We all know that the mileage of any vehicle has a direct impact on the price that it commands, and that this is especially true of Ducatis. But, is this similar across all models and at all mileage points? The reason for the question is, all other things being equal, what would be the likely difference in cost between a Hypermotard 950 with 250 miles be, compared with the same bike with 2,000 miles? It's harder to work out this from previous "sold" prices as there are very few of these bikes about. It would be far easier for a 1299 for example just by using Ebay / Autotrader etc.
It seems to be a "Ducati Thing", that I do not understand. There seems to be an unspoken myth that any Ducati that has done more than a few thousand miles is only good for scrap. If I was buying, then I would look at condition first and then documented history or receipts. I would not GAF if it had done 40,000 miles. I would look at condition and history - but I would expect to pay less for a bike showing that mileage then the same bike showing 1000 miles. But I don't really want to pay more for a garage queen.
It's the same in other worlds, like Porsche. I totally agree about buying on condition and that a lightly used example isn't always the best. But as per the piece of your comment quoted above, even someone who looks to buy on condition expects a differential on price based on mileage. I'm just trying to understand what this might actually look like in practice. Both bikes approx 9 months old lets say.
Yes but in the example you give, both are low mileage bikes, one exceptionally so maybe, but still both are low mileage. I’d not expect a huge difference in this case as far as the mileage goes. Other factors would be more relevant here
In the uk 10,000 miles on a bike and 100,000 in a car in my experience changes people’s thought process
Using your example, if you bought both and kept them for three years doing similar mileage on each, the difference in mileage then would be trivial.
Different Ducati's seem to have different mileage perceptions I think, by the buyer at least if not by the motor 15/20K on a 5 year old Multistrada is not unusual or any kind of issue 15/20K on a 5 year old Panigale maybe could be ?
I would love to hear a Ducati designer's opinion - in English! Does the Pani engine designer look at piston ring metallurgy, for example, and think, "fukka it! Nobody will do more than 5,000 kilometres and so we can use the soft cheese that I hada for lunch. Now I gotta sleep!"
My ST3 has about 28000 mls on the clock and she feels like she'll do another 100,000 no sweat at all !!
Pani engines have been designed to get hammered up the jacksie at 10k rpm on the regular, I wouldn’t be overly concerned by higher mileage as long as the service has been kept in check
Thats not strictly true Bikes rev higher and have different geometry pistons - typically shorter skirts.. Both these leads to more wear.. Then oil is dual service engine and transmission so sees different conditions.. But i would imagine that they are designed to be the best they can... typically the suppliers make things to the specifications - but the specifications are always tough to meet... so typically no cheap materials.. Each engine and component will be individually guaranteed by the supplier for maybe 3 years... and they will run engine dyno tests and part tests seperately before releasing anything.. We supply seals and cylinder head gaskets, and other parts of the company pistons / rings / valves and they will be run somewhere between 250 and 1000 - sometimes much more hours at difficult operating conditions.... to test their function.... So say combustion pressure is tested at normal and maybe 20% above normal for short periods cycling - cold starts - high speed runs etc... A car would typically be expected to last 200K for Petrol - 300K for Diesel and Truck engines 1,000,000 miles But 50,000 to 100,000 miles should be possible... with the correct maintenance and engine design..
Much of the pricing is reflected by what is "normal" & typicaly available imo. High mileage Panis are not that common compared to high mileage multis which are fairly common. People are used to the idea of buying a used Multi with 10K+ on the clock as most ads they look at will have that and more (depending on age obvs). Some will also pay a small premium for lower mileage, but the plate/ year is a vanity for some more valuable... When buying a Pani, tytpical mileage will be far lower, so that becomes the "norm" and resale prices follow. The proximity of a big or expensive service has a effect too for those who have done their research. Better a higher mileage bike that has that already recently done than a lower miles bike with it looming up?
Good point about mileage fitting in with the big services. So, in some cases, a bike that has just had a big service done (by someone who is known to be competent - not necessarily a Ducati dealer) is (or, could be) a better buy than a lower mileage bike with a big service looming. Like everything Ducati, it's never very simple!
When talking about 2nd hand things of any kind there is no such thing as a price list; it's much more about how much an individual is prepared to pay. So to answer the OP's question, mileage does have an impact on the virtual market price in that, if the mileage is lower than the average then the market will determine that the item - all other things being equal - is worth more. However, when you are talking about one bike having 250mls and another at 2,000mls the difference in perceived value is likely to be very small. But as always, it depends on how much the potential buyer is prepared to pay.
