To buy or not to buy: Advice please!

[sbehba]

Hello all,
I'm looking at a 2003 ninja ex250 with 10k miles and he's second owner. Starts up in about 5 seconds idled w/o choke in ~5 minutes. Dropped it on both sides and ran into a car at ~15 mph. Has not ridden it in 2-3 months. Started it up on occasion. Oil change 5 months ago. He is asking $1200.
Mechanically: Flat rear tire, loose chain, forks appeared straight, barely anything left on the rear brake pad, new battery, steering seems to turn fine
Cosmetically: fairings are good, broken turn signals, slightly dented exhaust on one side, maybe a mm of the edge of the clutch lever chipped, cracked windscreen.
He ran through the gears.. but if I go back I would probably ask to do it.

What do you think?

Thank you,
Steve.

[Pudge Ate Me]

Depends how tight you are on cash and if you want a "project bike" or if you just want something to ride.

If you are tight on cash and want something to work on, I'd say go for it.

[Luvninja]

if you're trying to save money you may not save THAT much. You might have to buy a new set of tires and whatever else it needs. It seems like a decent price if you're willing to put in the work though, I'd still try to get a bit lower.

I see you're from Oregon. There is a bike in milwaukie 05 For $1700 looks good from the pictures.

[sbehba]

Thanks for the reply. I just wouldn't want to run into any bigger problems where the cost would be approaching a well-maintained bike. I'll sleep on this one and see how I feel about it tomorrow.

[sbehba]

I could most likely get it for 1000. I checked the one in milwaukie and it was previously wrecked. :/

[EsrTek]

This guy has crashed 3 times, crap maintenance and who knows what else.
Hell I would say $500 to $750 max..
I sold my barely wrecked 04, broken left rearset and some minor scratches, w 12k miles for $900.

[TnNinjaGirl]

$1200 sounds way too high. A buddy of mine is selling his in running condition for $500. Seems like you can get a decent one for around $1500-$1700. At least where I live.
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[sbehba]

I see, thanks for the responses. 03 to 06's are on craigslist (portland) for 2200-2600 but who knows if theyre selling. I just feel tempted because maybe all it needs is some carb cleaning, an oil change and some new gas.

[cbdallas]

My biggest concern with this bike is having run headlong into a (parked?) car. The forks may look ok, but what about the frame & steering head? 15mph is nothing to sneeze at when you hit something that brings you to an immediate stop.
Between the 3 drops and lax maintenance, I'm afraid it may be a budget-buster just getting this bike in decent shape to be reliable & safe.

[alex.s]

too expensive. worth 400 to 600 if there really is nothing else wrong with it.

[Luvninja]

How much are you willing to spend? I like browsing on Craig's so I'll keep my eyes open for a good deal.

[greenenvie]

In tn they are about 1000-1700 for a good 03-07 pre-gen.

[sbehba]

Dang, I may just pass on that one. I'm looking to spend up to $2000 right now.

[Dano]

i would offer$600 in he dont take pass on it too many ?s

[Luvninja]

$2000 is probably good. Also check with kbb values, it should give you a pretty good idea of what a good bike should cost (although everyone feels that their bike is worth more).also if you don't mind traveling a bit, Seattle seems to always have some decent prices. I don't know where you are in oregon so I don't know if that'd be too far for you.

[sbehba]

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/mcy/2981747241.html

What do you guys think? I just feel like when I'm getting up to this much money, I'd rather just wait till I have enough saved up to get a newer gen