Trade in price for an \'04 749 Dark??
 

Need some advice please...

What would constitute a good/reasonable trade in price for an '04 749 Dark with 5600 miles on the clock? Two out of the three dealers I've spoken to, just weren't interested, the other made, what I consider to be a derisory offer. The bike's in good nick, not pristine - and it has seen rain, but still looks good imho.

Ta:cool:

i would like to know how much to,becouse the dark should bee going for good prices now? how much do you want for it?:puzzled:

No idea on trade prices, but sorry to hear you're leaving the fold Necro :(

Unfortunately, as with so much in life, it's not an easy decision to make TF, but there's just been so many 'issues' with the bike that it has to go.

I haven't been posting, or describing all of them as I didn't want to be someone who is seen to just post negatively, and never have anything positive to say.

Now it's out of warranty.....:(

Sorry to hear that mate. I can understand your dilemma. Mine goes out of warranty in a couple of weeks...

so are they that bad? i need to know! iv been thinking of geting one for a long time, i had a money burning time with a 748,but now its gone my bank is happy now.:)

is a ducati not the bike to buy?:burn:

silly question on a ducati message board

is it? i didnt think biker are like football fans, not admitting if somthing they like is not good! o-well

you do get bad ones and good ones, had mine for a year and have had to go to the shop 3 times, for warranty work and unlike the japs they have bent over backwards to help and at no charge, small stuff and not that bad, would I buy a 999 again yes yes yes,
it's my first ducati after 25 years of riding japs and BMWs,
I wanted some thing different and it had to be fast, I'd thought of ducs before but they weren't quick then but with the 999 it had it all and all the jap bikes I tried was to small,
so I thought I'd try a 999 on a long test ride and after a 100 miles thought this is the bike for me,
will I stay with ducati, I don't know as I don't have brand loyalty but I have got into twins in a big way. and it has not put me off ducs if anything it has put my mind at rest about the buld quality and there fore more likely that I'll buy another ducati,
ps I was an engineer and a mechanic
:flame::burn::burn:

I had the same reservations having spent all my time on Jap bikes, the last one being an R1. I don't know too much about the 749, but having owned a 999Bp for 2 years I have no regrets about buying it. Yes, the servicing is more expensive than it is for Jap bikes, but Dukes are special. On the reliabilty front its been fine, 11000 miles no major problems and it still puts a smile on your face when you ride it

I wonder whether the 749 is fast enough though, all the journos repeatedly say that it is no match for the Jap 600's

thank for that;)

i had a bad one, but i loved the ride. and im thinking off geting **9 one:)

I bought the 1st 749s back in Oct '02. It's had a couple of very minor recalls (but so has every new jap bike I've bought/ owned) & I had to replace the battery in the 1st year of ownership (due to the dealer threading one of the terminals & it never really getting fully charged). The only other problem is the rear seat plastic has developed a stress crack :flame:

Other than that, it's been 100% reliable, including a couple of trips to the Nurburgring. I'm off to Italy in July :cool: :burn:

Servicing has been reasonable too as I don't do many miles. Minor at £180, belt service at £300'ish. One service/ year.

I've never kept a jap bike longer than 2yrs, so the fact I've still got it after 3.5yrs speaks volumes. The only bikes I'd consider selling it for.....a 749R or '05 999s.

I say buy a used one (to avoid the depreciation) & if you end up with a ' Friday afternoon ' bike, sell it on & you won't lose much. If you end up with a good'un (which most seem to be)....just enjoy it!

That is so much bollox. See TWO magazine for a sensible review of the 749. The 749 has so much more grunt and torque than a jap 600 that is is easier to ride fast - overtakes are a cinch and you can maintain very high speeds with little effot.

My 80bhp 800ss has no trouble at all staying with any of my Jap riding mates because it has shed loads of grunt right where you need it. It only ever starts to feel a bit pushed on the very fastest roads with lots of long straights - up to 120mph it stays with most things. People who say they need more on the road really do talk out of their backsides. :lol:

I feel sorry for Ducati at times. The other week MCN slated the 749 saying it was slow blah...blah..blah. But IIRC the performance figures were only marginally behind the 4's. So marginally behind you would never notice, especially on the road. I mean...tell me who can really detect the difference between something delivering 103bhp and something delivering 107-110 when so many people can't tell the difference between 33psi or 36 psi in their tyres and when so many aren't really all that good at riding. The 749 probably feels a bit slower simply because it doesn't have to be screamed through the box to extract the performance.

:rolleye:

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by twpd]

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by twpd]

I agree. I have a 2006 ZX 6R as well as a 749 and when I look down at the clocks of the 749 I am amazed at what speed I am doing,it may feel slower because it doesnt have the top end rush of an IL4, but its not.

The TWO review is an excellent read and the most accurate.

