| Author | Message | ||
     Thumper74 |
I have a long time friend that I would like to keep a long time friend. He had an aneurism and can no longer ride. I like the bike and he said to make a 'reasonable offer'. 2002 Triumph Sprint ST, full Givi luggage, Micron exhaust, new tires, bar risers, touring windshield, plus all stock parts. He bought it salvage title in 2006 with low mileage, the damage amounted to three fairing panels, some light road rash on one lower fork tube and on the front wheel. Book value is $3500 at a dealer, without exhaust and luggage. I've always figured 50% of a non-salvage vehicle, unless it was something unique/unusual. Thoughts on a 'reasonable' offer? I was thinking $2,000-$2,300 | ||
| Raceautobody |
The bike is now over 12 years old, you know the history, and you are worried about a salvaged title? Are you looking at buying and trying to turn it for a profit? If so don't do it with a friends bike, clean title or not. You know the bike and with the age of it when you are done with it you will not be trading it off at a dealer even if it had a clean title. If it is a good bike and will be a good fit for you buy it, but don't ruin a friendship over it | ||
| Ourdee |
Tell him your thoughts on it's value. Ask him to shoot you a price. If it's too high for you, help him sell it for what he wants out of it. Be a friend. Friend of mine sold me a used snowblower cheap. My thought was to flip it quick. I let him know I wasn't planning on keeping it, and told him how to get more from it. He didn't want to hassle with it and sold it to me cheap. I had a clear conscience when I doubled my money in 5 hours. I still sold it below market value. I saw it a couple days later with a price tag 5 times what I paid for it. | ||
| Etennuly |
I agree with you on the 50% valuation. I have had several rebuilt title vehicles over the years and I steer clear of them every time I can. Your friendship is a two way street. If he wants full retail from you for a rebuilt title vehicle, the olive branch is weak. He had to have bought it cheap and got his use out of it over eight + years. A bank won't loan money on it, a dealership likely will not take it on trade, and it will be difficult to sell personally. Like Ourdee said, help him sell it if you feel the price is too high for your comfort. I rebuilt a new wrecked Buick for my mother several years ago. It was less than a year old. I sold it to her for exactly what the parts and materials cost me, NOT including 80 some hours of my labor and a bunch of hours paid out to my helpers for labor. She had that car four years, never having a problem and loved it. Then she decided to trade it in without telling me(I lived 1200 miles away). After she did the deal she called me having a total hissy fit aimed at me because the dealer would only give her half price trade valuation because of the rebuilt title. Before I "gave" her the car, I explained how the whole thing works with rebuilt title cars. Even at that half price trade deal she was still got two thousand eight hundred dollars over what she paid me for it. She carried on so bad so many times to me about it that I learned to be a better son, and never help her with any car buying decisions again.  She is happier when someone's Mitsubishi dealership calls her everyother year to tell her how badly they need her car for another customer, and how she really needs that new car they have on their lot to help their commission sales for that month.  | ||
| Thumper74 |
To be clear, he didn't set a price. He asked me to make an offer. I did the paint work on the bike. Twice. I KNOW that's good. I mounted the tires. I know that's good. I don't want to insult him. I learned not to sell a car to anyone I know... I sold a car to my co-worker's boyfriend, dirt cheap. He was at my door once a month asking me to fix something. | ||
| 86129squids |
Keep us posted on things... sounds like that bike's been through just a little bit more than what mine's seen! Plus you've got the nice luggage and extras. I've really been enjoying mine so far- Vern did a nice repair/paint job for me, lots of character, rock stable at any speed, not too bad to do distance on (certainly better than my old XB9SX!)... Got pics? Thump, if you end up with it and care to swap/sell/trade a few things, let me know. Or, if you find decent sources for the same. I'd like to put something like that Micron on mine without having to re-tune the motor, just to get some more music, but everyone I've seen selling one so far either wants a king's ransom or has junk, or both. At any rate, I hope it all works out as it should... if you haven't ridden it yet, that's likely to push you over the edge! Holla! | ||
| Thumper74 |
I've ridden it a few times. We swapped rides. at March Badness 2008. | ||
| 86129squids |
Mine was the bright red stock paint, until Vern shot it with British Racing Green and silver decals- which color is this one? I've not seen the blue version in person... | ||
| Thumper74 |
British Racing Green with silver decals! | ||
| Teeps |
What could he get for it from a dealer? There's your base price, adjust upward for friendship retention... | ||
| Thumper74 |
Non-salvage title bikes run around $3500, which is right around book. | ||
| Court |
I can give you some sage advise. Do not buy it. Find a reason to pass. | ||
| 86129squids |
