[VinceDrake]

Greetings and Joy all!

Without getting into Parts policies, etc, which I figure are pretty well documented by this point, No vehicle after 2 years has decent resale value.

Usually, even in automotive, you lose a good 40% to 50% of resale value as soon as you drive it off the lot. (Or around the block, if you prefer.) and at least 10 to 20 percent, per year thereafter, until they reach the point of maximum depreciation.

Therefore: It's a 2 year old Lifan, $1200 paid, minus 50%, minus 10% Equals $500. If you get more than that, you're kicking arsenal.

I can already hear the next post coming after this "But the MSRP on my bike was $3495.00, I just got a smokin' Deal on mine, so it should be worth $1550, right?"

Nope. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price means exactly poop. Especially in the world of Chinese imports, it's just some magic number someone made up to make you think you are getting a super-duper freind and family plan deal. IF you got it for $1200, rest assured I can get it for $1200 too. Probably, Jim and IronFist, and FrostMaster, and Dsrt4 and Knothead and everyone else in the world can get it for $1200 as well. Everything in the world is Priced to what the market will bear. and MSRP really, means nothing, except to people who don't do their research and pay full list for everything. God help them.

Despite what other manufacturer's will tell you (**Cough Harley-Davidson, Cough, cough**) depreciation starts from the point of Fair Retail Value Which is the average price paid by most consumers, in the selling area. Freight, PDI, dealer setup and license Do not Count! If you were to import the bike to Panama, where they sell for $3000.00 *then* you might get $1500 for a used machine.

So yeah, now that we've destroyed the myth of MSRP, Let's move on to market factors.

Currently with the credit crunch, and the US economy sucking wind, it's a buyer's market. You can price it wherever you like, but if no one's got any money or credit to buy it, You're stuck with it. If Mr. Obama were to ban imports of motorcycles under 400cc, from foreign nations, thus creating a shortage, then there'd be huge market for Used 200cc bikes.

Last week, I was looking at a 1983 Honda CB1000C in detroit. I've known the bike and the owner for years. Being as he's lost his job, and has to pay the mortgage I could have bought it for $750, but I thought driving through detroit in my VW van might get me killed. 2 years ago I couldn;t have looked at the bike for less than $2500, even on eBay, the home of the Bottom-feeder motorcycle market!

To Sum up, Low resale value really, has very little to with American Lifan's parts policies. Aprilia is a real rectum-pleaser to get parts for in North America, but they still sell high. As long as there are dealers willing to give it away for $1200, that is going to be Fair Retail Value, and a used unit is going to worth less than poop. Frankly, looking around at what other members are getting for their used bikes I think the chinese bikes are beating the resale value chart, big-time!

--Vince