Should You Buy Used or Brand New Ninja 250?

[mikelgabriel]

With the sleek look of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, you cannot help but be amazed when you see it new and enchanting you to be its first rider. What is more, you get the peace of mind that there will be no hidden defects, scratches or abused engines.

You should be aware though that Kawasaki Ninjas are priced differently according to the dealership that sells it. So do your research well to know which ones are reputable and which ones would likely offer you a better price. Take note that motorcycles that are in demand are more difficult to bargain for in terms of price, and with the Ninja 250R as a hot item, just take comfort that the additional price you pay would only mean better performance from a great looking bike. However, check out the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, there is no sense in paying more than necessary.

You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.thefinestwriter.com/blog/...new-ninja-250/

[HKr1]

you get the peace of mind that there will be no hidden defects, scratches or abused engines.

lol

[Betlog]

I bought mine new and there's a scratch.... tiny, but there is a scratch. I don't think I've ever bought a new vehicle that's 100% perfect. The cost of the 250r is low enough that (depending on your location) some new ones cost almost as much as used ones. Resale values on these bikes are really good.

[silver_bullet]

I bought mine used in May of last year with 600 miles on it and saved $1,000 off the MSRP. I bought my 600R used also. A 2003 with 1,200 miles. If you're getting used private sale is where it's at.

[bdavison]

Here's the way I look at it. If you want one of the older styles, its gonna be used. So lets assume you are looking at post 2007 bikes.

The 2009 models can be found used, and are the best bang for the buck at the moment...and here's why.

1. They will have low milage.
2. Transferrable factory warrenty good into 2010
3. The book price is good compared to how much its "used".

A well priced used 2009 is just as good as a new 2010 in just about every respect.

[andrewexd]

definitley used, there are 08+ on craigslist for 2600 and this is in socal where it never rains or snows.

[laraider]

in socal, new ones are high up to 6000 otd, so i bought mine used for half

[whylee]

I went with new, I would rather know everything that the bike goes through. Plus the good used ones are not that far off from the new ones.
Since I bought mine for the track, I just crossed state lines and picked it up in cali, so I paid no tax or DMV fees since it wont go on the road anyways.

[esi7esi7]

I bought used. Bike has been down on a few newbie fall downs, but since I'm only riding it on the track, the bodywork isn't staying on so who cares.

[min nin]

I got my 06 with 231 miles for 1700.00. So I would vote for used, if it's a good one.

[Manimal]

The majority of bikes I have owned were purchased used, including a street (fully track prepped) 02 Ninja 250 (sold) and my current 09 Ninja 250 (only 1400 miles on the OD when purchased).

[Samer]

I bought new. I made an effort to buy used to save some money but there just wasn't a bike in the shape that I wanted that was available at the time. I didn't want to wait too much longer and I guess I was a bit picky. I probably paid roughly a 2K premium for getting it new but I'm loving it! It seems there are more available now than a few months ago when I was in the market. Maybe the economy?

[sixer]

If your like me i droped my bike twice already, also my "new" bike had a factory defect also, if your a tinkerer(like me), yer gonna want to MOD the bike ect...

If i could go back I'd buy a used 2008-
Money i saved for more mods...
the 2008 is the first year of the "changed" style (classic??)
and i wouldn't be as miffed if i would have droped the used one- ok maby i would..

[rockNroll]

I had to buy new. I decided to get one on Friday and had plans for it on Saturday, so I had only one day. The only used ones in the area were within $500 or so of new and/or only the slow colors (grn,rd,blu). The dealer had a new black one in stock.

[ninja250]

I went with new, I would rather know everything that the bike goes through.

This. I buy new because I'm scared of what the previous owner did.

I've bought old bikes and had many problems with them from previous riders. (leading up to tank slappers at 90mph and such) I'll never buy anything but new bikes from now on and do all the work on them myself, as recommended in the service manuals.

You guys would be surprised what the kids out here put their stuff through and then try to pawn it off on ya. My R6 had a horrible paint job and a bent front rim when I bought it. I bought it at night so the kid passed it off on me without seeing all the crap. I think he set the deal up at night on purpose so I wouldn't see all the bad shtuff on the bike! (it was a black R6 btw so very hard to see anything on it at night!)

You gotta be extremely careful buying used and check every bolt on the bike afterward amongst other things.

When I bought the GSXR I got the tank slapper on, I thought I bought it from the most honest guy in the world who had a shop maintain it all the time. It had a yosh and the guy said they did professional jetting and dyno and all that. That doesn't mean the shop had all the fork and steering assemblies assembled right.

