Price Check Is this a good price on... Kubota BX23

[gsxr1100]

you should not have any major service issues with your BX23.

I live in MA and have Emerich's fedex me the parts overnight for warrenty items, free! I had to install some hydro fittings about 5 minutes and a new BH stablizer, about 20 minutes...

The leaking fuel sending unit was a drive up and when I got there, it was being worked on within 5 minutes.

It is up to you. Is it worth the $700 savings plus some free stuff? Again, I am sure the local guy is good but it is your money. To me $700 is a lot of hour services, but again that is me.

I personally hate when they pull, " if you do not get it from us you will be the low man on the pole if you need service." That drives me NUTS! That is why I did not buy from my local guy 15 minutes down the road.

PS. A block heater is about $35 for the Bx22/23

 

[AlmostRetired]

<font color="red"> That drives me NUTS! </font>

Sir,

What “drives me nuts” is someone who will buy a tractor 3 states away from a high volume dealer, to save $500 - $700, then show up at my local dealer expecting to be treated just the same as me, who paid that $500 - $700 premium. What most people don’t get, in my opinion, is that the dealer BUYS the tractor from Kubota, owns it, and then re-sales it to me. Therefore, he can charge me what he wants…Kubota can only “Suggest” a retail price. If I don’t like it, I’m certainly free to go somewhere else. However, if I show up requesting service, he’s certainly free to put me in line behind his best customers who paid a premium for the tractor.

I’m a frequent flyer and often have to pay full price for a ticket because I book the ticket only a couple days before the travel. For that extra expense, I’m given the “luxury” of getting on the plane with the folks who paid for the first class tickets, so I can be assured of space for my carry-on luggage. Invariably, I hear someone, who probably scheduled their flight 3 months in advance and paid half my ticket price, whine about how this is “unfair.” Well, the airline is certainly free to say, “if you don’t like, then fly another carrier.”

If I were a dealer and someone came into my business whining that I service my best customers first, then my response would be the same, “if you don’t like it, then go somewhere else…like you did when you bought your tractor. You didn’t like my price so you went somewhere else. Now, I don’t like servicing you, so you are in the back of the line. If you don’t like that, then I suggest you go back to your original dealer for service.”

 

[BRIGUY]

AlmostRetired,

Funny I have had similar discussions with my dealer. I bought local and could have gotten what seemed like a better deal in NC. But there were down sides, like if the tractor (freight shipped) was damaged or stolen it would have been my problem to deal with. It wasn't worth it.

Hey My dealer and I agree a few hundred difference buy local, 1k difference plus no tax your crazy to buy local.

If you bring a quote in to my dealer that is way lower he would tell you to buy it and he will gladly service it for you. They like service business too.

The 2 cases here lately that i think you are referring to are LUISLEON and URSUSHORRIBILUS.

URSUSHORRIBILUS is saving something like 10k. I would take a 8 hour drive to make 10k.

LUISLEON could buy from a highly recommended dealer 40 miles further and save 700-1100$ Delivered to his house with the dealers truck and Mechanic.

Yes some dealers Are high volume big guys with low prices, and some little guys with high prices. Emerichs is a small family business with good priced and great service.

I think the only difference in price between them and other little guys is they would rather pass on a few hundred in savings to their customers rather than give it to the bank in floor plan interest.

I think that is why some dealers are higher. They would rather pay interest on a unit than sell it for a fair price.

 

[gsxr1100]

First, I personally saved a lot more then $500 to $700 on my Bx22. It was more like almost $3,000.

Next is you should get the same customer treatment no matter what. I bought my Lexus in Boston since again my local dealers are morons and rude. So I saved over $7,000 driving 1.25 hours down the road! Funny thing is I needed service twice and my local dealers worked on it that day. Hmm, funny I never bought it there. Lexus does not care where you bought it. Same thing goes when I had my Ford, wife’s Mercedes, my GSXR1100 etc.

Service is service; it is dollars in the dealers pocket. This has come up time and time again on this board and so far any dealer that pulls that is “shooting himself in the foot”. Do you want “Kubota bucks” or not.

 

[dmartin88]

I don't have an issue with a dealer using where you bought your tractor as a way to prioritze their work-- if they have more work to do than get get done, then they have to decide what to do first using some criteria. At least I can understand this one. If a dealer will intentionally delay work because the tractor was bought elsewhere or charge higher prices, then I'd shop elsewhere.

 

[shownuff]

when the product is worldwide, every dealer should honor the warranty no matter where it was purchased if you buy now and move in a year or 2 are they going to tell you go back to the selling dealer? it should be first come- first serve.when in for warranty work if you are payin for the repair they will take you in a minute.

 

[LuisLeon]

Gentlemen,

I've gotten a price that is at minimum 2k below my original quote from my local dealer, this dealer is in PA and says that he delivers to this area. Even with his delivery fee I still end up saving quite a chunk of cash. The difference in price is too hard to ignore.

I wouldn't expect my local dealer to give me priority over customers who bought from him. But what I would expect is service, which I would pay for, I feel that it will be a non-issue as it is a good product. If it were just a few hundred dollars I would definitely buy local, but 2k is an awful lot of money.

regards,

Luis Leon

 

[AlmostRetired]

I agree with the various comments. When I went to buy a BX, I told the owner of the local dealership that I would pay $500 more (not considering taxes or transportation) than a dealer 30 miles away, not the $1500 he was initially asking. He quickly knocked a $1000 off. There is a limit to what’s reasonable. If you are saving a $1000 or more (again, not considering taxes or transportation) by going to a non-local dealer, then I have to agree it may make sense, assuming we are talking about relatively inexpensive CUTS. At some point, there’s a reason the local guy is small…it’s because he’s too dang high.

That said, I personally know two neighbors that went out of state for $500 - $700 savings. Mechanical items have their highest change of failure, due to a design or manufacturing fault, in the first hours of their life. If my neighbors had experienced a problem and took their tractor to the local dealer for warranty service, then I could understand him saying “get in line.” To be fair, local labor rates and the cost of living is much higher than even the next county over. So its reasonable to expect him to charge a little more because his costs are higher.

Also, to be clear , I was referring to warranty work. Most dealers, be they tractor or car, make the vast majority of their profit from service. I don’t know if all dealer mechanics are on commission, but I know some car dealerships have a commission program for their mechanics. It can be a real ripoff. People are “on guard” when talking to the sales guy. However, they think a mechanic is like a Doctor and wouldn’t recommend something you don’t need (I know some Doctors do this too). WRONG.

One thing is for sure. The Internet has really made it difficult to totally rip you off on purchase price if you do a little homework. There’s so much information floating around that a dealer has to be careful about quoting list price “just to see if you will bite.” He may very well make you so mad that you go elsewhere out of principle.