I'm thinking about buying a 2007 Rancher 4x4 and I've emailed several dealers for quotes. However, 6 or 7 years ago I bought a Honda motorcycle and I didn't really feal I got a great deal. I looked at just a few dealerships and pretty much got the same song every time. The price on the bike is what it sells for. I do believe that I did pay setup and freight on it as well.

So I'm just wondering what I should expect to pay on a new machine. Are the dealers pretty much going to stick to the MSRP? Are they all going to charge me freight and set up? I'd like to hear from a few others on purchasing experience. If I can get a great deal I'll shop but if they are all going to give me the same song I don't really see the sense in wasting gas and time driving all over and haggling. I've always haggled car dealers till they can't stand me anymore but bike dealers seem to be a different breed.

 

From $3983 for 2wd manual shift to $4883 for 4X4 ES at Southern Honda in Chattanooga. This is a volume dealer and those are OTD prices. Regular dealers can lower the price if they wish but that will vary.

 

You don't say what part of the country you are in, and that makes a big difference. I have seen some pretty good prices from eastern dealerships. Around here, it is pretty much MSRP plus tax, freight, and setup. I am well establised with a local dealership, and they will always discount the setup for me...but that's about it.

You are looking at a Rancher 420 and it is a brand new model, so don't expect to get the kind of price you would get on a leftover from last year or anything like that. And what are you going to save in the end, a couple hundred dollars???? That's not worth the fuss of having to look all over the place and maybe drive to a distant dealership.

 

I would never again do business with this particular dealer! Let me tell you my recent experience with them. I called before I arrived at the dealer to do as much of the deal I can over the phone, from model to color and what time to meet my salesman and the Honda was supposed to be ready to go. When I arrived a 3 hour drive, it was as if the conversation never took place, they did not know who I was, salesman was out to lunch and no atv pulled aside so we started from scratch. This process literally took hours and I will sware today that its all done on purpose to work out the way it did, ie; I financed through them as most people do, there was hardly anyone there that day yet the wait time was hours, then this girl that looks like a wanna be model has the papers ready to sign...at that point you are so ready to get the h_ll out of there unless your single and/or think you can get a cheap date..or married and...lol....anyway sign away...about the only thing I looked for was the discount price which was correct. I get home and go for my first ride...the thing bounces on smooth pavement like a horse with 3 legs....I immediately call the dealer and they say give it a few hundred miles its the tires from sitting so long (an '06 in '06?) I did'nt buy that answer and concluded on my own a bent axle or the like. I took it to the local dealer and confirmed it was bent probably in from factory frieght. That night I sat down and decided to take a look over my paperwork...low and behold I signed up for CRAP I did not even realize at the time (gap ins, theft ins, etc, etc) gold this platinum that..they even upped the interest rate they promised over the phone, the way it was presented they made you think all this cr_p they added was PART of the deal, which brought my original $1,300 savings well into a loss...now granted its my fault for NOT reading the fine print then but I could not wait to get out of there, and I will also admit my eye caught cleavage when it should have caught $$$.....lol...seriously though I guarantee its all a part of the scam I mean plan...nonetheless this was ALL wrong so in the a.m. I was there and had them redo it all, a new atv interest rate as advertised and promised minus all the garbage. When I think about it I should have been more angry than I was, but blamed myself....please guys CAVEAT EMPTOR (let the buyer beware). You get what you pay for, you do save quite a bit but lose the personal attention of your local dealer. My experience was you become a number, not a person, If I'm dishing out $4k - $5k I want to be a person treated with respect! Even though I'm 40 somethin I'm still learning & would spend hundreds more to get local personable service! My Honda has been great and have had no problems since. Be Aware!

 

I hear ya TNrider.

Last October we were looking for 2 atvs for my wife and I. We really liked the Honda Rancher (350 MT) and the Recon (250 MT), as it fit our budget and we are pretty much brand new to the sport. We went to the local dealer in town and they gave us a price which was $50 each off MSRP supposedly because it was an '06 model. We went home to think about it, but thought it was weird as you said "halfhere" that they wouldn't really move from MSRP. We found a MUCH better price online in Tennessee (Southern Honda) and decided to see if that info would be of any help by calling the local guy. He said "He's selling under cost", and that they couldn't do anything for me.

A couple of days later (literally 2), we called up again and said that we had cash in hand and that we would be buying 2 machines in the next 2 days. They RAISED the price back to MSRP (keep in mind.. same sales guy.. no inventory change whatsoever).

We went down the road to the next town and the dealer there gave us $450 off one and $550 off the other and got within $600 total of what Southern Honda wanted. We had them hold 'em for us and picked 'em up the next day. That dealer won us as customers for life! They were nice, courteous and professional. We even took some of the money we saved and bought seat back/holders (the "for passengers but no passengers allowed" things) from them, which the dealer of course made good money on. It's that kind of service that brings people in. We will NEVER go back to the other dealer or recommend them to anyone.

Sad part for the bad dealer, is that we have 5 boys, and as each on hits 12 they will be getting a name brand atv (till then they can ride the cheapo's and destroy them). Where do you think we are going to buy from?

I think the ATV dealers need to get their heads out of the sands and realize they are upsetting people. People just want to feel like they are getting a good deal and that they will be taken care of when it comes to service. How much trust can I have in the service if they can't even treat me decent during the sales process?

*steps off soap box*

So HalfHere, from what I have seen (we actually ended up calling about 18 dealers within 3 states) the majority stick with MSRP or within $100. There are a few rogues (Southern Honda out of Tennessee for one) who are cheaper and still give good service. Us, we are happy that we were able to give our money to someone local who will be there for us when we need them.

Mugg [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

I just bought the new Rancher 420 from a local dealer for $750 off MSRP. He didn't charge set up fees, just title & tax. We checked out about 5-6 dealers, and put in an email request to another (never returned).

When we went in last weekend to buy the machine, the guy admitted to making a mistake in his quote to me, but he did honer his quote.

The best price I got otherwise, was about $400 off MSRP.

Good luck finding a good price.

 

Out here you can consider yourself lucky to pay MSRP. Most dealers tack on a $500-600 freight and set-up fee, which around 80% of buyers actually pay. I was more than happy to pay just under MSRP out the door for my 420. Being in Oregon we have no sales tax so that is also a nice break.