gbalke

I want to know what others think about recumbent trike depreciation? The reason I ask is that during my search for a tadpole trike I found two TerraTrike Path 8's on Craigslist.
The first seller has a 8 speed IGH version and was asking $750 for his, the other seller had a 8 speed cassette hub version, was 1 year old and was asking $1300. Keep in mind that a new Path 8, in either configuration, is listed at $1199 at Utah Trikes, where the second seller bought hers. Second seller listed several upgrades; tires, bottle cage, mirror, flag and a cycle computer and gave a total cost of over $1600. Based on upgrade costs at UT, I think she must of included shipping costs to arrive at that total.

Am I wrong in thinking that the first trike has a fair asking price while the second is some-what over priced, even consideing the minor upgrades? Checking other web site classifieds, I have seen two or three other Path 8's selling for around $700 to $800.

What would a good depreciation rate be for a used trike?

gcottay

It all depends on condition and local market.

In my experience, it seems initial asking prices for used trikes do tend towards the high side.

AlexZ

For the couple of hundred difference involved, why wouldn't you just buy a new one from Utah Trikes?! They are great people and give fast efficient service.
As with all things, there are reasons why the used ones are being sold.....
Used is kind of like living on leftovers - no satisfaction.

gbalke

Actually, in this case, I'd be spending about $200 more for a used bike than I would for a new one, plus with a new Terra Trike, I would have peace of mind with the life time warranty. The "upgrades" the owner did would not sway me to buy the used bike. As far as buying from Utah Trikes, I could just as well buy locally and save the shipping expense and possible hassles.

rydabent

I would think that trikes hold their value like most recumbents. I sold my first bent an Rans tailwind when it was 3 years old for just $200 less than I paid for it. Bents and trikes hold their value far better than DF bikes.

VegasTriker

The selling price for a used trike depends a lot on supply and demand, time of year (early Spring and just before Christmas is higher, Fall is lower and the dead of winter is lowest), the condition of the trike, and possibly if you can find some sucker who doesn't know diddly about trikes and doesn't look to see what a new one costs. Craigslist has made it a lot easier for buyers to find used trikes.

There have been two trikes on the Las Vegas Craigslist for a very long time. One is a Catrike Villager priced at $1,500 and the other is a Terratrike Cruiser with a Bionix assist listed for $1,775. Other trikes have come and gone while these were listed. The Catrike Villager is a pretty nice trike. It's lighter than the Path, looks to be in immaculate condition, and has standard 3X9 gearing. Still, this owner has not been able to sell it for $200 more than the higher of the two TT Paths that you mentioned. As for myself, I wouldn't pay more than about 60% of the new cost of a trike for one in decent shape. The person who bought it the first time didn't like it enough to keep it. Their loss should be greater than yours if the same thing happens to you.. Remember only he had a warranty and that's worth something.

I know two Greenspeed GTO owners who paid right around $1,800 for their used trikes. New ones, similarly equipped, were around $4,000 at the time. They happened to find motivated sellers and shopped carefully but they also were willing to travel a fair distance to pick them up.