for your money and probably a newer model bike for the same price as buyin from a dealer and if you chuck it down the road as a lot of first big bike riders do there is no finance etc to keep payin for (que the next response!)

The warranty with most used bikes from dealers is only 3 months usually anyway, and you pay more if you want to extend it.

Also, not a lot will break in that time, and even if it does itsprobably not covered.

Go private imo, you can haggle and get a sense of how the bike's been treated by your impression of the owner.

i.e. if someone's father is the one who comes to talk to you then they probably don't want you seeing the son who owned it for the past however long.

depemds if you know your stuff or not. if you do and you know the things to look out for then private. you'll get it cheaper. i went through my dealer as i got a warenty and they did give me a good deal. and generally they wont take in a dodgy bike as it will only come bk to them and cause them hassle. i also think the bit more money is worth it even if it is for 3 months.

id buy private with 3k

I have got my last 3 bikes from dealers, I just think it's worth a little bit more to know they've given it a service properly and everything's up to scratch. Having said that if I were more mechanically minded I'd probably go for a private one and do the work myself for less.
Like you say some private bikes come covered in extras, but in some cases this can indicate that the bike's had a hard life; race cans and the like can suggest the owner thrashes it all the time. However you choose to buy though something I always do is get a mechanically knowledgable friend to come along with me for a second opinion!

I've bought private through the org twice and I've been happy both times.

I'd buy private, but check service history and take a mechanic with you to make sure the bike is sound. This is what I did for my 125 and aswell as letting me know it was a sound bike, it helped me knock down the price by him finding imaginary faults and real faults that won't really affect the bike but that you can get money knocked off for.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Larry

Like you say some private bikes come covered in extras, but in some cases this can indicate that the bike's had a hard life; race cans and the like can suggest the owner thrashes it all the time. However you choose to buy though something I always do is get a mechanically knowledgable friend to come along with me for a second opinion!

Not all bikes with race cans indicate that a bike has been thrashed.....mine hasn't. Only one owner before me..who i bought off private, but it was my other half...lol
I've bought 3 bikes private and always had a person that is suitably knowledgeable with me.
First my 125 which was a peach, and imaculate.
2nd Suzy from my other half, just as we started seeing each other. rusty bucket but worth every penny, but mechanically sound
3rd from the org. my black shiny loverly SV, last year. went all the way to norfolk, and was very satisfied. I know that there are a few bits that make you wonder if its been bashed about a bit....but....... the guy before me took a lot of time to turn it into something absolutely immaculate......and you'd be hard pushed to see where the faults are........mechanically an absolute peach, looks........stunning


All you need for a second hand bike is a good nose, and a good mate to go with you. You don't lose as much money on a used bike, as a new one, which is why I go old bike every time

Who keeps going around editing the thread titles?? This one isn't even representative - I don't see anyone on here bashing dealers - in fact the only reference that could be construed as that is 'stealer' but that's a well-known and oft-used alternative word that I've seen used on many car and bike forums.