<this is from a response to another thread but felt it was worth creating it's own thread, don't be like me.......do your research first and ask a LOT of questions>

BTW, this purchasing experience was from PCP Yamaha on Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento CA. I DO NOT recommend this dealer for anything other then service (they have been around since like 1970) they simply can't compete price wise with the bigger dealers that are around now and rely mostly on their service dept. and don't negotiate prices much if at all. Caveat Emptor my friends! DO YOUR HOMEWORK


I learned an expensive lesson on this dealer crap. I was browsing for my first ATV (man, wish I had found this forum back then) checked some prices on the mfgrs. websites then went to a local dealer. This wasn't exactly an impulsive purchase as I had looked at websites but it was the first one I looked at, Yamaha Beartracker (don't laugh) I didn't want to break the bank cause if I didn't have much fun with it that would have sucked. WELL, I ended up paying MSRP+tax+freight+setup....not only that but this slick dealership talked me into a service contract (which I found out later was not needed for this quad) by telling me that if I had ANY problems within the first six months and did not get my quad serviced by them within 10 hours my factory warranty would be voided, this was one of those warranty/service contracts (all services covered for three years). Well this dealer was full of BS, $700 bucks for this service warranty which would cover my first service but from what I found out this quad would require very little maintenance as it's very basic and been around for a while.

I spoke with the owner and said they BS'd me into a service contract (which couldn't be canceled btw). I got into her ear enough she wrote me out a check for $700.

That's not the worst part, after driving the Beartracker I had an absolute BLAST but it was severly lacking in size/power. I attempted to bring it back and upgrade after two rides but they gave me the standard"your trade is only worth $1500" to us. I explained to the owner that the salesperson COULD have talked me into a larger quad IF he had explained that the Beartracker is more of an entry level quad for 16 year olds and that I MIGHT not feel totally comfortable on it. This kid was a brand new salesperson who didn't know a LOT, he was more focused on making the sale then he was in selling me a quad that fit my needs.

I also challenged the owner on the freight/set up fee......She claimed there was about 6 hours of labor in each ATV they receive (TOTAL BS I found out later) in prepping it for sale.

Regardless, after a few rides, this thing has sat parked in my garage for almost two years, except for my buddy using it for that ATV safety course. He is now going to buy it for $500 plus $100 a month payments for a year.......My net loss? Minus the $700 they gave me back for the contract....... -$2,300.........An expensive lesson to say the least. Hey, at least my buddy is getting a hell of a deal and his two kids can ride it as well.

Oh, the owner never removed my warranty/service contract from the service department's computer so techinically it's still available for those services at no charge...BFD, It'll prob. never need them.


The smaller dealers try to tell you "we like to think we're selling you a service as well as an ATV, we'll be here whenever you need service etc".......This is laughable at best, ANY dealer(of your make) will service your quad and I doubt you get extra better service/repairs cause you bought it from them.

I did however run into a problem with a local BRP dealer who gave me a bunch of run around about servicing my Outlander and DS because I didn't buy them from him. "how come you didn't come here first"?? I had a blow out on my DS and simply took the tire to him to have it replaced, he asked where I bought the quad....then proceeded to tell me to go to them to get my tire fixed. That dealer was over an hour away.

 

Sounds like two dalers you should never deal with again. I wouldn't deal with either one of those jerks. It does pay to be savy but they did act slightly unethical IMO by screwing you.

Also dealers are not the place to buy service contracts. You can do a lot better buying them on Ebay. I bought a 4 year warranty on eBay for half of what my dealer (and Kawasaki) wanted for it.

 

where on ebay did you get a warranty

 

Do they give warranties on ebay ?

Is it worth it to buy a pre-owned atv or quad or is it better to save up and delay the purchase for a while ?

 

Search for the name of the warranty program on eBay. For example for Kawasaki it's called Good Times Protection Plan.

Use good judgement and find a dealer. I guess it's larger dealers (not totally sure) that can sell them for less becuase they sell so many. Make sure you are getting the manufactuer one though and not some crappy third party warranty. There are deals to be had.

Kawasaki price for a 4 year GTTP - $750
Dealer where I bought quad's price - $750
Fremont Motorsports in Colorado via eBayMotors price = $390

I had my paperwork in a few days and my complete paperwork from Kawasaki within a week.

 

Yep,
lots of dealers that love to LIE..

I worked at a few of the good ones and left some of the bad ones. It takes an idiot about 1 1/2 hours to uncrate and assemble/prep most ATVs. Yes, its true that the dealership has to pay for freight charges to get the ATV to his dealership. And most dealers get a DOC fee as well. NEVER pay for freight AND shipping because they are BOTH the SAMETHING.

NEVER pay for assemble AND prep,they are both the SAMETHING.At the end of all these charges, you should NEVER pay more than 400 bucks extra for freight,assemble and DOC fees for a TOP OF THE LINE ATV. If the ATV is a lower priced unit like the BearTracker, these costs should be no more than 300 bucks. If your dealer charges you anymore, you are lining the pockets of the salesman and the dealership.

We have some dealers in my area that charged 1200 bucks extra for these fee's on a 2000 dollar ATV. Thats a real RIP-OFF.

 

In my experiences with ATV, Motorcycle Dealers is they know you won't be back for another new purchace for a long time, so they don't care if they rip you off or not, never go to a dealer thinking your his best and only customer, never think any dealer will like you better just because you made a purchace. Dealers don't care if your mad at them or not, I see customers everyday walking out mad, and the dealers laugh about it, they don't care. They are used to it, they have experience in dealing with irate customers and they get no special treatment.