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When is it time to sell the RT...

9K views 44 replies 29 participants last post by  1964Hall 
#1 ·
Hi
I just came back from my 40,000km service.
I talked to the service manager and he told me I should be thinking about trading in my bike at the end of the warranty period next year so I don't lose too much on trade.
I bought the bike new in 09'. His point was that at around 150,000 kms the repair costs and dependability of the bike are not so great.
I realize nothing last forever and machines break down but I just bought this thing (that's supposed to be famous for dependability) and now I need to watch how much I ride it and get ready for some major bills. Worse yet, I'm going to lose my shirt on trade. I didn't buy it as an investment but come on...
That sucks...He really put me off.
I really enjoy my RT but I am thinking this will be the last BMW I buy.
:( Ellie
 
#3 ·
What BS from this guy! Any bike will be more valuable if sold when there is a remaining warranty, but if you take good care of the bike it should run well for as long as you own it. BMW's can be expensive to maintain unless you do your own wrenching, but hopefully you agree that the ride qualities are worth it. Anyway, you are a long way from 150,000kms! Of course, you will do better selling the bike yourself than trading it in. I think your dealer has his own interests in mind, not yours.
 
#4 ·
Only you can make that decision .
But I thought about selling my 2007 RT at times and then I see the price of
used ones that have low mileage for half the cost of what I payed for new and
only few years old...Yikes
So decided to keep 07 RT and take my chances on hoping it does not need a lot
of dealer repair work over the years I continue to keep it running.
But with all the work and money and 2 years to get the bike comfortable finally
it is a keeper..
I retire in 2 years and hoping to take my lifetime trip across the country and back
on the RT..
No matter what we do if we keep it for years their is a cost if you trade it in it cost.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Ellie - let's see. It's the beginning of the riding season when dealers won't dicker on price because of pent-up winter demand. And lots of folks will come to the dealer to find used bikes because they know how robust BMWs are. And you have a meticulously maintained, gently ridden, two-year old RT approaching the end of the warranty that would look great on his used bike lot while you're leaving on a new one. I'm not detecting a gram of interest for the customer here - just greed.

Soap box time. Warranties are not based on how long a machine will last. They're entirely market-driven - the manufacturer offers whatever he has to in order to get customers. If a manufacturer could get away with a 12,000 mile, one year warranty (or better yet - none at all) he would, but if the market demanded a 100,000 mile warranty that's what he would offer as well (does anyone realistically expect a Hyundai to last 10 years/100,000 miles without breaking something major?) There are loads of BMWs out there with high mileage (I recall a thread a while ago where you couldn't post unless you were above 100K miles/160K kilometers). That service guy was probably responding to a directive from his general manager to push, push, push. And he figured that you were an easy mark - maybe it's gender-based, maybe it's your obvious (from posts here) sweet personality. In any event, he's so full of BS his eyes are probably brown. Keep it, maintain it, ride it until you get tired of it. And sell or trade at that time, not based on some pre-conceived "useful lifetime". It's already lost the bulk of its depreciation (all motor vehicles are that way) so enjoy it.

Don't let the personality of the service manager turn you off the brand. Let the machinery speak for itself. There are knuckleheads in every profession. But you can vote with your feet - take your business elsewhere and let the dealer know why. And really, if you're coming to the end of the warranty, it may be time to find an independent mechanic who can work on it for you (probably cheaper, too).

My RT is an '09 and it's coming close to the end of the warranty (miles, not age) and as far as I'm concerned if someone gave me that line I'd laugh in his/her face. Mine is just getting broken in.

OK, down off the soapbox for now.

JayJay "There is never an excuse for bad service"
 
#6 ·
SELL my 2007 RT? Huh? Whatever for?

Sheesh. That is too old? Gimme a break!

Well, don't tell that to my 1955 R67/3, or my1954 R68, or my 1952 R51/3, or my 1967 R60/2s, or my 1967 R69S, or my 1973 R75/5s. They might cry.
 
#7 ·
Let me understand,
The BMW tech says BMW's are not dependable after 150,000 KM ?
I feel fairly positive that BMW would do some fancy footwork around that statement....
 
#9 · (Edited)
I thought that the warranty period is for 3 years or 36,000 miles, which ever comes first. I don't know what 40,000km is in miles. Did you buy an extended warranty on it? I don't know how true this is because it came from our local dealer but any mileage over 2,500 per year on a motorcycle is excessive and the trade in value would reflect this. I think that this is a bunch of cr@p if it's true. If so you should have only put 6,250 miles on it and you've exceeded the allowable mileage by 33,750 miles. I was told all this last year when I went to trade in our 2003 LT with 130,000 miles on it. According to them I exceeded the allowable mileage by 112,500 miles, which by the way was still running great. I ended up not buying our RT from them and sold our LT on ebay and bought a 2006 RT with low mileage and we are very happy with the bike. I'd say keep the bike, take care of it and be happy with what you've got and you'll enjoy the bike for many many years.

Just looked it up and 40,000km is equal to 24,854 miles. We just turned 30,000 miles on ours and I hope to get 130,000 on this bike too.
 
#10 ·
Hiya Ellie! Car or bike, or boat, etc., if a good piece of equipment is well taken care of, in my view it's almost never makes economic sense to trade, rather than to just continue to take good care of a good piece of equipment.

Sounds like bunk to me.

Want to trade because you want another color? Have at it. Like a different model? Pull the trigger. Concerned about the economics of continuing to own your 2009 as compared to buying new? Hogwash. You can buy an awful lot of repairs for the cost of trading bikes every 2-3 years.

Reminds me of the sales approach suggesting trading cars because the new one gets better mileage. Forget that the cost of the new one will never be recovered in gas savings....

