Do bikes tend to depreciate slower than cars?
Discussion
Only ask as I have been looking for a bike for a while but am shocked/amazed at the prices being asked when quite old, as in 10 years or so.
I was looking at a 2011 T-Max the other day and it was up for £3,800, and that was one of the cheaper ones. This bike was about £8k brand new back in 2011, so that is pretty good going.
Still undecided if I wanted to retire on a twist and go or go all out on a crotch rocket, I was looking at CBR600s. I had the first one in '88 and another in the 90's so fancied the RR.
Saw a lovely one for just over £5k but it was a 2007, 10 years old.
I swear, when was looking at them new back in '07, that they were an affordable £6k or £7k OTR. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
A mate of mine just bought a 2008 Mini for £4k in great condition, it must of been over £20k when new. So at 10 years old it's worth say 20% of what it was brand new yet the bikes I'm seeing are closer to 40% at around the same age.
I thought the rough maths had cars losing about 50% within their first 3 years. Doesn't look like bikes follow the same formulae although if you look at PCP payments it does seem to be half price after 3 years.
My last bike was a scooter, a Vespa GT250, stolen in January. It was a 2009 which I bought off a friend for £1200 in 2015. Didn't realise until it was gone and I didn't bother claiming, as the excess was £900, that the bike was worth far more. Saw a much more battered version of mine with a higher mileage for £2500 in Metropolis.
I've been looking at bike prices keenly for the past month or so and I'm seeing autotrader and eBay ads in my sleep
No half price bargains at 3 years old, so maybe I should bite the bullet and go brand new.
Only problem then, is insurance, and I'm in London. Then we get into all sorts of other bother and expense.
I was looking at a 2011 T-Max the other day and it was up for £3,800, and that was one of the cheaper ones. This bike was about £8k brand new back in 2011, so that is pretty good going.
Still undecided if I wanted to retire on a twist and go or go all out on a crotch rocket, I was looking at CBR600s. I had the first one in '88 and another in the 90's so fancied the RR.
Saw a lovely one for just over £5k but it was a 2007, 10 years old.
I swear, when was looking at them new back in '07, that they were an affordable £6k or £7k OTR. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
A mate of mine just bought a 2008 Mini for £4k in great condition, it must of been over £20k when new. So at 10 years old it's worth say 20% of what it was brand new yet the bikes I'm seeing are closer to 40% at around the same age.
I thought the rough maths had cars losing about 50% within their first 3 years. Doesn't look like bikes follow the same formulae although if you look at PCP payments it does seem to be half price after 3 years.
My last bike was a scooter, a Vespa GT250, stolen in January. It was a 2009 which I bought off a friend for £1200 in 2015. Didn't realise until it was gone and I didn't bother claiming, as the excess was £900, that the bike was worth far more. Saw a much more battered version of mine with a higher mileage for £2500 in Metropolis.
I've been looking at bike prices keenly for the past month or so and I'm seeing autotrader and eBay ads in my sleep
No half price bargains at 3 years old, so maybe I should bite the bullet and go brand new.
Only problem then, is insurance, and I'm in London. Then we get into all sorts of other bother and expense.
Cars have a well established formula, controlled by very intelligent adults controlling the market and exacerbated by horrendous over supply of new product.
Bikes are a different matter and secondhand market is dictated by what a quite small sector of the market is prepared to spend (£3 to £8k ish) on a toy or commuter.
The secondhand market on cars is top down and bikes is bottom up.
Bikes are a different matter and secondhand market is dictated by what a quite small sector of the market is prepared to spend (£3 to £8k ish) on a toy or commuter.
The secondhand market on cars is top down and bikes is bottom up.
Bikes don't seem to be depreciating much these days, as the cost of new stuff rises (e.g sportsbikes starting at £15k) the older stuff is holding its value as people don't necessarily have the means to fund a new one, or don't see the need as there are only incremental changes year on year, I've been looking at MT10's for example, a 2 year old one with 10k miles is £8.5k, a new one can be had for £10.5k, that's pretty good really and makes a strong case for buying a new one with a warranty.
I'ved bought my last few bikes new since the used prices make no sense.
My current bike was bought new at the end of 2016 for £7000. The cheapest used example (dealer) was £4000 and 10 years old. Not an appealing proposition.
And on my previous bike I got back half of the purchase price on trade-in after 7 years!
When you take into account that many new bikes are available on 0% finance used makes even less sense.
My current bike was bought new at the end of 2016 for £7000. The cheapest used example (dealer) was £4000 and 10 years old. Not an appealing proposition.
And on my previous bike I got back half of the purchase price on trade-in after 7 years!
