I would say that is unfair based on the info in this thread. There are all kinds of young people driving expensive bikes and paying high insurance rates. It is very common.
New rider from KW
- Thread starter Brockc
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I would say that is unfair based on the info in this thread. There are all kinds of young people driving expensive bikes and paying high insurance rates. It is very common.
Agreed.
It's not up to a Dealership to say who can and can't buy their vehicles based on factors beyond "Can you pay me for the vehicle?". If a customer is paying cash or has been approved for financing, the deal is done.
If a Dealer ever said to me, "I'm not sure I can sell you this vehicle based on what your insurance might be..." I would laugh at them and walk out the door.
It's not up to a Dealership to say who can and can't buy their vehicles based on factors beyond "Can you pay me for the vehicle?". If a customer is paying cash or has been approved for financing, the deal is done.
If a Dealer ever said to me, "I'm not sure I can sell you this vehicle based on what your insurance might be..." I would laugh at them and walk out the door.
In the world of motorcycles where young/new riders can afford bikes that could be potentially uninsurable for them, it's not an uncommon courtesy for dealers to politely suggest that a buyer that they see as fitting that mold may want to call and get some insurance numbers before continuing a purchase.
But there are lots of other dealers/salespeople who will just sell that Busa to the 16 year old M1 rider and never say a thing, knowing damn well that the kid isn't likely to ever be able to afford to insure it.
How does the Dealer "damn well" know if a 16 year old can afford insurance or not? Answer: They don't, unless they are asking questions that are none of their business. They have one job - sell the bike. If a kid wants to buy a Kawasaki H2, a BMW S1000rr or a $100,000 custom chopper and shows up with cash or has been approved for financing, (probably with a co-signer, but that's a different discussion) good for the kid. The Dealers job at that point is to fill out the paperwork and give him/her the keys. End of transaction.
And if you truly believe that the Dealer has the right or responsiblity to not sell them that bike based on what they're insurance *might be or what you think their financial situation is, I would strongly suggest that you don't go into sales.
I think you're missing the point.
A salesperson with some decency can tactfully ask someone that they are easily able to peg as a high-risk/high-cost insurance situation that "you should call and check on insurance! before we go any further"....IE, putting the bug in their ear. It can be done in such a way that the buyer *wants* to do it because they didn't realize it was a good idea. The salesperson need not make it come across as an order or anything.
Lots of people new to motorcycles are blissfully unaware that they may not actually be able to afford the insurance costs. We see it here time and time again every spring.
And yes, it does have a real blowback on a dealer if they find out the buyer can't actually obtain insurance after the fact, particularly if the bike in financed....because the buyer won't actually be able to complete the sale since the terms of virtually any finance agreement require proof of full coverage insurance before the bike can leave the dealers lot. If the buyer finds out after the fact that they can't actually afford the insurance, the dealer is left with only a few options:
1 - Tell the buyer that they're screwed, keep their deposit (to cover the time and effort made for a sale that fell through, salespeople and other staff aren't free) and then deal with the inevitable public thrashing that the buyer will post online (because everything that goes wrong in someones life, even of their own doing, is someone else's fault now, right?) after the fact.
or...
2 - Refund the deposit and walk away from the transaction, eating any and all costs associated with it or incurred since the buyer signed on the dotted line originally. If the bike was a stock bike sitting in their show room that could be little (staff time and possibly a lost sale to someone else), or if it was one they had to bring in or special order from the manufacturer, that could be a LOT or money.
A simple tactful suggestion from a savvy MC salesperson could avoid all this frustration, financial loss, and waste of time.
If I was selling motorcycles, trust me...when a 20-something wandered in and wanted to buy a supersport, I'd have the decency to tactfully and politely suggest that they call for some insurance quotes beforehand...and then after building that rapport and discover they can't actually afford said bike, have a good chance of selling them something more realistic instead.
Would I be a poor salesperson because of that attitude? If you say so....but I'd rather lose a sale then be that stereotypical slimeball salesperson.
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The assumption that you are jumping to is that the salesperson (or many others) didn't suggest the OP check insurance rates... That is why I mentioned that based on the info in this thread that we don't know what went down. It is entirely possible the salesperson at GP DID ask that very question. At least once a year I tell people to check insurance and they don't. YOU suggested that GP bikes didn't do their job without complete info.
