Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Frank asks: My local Harley dealer is buying used Harleys, btw first time for them. My question is how much is my 2009 Harley Fat Fob with 47,000 miles worth if I decide to sell her? Traffic in Florida is busting at the seams; very dangerous here. Thanks and happy holidays!
My reply: According to my NADA value guide (see screenshot accompanying this) your bike has a current retail value somewhere in between about $5,800 and $7,500. However, its actual value is whatever people are willing to pay for it. This includes your local Harley store – which I expect is desperate for inventory, even used inventory, due to the dearth of new bikes caused by the “chip” shortage.
My local store – a multi-make store – has almost no inventory. The showroom used to be full of bikes, as in at least 30 of them. The last time I was there – about two weeks ago, to grab some oil – there was exactly one new bike on the floor.
I expect they’d make me a great offer on my ’03 ZRX!
I expect your store will also make you a great offer on your Fat Bob.
You are in the catbird seat. You may want to sell your bike – but you don’t have to sell it. The dealer, on the other hand, is really wanting to buy your bike. I’d name your price – and see what they say.
I’d also consider keeping it – as having a bike might be just the ticket when you can’t buy a new one anymore – and the prices wanted for used ones become as high as the price of the new ones.
And maybe even higher.
. . .
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It is so weird seeing the signs on many new car dealers offering to buy cars from the general public. CarMax of course has been willing to buy cars from the public for a while already.
The high volume Ford dealer (where the focus my folks bought in 2019, for a good price), whole back lot is completely empty. The volume dodge dealer a block down, same thing. The GMC-Buick dealer which has (had) separate locations for its new and used cars, closed the used car lot and moved the used cars to the new car lot. And the new car lot is still pretty empty…. The used lot is completely empty, not a single car there.
We also seem to be losing the remaining smaller and family (single name and shop) dealers too. A family I know that owns a smaller Ford shop (since 1925) is selling out just shy of what would have been their 100th year in business. Sad.