If I'm talking a dirtbike, I don't care cause I fall off those all the time anyways at 10-20mph and poof in the dirt. It's when I'm gonna scrub hard pavement at highway speeds I start to worry about my equipment.

[Snake]

You may get a better deal buying used but I like the peace of mind knowing that all maintenance has been performed properly and on time. You also know whether it has been dropped or not.

[sprale]

I bought my Ninjette new, but will go back to buying used next time.

[Apex]

I view it like this. Many who own a 250 won't own it long enough to even see any big maintenance items (broken cable, clutch replacement, engine rebuild...heck some may never see the first tire change). After a measly 3k, they think it is too small because their friends are outrunning them on their 1000's.

I inspect everything closely. If there is something wrong, I fix it. That being said, I buy used and will continue to do so. I have 15k on my bike (close to 16), and I love it. Sucks on long rides (1hr+), but it works great for everything else. I love it.

First bike should always be used IMHO.

All I have to say is that depreciation sucks.

[ninja250]

Yeah I think if you buy used the main thing is just to bring it home and tear it down or have a mechanic do a REAL used bike tune up to make sure everything is groovy and it should be OK. Still never know for sure if it was dropped. Both the owners of my previous used bikes said they weren't dropped and I think they were both full of you know what.

Bent rims and very slightly mismatched plastics etc.
Stuff you don't catch until you own it for a bit..

Just plan to replace a few things and do a little work if you buy used for you own safety. Be conscious of the fact that the previous owner could have just about destroyed the bike within his first mile of owning it and then rebuilt it again.

[Cedilla]

I wished I would have purchaced used, but I ran out of patince looking for a good deal, and I got a new one on impulse(I financed it, and now I'm in a real tight financial situation). I'm young so I'm allowed some mistakes though.

[Samer]

Originally Posted by Cedilla

I wished I would have purchaced used, but I ran out of patince looking for a good deal, and I got a new one on impulse(I financed it, and now I'm in a real tight financial situation). I'm young so I'm allowed some mistakes though.

A bit off topic, but my only advice to you is to do whatever you can to keep your credit history in good order. It can have a big impact on a lot of stuff

[RedNinja09]

Personally, I vote for buying a NEW bike. Like it has been said before, you know what is going on with the bike because YOU are the one who has ridden it. I had a BAD experience buying a used bike off of Craig's List. You never know what you are getting buying used. These bikes are so cheap brand new, I went for a brand new one. I have not regretted it yet.

Oh yeah, is it warm yet ? Warm enough to ride ??? (Sigh)....

Red

[LazinCajun]

Certainly you should have some idea of what to look for when buying used, especially from private sellers. Here's an excellent and VERY thorough guide, complete with pictures of what these problems actually look like:

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

If you're patient and do your homework, you can really get some good used deals. I managed to get my bike for $3-400 less than it was worth because it had an issue the owner didn't know how to fix -- which was a $15 part and 30 minutes of my time.

[Anthony_marr]

I've always bought used, car or bike. You get more bang (quality) for the buck, or conversely, fewer bucks for the same quality.

[mikelgabriel]

is it true that the Green Ninja250r has the higher resale value than all other colors?

[Apex]

Originally Posted by mikelgabriel

is it true that the Green Ninja250r has the higher resale value than all other colors?

If all the others have parts falling off of them, then yes.

[mikelgabriel]

Originally Posted by Apex

If all the others have parts falling off of them, then yes.

lol

[Grn99Kawi]

You can find good deals used or new.. for me, I knew that I wouldn't be keeping my N250 forever.. I thought it might have stayed for 1-3 years, depending on how much I loved it, finances and condition. I bought my Ninja pretty inexpensively, but it had sat for about 5 years and needed some TLC. 8 months later it looked perfect and ran like a dream.. after 1800 miles I sold it and bought my CBR. If I would have bought new, I would have been more inclined to keep it... then again the Ninja 250 can often satisfy people that they don't move on to another bike.. for a commuter, you can't touch the Ninja 250 with anything. it is simply awesome.. but for longer trips I wanted something more suited to the challenge...

Adam

[toomanyproblems]

What do you think?

[Jiggles]

Yea, do it

[himynameisjoe]

Maybe it's the tiredness setting in. But you just had me rolling, Jiggs!

[EsrTek]

Depends on you... since you give no parameters, then generally new is always better.
However, in this case since you can find a basically new bike (hardly any miles) for about 2k less than out the dealership.
That would be the better option.

[krolinked]

Are you keeping forever? = New or very low miles, and never damaged used bike.

