Segway from Brookstone

[BBBix]

I recieved an offer from an owner of a Brookstone store to sell me their old demo unit for $2600. It is an i167 with the 12.0 software and the NiMH batteries. Being a demo unit, it was pretty heavily used for about a year and then stuck in a back room about 6 months ago and hasn't been touched since except for a few occasions. As I understand it, it was plugged in while in storage, though. Other than it being a demo unit and the kickstand being broken (which I'm not suprised about), it seems to be in pretty good condition. What do you guys think? Is $2600 a good price? I think that I might be able to get him down to $2400 on it. Any opnions?

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)

[dave]

Well the biggest problem I see is that if it was actually stuck in a closet for 6 months -- it is likely to have been left unplugged for that amount of time. How much life would the Nimh batteries lose by being unplugged for 6 months?

[Zorba9]

$2400 is a good price - go for it! If the batts don't give you the range you need you can always upgrade to Lion's or go with new Nimh's.

KOG

Zorba9.....

[macgeek]

you can TALK HIM DOWN.... Bitch about the batteries and that a new set will run you $1200 - tell him you will give him $2000

Jonathan

[X-man]

Myself I's hold out for a cheaper price to cover the batteries unless he gave you, in writing, that they batteries were still in great condition - at least 9-10 miles on the first ride and then try it before giving him the cash.
Take a Garmin 201 or something similar with you to measure the distance.

Bob.

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”
Bob Moawad

[bystander]

If you feel you want to "talk him down", you might consider bringing along a copy of the Segway Retail price list (http://www.segway.com/downloads/pdfs/Segway_Price_List.pdf) to support how much it'll cost to "restore" it to like-new condition.

New wheels, fenders (broken kickstand usually cracks a fender, right over the kickstand, and one new fender will be off-color compared to one old fender), and new batteries will add up to ($95 + $95 + $295) x 2 + $39 (for the kickstand) = $1009.

Depending on damage to the handlebar, the cost for new replacement components can be from $26 to $500.

A set of replacement keys from Segway, Inc. will be $60

Add an extra $800 if you want new Saphion batteries instead of NiMH.

The mat is $95, you might also want the "falls off the front" trim replaced for $30.

At $2600, if one replaced all the replaceable parts and upgraded to Saphion, it could add up to around $4500, which is $500 less than a brand new I-180. So the $2600 asked is not unreasonable, if you have the funds on hand.

As for me, if I was feeling generous, and the HT turns out to be in good condition, I would just give him the $2600. You won't be overpaying by much and it will be less stressful than negotiating.

If it's not in fair to good condition, I wouldn't feel so generous and make a lower offer as the others have suggested.

Note: I'm not suggesting you need to fix it up after buying, just laying out the costs for negotiation purposes.

In conclusion,

The main reason for offering a lower price is because there is no warranty support left.

The main reason for settling at the asking price is because HTs of that era haven't needed very much warranty support.

[BBBix]

Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna see if I can get him down on the price some. I think I'll also take x-man's advice and take my gps over there to see what the real range of it is. Should be interesting.....

[Desert_Seg]

BBBix,

$2,600 really isn't a bad price but you do need to be aware of any replacement costs associated with repairing the unit.

Two items I'd look at are batteries and the handlebar. Why the the handlebar? Because yesterday we had a demo rider put so much down force on the control grips that she (yes, she) cracked the handlebar just above the steering grip.

Not a major problem but that is an easy $500 if you are paying retail!

Another factor to consider is amortization. Since a commercial unit is likely amortized over 18 to 24 months unit has reached its end of valuable life. I would place a 24 month amortization value of ~$200 per month and since they have had it for at least 18 months, the residual value is less than $1,000.

I'd shoot for something under $2,000 if you can, especially if you have to do any repairs or replace the batteries.

Steven