I have been lusting for a 660 or 700 raptor for about a month now. I saw that Yamaha has the 'Y we ride' event going and that just added fuel to the flame. First, I have never bought a new bike from a dealer. My current warrior was my first quad and I got that privately. So I have no 'dealer experience' when it comes to quads.

So for kicks and giggles, I popped in last Saturday at the local Yamaha dealer. Turns out they have a '09 700r that the salesman called a 'program' bike. He said they "bought it at an auction sale from the inventory of another dealer who went out of business." He said it was still a 'new' bike b/c it has never been titled, so I would still get the new bike warranty and the rebate & finance deals from Yamaha. He wrote up a quick offer that I was not at all impressed with. My gut told me it was the same inital offer he throws out for any new 700r. I said no, thanked him for his time and left.

My suspicion is that if they really got this from what sounds like a 'liquidation' sale, they probably got it for about .60 cents on the dollar??... More.. less..???

Is anyone familiar with 'program' bikes and what kind of deals you can get on them? Knowledge is power and I want to do as much research as I can before I attempt to negotiate a deal for it.

 

Here's a post on their website about 'program' bikes... doesn't quite match what the salesman said, but looks like he was right about it not being titled yet.

WE JUST GOT IN OVER 100 KAWASAKI AND YAMAHA PROGRAM BIKES WITH LOW LOW PRICING !!!!!
THESE BIKES ALL COME FROM THE FACTORY WITH LITTLE OR NO MILES AND ARE UNREGISTERED. ............... SAVE THOUSANDS OF $$$$ OFF OF NEW WITH FACTORY FINANCING STILL AVALIABLE ON MOST MODELS!!!!!<

Oh, I don't remember the exact O.T.D. number, but it was ~ $7300 for it.

 

Most dealers don't allow anyone to ride the showroom quads, and most if not all of those quads were probably never even taken out of the crate. $7300 otd probably isn't that bad depending on the location. I have heard of people getting killer deals on leftovers, but can't really verify any of that. Sounds like a good middle of the road price, not a smokin' deal but certainly a good bit better than msrp.

 

I am in Charlotte, NC. I don't really don't know if 'new' bikes are cheaper or more expensive here vs. other areas. My guess is that they are little more expensive since the 'milder' climate here allows for a longer riding season. You can easily ride a street bike 9 months out of the year around here.

I did talk with a co-worker yesterday who owned a small dealership several years ago in Canada. He confirmed what the salesman said about the 'program' bikes. He had actually done that a couple of times when he was a dealer. He explained it like this: Its kind of a double edge sword. Chances are the dealer did not use his 'dealer floor plan' to purchase the quad, which means they won't get any factory incentives for making the sale- which sometimes entices the dealer to sell for less so they get the 'bonus'. Those are those smoking deals you hear about where someone got a bike for less than anyone heard of. That's when the dealer needed just one more sale under his DFP to qualify for big incentive rebate. So while that last bike was sold for a loss, the rebate more than covers it. I always seem to miss those deals

Then, on the other hand, he figured the dealer only has about .80 cents on the dollar in it vs. the ones they get from the manufacturer. Therefore, they should be willing to sell it for a little less. But I am sure they always try to sell it for the same amount as the others to maximize profit

 

If it's never had any fluids in it, then I'd consider it new.

If it's had any oil added, then you don't know if it was a demo (some dealers actually let you ride them first) or what the circumstances around it may be.

That's just my opinion, your mileage may vary.