You got a beauty. Ride it and enjoy it. When it needs maintenance or the occasional repair, have it done. Then go ride it and enjoy it some more. $0.02 from your friend John in the Heartland.

Best, John
 
#12 ·
glapple said:
I can not think of any other brand worth much after 100K miles.
I can not think of another brand any more dependable past that number.
If you like it, ride it until it dies.
Yes!
 
#13 ·
realworld51 said:
Sounds like this dealership's employees have been well-trained in cross-selling. Never be surprised when the service dept acts like the sales dept...that's their job too! ;)
Again.... :bmw:
 
#15 ·
Absolute BS. Find a new dealer. This guy is doing nothing but trying to sell a motorcycle and very likely, looking to pick up a clean used bike for himself - yours.

Like Jeff, he doesn't want to know the mileage ANY of my BMW's traveled since 1956. Obviously, you can't measure what one bike will do v. another but my 73 R75/5 went 387,000 plus miles on one top end and one bottom end, the bottom end was done at Deming Cycle Center in [about] 2002 or so.

If you're concerned because of what this "uninformed" individual told you, you might consider an extended warranty. I have, and recommend, Western Service Contract Corp. Good price for the extra protection. Mine already paid for itself on the fuel level strip replacement on my 2007 RT. Factory warranty expired due to miles, Western paid for the repair over the phone with no hassle at all.
 
#16 ·
steveaikens said:
Absolute BS. Find a new dealer. This guy is doing nothing but trying to sell a motorcycle and very likely, looking to pick up a clean used bike for himself - yours.

Like Jeff, he doesn't want to know the mileage ANY of my BMW's traveled since 1956. Obviously, you can't measure what one bike will do v. another but my 73 R75/5 went 387,000 plus miles on one top end and one bottom end, the bottom end was done at Deming Cycle Center in [about] 2002 or so.

If you're concerned because of what this "uninformed" individual told you, you might consider an extended warranty. I have, and recommend, Western Service Contract Corp. Good price for the extra protection. Mine already paid for itself on the fuel level strip replacement on my 2007 RT. Factory warranty expired due to miles, Western paid for the repair over the phone with no hassle at all.
Hi
Extended warranty sound like a good idea. Could I still get that on my bike?
Do I get it from the dealer in Canada?
Ellie
 
#17 ·
Extended warrantys from a dealership = Massive profit..

Shop for the warranty yourself and save the dealers major cut..

John
 
#19 ·
Should be no problem getting it from a dealer.

I'd say call my dealer, Iron Horse BMW in Tucson, AZ, and ask for John Cartwright or Jim Richardson and see 1) if they can sell it to you, 2) if they can't who may be able to and 3) what's teh best price they can offer you.

Hit the link Iron Horse BMW/

Not sure but I don't think you need a dealer in Canada to buy the warranty. Could be wrong but I think they work in North America, not just the US. Good luck.
 
#20 ·
steveaikens said:
Should be no problem getting it from a dealer.

I'd say call my dealer, Iron Horse BMW in Tucson, AZ, and ask for John Cartwright or Jim Richardson and see 1) if they can sell it to you, 2) if they can't who may be able to and 3) what's teh best price they can offer you.

Hit the link Iron Horse BMW/

Not sure but I don't think you need a dealer in Canada to buy the warranty. Could be wrong but I think they work in North America, not just the US. Good luck.
Thanks Steve.
I'll check it out.
Ellie
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
realworld51 said:
Sounds like this dealership's employees have been well-trained in cross-selling. Never be surprised when the service dept acts like the sales dept...that's their job too! ;)
I think the above hits the nail on the head!
Don't let such trics "poison" your feelings or thoughts about your bike, they simply want to sell you a new one.
It is always the same pattern. When you plan to buy, they will say it will keep value for a very, very long time.
After a few years, the tune changes and suddenly it becomes time to buy a new bike, otherwise you may even
have to pay to get rid of the old one :rolleyes:
As already mentioned, enjoy your current bike. Of course buying a new one is not wrong, but it will cost
you a lot more than keeping your current bike until it effectively is at the end of its lifecycle.
 
#24 ·
missusfinz said:
Thanks guys...

I think I am going back to my old dealer for service.
These guys were closer to my office....
It is 40,000 kms. It sounds like so much less in miles.
Ellie
:wave
Your bike is barely broken in. If you maintain it like you have done, it will last for a very long time. In 25 years it will still be going strong and if you want to sell it then, it will be a collector and you will be able to get close to what you paid for it.

I imagine you have it set up the way you like it, why change?

For us locals which is the dealership recommending you to flip a perfectly good bike?
 
#25 ·
Many of the aftermarket warranty programs have specific exclusions in them such as brakes and clutches. They consider them normal wear items. Anyway, if your rear engine seal craps out and contaminates your clutch (LT issue) then the labor and seal are covered but you would need to pay out of pocket for the clutch parts. My point is that getting educated on the coverage can save you some bucks if you know how to utilize the coverage. Just take a good look at what you are getting before you spend the money. Most people lose money on extended warranties or the companies would'nt be in business.
 
#26 ·
05hexhead said:
Your bike is barely broken in. If you maintain it like you have done, it will last for a very long time. In 25 years it will still be going strong and if you want to sell it then, it will be a collector and you will be able to get close to what you paid for it.

I imagine you have it set up the way you like it, why change?

For us locals which is the dealership recommending you to flip a perfectly good bike?
I made a mistake. I bought the bike at Wolf and they have been great except that I live in Kitchener. Wolf would give me GS650 as a loaner. It sucked having to ride that thing back and forth to Kitchener so I thought I would try Budd in Oakville. That's who told me to trade in my bike.
I'm going back to Wolf, they never gave me any reason to go any where else except the small 650 sucked on the main highway.

You live, you learn.
Ellie
 
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