Modern Vespa

Anybody out there gone to Pontedero, Italy to buy a scoot and bring it back to the the States?

To the best of my knowledge, Piaggio does not sell scooters direct from the factory. The second problem would be getting a non-US spec scooter through Customs, EPA and DOT into the US. If you bought a 20 - 25 year old Vespa in Italy, that would be much easier to bring back to the US.

Al

with the euro being so high and shipping... is it even advantageous to ship a vespa from europe? it seems the with the bad economy in the US, a lot of people are selling off not just scooters, but cars, guns, guitars... everything. it seems like a buyers market in the US right now.

I am shipping some stuff from NY this month, I was considering shipping a vespa gts300 from NY. As it was stated, dollar is so low at the moment it that is what pays for us Europeans. I got my self a car in NY and almost a vespa.

I bought a scooter from an Italian dealer and shipped it to Tortola and it was definitely cheaper than buying it from the dealer in St. Maarten.

In fact, I paid about the same amount for my new 2008, LX125 (including shipping from St. Maarten) with no accessories as I did for a new, 2009 LX125 with fuel injection plus a lot of accessories (installed by the dealer), several spare parts and including shipping costs from Italy!

However, as Eric mentioned, you'd not have a U.S. spec scooter and that would likely cause some problems at customs for you. For me, it was no problem as we don't have any requirements to worry about here.

Liane-

What currency do you live on? With the Euro currently at $1.45, buying a Vespa in dollars equivalent in Italy is no bargain. Add a couple of hundred $$$ for shipping. Then there's the cost of compliance with US DOT & EPA requirements, even if it's only a technical inspection by an approved agent. Last would be any US duties and taxes, if there are any.

Al