Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

Having passed my test last week :D I now have the itch to buy a new SV650 sport. Originally I was thinking that I should get a second hand SV pointy with lower fairing for around £2500 - £3000. The dilemma is that the interest free option on the SV has caught my attention and the thought of getting a shiny new SV is putting my will power to the test.

Let me know what you think I should do by voting above.

Here are the main factors influencing my decision:

Money and paying interest - I don’t have the cash now so will be borrowing money and paying interest to finance the SV (that's where the interest free option comes in).

Mileage - I will be using my SV to commute to work all year round - about 15,000 miles a year so I need something reliable.

Depreciation – do I really want to lose money when I drive off the forecourt.

Lower fairing – I definitely want lower fairing. Used bikes with lowers are a little harder to find.

Timing – Cant sign on the dotted line until the 15th June. Ideally I want to get the bike asap after that so that I can play with it when my g/f goes on holiday the week after. I did also want to go on the AR07 but that doesn’t look like it is going to happen now as I wont have had enough time to practice on it!

Risk on second hand – whilst I know my way around a used car, I have no prior experience with bikes.

The will I drop it factor – I am going to put bungs on whatever I buy but damaging a new SV might break my heart.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

get a 2005 or something mate. You wont lose as much(depreciation) as buying a new one.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

Whilst I understand your concerns about a new bike, it sound as if you'll use it, if you view it as an investment in mobility, keep it serviced and in good condition, you should manage an easy 4 years at your expected mileage with out major issues. that's about £1k a year, even if you don't get anything back for the bike by the end of it.

If However you plan to change the bike in a year or two then a secondhand one would be a better option, just remember a dealer will offer you silly money on anything with over 10-15k miles on it.

but to be honest, if you take the most sensible of us and given the prospect of a new bike (even a second hand one, to an extent) we turn into 10 year olds the night before christmas :D .

the choice is your, have fun.

Oh and don't discount the AE07, a number of us are kicking off from London, and in my case will be riding with extreme caution (not having ridden for eight months), so get along to a local meet and discuss it with the guys.

Cheers Mark.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

Sit down and work out how much interest you'll be paying on the second hand bike with finance. It may be that it comes out more expensive than buy new with 0% (but then again it may not).

You are going to drop the bike anyway, it's almost guaranteed as a new rider, and it's going to pain you as much with a 2nd hand bike as a new one, they are both going to be your baby.

Also with you mileage, you'll want a good warranty. Although the SV is a pretty reliable bike, things happen.

And finally.... shiny is always better :D

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

How much interest are you going to end up paying on a second hand loan / versus how much extra capital will you pay on a new bike with zero interest? You'll probably find a second hand one will still work out a grand or so cheaper - and when you come to sell it you won't have lost another grand in depreciation.

Remember you can always add lowers so if you find the right bike at the right price you can slap some lowers on it yourself (OEM ones not cheap, though they come up second hand fairly often).

As for what to look out for, service history obviously a good start. Suzuki's are not known for their corrosion resistance, so look for furry bolts and the like, like cars, the previous owner is a good indicator - spotty oik or middle aged bloke? Where is it kept? On the road, or in a shed chock full of AutoSol? Check the hero blobs (little stalks that come out from under the pegs) - have they been scraped? Nothing wrong in scraping them, but if they're not scraped then it's not been leant over far and therefore "suggests" an easy life (unless changed of course). Double check obvious signs of racing - lockwired sump plug, shark fin rear sprocket guard etc. Has it got an aftermarket 'zorst - I'd rate this as a plus - but if so make sure it's legal/has the baffle, or at least, seller has the original.

Overall, I'd probably go for a second hand one - there are loads of good examples around in the 2500-3000 range, you'll have plenty of choice.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I voted new..... I like shiney new things and was in the same position as you.

do I get NEW or USED?

Well I went for the NEW option and because of the fears of "your a new rider your going to drop it" I rode very nicely and carefully so I didnt drop it. If I had gone used I might have not been so careful and may be drop it but who knows?

With the mileage your doing you should be used to the bike in no time at all and fears of droping it will be gone in weeks.

HTH

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

as i've just been through the same dilema i'll offer my opinions...

