Disklavier

Folks,  

How much discount would you expect to receive on a "like new" DC2M4 
used at a local college in a locked practice studio for teacher lead 
instruction.  The piano is maybe 1 year old.  Its a Mark IV...no 
visible wear or scratches.  

The dealer is talking about "out the door prices" that place the piano 
about $5K below the current Yamaha minimum price levels.  It is sold 
as essentially a new piano with a full Yamaha and dealer warranty.  

Does that sound like a fair price?  

Should I ask for any special inspection or warranty above what a new 
Yamaha grand would include?

Thanks for the help.  

Paul

Paul, 
 
I teach at a university where we have had the "university piano sales". I  
hate to say it, but to me the sales sound like an excuse for a sale. Just like  
"presidents day" or "Julyi 4th special". For a grand piano, and especially a  
disklavier, where the list price is so much higher, I'd expect a bit more off. 
I  am guessing this is a piano in the 20k - 30k range? Or even more? I don't 
know  by model numbers for sure, if it is a grand, but if it is, that makes it 
a big  number to begin with.
 
I believe we are not supposed to post what we paid for an instrument, not  
sure if this will be allowed through....but I'd just say generally, for a "floor 
 model" or "demo" or "last years model" of ANYTHING, I expect a  price 
significantly below the absolute possible bestest lowest price that  anyone could 
get a new one in a store. If not, what is the point? Unless the  item is the 
last one of its kind and you absolutely need that particular one,  you probably 
can do the same 5K off for new.
 
One good thing - the college most likely had to maintain/TUNE the  instrument 
(we did), and in the first year it often needs a few more  tunings....so the 
instrument, if it is in tune, will probably have settled in a  bit and not 
require so many extra tunings YOUR first year.
 
Blessings,
Wanda



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wandamusic@... wrote:
> Paul,
>  
> I teach at a university where we have had the "university piano 
> sales". I hate to say it, but to me the sales sound like an excuse for 
> a sale. Just like "presidents day" or "Julyi 4th special". For a grand 
> piano, and especially a disklavier, where the list price is so much 
> higher, I'd expect a bit more off. I am guessing this is a piano in 
> the 20k - 30k range? Or even more? I don't know by model numbers for 
> sure, if it is a grand, but if it is, that makes it a big number to 
> begin with.
Yamaha don't make MarkIV uprights. Apparently those of us without space 
for a grand aren't worthy of the technology!

As for prices, you can look at this in two ways: you should be able to 
get a big discount because it is a secondhand piano that has had lots of 
grubby students putting their hands on the instrument, or that you get 
an instrument that has been played in (and probably played in over the 
entire range at that). Personally, I'd buy on tone and feel rather than 
on whether it was secondhand or not.

> I believe we are not supposed to post what we paid for an instrument, 
> not sure if this will be allowed through....but I'd just say 
> generally, for a "floor model" or "demo" or "last years model" of 
> ANYTHING, I expect a price significantly below the absolute possible 
> bestest lowest price that anyone could get a new one in a store. If 
> not, what is the point? Unless the item is the last one of its kind 
> and you absolutely need that particular one, you probably can do the 
> same 5K off for new.

On this list anything goes - Yamaha don't like the price being posted on 
the dug mailing list, but the Yahoo and Google groups are Yahoo run. 
There is even a spreadsheet of prices in the Yahoo groups files section 
I think