Buying Advice

Hey Guys, I'm new to the forum. And looking forward to learning about these beautiful machines.
About 13 years ago I owned a 2003 Interceptor. Had it only 5 months and moved overseas so I sold it. I'm now looking to buy another, possibly an '03 that is for sale in Florida where I now live. I'm looking for some advice. I like the look of the older VFR'S vs the newer generations. I know I'm giving up some improvements, but I don't need traction control, heated grips etc.....ABS would be nice but the bike I'm considering doesn't have it. Ok.....gotta admit...I'm basing my decision on looks first. Maybe not the smartest thing!

The '03 I'm looking at has had 4 owners, the last owner is deceased and the family is selling it on consignment thru a dealership. Has about 4700 miles on it. Dealership recently put on new tires, flushed cooling system and brakes. Oil filter and oil change.
Title History Florida 03/01/2024 000004488 Miles
Title History Florida 10/31/2022 000004357 Miles
Title History Florida 01/27/2022 000003645 Miles
Title History Florida 12/08/2021 000002985 Miles
Title History Florida 07/02/2021 000002905 Miles
Title History Florida 12/17/2012 000002863 Miles
Title History Colorado 11/05/2003 000000002 Mile
As you can see from the history and low mileage, it sat a lot. So my question is what things specifically should I be looking for? Hopefully the dealership is trustworthy about their assessment of the bike but I don't know them and so when I travel to go see the bike, I need to ask the right questions and have a good lookover myself.

Any advice is much appreciated, in the way of buying this older model vs a newer one, and what to look for in a bike that is this old and has obviously sat a lot. THANKS!

 

Unless you like the abrupt VTEC, I'd go with a newer year. There are a ton of Fbook most of the time, from old to newer.

Clean fuel tank. No leaking fluid systems (brake, coolant, oil, forks, shock). In general dealers do as little as possible, as poorly as possible, so i'd go over with with a fine toothed comb...or find a more traditional VFR owner who is selling.

 

thanks.....much appreciated

 

Dude, thanks for your input. Yeah, big question on why this bike was sold three times after the original purchase and ridden so sparsely. The Dealer in Miami, where it is on consignment, said the current owner, who recently died, was a collector. But I don't know how long he owned it. That would account for the low miles if he owned it for a long time and just kept it stored with his other bikes.

I just like the fuller fairing on the 6th gen vs 8th..Not a big difference but I like a fuller fairing, and I like the under seat dual exhaust.
Can that under seat dual exhaust be installed on an 8th gen?
Also, I read a post where a guy said he was all set to sell his 6th gen and buy an 8. Then he road an 8 and said he didn't like it as well because his knees were more bent, is the way he put it I think. I guess this means that on the 8 gen the pegs are a little higher?

Thanks again for your input guys

 

Keep in mind that there are very few riders. Most are people who own motorcycles. This wouldn't worry me at all and has little effect on the facts you will uncover by a thorough checkup. Heck, i've owned some of my own bikes more than once! LOL