A lot of dealers own little or none of their inventory, though. Instead they use a dealer "floor plan," which in essence is short-term financing of the inventory. If they sell in the first thirty days, all's well -- they make essentially what a cash buyer of the inventory would have made on the sale. After that, there's an interest payment made on each piece still on the floor. So scooter dealers will often run the numbers, and give a cash customer a much better deal on a bike that's been on the floor for six months or more, hoping to pocket a few hundred dollars or at least break even.
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