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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hey sorry to be a newb, i'm a poor college kid hopin to get his first bike. I am currently looking at a 2001 suzuki gs500 with 10k miles on it goin for about 2500. it looks like its been pretty well maintained from the pics but when i blue booked it was supposedly worth 2100. maybe 400 shouldn't break the deal for me but i really don't wanna overpay, yet i don't see any other good local deals on one of these right now. any suggestions or advice would really be appreciated. thanx
 

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I would avoid paying more than blue book. They set values for a reason. For local deals check out craigslist.com and select a city near you. As CB750 said for most of the country its the end of the riding season and even dealers are dropping thier prices down close to blue book.
 

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
yea.. i'm just stuck because (this is a craiglist posting by the way) this is the only local deal i see goin on one of these. I am told that dealer fees in my area are really bad and almost make it not worth buying from a dealer. i emailed the seller to see if she would take 2100 buck she said no, so i proceeded to ask what is jackin the price up above bluebook value and still am awaiting a response. my friend offered me his old 2005 ninja 250 for about the same price but i'd much rather have this gs500.
 

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Either that or just keep looking. What dealer fees are you talking about? You should have the same kind of fees (title, tags and doc fee) buying from a private individual that you will have at a dealer. When you buy new you have freight, set up and so on fees.
 
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You should be able to find a ninja 250 for under 2 grand....

On craigslist most of them in my area (I am going to be getting one in 3-5 months...) are in the low to mid 2,000's but I occasionally see some that appear to be in a good condition in the high 1,000's...

I think it would get you threw colledge and be fast enough for freeway riding...

Only real problem is its power and suspension are probably not right for two up riding....

Do you plan on taking passengers often?
 

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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
You should be able to find a ninja 250 for under 2 grand....

On craigslist most of them in my area (I am going to be getting one in 3-5 months...) are in the low to mid 2,000's but I occasionally see some that appear to be in a good condition in the high 1,000's...

I think it would get you threw colledge and be fast enough for freeway riding...

Only real problem is its power and suspension are probably not right for two up riding....

Do you plan on taking passengers often?
what year ninja? i am really new to the whole bike thing and hope that i will be smart and not lug anyone else around for a good while until i'm more experienced. i have read that with bikes anything that has been maintained well would prolly be a good buy up to 15 years old. i'll keep looking for some better deals cuz i don't even take my MSF class until beginning of december. i would prefer to get this gs500 over the ninja though, i like the look more, and from a lot of what i read this is often the #1 suggestion for beginners. i just am not seeing a whole lot catching my attention in the florida area on craigslist. maybe i will look at a dealer soon if nothing else comes up? this lady with the gs500 is no longer responding to my emails, haha don't think she reallys wants to sell it.
 

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ok, I just bought a 01 gs500 for 1200 bucks , the bike has 6500 aprox miles on it. I found it on craiglist also. U can find good deals.. Buying in the winter is better too.. Get a 500. It will last you a lot longer and ull be happier with the 500 than a 250.
 

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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
man! well i can't wait to post a success story such as that! i found that my area of florida just doesn't have a terrible lot in circulation, and the prices are just higher, but outside of my town the prices are lower and the selection is better. The only thing is most of the good deals are 6 miles south of me near miami, and i really am not wanting to have to drive real far. anyway, thanks for the encouragement, i told my friend i was gonna buy his ninja 250 but i think i wanna hold out a lil longer for a gs500. congrats domindart, hope you enjoy it!
 

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Depends on where you live. If you like in a place with a winter the bikes will have less milage. A guess would be no more than 6000 - 8000 a year in the northern part of the country.
 

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man! well i can't wait to post a success story such as that! i found that my area of florida just doesn't have a terrible lot in circulation, and the prices are just higher, but outside of my town the prices are lower and the selection is better. The only thing is most of the good deals are 6 miles south of me near miami, and i really am not wanting to have to drive real far. anyway, thanks for the encouragement, i told my friend i was gonna buy his ninja 250 but i think i wanna hold out a lil longer for a gs500. congrats domindart, hope you enjoy it!
it may be worth a little drive. I bought mine in south carolina. I live right above atlanta ga. It was a bout a three and half hour drive up and then back. But I think it was worth the drive to find a good deal..
 

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6000-8000 miles to be put on each year? that seems like a lot. it seemed to me like bikes would put on less miles than cars

Like I said, it depends. I put 2000 miles on mine in less than 5 months just riding on weekends and not every weekend. I don't get that much time to ride. There are folks who ride daily and commute with their bike.
 

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Discussion Starter · #15 ·
ok so another deal i am passing up on and needing some reassurance, 1700 for a 2002 gs500 9k miles. it had a really scratched up muffler with a little bit of rust, but otherwise was in decent shape. my friend who is a car salesman is telling me i need to continue to wait it out for a better deal unless this guy is willing to come down more. i don't see myself ever finding a deal like domindart haha, but i'm becoming exasperated with all this waiting. i'm ready to start riding man! especially with the last decent days of warmth quickly approaching.
 

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I feel you buddy. I'm in the same boat. The 600's are alot more expensive than the 500's and the 250's just don't have enough power for me. I'm in college too and have about 2500 max to spend on a bike + MSF, insurance and all that stuff. All I can say is don't pull the trigger on a bike without it being a good to decent deal, and get a pre-purchase inspection! (unless the bike is immaculate) Sounds like your getting more/better deals in your area than I am in mine. Good luck bro!
 
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