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Used Sidecar Values, Opinions.

Hello Folks, is there any "rule of thumb" for used sidecar prices, as like a percentage of new price?  I am interested in a very nice 2016 hannigan super sport sidecar. The owner has had it a couple of years,and he paid a total of 9K for the sidecar new and mounted to his bike, a wing. The actual price of the sidecar itself was about $7K, the other 2 k was paint matching, and setup/mounting. the sidecar has brakes and power lean adjustment.

What are the group's opinion of what a sidecar like that would be worth by itself? Also any other thought/opinions on Hannigan sidecars much appreciated.  I sort of think of sidecars like any other motorcycle accessory, that the used value is about 50% of the new cost, this is for seats, exhaust, etc. Would it be a similar comparison to sidecar values?

Thanks alot

Rick.

Used sidecar prices are a funny thing.  You need to take a number of conflicting factors into consideration.  As a seller, we often remember how much we spent and base our asking price on that.  That big number takes in several of the things that Rick mentioned like paint matching. and mounting.  Both of these can be very expensive but are they of value to the buyer?  If the paint matches the bike I want to mate the hack to it's a big positive [if you care about that sort of thing] but the sidecar is blue and my bike is yellow, well, not so much.  Likewise for the mounting hardware.  If it fits my bike it's a positive but even if it does, the labor spent for the seller's mounting is of no value to the buyer.

Let's flip the coin.  New sidecar models don't come out every year.  For MANY there isn't a new model every decade and for some there's very little difference from the original design 50 or 60 years ago.  No new models leads to slower depreciation.  So what does bring down the value of a used hack?  Wear and condition are important factors.  What wears on a sidecar?  Tires wear, bearings wear, maybe upholstery wears and the paint work suffers over time.  If there is damage, that certainly counts against value.  BUT, if you look at a used sidecar that's 20 years old and a new example of the same model, what's the functional difference?  Of course high quality products, sidecars included, always hold their value better.  Hannigan is a quality product with good support

Like I said, used sidecar prices are a funny thing.  At the end of the day, it's down to an agreement of the seller and buyer.  Will the seller accept what the buyer offers?  There are some used sidecar values in the Kelly Blue Book, or at least there used to be, but they are completely out of whack.  As a place to start, I'd look to spend about 70% of the new cost of the sidecar [that's is great shape] and the add-ons THAT ARE OF VALUE TO ME and make deductions for damage and wear.  In the real world, most sidecars are sold because the seller no longer wants the sidecar or rig and most are undervalued [that's just an opinion, of course].  The seller will usually set a price that's lower than you'd expect.  Common sidecars are often sold for half or less of the new price [less damage, etc] while unusual or high end sidecars bring a much higher percentage of the new price.  Having a sidecar that's still in production is also a positive factor.  Sadly, the recent demise of Motorvation means all those very good and useful hacks are now worth a little less, unless someone buys the bones and brings the brand back. 

I'm pretty sure none of this helped but maybe it will spark a conversation.

Thane Lewis has reacted to this post.
Thane Lewis

Thanks for the great response Al. Everything you mention makes perfect sense to me, and gives me a better idea of what to offer for the sidecar.

Thank,

Rick.