Buy or rent? That is the question...

[yaen]

Hi

me and my old man are planning a trip to new zealand at the begining of mar',
between 1 to 2 month on a bike. and we were wondering if it is better to rent 2 bikes or buy?
is there any shop's who would accept to buy a used motorcycle?
and in general, if any one have a good advice for a trekker\motorist who is coming for a visit in the kiwi paradise i'll be grateful...

thanks
yaen

[SuperDave]

From what I've heard renting a bike here is pricey. I'd say pick up a decent 2nd hand one then once you're done sell it to a dealer, most dealers are quick buy a bike but they'll obviously buy it for a lot less than you could sell privately.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

For a couple of months would probably be cheaper to buy, and then sell to a dealer afterwards... (but as stated the dealer won't give you as much as if it was a private sale)

Make sure during those two months you maintain the bike as best as possible that way you will get the best possible return when you sell. Little things like lube & oil change, checking that everything is still working... blah blah blah

[slimjim]

yup as thee above say, however you should do the sum's, ie= what is the total rental cost,this will include insurance, backup if breakdown occurs,bikes are preserviced, and may only need to be dropped off the day you fly out ? buying two bikes,= will incurr insurance (been from oversea's ?$ ), then will be into a garage for a service, this way you can keep dockets(as proof of service) and you may need to plan ahead(only if breakdown does happen) and at the end yup be ready for a shock,as most bikeshop's pref a trade than buying outright unless it buys it for FUCK ALL, any how all the best in NZ when you come, March is normally good weather

[Bend-it]

yeah, I'd say buy a 2nd hand one, and then sell it when you leave... Or if you find some biker mate here, they could sell it for you when you leave and transfer the money to you later... Depending on what bike you buy, you might end up not spending too much!

When you gonna be down here? And what's your itinerary?You could join some of the rides!

[crazybigal]

Id buy 2nd hand. make sure you buy a bike you will be able to sell easy when your done. www.trademe.co.nz or do a deal with a bike shop that when your finished with it they buy it back. they make money, you sell the bike and it didnt cost you a fortune!

[ManDownUnder]

2 months? Buy and resell.

2 months rent on a bike would be a reasonable %age on buying one, and your losses will be substantially less after you resell.

Problem comes if you need to resell in a hurry for whatever reason... but then if you know someone here in NZ, and are in no hurry to resell (i.e. you prefer to hold out for a reasonable price), have them do it on your behalf.

[Terminated]

Welcome Yaen and Yaen Snr to New Zealand [in advance]

Through this site you may be able to strike up an arrangement with those who may be wanting to buy a bike thereabouts the time you are here - me for example I anticipate getting my full licence first quarter 2007.

If you wanted to buy new what percentage drop would you expect to take on selling the bike.

Similarly if you bought a secondhand bike what percentage drop from the purchase price.

You could do the math and compare that to a full period of rental and for example take 50 to 60% of a theoretical rental cost all up including insurances etc and deduct this from the new bike price as an indicator of a resale price you would want to expect of the new bike.

I suppose it all comes down to how much money you want to 'write off' for the two month bike tour.

What sort of bike/s are you considering this could be a good carrot incentive for somebody like me to express an interest in such negotiation. [PM reply welcomed.]

Heads Up and Enjoy

[yaen]

Hi,
my old man is into road bike's (harley davidson, to be more exact)
and I dont care for something less fency, more of a adventure trip's bike.
since my father will probably leave after one month and i will keep on by myself.

can you tell me what is the price diffrence between 1st or 2nd hand bike?
( I guess we will go for 2nd hand, as i saw the general prices on harley).

appreciate all the help

yaen

[Drum]

You can check out the prices for 2nd hand bikes in NZ here....

http://www.trademe.co.nz/mcat-0001-0026-1255-.htm

They say a brand new car loses 30% of its value when it drives off the lot. I reckon a modern bike would lose more like 10% to 20%. Other opinions may differ.