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DH was all set to buy a used motorcycle from a dealer who listed it for sale at 75,000 miles (can't remember exactly...) Took it for a test drive, but didn't check the odometer. On the drive home, he noticed that the odometer was broken. He called right away and took it back. They wouldn't negotiate down (he tried to negotiate ~$500 for the possibility of having to replace the motor as now the age of the motor was unknown). Is this illegal? We noticed that the dealer had checked the title as 'mileage unknown'.
Now depends a lot upon your state laws regarding what must be functional on a used vehicle to sell it at a dealership.
Your post is a little confusing ... but I'm assuming at this point that you've bought a used BMW motorcycle.
With the "used" vehicle showing 75,000 miles, I assume the dealership gave your husband the opportunity to test ride, inspect, and otherwise satisfy himself as to what he was considering to purchase. If he signed a sales agreement/purchase order after that opportunity, then the dealership is well within their rights and responsibility to not re-negotiate the deal.
The time to bring up the bike's flaws and obvious defects ... such as a broken odometer, which should have been revealed in a test ride ... and negotiate price on the defects was before agreeing to a price and signing a sales contract, and especially before any money changes hands.
Some states will hold a licensed dealership to a higher standard of knowledge about the merchandise they sell, but a lot of them limit those motor vehicle laws to cars or only to relatively newer vehicles. Most dealers I know will avoid mileage issues on older vehicles where anything is possible in the history of the car by filing the odo disclosure doc's as "true mileage unknown", because it's very difficult in the absence of complete service documentation to certify true mileage on a high mileage vehicle.
You didn't mention what model BMW motorcycle was purchased. Some models delivered decent high mileage durability .... and some didn't. So I hope you researched the specific series of BMW you were looking for instead of just using that knowledge that BMW motorcycles achieve high mileage. There's also huge variables in durability due to how a machine was treated, ridden, maintained, etc., which can greatly reduce the service life of the bike.
Now depends a lot upon your state laws regarding what must be functional on a used vehicle to sell it at a dealership.
Your post is a little confusing ... but I'm assuming at this point that you've bought a used BMW motorcycle.
With the "used" vehicle showing 75,000 miles, I assume the dealership gave your husband the opportunity to test ride, inspect, and otherwise satisfy himself as to what he was considering to purchase. If he signed a sales agreement/purchase order after that opportunity, then the dealership is well within their rights and responsibility to not re-negotiate the deal.
The time to bring up the bike's flaws and obvious defects ... such as a broken odometer, which should have been revealed in a test ride ... and negotiate price on the defects was before agreeing to a price and signing a sales contract, and especially before any money changes hands.
Some states will hold a licensed dealership to a higher standard of knowledge about the merchandise they sell, but a lot of them limit those motor vehicle laws to cars or only to relatively newer vehicles. Most dealers I know will avoid mileage issues on older vehicles where anything is possible in the history of the car by filing the odo disclosure doc's as "true mileage unknown", because it's very difficult in the absence of complete service documentation to certify true mileage on a high mileage vehicle.
You didn't mention what model BMW motorcycle was purchased. Some models delivered decent high mileage durability .... and some didn't. So I hope you researched the specific series of BMW you were looking for instead of just using that knowledge that BMW motorcycles achieve high mileage. There's also huge variables in durability due to how a machine was treated, ridden, maintained, etc., which can greatly reduce the service life of the bike.
Thanks for the detailed reply, and sorry for the confusing post.
It was a BMW K100, and yes, it was purchased at the dealer.
He put a deposit on the bike before he completed the motorcycle safety course. When we showed up to buy and drive it today, the salesman told us the battery was dead, and that they were replacing it. He suggested we 'complete the paperwork' while the battery was replaced. The test drive, for all intents and purposes, was the drive home.
The odd thing was that they refunded our money without batting an eyelash.
Be glad that he got the money back with little hassle. As stated before, they did the right thing but only after they got caught with their proverbial pants down. I wouldn't buy another bike from them. I've bought and sold 7 BMW's since 2001 at two different dealers. I put over 100k miles on bikes since '01. I have riding friends that have way over 100k on their BMW luxury touring bikes and or their dual sport bikes, like GS's. Many are members of the Iron Butt Assocoiation (IBA). And this goes for Harley, Honda and other owners that I ride with as well.
I did a 1000 mile day with my son once. We both have an IBA number. Since then, I've done several other 1k days. I have a friend in San Diego that did the Iron Butt 10/10th's ride. That's 10 one thousand miles days back to back. He was 60 y.o. when he did it.
I bought a '94 K75 with over 80k miles on it once. Rode it for awhile then sold it for an LT. I see many people with the K100 at rally's still and they all have tons of miles on them. As long as a bike is maintained properly, the mileage is just for bragging rights.
Be glad that he got the money back with little hassle. As stated before, they did the right thing but only after they got caught with their proverbial pants down. I wouldn't buy another bike from them. I've bought and sold 7 BMW's since 2001 at two different dealers. I put over 100k miles on bikes since '01. I have riding friends that have way over 100k on their BMW luxury touring bikes and or their dual sport bikes, like GS's. Many are members of the Iron Butt Assocoiation (IBA). And this goes for Harley, Honda and other owners that I ride with as well.
I did a 1000 mile day with my son once. We both have an IBA number. Since then, I've done several other 1k days. I have a friend in San Diego that did the Iron Butt 10/10th's ride. That's 10 one thousand miles days back to back. He was 60 y.o. when he did it.
I bought a '94 K75 with over 80k miles on it once. Rode it for awhile then sold it for an LT. I see many people with the K100 at rally's still and they all have tons of miles on them. As long as a bike is maintained properly, the mileage is just for bragging rights.
Thanks, that's our feeling as well- and why we were looking at BMWs to begin with. Too bad they didn't come clean at the beginning- it could have been a small issue.
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