I have had a couple of warranty claims for a new shock, which i was allowed to upgrade to Ohlins, and also a couple of relays. The bike has never let me down, always started. I have made a couple of comments to my local kawasaki dealer about warranty claims and they are not interested. Ducati do it much more readily. Would def buy another Ducati, doubt I would buy another Kwak


[Edited on 13-5-2006 by 749er]

Good luck with the sale/trade though you aren't likely to get a good price out of a dealer unless theres something extra in it for them, ie monthly target needs hitting, its a bike they've got buyers waiting for. I'd advise punting on fleabay 1st set expectations with a reasonable start price if its decent bike it'll probably sell outside of the auction , note Im not condoning breach of auction policy :-p.
Went through a similar senario recently, dealer trade in price was not good as secondhand prices were affected by last year discounts this also affected the leverage I had on the price of the bike I was after (not able to budge) . I sold mine at a price between the shopfloor prices from dealers and the trade value offered this also made me a "cash" buyer so I could then get discounts off the list price on the bike i was after so it didnt turn out too bad.
unfortunately recent dealer discounts have dented 2nd hand prices of most ducatis so you need to check the market for example prices (asking price isnt always selling price too) and parkers (though 999 listed values on there need dropping a tad -read their review text for why, don't know about 749 darks). Also look around the dealers for old stock clearance prices of late 04's as you arent going to be able to get the prices they're asking , so aim a bit lower than that and adjust again if its out of warrenty.

I cant offer examples as mine was a 1000ss and I was after a 999.

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by IainMac]

Necro,

Seem like the rest of the muppets on the board have highjacked your post without answering your question mate.

Try speaking to a couple of recognised Ducati dealers and see what they can tell you over the phone

No prices probably offered as it not a hard and fast rule. I.e if the dealer aint interested they'll offer the bare minimum which isnt likely to be what the bikes value is (to a buying punter)
Just had a quick skeg on ebay and theres too little 749 activity to get a clue. Bike Trader only has one dark on it at £5600 private with bits.
BikeMart has a few more but they also have some new unsold '04 749s at arround £6500. Therefore resale of an 04 is never going to be higher than the a higher spec bike new unless you've got a captive audience where demand outstrips supply. Also just spotted a dealer sale 749(again not a dark) 04 4kish miles at £5.5ish
Easy guess sale value is somewhere between £5K and £5.5 dependant on location and demand, trade may be lower again.

Apols for going on, but its not easy selling without doing some research 1st. You have to be realistic and buying price usually has nowt to do with re-sale unfortunatelty.

can't help with the price but 12 months ago i tried pxing a 999s the dealers i tried didn't want to know because it was a ducati.

I've been watching 749/999 prices for a while. Seems if you are buying their are some bargains but if selling you are gonna get stung.
What did they offer you ? I'd have thought £4k to £4.5k ?

I feel sorry for anyone who has bought new and wants to sell after 2-3 years. Ducati residuals are crap but, as CC says that's great for use used buyers. :)

Thanks for all the replies:D
I've had the bike for two years now. It's been off the road over the winter, so within the 18mths of road time it's had two ECU's and everything to do with the front brakes replaced after they had siezed whilst out riding (long thread from about a year ago). In the last two weeks, it's had three new batteries, and even now, it's trying it's best not to start. The way things stand, I'm actually worried that if I go out for a run, it'll be a one ticket as the bike may decide not to restart and I could be miles away without Ducati Roadside Assistance to get me home.

Strangely though, I still love the bike, I still like to go outside and just look at it. However, if I can sell it on, i'll be very, very happy. I just don't feel good about selling what I consider to be a classic friday afternoon bike, to someone privately. Who knows, it might work perfectly for the rest of it's natural.

At this moment in time, I can't see myself taking another chance on a Ducati, even though I still feel a great deal of brand loyalty and the whole feeling of being a Ducati owner - it's just in my case, it's come with a high price.

It sounds bit like a jinx bike, but looking in isolation at each issue there seems to be two separate problems.
1) brakes. This is all "bought in" kit and it could happen to anyone reliant on outside suppliers, unlucky but if a manufacturing defect its likely to be resolved (by brembo)
2) ECu failures and poor starting. Your note on 3 new batteries in two weeks says a lot. Batteries tend not to fail on thier own (well not with out a few years on thier clocks) so I would suspect theres an electrical fault thats killing them. either the alernator isnt charging properly, ie not at all or overcharging , regulator has failed or something is draining to earth . This isnt rocket science it just needs a good mech to sort.
The ecu failures may be a secondary symptom of over charging. Though I suspect its more a case of no charge getting to the battery as overcharging usually takes longer to kill them (unless they're boiling dry) .
simple checks are measure voltage on the batt when its disconnected, check again when hooked up but igintion off, if it drops a bit then it may be a short somewhere, also check voltage when its runnign , it should be around 13.5volts.
disconnect should be 12volts, connected but off maybe around 11.5 /12v but much lower says somethings wrong. PS charge the battery properly b4 testing to avoid confusing a dead battery with other problems.
good luck

[Edited on 15-5-2006 by IainMac]

Parkers give this but I have always found their bikes prices way too high compared with what you see for sale:

http://www.parkers.co.uk/pricing/use...=6454&plate=75