Modern Vespa

https://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/d/austin-2006-vespa-granturismo/6971545220.html

It's gonna need far, far more than "carb flush". But for $900, I'd go for it if I was in the market for a fixer-upper.

Definitely a bit of a project. But a lot of the same stuff you'd probably want to do on ANY 2006, regardless of how long it'd been in a garage: replace oils, flush/replace coolant, new spark plug, clean carb, new tires, new air filter, lube cables, etc. I say go for it!

Is it any good? Yes, it is. If you are going to work on it, plan on paying around $300 (and maybe more), on parts alone. If you are going to pay someone else to do the work, you could double that easily. I just picked up a GT200 myself for the same price, but I was lucky enough to have the owner throw in two tires, drive belt, rollers, etc... but I had to get it running properly. I would expect that to get picked up quickly.

You snoozed and you probably lost that great deal....Most 200's go for $2000 on up....
It probably needs tires....$200.....Fuel lines, $10......carb cleaner, $3, battery, $60......oil and filter, $15, a little gear oil, and put a few drops of oil on the cables, and you should be ready for the road.
I didn't see any big dents in the pictures, but the 2 tone paint worries me....Check for bondo, and body repairs, and see if the scoot rides straight.....

I responded to the ad Thursday, less than 24 hours after it was posted, but haven't heard back. If it's gonna happen, it will. Otherwise, life goes on.

Just purchased the same scooter with very low miles and running in tip top shape after major service. Paid $3k and possibly overpaid a bit, but couldn’t be happier.

From the ad I'd say the seller would be OK at $700.

If it was in VA, I'd offer $800, but happily pay the asking price and be happy to get it at that.

Definitely replace the brake fluid.

Great bike, easy to work on. Parts are easy to find and not that expensive. It'd be a deal at that price.

The owner probably got inundated with calls and texts from all over the place and is filtering thru them. Give him a call rather than a text if you are serious.

Unfortunately, the listing contains no other contact information. I've used the CL "Reply" function three times, and included my phone number in the replies, but haven't heard anything.

Either the lister sold it right away and hasn't pulled the ad, or the replies are going to Spam and he hasn't noticed, or it's a scam, or some such. No way to tell. I'll keep an eye on the listing to see if it changes.

If it does not work out, there is always another deal out there. Winter is the best time to pick up a scoot here when owners want to sell and cash out to pick up some funds for the holidays. But you never know. The GT200 I picked up was one I looked at and walked away form a few days after the add was up. Two weeks later, the guy was tired of getting jacked around and remembered me because I was respectful and thanked him for letting me look at it initially. He wanted to unload it quickly as he was going to pick up a GTS300. You'll find something, good luck on your search.

Finally heard from the guy with the GT200. We did the deal over the phone. I PayPal'd him a small deposit to hold the bike until I can go down to Austin Tuesday and pick it up.

Did an online scrub of the guy based on his contact info. Married couple, nice looking home, normal looking social media.

If I see anything gross, or the paperwork is hinky, I'll walk away. Otherwise, I've got my Winter project.

Thanks to all for the input. Photos and help requests surely to follow as the project unfolds.

Fantastic! Drain the old gas, drain the carb, put in new gas and battery and fire it up! Betcha it will run. Replace the gas/vacuum lines, give the rest of the bike a once over and ride until it's too cold. Then wrench.

I hear you.

Gotta rebuild my work platform-where did I put that plywood?

Went to Austin yesterday and picked up my next project. Pleasant woman, moving back to Portland, Oregon on Sunday so she was motivated to sell. Bumps and bruises, scrapes from being tied down incorrectly when they moved to Austin. Dent in the left leg shield edge and beading. Missing battery cover. Dirty underneath but no rust or chipped paint. Cream colored side paint is glossy and well applied, but you can see the green underneath where a strap appears to have rubbed through. Overall, looks like a solid machine. Haven't run it yet, though...

Nice! glad it worked out! I like the two tone paint job and the scratches just mean you do not need to spend the money on the cowl guards... I picked up a GT200 about a month ago and am in a similar situation, riding it until it gets too cold to ride and then will wrench on it.

You just snagged a fantastic scoot! Hopefully getting back on the road will be relatively straightforward with minimal curveballs thrown your way.

Looking great!! I’m glad that deal got done! I remember when you were having trouble getting a response. I reached out too thinking if I got a response I’d let you know. I finally got one after midnight over the weekend and figured she’d probably responded to everyone so I left it alone. Sure enough the next afternoon I checked here and you’d been on announcing the deal was sealed.

I check CL pretty regularly for good deals. Right now there’s a scam GTS300. It’s a 2010 for $1000 and it’s listed in both Houston and Dallas with different pictures.

Thanks! The PO told me she'd had over 20 inquiries the first day, but I was the most prolific and straightforward with my inquiries, and I provided my phone number, so she contacted me first. She said several of the replies were low ballers, people wanting to trade, sales pitches for VIN check services, etc. Scammers of every sort on CL, I suppose. I've seen that scam Vespa popping up periodically for over a year now, as well.

It'll be interesting to dig into a CV carburetor with an electric choke. Lots of Rube Goldberg engineering and tiny orifices. At least I can get parts if I need them, unlike the mid 80s Japanese bikes I've been rebuilding. Plus, the carb is right on top, and not buried in the middle of the frame. Here's a pic of the engine compartment.
Take care.

The right centerstand leg looks like it's missing something. Is it?

Thanks in advance.

I think you’re good. Here’s my ‘06 for comparison.

Thanks!

Down off the table today. Coolant, vacuum, and fuel lines replaced. Carb rebuilt. New iridium plug. New variator, air and oil filters. New fuel pump and fuel tap. Fresh gas and new battery. Ten seconds of cranking to prime the carb and it started right up and settled into a steady idle. Ran it twice, total of 45 minutes, to check for leaks. Fan cycles on just below 3/4 mark on the temp gauge. Engine revs freely after temp needle comes off the peg. Will do it again tomorrow and then button up the panels. Tires and suspension bushings next.

Sounds like the checklist has been completed. Time for lift off!! Congrats. Come back and let us know how sweet the ride is. I was just out in the GT200 and had forgotten how good it is. You’re gonna enjoy it.

The project is seeping coolant. Over an hour of run time on 4 separate days and dry as a bone. Then it sat for 3 days and I noticed coolant underneath. Seems to be coming from the gasket seam above the pipe in the pics, and dripping from there. It was not leaking while it sat for a month prior to the start of work.

Head gasket?

Is there an easy fix (re-torqueing the head bolts), or am I looking at dropping the engine for a new gasket?

Needs inspection and license plate, but otherwise finished. Zips up and down the street quite nicely.

Need to put some miles and hours on it now to decide if it's a keeper, or if I sell it and put the proceeds toward a 300.

Thanks for all the input!

What was leaking?

Best I could determine, it was the cylinder base gasket. There was a corrosion track that spanned the sealing surface at the bottom.

While I was in there, I replaced the head gasket and the stud o-rings.

Plus the oil ring, which I broke trying to put the base back on without a ring squeezer tool (which I subsequently purchased). The two top rings went into the cylinder very smoothly with finger squeezing, but that oil ring was a bear.

Oh, well. It was educational.

Sold the GT200 to a doctor from Dallas. He's already got a Scarabeo and has owned other scooters.

I purchased a friend's pristine 2006 Majesty (3700 miles) with the proceeds, thinking I'll do some light touring.

I expect to come back to Vespa in the future (they're just soooo curvy), with an eye to a used, late model GTS300 or HPE.

Take care and thanks for all the help.