LAist: Misadventures in Buying a Vespa in Southern California

chris76

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:27:51 -0800

c/o Manchester - Yes, on the Buddy. You can pick up a Geniune Buddy at NoHo Scooters. A run on those as well as any other scooter, but a great warranty, and you'll be buying from a great local shop. Seriously, go Buddy.

WagonMonster

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:20:40 -0800

My Yamaha C3 is fuel injected

ericalm

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:20:17 -0800

Hey, I'm in that video! Vespas don't cost $7K. Out the door price for a LX150 was just over $5K when I got mine. A GTS 250ie is over $6K OTD, but that's a much different animal than a 125cc Vino or 50cc C3. It's fuel-injected and will top out around 90mph while a lot of the other scooters mentioned in the comments are 50cc models that top out at 45mph and aren't highway legal. While I'm a fan of many models of scooter, Vespas are well worth the money (IMHO). It's not just buying into a brand, though that plays into it a little for those who care about the history, nostalgic and aesthetic lure of the Vespa. I also own a Buddy 125 and run the biggest Buddy/Genuine forum on the net so I'm not just tooting the Vespa horn here. The quality of the Vespa is pretty much unparalleled and the monocoque steel frame gives it a solidity and balance most plastic-bodied scooter lack. Yes, Vespas have their issues and idiosyncrasies, but so do most luxury cars. But while you'll seldom hear people harping on someone for buying a Mercedes, Vespa owners get it a lot. The Aprilia Scarabeos are very nice; they're also made by Piaggio and use similar engines to the Vespas. The Scarabeo 500ie is as nice a maxiscooter you can find that still retains some classic scooter design without being overly "retro." aldo, I LOVE the C70 and there are tons of used ones around. SYM (in Taiwan) makes a C70 clone which may come to the US next year.

aldo

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:18:41 -0800

I'd love a scooter, but I really want the ubiquitous Honda C70, which they don't sell in the states :(.

Manchester

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:57:56 -0800

Do any readers love their Buddy scooter as much as I do? I agree with those above. Vespas are nice, but do look around at other makes like Yamaha Vino and Kymco People.

Caroline on Crack

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:55:08 -0800

I hear ya about Vespas being pricey. But I won a gift card for the Vespa LX 50 and just paid the difference to get the larger LX 150. So it was like buying the Vespa with a HUGE discount. BTW, has anyone ridden an Aprilia Scarabeo? Those fascinate me for some reason.

WagonMonster

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:39:19 -0800

I paid $2099, out the door, for my 2007 Yamaha C3, and I ride it to work every day.

phdiaz

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:20:31 -0800

I did the same, I bought a $2K Yamaha Vino in 2001 (which is now called the Vino Classic) which was $5K less than a Vespa, and much cooler looking. Not as fast though...but the newer ones are, and they are still only about $2K.

Will Campbell

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:16:54 -0800

Since I'm biking so much more than driving nowadays, our ultimate transpo plan in the next year or so is to go from a two-vehicle household to one that's 1 vehicle/1 scooter. But I'm with WagonMonster, I'm gonna look at other makes because Vespas seem terrifically overpriced (even if you find a cool and fair dealership).

WagonMonster

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:48:11 -0800

Or, you can do what I did, and buy a Yamaha.

kimsoner818

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:35:38 -0800

vespas are cool but any idea where you can buy a derny in los angeles?