I shopped around a lot before getting my 02 Foreman S 4x4 a year ago. I was both trying to decide which ATV was right for me 250cc-600cc, and how much I needed or didn't need 4x4. I started at my local Honda dealership, but was discouraged, because the prices they quoted were higher than those I had seen in the regional classified mags. Not wanting to get hosed, I did a lot of driving and haggling. I was completely blown away by how inconsistant the buisness is. Some dealers charged 100 for paperwork, and some charged several 100 more. Between freight, trade in, tax, and all their other ridiculous paperwork, they can twist any starting price into any out-the-door price they want to. Some would take the time to educate me, some treated my wife like an ignorant chick, some refused to let me test drive in a parking lot, and that same dealer even refused to get an 02 rancher down off a display platform and start if for me, because that would mean he'd have to put a little gas in it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

In the end, my wife and I went back to the original Honda dealership, and checked them all out. They took time with my questions, let us ride up and down their parking lot until we were tired, and took the time to teach my wife how to operate the machine until she was confident. We were newlyweds trading in my 750 standard streetbike for a toy that we could both ride, and that I could use for utility work.

In the end, my wife convinced me that even though she felt more comfortable driving the Recon, she knew I wouldn't be happy on anything that wasn't built like a tank, so she insisted we get the Foreman 4x4(that's when I knew I'd married the right Tomboy). My local dealer gave me a fair trade on my bike, and the original quoted price from the start did not change due to paperwork, freight, set-up, tax, etc. That's why the punk down at DuPage Honda that treated her like an ignorant chick, and the number crunching deceptive jerks at DGY weren't going to see a dime from me.

Customer service and customer respect seem to be a very rare thing in this industry today. Honda House of Elmhurst was not cheap, but they were honest, helpful, respectful, and patient. If they made one to two hundred bucks extra in the process, they earned every penny. At least in my case, they were good people.

 

I see it all the time...common practice

At our shop we give true OTD pricing...the #'s don't please people because they hear BS pricing from other guys...then they drive 2 hours before they figure out they are getting screwed...and after they get screwed they go home and tell thier buddies they got it for the price that was advertised, because they don't want to let on they payed more than what they would have here in town


How much money do you realy save when you have to drive 2-3 hours each way...I have no pity for you
Its a lack of common sense

 

I went to a honda dealer ship Metro power sports (Planet honda racing) its only about 25 min away from my house, but because im on a tight budget i call around, i call nicholsons up, i know people that work there, i was gonna see if i could get a good price... they couldnt do to much for me... so i called up metro, asked them what the true out the door price was they said 4k, so what did i do, i left that minute got there, talked to a salesmen who had sold me a rancher 350S (4x4) at a pretty good price, he said it was 4799 MSRP and we ended up spending over 5200, when the guy on the phone had said 4k OUT THE DOOR... end of story, Unless its written down on a contract or a reciept dont trust the prices they give you, salesmen lure you in with great prices... what happens you end up paying for crap that they said was in the 4k or what ever amount it might be.

 

Amen brother!!! I had one kid ask me if I was going to sign a contract before he would tell me the price for the rincon. Wow what great customer service. Hey I want to be fair, these guys deserve a profit, but not to the extent that they screw you out of your last dime. $100 for paperwork? you gotta be kidding me.

 

I saved $1200 plus tax on that $1200 on my CBR 929 by driving to Abernathy's instead of buying from my closest dealer. I would say my 4 hour round trip drive to Abernathy's was well worth it.

My dad drove 6 hours round trip and saved over $800.

 

do you guys pay for the paperwork when you buy a tv, electric stove, bar stools, hamburgers. when this bs comes up, walk away. it sound like misrepresentation, fraud, that you guys are putting up with. a few years back I went to buy, (order) 2 snowmobiles from a local shop. they quoted a price but when i got there it was different. I walked out the door to the next shop and the next. I bought my sleds and found i got a real bargain compared to the prices the first 2 shops wanted. You are not buying a one of a kind item. Its not your job or should i say money to support these people.They are not doing you any favors. You came to be treated like a person, not to be screwed , not to be used, not to be taken advantage off. All you do by buying there is encourage them to screw your friends. When you find a less then honest or straight forward shop tell everyone and when you find a good one tell your friends.

 

That was my point. But you can use this forum to do it in. That way we know who to buy from and what are reasonable prices to pay.

 

That is so typical...I had to drive 4 hours to get mine quad too. And those deals you see in the cycle traders are not always such good deals when you get there. You can usually be sure that the money you think you are saving on the up-front cost will be added on again somewhere, usually is set-up fees, delivery charges, handling fees, fee to let you pee when you get to the dealer and have to wait 2 hours to sign 2 minutes worth or paperwork. There are no free lunches in that business.

These dealers usually run their shops with so little profit, they lie or bend the truth to get you to come into the store. Then they rely on us being so dumb or eager to get our new quads we will go along with anything. Next time you go into a shop to buy a quad, and they hit you with these fees, say WAIVE THEM or I go elsewhere, call tem out on this. If they don't mention it in the fine print, you don't have to pay it. There will always be another deal, don't give these leaches any more money then you have to.

 

Fusion...I live in Holland on the west side of the state, I drove all the way to Nicholsons, about 4 hours...I was not too impressed with them...I did by a 250ex from them...but probably would not do it again...I have learned a lot since that time...they seem to be the type of dealer that will screw you out of every cent they could. I did get a good up front price from them thats why I bought it there.

 

I would definately let somebody know, I absolutely hate dealers that try to pull a fast one on you. I have a great story of my own, but it would take a while. I am jealous though, here in WA state it appears the prices for the Rincon are a lot more than other places. I have an "03 Rincon and love it, for the most part. I have seen many good reviews on it. There is one drawback to it that I definately don't like. It DOES NOT have enough engine braking for slow/steep trails. (Although Honda says it's not a problem). No matter what anybody says. Even when you have it in ESP and use 1st gear. If you need to crawl down a trail, you are all over the brakes instead of letting the machine do the work. I am not the most experienced rider, but I can hold my own and have many rides under my belt. It is pretty difficult to stay on the brakes and use the throttle when needed. On normal trails and logging roads, it works great. The suspension rides like a Cadillac. Good luck with whatever you choose.