Used '06 or New?

[BBW]

Hi all,

Sorry if this topic has been covered. I did some searches, but didn't find much except for the throttle recal from the earlier bikes.

I'm looking for advice and some info. Here's my situation. I'm looking to pick up an FZ6 for the spring which I'll use for general commuting, some light (read weekend) touring, and just general fun. I like the FZ6 for it's feel, riding position, build quality, good gas mileage, etc.

The local dealership has two bikes. The first is a used 2006 with 12k miles on it for $4000. It's a bike they sold new. They've serviced it and claim it's in great condition. From the outside it's flawless, so I tend to suspect it's fine. The other bike is a new one, 2010 I believe. It's the FZ6 also, not the FZ6r. that one is selling for $6800.

You see where I'm going with this. I can't decide whether to buy new or used. I could afford either, but would I rather save the $2800? Sure, why not.

What I don't know is if there's been much design change between the 2006 model and the new one. Are they really just the same bike, or were there any significant changes or improvements after the 2006 year?

If they're the same bike I would probably buy used. But if there's something significantly improved in the new bike that might push me towards plunking down the extra cash.

Thanks,

Ben
South Burlington, VT

 

[youngy]

$2800 is a lot to save. The older bike will have had the crap oe tyres replaced and has been run in so you don't have to go through that pain. Also, if you drop it you won't feel quite so bad. And the hit on depreciation will be much less as someone else has already suffered it.

In 2007 the upgraded S2 model came out with changes to front brakes, instrument cluster, swingarm, fairing, seat, fuelling and extra cats(in the rest of the world anyway - I presume also in the US).

 

[LERecords]

I have the s1 (04-06) version of the bike and Love it.. however, I have heard a lot of good things about the s2 version. Money savings is nice, and if you plan on keeping the bike for a few years, then your'll really save out. my vote is for the 06.. as long as its blue...

 

[BBW]

Thanks Youngy,

That's helpful.

What's the consensus on those changes? Are things like the seat, brakes, fueling, etc. on the '07 and newer noticeably better, or just different?

I've been bit before by trying to buy cheap up front, only to then spend so much money trying to make the bike what I want it to be that I should have just bought a better bike in the first place. Trying to figure out if I would be making that same mistake here.

Ben

 

[BBW]

I have the s1 (04-06) version of the bike and Love it.. however, I have heard a lot of good things about the s2 version. Money savings is nice, and if you plan on keeping the bike for a few years, then your'll really save out. my vote is for the 06.. as long as its blue...

Sorry, red. But I like red, so that's good in my book.

Now the new one? That's blue. Still think I should get the '06???

 

[youngy]

Well as you don't get the naked version in the US you'll miss out on the best model whichever one you choose!

I couldn't say if the upgrades warrant an extra $2800. That's alot of tyres and mods!

 

[turbid]

there are a few differences but i do not think that they are that significant to steer you away from an 06.

the 07 plus models have had the front fairing redesigned. the instrument cluster is better looking and more readable compared to the round ones of the 06. front brakes have changed to 4 piston instead of 2 piston sliding calipers. rear swingarm changed and much better looking than 06. yamaha changed the seat material on 07 plus models to a less slippery one and tinkered a bit with the fuel mapping and added more catalytic converters to pass emissions. the passenger footpegs are detachable on 07 plus models.

that said i would save the 2800 and get the 06, the only factor would be colour preference, i honestly like both red and blue. engine wise they are the same

 

[chaskell27]

For all of the reasons stated above I would go with the 06. That said, $4,000 seems real steep for an 06 with 12k on the odo. I realize it is a stealership but I bought my 06 two years ago for $4000 with 5000 miles. Granted I bought through a private sale. I checked Kelly Blue Book and they came in somewhere near $3500. KBB is what could be expected from a dealer. 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle Retail Value & Price - Kelley Blue Book

Peace of mind is nice since they say they know the whole history of the bike but I'm sure you could bring them down quite a bit on the price.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[BBW]

Thanks. I should probably remind myself that over the years I've ridden any number of bikes from the 70s, 80s and 90s and never felt they were underpowered or lacking performancewise. (Well, ok, the CB175 I learned to ride on was underpowered.) I had an old BMW K100RS from '87 that was a great bike.

