[Wardhawg]

Hello. In January I placed a deposit at my local H-D dealer for a 2003 Fatboy. He told me that he didn't see any problem getting the bike by March of 2003.

Does this sound right to you? I was under the impression that all 2003 bikes were 'sold out' long ago. I'm really worried that I won't get my bike like promised. Or do you think that he knows what his store has been allocated and that he has not taken reservations for that many slots yet?

Thoughts?

Thanks

Ward.

 

[HIPPO]

The first 03 bikes should be available late august or early september, so march doesn't sound too unreasonable.

If you have a longstanding relationship with someone high up it shouldn't be a problem to get a bike, but it looks like it may become a feeding frenzy. I have a feeling they well know this will be their last chance to make a killing, if not with markups then with trade ins.

 

[logical]

They are only "sold out" as in all probably allocated to dealers. Each dealer has his own policies about what he does with his allocation. Some will undoubtedly take no deposits and put them all on the showroom floor at $2-4000 mark-up, some (like my dealer) will set a day soon when they have a first-come-first-served day to take deposits, some i have heard are only taking 2003 deposits from recent customers (can you immagine the local Ford dealer only selling you a Taurus if you had bought a Ford from him in the last two years?) and your dealer seems to just take deposits to build a list. As long as he is a stand-up guy and you are high on the list, you should be OK. Get an agreemnet on price even if it is just an agreement to get it at whatever MSRP turns ut to be and keep stoping by every month until you have a build/delivery date.


.....or just go buy a 2002 off the floor and be done with it...I hope you have a bike now and aren't giving up a year of riding for a few 100th year badges and a new two-tone paint job.

 

[wyodude]

Interesting discussion!

I was vascillating on the '02 vs '03 issue when I ordered my FatBoy. The dealer I talked to pointed out that the '03's will have 100th year badges, effectively dating them, while an '02 would look much like all the other FatBoys (at least to the great unwashed, like me )

I guess the winning argument was ride sooner vs ride later....SOONER wins!

wyodude

 

[Wardhawg]

how about this...

i've posted the question on other boards. what i've just read is troubling to me.

there will be 2003 stock models and 2003 special models.

anyone else know that???

this will be my first harley and i was hoping for a 2003 100th aniv. model.

 

[FifthGear]

Wardhawg, you know everything that you hear isn't true. LOL. So here's what I've heard. I heard that there will be no special designated anniversary models; all models will be anniversary models and they will only come in three colors(one solid and two two-tone.And they will have a 14 month production run for 2003 models to help satisfy demand. I'm sticking to this version.

Later,

 

[Wardhawg]

FifthGear,

But it was posted on the internet - it must be true! LOL

I hear you. I've also heard the same thing - that ALL 2003 models will be the anniversary models.

The reason I was getting worried about it is because of all the things I've read about dealers taking large deposits to hold the anniversary models. My dealer only wanted $500 to hold mine. And how those 'spots' have been filled for quite some time.

I do trust our dealer however. I'm using the same salesman that my dad did recently to purchase his 02 Ultra Classic. He is a real strait shooter. He has no bones about telling you what or what not to purchase from H-D (i.e. boots, gear, alarm systems).

I think that any dealer that suggests you NOT buy something from H-D is an honest person. He flat out told my dad not to purchase certain items from the store because they were overpriced junk.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ward

 

[skydoc]

I was going to hold out for a 2003, but after talking to about 6 different dealerships, I went with a 2002 FLSTSI. The common thread was that they all planned to jack up the prices because it was the 100th anniversary edition. Most were pretty arogant about ( read; we are because we can!) and planned on anywhere from $3,000. - $5,000. over. I'm not willing to pay that for a badge and a paint scheme I'll most likely re-paint in 5 years anyway. Everyone of the dealerships had a waiting "list" just to place an order. If you did make the list, most wanted $1000. down when you placed the order which would start this month. I am on the list at my local dealer (I was able to bump a guy from out of state) and my wife wants me to order one anyway. I'm still debating. I just hate getting gouged!

 

[Wardhawg]

Price

I asked my dealer about that pricing for the 2003's. He said prices would be very close to 2002 prices.

We shall see.

 

[HIPPO]

After a while you get used to Harleyworld. They are always playing games and things are always changing. Trick is to always have a bike to ride, then you can wait them out and get them when they have to lower their pants. In the end you have the upper hand because you can keep these things running forever and they need you more then you need them.

 

[JimmyK]

Ok, you know me, I am going to post a personal opinion.


The idea and love should be for RIDING first and HARLEY second. If I were a member of the board, what would I be doing right now? I'd be promoting all the hype I could about 1903-2003. Why? BECAUSE I WOULD WANT AS MUCH OF YOUR MONEY IN MY POCKET AS I COULD CLIP.

I was watching some crap on TV the other night and low and behold! A HARLEY DAVIDSON commercial! Think about it and ask yourself, how many of them you have seen? Some old man talking to the young'unns about what he DIDN'T do. ( ie buy a Harley when he was younger.) I thought to myself, "I'll be damned! Harley actually bought some air time!" I wondered why for about 2 seconds. It is 2002. I wondered where the money for the commercial came from for about one second. CHA-CHING! Now honsetly folks think about it. (1) The waiting list for 03, if ya get on it, they make ya feel like they have done YOU a favor. (2) The prices have NOT been published yet. (3) Any Corporate fat ass can sit back and watch the waiting list grow which ONLY accounts for those willing to commit now. Add to that the normal years sales AND the new found hype they will pump through your BOOB TUBE between now and then and badda bing badda boom! They can pretty much inflate the prices again. Like The Hippo has said, perhaps for the last time. Now if you were FAT, OLD, and GREEDY, what would YOU do?

An 03 Harley is nothing more than that. A bike. The question is, WHY do you want a bike?

If the answer is TO RIDE, then get yer ass out there and buy a bike and to HELL with a waiting list. The people in life that matter, don't care what ya ride so long as you ride. My true BROTHERS would be no more impressed with me if I had an 03 but they WOULD be disapointed if they saw me wasteing a YEAR of wind on a waiting list.

Buying now ya miss out on a badge. Buying a year from now, ya missed out on a year. Put the two in the scales and see which way your heart tips.

Best to ya

 

[Wardhawg]

If I had the cash and my dealer had what I want I wanted (they don't) I'd buy now. I've been in bad debt since I was in college. This fall I'll finally have ALL MY BILLS PAID OFF.

Now I'm gonna sound a lot like that old man in the commercial here, but owning a Harley-Davidson has always been a dream of mine. I haven't ridden motorcycles for more than ten years. I'm finally (almost) now in a position where I can invest in a H-D.

I'm just hoping for two things. One that my 'spot' on the list will get me an '03 bike. And two, that the prices are not out of line compared to this years' prices. If indeed they are out of line, I will not be buying a H-D next year. Nor will I be buying any other bike. I will wait until I find the bike that I want. I do agree that RIDING is the bigger picture here, but I'm not after years of fighting out of debt, settle for anything less than my dream. Which of course as always been a H-D.

Ward

An 03 Harley is nothing more than that. A bike. The question is, WHY do you want a bike?

If the answer is TO RIDE, then get yer ass out there and buy a bike and to HELL with a waiting list. The people in life that matter, don't care what ya ride so long as you ride. My true BROTHERS would be no more impressed with me if I had an 03 but they WOULD be disapointed if they saw me wasteing a YEAR of wind on a waiting list.

Buying now ya miss out on a badge. Buying a year from now, ya missed out on a year. Put the two in the scales and see which way your heart tips.

Best to ya

 

[JimmyK]

Ward I can tell I like you. I suppose what I am saying is grab the dream now while you can. The hype of 03 is not your dream. Owning and RIDING a Harley is. To live the dream is Rat to V-Rod, whatever it be, RIDE TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER.

Regards

 

[guido]

Jimmy,kudos (whatever that means) to both of your posts! You are, without a doubt, right on the money. Cheers,guido

 

[Devildog101]

Hello Wardhawg

I was pretty much in the same boat you are about six months ago. Every dealer I went to gave me a different story about the 03 model. Some would say that the allotment for 03 was long gone others said they "should" be able to get me an 03. And some just gave me some BS about how the fact that harleys are so hard to get makes them special.

I was looking at an 03 model primeraly becouse I would have a large enough down payment for my harley around that time. Lucky for me I had purchased my wife a buell blast at the time when they had that trade in deal going on. where you turn in the bike within a year on a bigger bike & get all the money invested in the buell applied to your new purchase. Well my wife went back to school and did not ride the bike at all anymore so she told me to trade the bike in and apply the money to my bike. (God I love my wife) So I had the option wait for the 03 or get my bike a year early. I got the 02 and I couldent be happier. Got exactly what I wanted , No dealer markup(got it msrp), and only waited three and a half months for it to arrive.(I ordered mine) So if you can get the 02 do it, you will love it just the same and you will save some money on some fancy badges.