Dave wrote on 10/21/24 at 05:16:35:Ten years ago I would see 2-3 of them listed on Craigslist every week. Folks were buying them and then choosing to get something bigger/faster/comfier or decided riding wasn't a good thing for them. Now they seldom come up for sale - and a whole lot of them are beat up bobber conversions.
Here is a current 2002 for $1,900 with 3,547 miles on it:
https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/d/pleasant-plain-suzuki-savage-650/7793...And a 1995 with 5,822 miles for $1,995. (Funny the price is $1 per year).
https://toledo.craigslist.org/mcy/d/rossford-1995-suzuki-ls650/7788482375.htmlMy neighbor is a financial advisor, and he believes that with the increasing cost of living - a lot of folks are going to be getting rid of toys soon. He predicts prices for used cars/boats/motorcycles/campers and other non-essential items are likely to get cheaper soon. This is particularly true for those toys that require folks to pay to keep things at a storage facility and pay insurance and taxes on toys they seldom use.
When one comes up that is a late model - they often are asking close to $4,000.
Possible. I certainly hope so. I would love a heritage softail but I am not paying 10,000 for a 20 year old bike. I don't think prices are going down. Unfortunately, with stricter and stricter requirements from government agencies, cars and bikes are changing overtime. In the opinion of many, they are losing their soul. I would say that this adds desire to the older vehicles.
Look at the used truck market. Parents got me a 2001 Tacoma for $1500 in 2016 (I was 16). Sold it for $2500 in 2017. That Truck would be $5,000 plus easily today in 2024. I worked in a transmission shop for a while. Almost every new truck has a crappy transmission. Ford 10 speeds are complete garbage they are getting sued over them. We charged over 6000 for a rebuild. Ford dealers struggled to get them in. Customers waiting months for a transmission. Chevy did a deal with Ford. They got a similar 10 speed design now. Converters cost darn near 1000 dollars for em.
Now consider an older truck. Simple 4 speed Chevy or Ford. The shop I worked at could do a complete overhaul rebuild with a tougher converter on most 4 speeds for around $1400-2000 depending on model. With a 1 year warranty. So, for under 2 grand, you could put your truck back on the road for another 10+ years. This is why old trucks are getting so valuable. People would rather maintain a $10000 early 00s Chevy than deal with an new truck that's 50,000 dollars and will be guaranteed to have major issues within a few years of work. Seriously, we had many 10 speed fords coming in after 3 years of work. Insane. Don't even get me started on the Chevy 8 speeds.
Look up "Mr Darcy and the Old Man" on YouTube. Great retro-focused motorcycle channel. They don't really do sports bikes, just modern classics and what not. They recently did a video where they included their random conversations with young people passing by the bikes that they were reviewing. These groups of young people admired the modern classics. When asked, they preferred them to the modern bike look. Why are manufactures not focusing more on classic styled motorcycles? With Royal Enfield increasing in popularity amongst young people, you would think Honda would bring their cb350 to the US. This will keep the used market alive and healthy. The few options we do have new, besides royal enfield, are pricy. Kawasaki wants over 5000 dollars for their new 230cc retro classic. For that price, they could just buy an S40 and get way more bike... Don't even both looking at new Triumph prices.
I do realize I am rambling on, but I don't see the used market going down at all. If anything, it will remain stable. As the cost of living rises, people would rather buy an older used vehicle than a new one.
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