Point 1 - I was always taught that with the exception of a house or perhaps a car, if you don't have the money to buy something you shouldn't buy it - personally i hate being in debt, consider the result of you getting injured (ironic if on the bike) meaning you'd be unable to work and continue payments. If you have say £4k and only need to get the rest on credit then that gives you some leeway but in the end it's entirely your decision:cool:

Point 2 - Any bike without tens of thousands of miles on the clock will probably last you plenty long enough, servicing is every 4000m so if it's well maintained i can't see a used one costing that much more to run than a new one

Points 3/4 - When i bought mine, bikes with a few hundred miles on the clock were going for £3700-£4000, without lowers, a couple of thousand miles more like £3400-£3700, so although you do lose a fair percentage of the bikes value, it's so cheap that in real terms it's not a huge amount of money

Point 5 - Don't rush to buy by a certain date, patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait etc - plus if you wait a bit you'll get the bargain that you would have missed

Point 6 - This was the biggy for me, you can check the engine over externally and ride the bike but i didn't like not knowing the bike hadn't been ragged silly during the running in period or had other things happen

Point 7 - It'll cost the same to fix a new or nearly new bike, if it's brand new you've got even more of an sentimental incentive not to let it get horizontal;)

one other thing, there's something very satisfying about being the first owner of a vehicle, i got the V5 for mine the other day and it's nice to have it say "no previous owners" at the top:grin:

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I've done both.

I like buying new, knowing that the only person who has ragged the bike is me.

If your doing alot of miles I'd go down the new route, Liz bought her SV new, its done nearly 30K, only thing we've had done is tyres, chains and brake pads, bikes never missed a beat.

I bought my SV 2nd hand, Its done 36K, same sort of riding, same sort of riding conditions. Its was a pain in the butt, as it was abused by the previous owners and I didnt spot the warning signs when I bought the bike. I added up the bills for the work I had done. I could have bought a new bike for that money.

If you are buying 2nd hand, dont buy the first bike you look at. Personally the current 0% finance deal is pretty attractive IMHO and thats what I'd do if I was you.

Oh and just because you're a new rider doesnt guarantee you're going to drop it either IMHO. I've seen plenty of experienced riders drop bikes. It happens... Crash bungs are a good first addition IMHO as they will give you piece of mind, just dont buy the Suzuki ones as they are sh*t.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

You've lost me... interest free, but you're paying interest? Null point IMO. You're not paying interest, you're merely paying for the bike a bit each month. No settlement fees. I bought my K6 this way, and it worked out at £127/month for 3years. I paid it all off after owning the bike for something like 8months.
My bike has done more than that milage in the last 10months. I do 24k a year just commuting, and like you, do it on the bike (fnarr).
Assume you buy it on finance, you know you wont be selling it really until you've paid the finance off at least (true in my case anyway). 3years at 15k a year, that's a bike with 45k miles on the clock. Not counting pleasure rides, so lets call it 60k. How much would it be worth at that stage? Doesn't really matter if you buy second hand or brand new when you look at it that way IMO.
IMO, lowers are just another thing to get broken when your bike hits the tarmac. I take it as fact that sooner or later, I'll taste tarmac, and have done twice so far. Also IMO, lowers look crap on the SV, too much of an after-thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonwestuk (Post 1204351)

Why can't you sign on the line before 15th June? I bought mine on finance before I had a licence, and thy delivered it to my door free of charge! About the AR, there will be a lot of novices there, don't let experience put you off. If you don't do something, how do you get the experience to do it? Catch 22.
If you need a machine to get you to work & back, reliability is paramount IMO. You don't want it to keep breaking down 6months after you buy it. I bought new knowing I had a 2 year warranty to back me up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonwestuk (Post 1204351)

See my above point about lowers.

If I were in your position, I'd buy new, which is what I did. For my next bike, it depends on money availability. If I have the money, I'll buy new again, that way I know the bikes history. If I don't, I'll take a risk on second hand, but at least I've been servicing my bike myself, so I'm getting more experienced due to the SV, so the risk is reduced.

HTH.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

Let me give you some advice - you WILL drop it. Best not worry about it too much or you'll never ride it!;)

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

hey, I was in exactly this dilema about 6 weeks ago.

i ended up going for the brand new one because I got it down to £4000 with the 33restrictor thrown in for dirt cheap. (they wanted to charge me £300!!)
I had about £3000 saved, so I'm paying summin like £6 a week for 3 years.

methinks its all about how much money you got/wanna spend, and how much you'll use it.


p.s. i did drop mine,,,twice! :( and all i did was break an indicator (cost me little cheers to baph) :D

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

p.s.s. and yes,, I have got r&gs comming in the post!

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

Didnt want to put all the detail into my original post as it would've made a bit of a boring read. In answer to some of your points:

The point here is that if I bought second hand I would be getting a small loan to finance the bike as opposed to the interest free option that I get when buying new.

True but I will be doing lots of motorway driving and a number of biker friends told me that lowers would be really useful at keeping the wind off me (is this right?) - I also happen to like the look, but thats just a personal preference.


My girlfriend gets the results of her dentistry finals on the 15th. If she fails then I wont be moving to Maidenhead and wont be commuting, will not have a second family income and will be supporting her for her retakes. This will drastically change my disposable income and bike buying decision. As someone else mentioned here, I dont like getting into debt, but if she passes then I know that we will definately have more than enough money to keep up with the payments!

Will definately think about it if you guys think it will be ok. Hopefully my g/f will pass her exams and I will be able to find and buy a bike in time!

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

As far as I know, the fairing lowers do help;

1. motorway riding is more comfortable (only once riden a naked at more than 80mph, it was ALLOT worse than my faired sv)

2. when it rains all that gets wet on me is chest up, on nakeds I used to get wet legs too.

+ i prefere the look of the fairings

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I ride a SV650S K6 (with no lowers). I don't find the lack of lowers a problem on motorways at all (I've taken the bike from North Wales to London non-stop before now, and I'm no stranger to distance rides). Although I conceed it might help to marginally increase fuel efficiency.

If the choice is a small loan for a second hand bike, and pay interest (plus possibly repairs to an unknown quality second hand bike), versus an interest free loan and a warranty, well, buy new (IMO)!

I understand completely what you mean about finances of supporting the g/f etc.

You should come to the AR (assuming you have the bike in time), as everyone, just remember to ride for you, and not to try & chase the bike in front, and you'll do fine.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I fitted lowers on my K5 just to keep the crap off the motor during the winter, and can honestly say they made bugger all difference to wind/weather protection as far as I could tell, and I was using it all winter.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

oh, I'll shut up then! lol,

but i stand by my coment that fairings look good!

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

wot he said

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

If its an SV you are after then IMO you have two options:

1-Buy a new bike for circa £4k and get as many dealer freebies as possible, finance or not it makes no difference as long as it is interest free. As has been said you then get warranty for piece of mind and new bike syndrome(smile on your face). Negatives= higher initial outlay and higher insurance??(that said suzi may offer an insurance incentive)

2- Take your time and find a quality curvy for £1500. For that money it will be A1 condition with low miles. Good chance the previous magpie has put all sorts of aftermarket mods on it such as zorst,cowel,hugger,lowers,fender extender and hopefully replaced the furry bolts :) . Should have some decent rubber on as well. If you are really lucky front end/shock may have been sorted. The key here is to look at lots of bikes to find a peach...dont jump in head first and land yourself with a ****ter.

I went for option 2 as i planned on riding it for a year and then getting a ss600. Depending on how that went i was going to sell the SV or perhaps keep it as a commuter and run it into the ground....cant ruin a nice shiny sports bike can i.

If you find the right bike then you have saved yourself £2500 straight off the bat. That can be invested in shiny bits if the bike is stock, or invested wisely in trackdays/advanced rider training. It may also allow you to get top of the range kit which is always a bonus.

I would say 2nd hand is your friend but for gods sake get the right bike....patience is a virtue....apparently :)

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

it's defnitely worth considering how different the insurance costs would be with a new or older bike.

after our sv got written off we got a 2.5 year old z1000 to replace it partly because it was MUCH cheaper to insure than another brand new SV.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I'd take that advice. If you buy a new bike you'll want to spend money putting a decent can on it and you should really put decent tyres on it too. As a new rider, you're very likely to drop it (as we all are, regardless of experience). There are often very well looked after and sorted bikes advertised on this very forum in the 'for sale' section that should meet your needs. I'd wait until you've got a bit more experience under your belt before deciding to buy a new bike. I really wouldn't recommend a new bike as your first 'big bike', no matter how tempting it is to have something shiny and new.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I had my SV from new. It was my first big bike and I was without any bike for 2 years before I bought it.

Crash bungs needed for dropping it which you will do!!

As a new rider the D220's are perfectly fine. I found I wasn't pushing the bike hard enough to warrant a change (even though near the end of their life I realised they were terrible in winter)

Then again I would have actually get a 2nd hand bike if I was selling it on soon.

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

good point on insurance, for me (18yo) was £550 second hand or £900 brand new

Re: Buy new or buy used – what would you do?
 

I voted either! I'm not wery good when it comes to money stuff!

Regarding AR07, if you get the bike then you should do it.
As Rictus said pop along to the Soho meet (Every Friday outside Cafe Nero on Frith St) and chat with us about it.