Are you Unsure if you'll keep forever, or if just a stepping stone to another bike= USED!!!

[toomanyproblems]

I'm definitely using it as a stepping stone for a ninja 600 but I would more then likely keep it even after getting the 600

[Old Guy on a '08]

USED!!! Unless money is like... no big deal...

[Daks]

My perspective: I spent $1700 on a perfectly fine '06. Checked it out, looked alright, it was down once. Sounded good, rode fine. It was dropped once but the guy had the service receipt after it. 16k miles. Guy had to sell it fast and he lost the title so the price was dropped.

Still runs perfectly fine 8 months later. I have been hit by a car on it and suffered cosmetic damage. It is still plenty of bike for me.


My coworker spent ~5k on a brand spanking new cbr250. He wanted new simply to know only he sat on it. Spends big money and has his riding strangled on the break in and 600 mile service. 1 month later he drops it at a gas station. 3 months later he wanted to sell it for a bigger bike. Can't get an offer for more than 3k for it.
Now he's lowsided it and spent more money on a new exhaust that won't do anything for the resale value. He's decided to "live with it" for now.


I have no regrets and his are creeping in. For starter bikes, I really don't believe anyone needs a brand new bike or should have one. If you can afford it, great! But it's that much more painful when you go down, try to sell it and fit it with all the needs and farkles you want on it.


My conclusion is that for people who like the ninja for what it is like on this forum, where many experienced riders simply enjoy the bike, then the new makes more sense. However, if it weren't for new kids throwing their money at dealers, we wouldn't have so many great, cheap used ones on the market to pick from. xP

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Daks

My perspective: I spent $1700 on a perfectly fine '06. Checked it out, looked alright, it was down once. Sounded good, rode fine. It was dropped once but the guy had the service receipt after it. 16k miles. Guy had to sell it fast and he lost the title so the price was dropped.

Still runs perfectly fine 8 months later. I have been hit by a car on it and suffered cosmetic damage. It is still plenty of bike for me.


My coworker spent ~5k on a brand spanking new cbr250. He wanted new simply to know only he sat on it. Spends big money and has his riding strangled on the break in and 600 mile service. 1 month later he drops it at a gas station. 3 months later he wanted to sell it for a bigger bike. Can't get an offer for more than 3k for it.
Now he's lowsided it and spent more money on a new exhaust that won't do anything for the resale value. He's decided to "live with it" for now.


I have no regrets and his are creeping in. For starter bikes, I really don't believe anyone needs a brand new bike or should have one. If you can afford it, great! But it's that much more painful when you go down, try to sell it and fit it with all the needs and farkles you want on it.


My conclusion is that for people who like the ninja for what it is like on this forum, where many experienced riders simply enjoy the bike, then the new makes more sense. However, if it weren't for new kids throwing their money at dealers, we wouldn't have so many great, cheap used ones on the market to pick from. xP

Well said

[Old Guy on a '08]

Good post Daks. My thoughts exactly. If your gonna buy new get the 300 which you can't find used (at least not yet). That's about the only reason to go new... IMO. Even if I wanted a 300 (and I kinda do) I'd wait. They'll be showing up this summer... I'd be on it.

[Bigballsofpaint]

I bought mine new since it was my first bike ever, and they only had the white on the 11 SE. 8,000 miles later and 2 or 3 drops (no damage, all when not moving) im still happy with my purchase. If i was to sell i would take a good loss, but you have to know that with ANYTHING you buy new. I will ideally keep this bike for the long run, as a commuter next to my 1000 which is my tourer/fun bike. But if money if ever really tight i know ill have to sell it, hopefully that doesnt happen though. If its priced right its a quick sell too, so thats always good.

Its also a good track bike for the occasional track day i hope to start doing, and just in gas savings alone it pays for itself with insurance costs, tire cost, etc. I save 40 a week when i use my 250 vs my car, the insurance on it is 20 a month, full coverage

[kmcdonald5500]

I dont have a bike yet but hopefully within the next 1-2 months i will! Family members have been telling me to buy used but i think im going to go new for a number of reasons.

-The new 300 looks amazing, the best looking entry-level bike ive ever seen.
-I dont ever plan on "upgrading". It will be more than enough bike for me. So i dont ever plan on selling it.
-As a brand new rider the ABS system will give me some peace of mind as im learning the ropes.

The number 1 reason for me is probably the ABS and as far as I know none of the older 250's have ABS. I've read through a lot of the crash forum here and it seems like a lot of noobs like me panic and lock their brakes if something goes wrong. But damn does that 300 look sick too.