Hi All- I just found this forum- you are so dedicated. I appreciate it!!!!
I am trying to decide between 2 bikes- Suzuki s40/savage.- old vs. new
The dealer here in Maine has a 2013 S40 left over stock with 30 mi. at $4000. I like it- LOVE the color.
The  biggest pro for me would be having a new bike and being able to ride a few years without (hopefully) mechanical failure.  In the past that didn't seem to hold me back, but I don't have much time to ride as it is and I don't want to loose that, tinkering with the bike. Even though I think this is a great deal, it is too much $ and I will have to take out a loan for that - doable- I have done it before for the BMW K75 I owned in the past.
I found a 2001 savage that has a few scratches and dent on the tank.  The R rear blinker has scratches and seems to be held in place by black tape.
The owner only has had it since April and been riding it to work. He got it from his buddy’s mom. It had been sitting a few years.  She had bought it from a dealer- used or new- I don't know.  
It rides very nice.  But it did stall on me twice downshifting and coming to a stop.  The guy called me later, he turned the idle up a little and seemed to take care of the problem. The other thing I noticed was a very faint high pitch sound just idling. He said the sound has been there since he owned it and thought it came from the muffler compressing the exhaust quite radically.  I see all these comments about mufflers and I forgot to take a picture of the bike- don't know if it is stock.  
It needs a new rear tire- pretty worn and the front looks a little cracked in the grooves.
He would take $1500 for it.  I got an estimate of around $600 from the Maine dealer to get the tires changed and an overall service, checking everything, IF nothing else turns up it should be good to go for this year and hopefully next.  IF other things need fixing- that would suck.
AND it is still a 15 year old bike with sealing’s and gaskets starting to get brittle and leaking.....
I know in the past I would have gone for the older bike- it might be age (52) or not enough time, I do want a reliable bike!
I do know that I would be so much more relaxed about the older bike, since it already has scratches.  I will not be upset should it get wet or if the garage is occupied that it might have to sit outside a few weeks.  I will get a cover.    
I feel like I have been out of the bike-word too long (12 years) to make a completely informed decision.
What do you think- old vs new?
IF you are still up for reading- I give you my history so you know where I am coming from:
Started to ride in 1997.
1981 Suzuki GS 450  put on close to 4000mi the first year.
1985 Yamaha Virago 700 - loved the looks and feel but had starter problems and got sick of it- got a 1995 BMW K75- loved the dependability and ride. But still liked the cruiser as well and got a 1987? Honda Shadow 700.   Loved it as well- great change of feel and position between the two bikes.
At that time I had a few mechanics I would go to and they loved to show me what they did, teach me about my bikes, but most of the services I would have them do.  
Had to sell the K75 in 2003 to pay the plumber-building a house....
And the Shadow went in 2004 as I got in a relationship where the partner was not into bikes- got a kayak instead.
But over the years I was temped a few times.
Seeing a 2006 Suzuki GZ250 for sale on our street corner got me thinking. I test drove it and decided it was way too small.  I tried a 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500, but it felt too bulky. Now I tried these 2 suzuki S40/Savage and think this is the right size, weight and power for me.

Yeah, good advice from JoG. It's good that you like this bike already because I have noticed that there are many almost new ones for sale which says to me that it attracts people due to it's romantic look, and it is a very fun bike to ride, but they either aren't really into riding bikes, or they don't really like it very much after a while.

Therefore you can basically get a new bike that has already lost it's $1500-2000 that it loses as it rolls out the showroom door.

Wow, I never thought about getting the price lowered from the dealer.  I just figured $4000 was already pretty good, since the bike was around $5800 new.
Thanks

Todd, I checked.  They seemed to all be in NH. But I saw a 2012 that is not clear where exactly it is- I dropped an email to find out.
Thanks
Antje

If you like the colour of the new bike, and the price is acceptable, go for it. You can always try some negotiation if you wish, remembering that some are better at this sort of thing than others. Just remember you will be negotiating with a professional negotiator. See if you can get some sort of warranty at no extra charge. At least get them to throw in the things that Verslagen mentioned, particularly a NEW battery if you decide to pay anything near the asking price.

Thanks a bunch for all the suggestions.
Yes, the new bike comes with the 1 year Suzuki warranty. and The dealer is going over the bike again.  Great idea to check about the battery.

And I just looked through all the 2500 Maine listings on cragslist- there were a few S40 hiding with different headings.... just wrote a few emails
The 2001 is deffinatly out of the running.
I'll post a picture of what I will eventually end up with

you know the new one is/will be, $4000 ,plus shipping ,assembly ,dealer pack ,tax title and on and on . if you can really put one in your garage for 4k with a warrentee   buy it.. a 2013 model are/is usually dealer used stock by now with no warrentee. he wants to get you back in the showroom   with your checkbook and a stiffy. fyi he is into that bike for at-least $4700 with all/any spiffs.i do like the orange black color.

JOG, if I ever buy anything, I must remember that "operating capital" ploy.