"Find a reason to pass." Funny, that's what my Sprint tells me when I'm tailgating someone... My $.02: (a) Retaining friendship is key, coming to a mutual agreement on the definition of "reasonable offer" is critical. (b) Seems you're already familiar with the bike, it's not a turd. (c) You may be able to acquire it for small $$$, if your friend is OK with it. Go figure. I got mine for good money, good mojo to boot, and spent some money getting it where I like it now. Incidentally by now about $500 over book, but I'm happy. YMMV. Oh yeah- my title is clear, not salvage. Blue book is what it is. If your dollar spent produces value to your life, ideally to both parties transactionally, what's not to like? Down the line, you can part it out. (Message edited by 86129squids on November 26, 2014) | ||
| Ourdee |
So, I looked at what Court said. That made me look at your profile and re-read the original post. I found some key words in both: "Insurance Adjuster" and "Aneurysm". Too much ammo there for an attack on your integrity. No matter how noble your purchase price, someone somewhere will talk bad. Keep the friend. They are hard to find. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Ourdee, I'm not really sure what you're getting to with 'Too much ammo there for an attack on your integrity." Also, I am fairly certain we've never met. | ||
| Thumper74 |
In all reality, the friendship is worth more than the bike. There are some sweet deals on XBs and tubers right now... | ||
| Ratbuell |
Truthfully...anything with a salvage title, and withOUT any sort of detailed documentation about how/why it was totalled, and how/how extensively it was rebuilt...is only worth what someone will pay for it. I, personally, would consider a salvage bike that was totalled due to bodywork...but only if there was photo documentation of the damage, and DETAILED photos of the rebuild process showing zero frame damage, etc. "The book" is worthless on anything rebuilt. Anyone buying a salvage vehicle is doing so because a) they're handy and aren't afraid to fix stuff, and b) because they're cheap and/or broke and don't want to spend a lot of money to get one of those vehicles. I agree with the posts above - pass. Help the friend sell the bike on the open market. Who knows - the offers may be so ridiculously low, they'll offer it to you for a "good deal" just to see it go to a "good home". But exhaust all other options first. Keep the friend. | ||
| Reepicheep |
What Rat said. If really you want it, tell him to just sell it, but don't take less than $X for it, because if he is going to sell it for that you will give him $X+500 any time. Then no whining when you get it. My bike was totaled, I bought it back as salvage title, did a TON of work to find and fix all the damage, and rode it for a year. Then, idling in my driveway, a chunk of the rear head dropped right onto the ground near my sidestand. There are good reasons not to buy salvage bikes... take Rat's words of wisdom:
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| Court |
If you think you can buy it and maintain the friendship… Practice on something easy like introducing your wife to your girlfriend. | ||
| Ourdee |
Ourdee, I'm not really sure what you're getting to with 'Too much ammo there for an attack on your integrity." Also, I am fairly certain we've never met. Exactly! Mr. Thumper, We have never met. To that extent you may rest assured that I am not attacking you, or your integrity. I am simply trying to stress that there are a myriad of words, titles, connotations, etc. that can be used as fuel to taint your friendship. The word "Aneurysm" brings up thoughts of an invalid (what a horrible word) or disabled person, someone who could be taken advantage of. The words I chose from your profile online "Insurance Adjuster" leaves me with the thought of a person capable of influencing others. The words place in my mind the picture of one person capable of dominating another's thought process or able to win a mind game in taking another to the cleaners. NOTE: I am not claiming or hinting that you would do this! I have known you through BadWeb for 6 years. You were here when I came. I give Buell owners more credit than the general population. I am prejudiced that way. I only sited the words in an attempt to show what simple things that we don't think twice about can have a large effect on other's perceptions of what went down. A busy body would have plenty of ammo to nag others with. Your own friend could get a seed planted in his mind, driving a wedge between the two of you. Sometimes doing right has a cost. Almost all our decisions have a price positive or negative. I have at times in my life burnt bridges, even on purpose. The only thing I do know is that when wise people talk to me and what they say makes no sense to me, I make an attempt to understand where they are coming from. | ||
| Jolly |
I recently bought a 2000 sprint ST with factory side bags (givi?) and paid 2800.00 for it if that helps with your decision. I'm not opposed to buying a salvage title as long as I know the full story as I have access to DMV processes that if the title is done correctly I can still license it on the street, some states vary in what they allow. the deal with buying a salvage bike is that you are probably buying it for life....if you take that approach, then you might never regret it. based on your personal concerns and some of the advice here, it just demonstrates how tough it could be to sell it one day. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Do it, he would not have offered it to you if he did not want you to have it. And am on my 3rd Sprint ST now, a blue one! And have had salvage titles on bikes, no big deal. And probably have a great tune available, Tuneecu is freeware, just need a cable for obd2 . Do a price survey on Craigslist and Triumphrat.net to get pricing ideas. |
