The CHP operates hundreds of BMW motor units, so there was always a fresh supply of bikes coming off lease — bikes the California dealership would've never been able to find a home for. Cue Bob's, 3,000-some miles away. At Bob's, 60,000-mile off-lease RT-Ps sold for over $10,000.
Ashton Menefee, sales manager, Bob's BMW, says Bob's used to have the "pick of the off-lease litter,"" while all of the banged-up or otherwise flawed units went to auctions.
"We did full inspections of the units we purchased and even had an extended warranty available for them," he says. "It was a pretty good business, but it dried up in the past year."
Why?
"There's a different dealer supplying the CHP now, and it appears the contract has changed — we don't know what's happening to the bikes coming back into the market, but we're not seeing them," Menefee says.
One reason Menefee cites as possibly responsible for changing his business: "Some organizations, like the Maryland State Police, have a requirement where, when their bikes reach their service limit, they must be sent to public auction."
Nevertheless, Menefee says Bob's — halfway between Washington DC and Baltimore — continues to find sales with BMW Authority Bikes by selling new RT-Ps to civilians. "We sell several each year," he says. "In fact, I'm talking to a customer about one today."