That being the case one would think that anything Yamaha came up with in 2006 would probably be adequate to my needs.

 

[BBW]

For all of the reasons stated above I would go with the 06. That said, $4,000 seems real steep for an 06 with 12k on the odo. I realize it is a stealership but I bought my 06 two years ago for $4000 with 5000 miles. Granted I bought through a private sale. I checked Kelly Blue Book and they came in somewhere near $3500. KBB is what could be expected from a dealer. 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle Retail Value & Price - Kelley Blue Book

Peace of mind is nice since they say they know the whole history of the bike but I'm sure you could bring them down quite a bit on the price.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Thanks for the KBB link. I hadn't gotten around to checking on that. I agree that $4k seems a bit high.

 

[Erci]

For all of the reasons stated above I would go with the 06. That said, $4,000 seems real steep for an 06 with 12k on the odo. I realize it is a stealership but I bought my 06 two years ago for $4000 with 5000 miles. Granted I bought through a private sale. I checked Kelly Blue Book and they came in somewhere near $3500. KBB is what could be expected from a dealer. 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle Retail Value & Price - Kelley Blue Book

Peace of mind is nice since they say they know the whole history of the bike but I'm sure you could bring them down quite a bit on the price.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Agree 100%. If you want to save some cash, look for the bike on this forum/eBay/craigslist. You'll likely find one with very low miles.. newer than the one you considered and for less money.

 

[SirIsaac]

Hi all,

... The other bike is a new one, 2010 I believe. It's the FZ6 also, not the FZ6r. that one is selling for $6800....

The last year for the FZ6 was 2009. $6800 sounds like a lot for a two model-year old unsold old-inventory bike, it is basically the original list price. I may be in the minority, but I like to buy new so there is no worry about who had it before and how they rode and/or maintained it. Also I may be prejudiced since I own an ’07, but I prefer the '07 – '09 model to the '04 – '06 version for a couple of reasons, including: more and cheaper windscreen options, better looking swingarm, no TPS issues to worry about, and other issues mentioned in other posts.* So I would see how low the dealer would go on the new one. $6k out the door sounds fair to me. But as others have said, you can probably get a good used '07 – '09 in a private sale for less than $4,000.


* - no offense to all you '04 – '06 owners, these are minor nits, it is a great bike!

 

[wrlomas]

I bought an 09 out the door for 5600 bucks. The dealers have big stocks of bikes. Make sure you get their best price.

 

[fazil]

Tps issues are related to 2004 and 2005 versions.
No worry about 2006 and later models.

 

[Davey]

Yes I'm going with the crowd on this one. Get the used 06. The most important upgrade between the 2 models were the brakes, but the 2-pot sliding calipers are fine for most people's needs. Other than that it's almost all cosmetic upgrades really.

Haggle like mad (what have you got to lose?), save yourself some money and then treat yourself to some nice bits to mod it as you want

 

[Sun Diego FZ6]

Negotiate that price on the '06 down some.

 

[LERecords]

yea.. or just look for one for sale on here.. since your in b-town, you have lots of time before the season starts.. good to get on looking now, but you may find a better deal if you want to wait a bit longer.. oh and red is fine color too

 

[BH322893]

it's almost been a year since I picked up my 06 from Tilton NH, bought it with 800miles on it for $3500. I've debated on making it a naked streetfighter, I like the newer style fairing and the speedometer. I'm in the process of converting mine to the 07 front. it really comes down to what styling you prefer, I agree with the group that $4000 seems high. Good luck and keep us posted!!!

 

[Hoshiko]

If I was in your shoes, I will talk to the dealer about the new 09 with $6,000.00 cash on my hand, out the door, not a penny more.

 

[Amorousnerdium]

Oddly, i was in the EXACT same situation in November. I had the cash, walked in liked two FZ6's they had on the floor. One blue 06 and one Red 2010/2009 model. 3200 or 5900.

Obviously, I chose the 06. Mainly because it looked cooler to me... And everyone knows blue is tops!