Choices

Well VFRD I come to you for some advice.

Question: Should I keep my 93 or buy a 99?

Back story:
Well some of you may know I bought a 93 VFR750 last year. It was neglected and beat up pretty good but only had 14k miles on it. Well I have rebuilt carbs, new tires, new pads and SS lines, new chain and sprockets. So I am getting it back up to snuff.

Well I recently came across a 99 VFR 800 with 12k and it appears to be in great condition. I haven't seen it in person yet but hope to by Monday. I originally was looking for a 800 when I was shopping last year but non were for sale on in the St. Louis area. And I didn't quite have the scratch at the time either.

I really like my 93 but still needs suspension work front and rear and a host of body work repaired and other minor issues tended before I can say it is up to my standards of repair.

I like wrenching on stuff but I also like riding and haven't ridding since September of last year. I also drive a class A truck for a living so I am on the road for 5 days at a time and getting 1 day a week to wrench. Also my wife likes to spend time with me when I am home and apparently hanging out with me in the garage is not acceptable. It's not fair, lol. She also has giving me the green light to purchase the 99 but I would have to sell the 93 which make me sad. She also likes to go for rides with me so we both enjoy it.

I would love to have the 99. It's in great shape, red ( the fastest color), fuel injected(yay no carbs). I love the body design and shape, very sexy looking. Something I can get home a jump on and ride on my days off with little fuss.

I would also love to keep the 93 or the"white whale." I have put a lot of time and effort into and money. It is a rare and highly desirable model. It would be nice to have a restored bike that you did your self.

Well I appreciate any feedback on this. I am going to post this in the third and fourth gen section as well so I get both sides. Not to say there would be any bias replies. ;)

Thanks
Andrew T

Well obviously as a 5th gen owner, I've got bias in my response.   But in all honesty, if you really want to ride, sell the 93 and pick up the 99. There's no point in buying a bike if you aren't going to be able to ride it (unless you bought it for the sole purpose of working on it, which is fine). Even then there's plenty to wrench on with the 99 if you decide to farkle it and what not. But if the 99 looks good when you go see it, I'd say take advantage of the opportunity. I love mine and I'll probably never sell it, rather drain the fluids, take out the battery and put a cover on it then get rid of it. It's just a bike that does everything well. But don't take it from me, take it from Mr. John Joss:

TheWarrior17, on 05 May 2012 - 07:20 PM, said: Well obviously as a 5th gen owner, I've got bias in my response.   But in all honesty, if you really want to ride, sell the 93 and pick up the 99. There's no point in buying a bike if you aren't going to be able to ride it (unless you bought it for the sole purpose of working on it, which is fine). Even then there's plenty to wrench on with the 99 if you decide to farkle it and what not. But if the 99 looks good when you go see it, I'd say take advantage of the opportunity. I love mine and I'll probably never sell it, rather drain the fluids, take out the battery and put a cover on it then get rid of it. It's just a bike that does everything well. But don't take it from me, take it from Mr. John Joss:    OTOH, if I could get my hands on a cheap white 3rd gen I don't think I'd ever sell it either....(I don't see ever selling my '99..) If you want to ride with the wife without hassles though, go with the 5th gen.

Given all the information you included in your post, it sounds like the '99 would best suit your needs at the moment.  And the fact that it would be a sweet ride wouldn't hurt either.   :smile:

Chuck

Great question.  I have owned two 4th Gens (similar to Gen 3) and purchased a 5th Gen (1999) in late February.  I liked my Gen 4's, but the 1999 is superior.  If you have a chance to pick up a Gen 5 in great condition at a reasonable price, do it.

What do I like better about the Gen 5:

- Slightly more power and geared higher.

-  Better instrument cluster.  Wonderful combination of traditional clocks and LCD displays.

-  Fuel injection.  Although the 4th Gen carbs never gave me any trouble.

-  I like the aesthetics of the Gen 5 over the 4th Gen or 3rd Gen.  It is an attractive bike.

The Gen 5 takes all the great things about the 3rd and 4th Gen and just makes them better.  The 5th Gen might be the best VFR ever produced.  Of course, it is the last generation with gear-driven cams.

Ideally, you would find a way to own both.

IG

owned 3rd and 5th gen at the same time. No question for me, the 5th is a much better machine and I happily sold the 3rd

Thanks for the responses, fellas. I had a feeling the the 5th gen would win out. I am going to check out the bike tonight. I spoke with on owner and he said his was the second owner and has had it since 2005. The bike has never been down, no body repairs ever. Has been maintained by local shop, like it needed much with only 12k on the clocks. So I'll get some pics and post some info on it. I might end up riding it home if my wife will drive with me, so she can take the car back. Or I might just see if I can get the seller to let me put a retainer on it and give it another week to think about it. If I get it will try to keep the 3rd gen, because it would be cool to have both. We are in the process of buying a house, waiting for the seller bank to approve our offer. It was a short sale, so if we get the house we would be saving a bunch. And I will finally have my garage and also an unfinished basement that is a walk out.

Thanks again,
Andrew T

Get the '99 and keep the '93

Banks can be a pain about ' large' purchases during the buying process .  Be careful it doesn't change your loan ( assuming you're borrowing from a bank)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Keep and buy.

that is all.

Well mute point any more. The seller sent me a message as I was about to head out the door to drive the two hours to where the bike was. I was ready to purchase and ride home. I had the cash on me. It said that he sold the bike to a friend so I guess that is the end of that. I guess it is not meant to be.

Thanks
Andrew

Awwwwwwwwww!!! Darn it!!!!' but keep your eyes open, there might be another one with your name on it!!
C

There are several 5th gens in our classifieds. One just happens to be mine (it is Lobsters old 2000). I'd workout a halfway delivery arrangement; I have access to a trailer. And I routinely travel to Missouri for smokes. If you are still interested in a 5th gen.

Oh i am still oh the look out. I have been searching the usually places but have not found any close. I really would like to check the bike out in person before I buy it. I am also about two months away on getting a house ands bet should wait till that's taken care of before I am 3 grand lighter.  I have looked at yours maxwell. It's a nice bike, I have come to even like the yellow. But I think you might be asking a little too much for it. Also I really like the stock look and that tail light scares me:)