Which bike should I buy?

[lrmlrm]

Hey everyone,

Two bikes are up for my consideration and i can't choose between them. It will be my first bike.

1. 2010 Ninja 250R - Approx. 20,000 K's - Good condition (No aesthetic damage) - Rego expires in a month

OR

2. 2008 Ninja 250R - Approx. 4,000 K's - Visible scratches on left side (Only aesthetic damage) - Rego expires halfway through this year

Same price for the both of them. Re-sell value does come into my decision slightly

Thanks in advance,
Lachlan

[Sykes92]

Have you had a chance to visually confirm the condition of either bike? If the 2010 is truly in good condition and has been taken care of, than I'd lean towards that. The 2008 is 2 years older and saw much less use, which could be a good or bad thing.

[Sirref]

Personally I'd go for the '08 with low miles, the scratches don't matter as much since a lot of first time riders don't really care if a bike already has scratches. you may be low balled a bit but nowhere near as much as you would be for a super high mileage machine. If you want a pristine machine and you hold that belief that you'll never drop your bike ever (rather optimistic view really) then the 2010 is still a good shot. I don't see why either of them would fail updating their rego so the only real concern there is when you budget for it (don't know the australian prices to know if this is a big deal or not)

[cbinker]

the 2010 is probably better taken care of, the 2008 screams neglect.

[Sirref]

It is possible that the '08 has been neglected due to it's miles, but that's something that can be figured out when inspecting the bike. make sure to check the chain, that's usually my tell if you're trying to sell a bike with a filthy chain then you're really f*cking up and saying that you haven't maintained it.

[NevadaWolf]

Honestly i would go for the lower mileage (kilometerage??) bike. The higher one should have had one major service done already and is almost due for its second. The lower one still has a bit to go for the first service so you can get used to riding it before the maintenance schedule rears up and demands attention.

12k miles in 3 years sounds about right, while 2500 miles in 5 years is low. But as long as their owners maintained them and kept them in good condition, either should be good.

[Sykes92]

^ What they said.
Also would be good to find out the last time each bike was ridden. If the 08 hasnt been ridden in a long while and not properly stored, it's going to need some carb work.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Sykes92

^ What they said.
Also would be good to find out the last time each bike was ridden. If the 08 hasnt been ridden in a long while and not properly stored, it's going to need some carb work.

a bike needing carb work isn't necessarily a bad thing though, you can talk the price down incredibly easy by saying a shop would need to fix it and then just clean the carbs yourself.

[Sykes92]

Originally Posted by Sirref

a bike needing carb work isn't necessarily a bad thing though, you can talk the price down incredibly easy by saying a shop would need to fix it and then just clean the carbs yourself.

That's true. I was just talking for convenience sake. Most new riders (including myself) just want a bike to ride immediately. But if he's down to using some elbow grease and learning some mechanical aspects of the bike right off the bat, it's a win-win.

[dcj13]

I'd go for the higher mileage, newer, better condition one. But only if you had a good feeling it was serviced fairly regularly and well cared for.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by cbinker

the 2010 is probably better taken care of, the 2008 screams neglect.

Why? Just because of the scratches? 250's are usually everyone's first choice of bike so they're bound to have bruises in some spots.

[alex.s]

1

[csmith12]

1 +1 = 2, no... wait

[greenaero]

If it were me and I was satisfied with the acceptable condition of both bikes I would see which one I was able to get the better deal on and get that. Having multiple options gives you leverage to further lower the price . If the prices were still the same after all the wheeling and dealing I'd probably give the nod to the #1 ( 2010) moto; 2 years younger, reasonable mileage , no blemishes, better resale value.
Do a thorough exam and test for both bikes and get a look at their service histories. If they don't have any documentation, it probably didn't get done. Good luck!

[Sykes92]

Originally Posted by Brian

Why? Just because of the scratches? 250's are usually everyone's first choice of bike so they're bound to have bruises in some spots.

It's more or so the mileage more than anything. If the 2010 went 12k miles in 3 years, and didn't explode, it was probably well taken care of. The 2008 saw less than 500 miles a year. Putting 500 miles on a bike in one month just commuting or the occasional weekend ride is nothing.

[fishdip]

What dose the registration have to do with them?

[lrmlrm]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. I am leaning towards the 2010 model. I checked it out today and only small blemishes, front tire might need replacing in a couple months but thats alright.

Originally Posted by greenaero

If the prices were still the same after all the wheeling and dealing I'd probably give the nod to the #1 ( 2010) moto; 2 years younger, reasonable mileage , no blemishes, better resale value.
Good luck!

I totally agree with you. They are all the reason im telling myself to get it aswell.

Checking the other one tomorrow morning and will update you guys on what i decide if you're interested.

Also,

Originally Posted by fishdip

What dose the registration have to do with them?

It matters because registration in Australia costs me about $500 and because im still a teenager, its a fair bit of extra money to pay.

[Reswob]

Keep in mind both need new tires, one due to wear and the other to dry rot.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by lrmlrm

It matters because registration in Australia costs me about $500 and because im still a teenager, its a fair bit of extra money to pay.

It must be different for you guys. In the area I live if you buy or sale a vehicle you have 24h to put new plates on it you cant use the old plates.

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by fishdip

It must be different for you guys. In the area I live if you buy or sale a vehicle you have 24h to put new plates on it you cant use the old plates.

In CA, plates stay with the vehicle. Maybe it works the same way there.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Brian

Why? Just because of the scratches? 250's are usually everyone's first choice of bike so they're bound to have bruises in some spots.

Miles, Miles, Miles. Chances are if you are not putting time on the bike, you are not taking care of the bike. if my bike sits too long, i have to run a full tank before it runs good.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by cbinker

Miles, Miles, Miles. Chances are if you are not putting time on the bike, you are not taking care of the bike. if my bike sits too long, i have to run a full tank before it runs good.

There's 100 sides to that thinking though. If he drove it and put so many miles on the ninja then it could have more problems. Someone who maybe would have used it as a daily driver wouldn't treat it like it's $100k, instead, as a daily driver.

Less miles is better unless you're looking at a vintage car.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Brian

There's 100 sides to that thinking though. If he drove it and put so many miles on the ninja then it could have more problems. Someone who maybe would have used it as a daily driver wouldn't treat it like it's $100k, instead, as a daily driver.

Less miles is better unless you're looking at a vintage car.

You havent been around bikes long have you? Motorcycles tend to be crashed before they tend to have mechanical problems. people that put miles on bikes taker care of their bikes. They are meant to be rode.

[Sykes92]

He's right, bikes are often either wrecked or sold before they accumulate that many miles. My 2010 had 4900miles on it when I bought it. I've had it for 2 months and put 550miles on it. That's just commute with occasional exploring.
A neglected bike would never see 12k miles without an issue. With bikes you want something that was babied, not ignored. Your priceless BMW S1000RR, sure maybe not something to daily commute on, something for special occasion other than track days. But a Two-Fiddy? Ride the crap out of it, haha