Out with friends yesterday and stopped at wheels , (formally Taz) we were looking at a BMWRR they have when the owner revealed that he was watching another on eBay? It appears the purchase bikes from eBay give them a clean and warranty and sell them with the perceived quality and history one would expect from a main dealer? Not sure what to think, I suppose it's better than the auctions?
With new bike sales on the floor this has an impact on the used stock as not many people are trading in. So to stock your showroom, to make money and survive you need to buy stock in. What is this perceived quality and history from a main dealer, a used bike is a used bike usually sold with a 3 month warranty, with an MOT and sometimes with road tax. The warranty only the real advantage to buying from a dealer but that same bike could be the bike you buy from the man next door or the internet. Because it comes from a dealer doesn't automatically make is some cherished fully service well maintained and looked after example. It could be just as crap as the one your buy from the auction. Reading this back it isn't meant to come over as aggro as it sounds sorry.
I spoke with my local BMW dealer yesterday he rang two 'out of town' traders who offered cack money, he was probably keeping some profit for himself. Offered me £6600 lol!!! Another dealer offered me £7500!! Still will not change talked myself out of it already why upgrade to something when I don't even use my bike to its potential..
Taz used to specialise in selling new bikes for a few grand below RRP, by bringing in imports back in the day when the pound was strong enough to make that profitable. They used to do some tempting offers especially as the imports often came in colour schemes you couldn't get in the UK market but resale values were poor and getting insurance wasn't always easy. I almost bought my Gixxer from them a few years back but George White gave me a good trade-in so bought a UK spec one, thankfully. Is this 'Wheels' owned by the same people as ran Taz, or is it just on the same site?
I was at wheels yesterday! I have purchased at least 5 brand new bikes and 2 used bikes from them! First was in 2001 which was a brand new GSXR600k1 Used to be Tazs then and was run from a small unit down the road from where it is now. I always used aidie or phil Wilcox! They have both left now! Was fed up with the way it was being run! They both went to Marshals honda just round the corner! The business manager also from Tazs moved to Marshalls. Things have gone down hill at wheels so I have heard. I have just purchased a brand new R6 from Len Manchester motorcycles in Melton Mowbray and its been shocking customer service! Lesson learnt there I'm afraid.
Marshalls also purchased used stock from the auctions, I thought that’s what they all do to get used stock into the showrooms when the are not enough quality px’s are coming in. Ady Nightingale is still there but Phil Wilcox has left and moved out of the motorcycle trade as he was sick of working weekends. Not that keen on Wheels, not really sure why, just don’t feel comfortable with them. Having said that they did me a cracking deal on my Alpinestars one piece after a bit of haggling.
I am not surprised Mr B, it would get to me having to work whilst everyone else is sleeping their hang over’s off. It's the Monday to Friday that I don’t like.
It's a Saturday, when the sun is shining and everyone is out on their bikes coming into the shop only for it to rain on the Sunday, aarrghhhhhh. Still it's a job, a good job which has it's perks so I'm not complaining, much.
I'm not sure which dealer ship of the three they have, I think it's Suzuki that insisted they change their name because of a conflict of some sort?
Tazs was sold to the guy who owns it now! but about 2 years ago stamford suzuki moved in with tazs to make the new Wheels! They have new suzuki, kawasaki and aprilia now. Im really not keen on them now! dont really know why but when you have purchased so many new bikes from them when phil was there i trusted them! now phil and ady have moved on it just doesnt feel right. I did by my 2011 repsol blade from phil at marshalls!! good job phil didnt go work in a Harley dealership!!!!!!!! lol