When you take into account that many new bikes are available on 0% finance used makes even less sense.
bozzy. said:
The price is dictated by supply and demand.
I disagree. I see lots of ZX10R at good prices but no one buys them, same for RSV4, but S1000RR sell much better. And R6 are very popular compared to other 600 even though it’s engine is very weak at low revs so much worse for commuting than say CBR600 or the magnificent Daytona 675. There is more to bike sales than supply/demand.Jazoli said:
Bikes don't seem to be depreciating much these days, as the cost of new stuff rises (e.g sportsbikes starting at £15k) the older stuff is holding its value as people don't necessarily have the means to fund a new one, or don't see the need as there are only incremental changes year on year, I've been looking at MT10's for example, a 2 year old one with 10k miles is £8.5k, a new one can be had for £10.5k, that's pretty good really and makes a strong case for buying a new one with a warranty.
Imho, the only real change over last decade is increase in amount of electronics, but that is hardly necessary for street riding. Bikes have not really developed in the past twenty years. A sorted original R1 will far, far more capable and too fast on the road for most riders. The only difference with new bikes are the electronics and quickshifters. They don’t fundamentally change the performance nor fun of riding. People with enough money buy new bikes because they can, not because there is really any need. So I can see that older bikes that are still relevant would hold their value.
Esceptico said:
Bikes have not really developed in the past twenty years. A sorted original R1 will far, far more capable and too fast on the road for most riders. The only difference with new bikes are the electronics and quickshifters. They don’t fundamentally change the performance nor fun of riding. People with enough money buy new bikes because they can, not because there is really any need. So I can see that older bikes that are still relevant would hold their value.
Exactly this.Also i think as bikes are more toys for the majority of people rather than transport it means most bikes are desirable to someone and therefore that helps keep the values up also.
MrGman said:
Esceptico said:
Bikes have not really developed in the past twenty years. A sorted original R1 will far, far more capable and too fast on the road for most riders. The only difference with new bikes are the electronics and quickshifters. They don’t fundamentally change the performance nor fun of riding. People with enough money buy new bikes because they can, not because there is really any need. So I can see that older bikes that are still relevant would hold their value.
Exactly this.Also i think as bikes are more toys for the majority of people rather than transport it means most bikes are desirable to someone and therefore that helps keep the values up also.
One thing that really dates cars is the interior, which is not an issue with bikes. A 2005 bike usually looks pretty much the same as it's 2018 equivalent.
T6 vanman said:
Well as a Benelli Tornado owner
Do bikes tend to depreciate slower than cars?
No...No they don't .. Indeed they certainly do not
Off now to buy a big Citroen and a flat covered in flammable cladding with whats left of my investment skills
I bought one of these in 2005 18 months after the first owner paid something stupid like £13,000. I paid £4000. It had done 2100 miles and was immaculateDo bikes tend to depreciate slower than cars?
No...No they don't .. Indeed they certainly do not
Off now to buy a big Citroen and a flat covered in flammable cladding with whats left of my investment skills
Im quite sure they still go for that now
Birky_41 said:
T6 vanman said:
Well as a Benelli Tornado owner
Do bikes tend to depreciate slower than cars?
No...No they don't .. Indeed they certainly do not
Off now to buy a big Citroen and a flat covered in flammable cladding with whats left of my investment skills
I bought one of these in 2005 18 months after the first owner paid something stupid like £13,000. I paid £4000. It had done 2100 miles and was immaculateDo bikes tend to depreciate slower than cars?
No...No they don't .. Indeed they certainly do not
Off now to buy a big Citroen and a flat covered in flammable cladding with whats left of my investment skills
Im quite sure they still go for that now
Did you feel sorry for the first owners £9k loss
In honesty mine was 1500 miles and 14 months but I overpaid at £5k
Of course … I've still kept mine …. never selling
Jazoli said:
Bikes don't seem to be depreciating much these days, as the cost of new stuff rises (e.g sportsbikes starting at £15k) the older stuff is holding its value as people don't necessarily have the means to fund a new one, or don't see the need as there are only incremental changes year on year, I've been looking at MT10's for example, a 2 year old one with 10k miles is £8.5k, a new one can be had for £10.5k, that's pretty good really and makes a strong case for buying a new one with a warranty.
Bikes are just f
king weird.I bought my 2013 GSXR-750 for £6,800 in 2016. Trippled mileage and lost dealer history. Same dealer just offered me £6,300 for cash, and advised me that I would get roughly what I paid for it two years ago privately. Mental.
Second the Uganda Twin. Enormous discount, paid £8,300 for it brand new (with finance). Stuck 3,000 miles on it. Similar now being sold for £9,000.
I'm not complaining, and obviously there's caveats there, but it's still a very odd market.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff