Hi all:
First of all I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season. It seems
like there is diversity in the group as well as camaraderie. I am wondering
though, why there are stealers and dealers. I have looked over the web site
and see that there are few true dealers and many stealers. It is a shame the
Kansas City area is made up of the latter, however there may be some
advantage to the private owner when he or she goes to sell, but I do not see
it as being as good as it looks. I think, in the long run the system may
fail. I have visited numerous HD locations in the KC area, and they seem to
have a lot of bikes on the floor to sell. It was not that way a few years
ago, and I am wondering if the time has come for a reality check. It might
be that sales, as in other businesses, will and are going down. I guess I
cannot fault the stealers for taking advantage of the market, but how is
that market changing now?. Are the buyers becoming more knowledgeable or is
there just less disposable income? I wonder how the market will react,
especially with HD producing a record number of units this year. Is it
getting close to saturation or will it continue to be booming? I for one
will not go above MSRP, blue book or NADA, because I do not trust the market
to maintain the added cost, and then it will be the "Buy high, sell low"
scenario. I realize there is more to owning a Harley than the cost, however
one of the many reasons for buying a Harley is the resale value. I have been
in the aviation business for many years and have seen the same thing in that
industry. There was a time when if you could recognize an airplane you could
go into business and make a fortune, and there were a lot of big companies
who did just that. However by the 80's those same companies were struggling
to survive, and most lost all they had gained and then some. There were some
small lean companies that survived and flourished, but the ones with a
reputation for being a so-called stealer fell first and hardest. I see the
same thing happening with the HD plant. It is letting the stealers steal,
just like the big aircraft manufacturers did in the 70's. If Harley does not
wake up, it to will be in the same situation, bankruptcy, buyouts and hard
times, just like the aircraft manufacturers are today. I do not know what it
will take to fix it, but I wonder if it is not too late already. It will be
interesting to watch. How are the stealers going to deal with the person who
wants to trade in their ride on a new one, only to find that the trade in
value has decreased almost 50% or it could be even more?
Anyway, just some thoughts on Christmas day. Have a joyous new year too.
Phil