Modern Vespa

Hello, I've been reading this group for some time, educating myself on purchasing a not-so-modern Vespa.

If this question has already been answered I apologize.

My question is, how do you purchase a scooter that's a thousand miles away?

Do you hire a local shop to inspect it?
How do you resolve the possibility that the seller might stiff you?
Is there a shipper that's better for this kind of thing?

I bought mine without seeing it in person. It was up on eBay, then I found it again a few weeks later on CraigsList. Contacted the seller, he called me, and we talked scooters for about an hour. I asked a LOT of questions, and he had the answers to almost all of them. He told me the good, the bad, and the ugly. He told me it ran great, leaked some oil (don't they all after 35+ years?), was ridden regularly, had a kind of ok respray on the cowls, etc etc.

Basically, if someone can't give you the details of what's new, what needs replacing, and what's fine, then walk away. Anyone who doesn't know the details of their scoot isn't a seller I want to deal with. Even if they had a shop wrenching on it, they should be able to tell you why they did certain work, and why they chose certain parts.

My advice? Stay away from the perfect looking restorations, because sometimes it's too good to be true. Also, stay away from the projects/non-runners, because it's hard to evaluate that from a distance. Look for a runner, a scooter that has been ridden regularly recently, that is mostly ready to go.

As for transport, I used UShip, where I put out a request for transport and a few people bid on it. I chose a guy who just does motorcycles and cars and scooters, and he was very careful with my scoot, which was by far the cheapest thing on his truck. Some people have used HaulBikes.

As for getting it checked out by a shop, do your own research, pick your own shop, but remember that this is the seller going out of his way to bring it in, and expect to compensate the seller and definitely the shop.

One more thing... post pictures here. It's amazing what the wealth of knowledge here can find wrong with a scooter in a couple of simple pictures.

What models are you looking at?

For shipping I'd definitely use Denver James. He's a scooterist and does transport for many people in the scene. You can find him on FB under that name or PM me and I'll get you his number.

As for evaluating the scoot, as a novice your putting yourself in a difficult situation. I'd try and have someone I know locally inspect first. Where is the scoot located?

Cheers

Escondido eh? I'm in oceanside. Pics of the scooter and details if you got them. We can help you spot a lemon

I don't have a specific scooter in mind. But, I'm looking for a Sprint Veloce or a PX.
MJRally, I work in Carlsabd, are you free sometime to talk scooters?

There's a TON of P series scoots out there.... some of the newer 2005 PX150, and some nice old P200s and P125s

There is a guy in Fresno here selling a P125 upgraded to a 177??? Looks nice, but he's getting no action on it. Check the FOR SALE section....

I'm the Guy if Fresno and Yes, I am getting very few legitimate inquires, but I am also getting variations of the"I'll send you a check" scam. Here is a typical message:

Thank you for your response to my inquiry, I really want to make an instant purchase, I'm okay with the price, Please I hope it is in good condition ? Please kindly please take down the advert from Craigslist.com to avoid it from disturbance and other buyers, I would have love come to see you face to face before making purchase but I really don't have time to come over to take a look due to my schedule but you don't need to bother yourself with the delivery, I'll Take care of that by engaging the services of a shipper, Please be informed that I will be paying you with Bank Check and once you've receive and have the check deposit at your bank then I will arrange for the pick up at your preferred location. Please I will need the following details to mail the payment to you as soon as possible.

Full Name to write on the check
Full Physical address to post the check
City, State and Zip Code
Cell Phone to contact you
Last Amount:
Item Name

Please get back to me ASAP so that the payment will be mailed out to you ontime, then pick up will be arranged once you've got the check deposit. I'll be expecting your message soon.
Thanks


I usually tell them that they can pick up the scoot at 2323 Mariposa in downtown Fresno, which is the Fresno Police Headquarters building... I don't usually hear from them after that.

If I do finally sell my kitted P125 to an out of town buyer my local mechanic, Hotrod Al, says he can arrange shipping for me. You can probably ask your out of town seller to ask for shipping help with a local vespa machanic.

My craigs list ad is at http://fresno.craigslist.org/mcy/5658888100.html

If I were living anywhere near Fresno I'd be all over that scoot.

That's quite a spread. The Sprint first appeared in 1965 and variations of the PX are still made today. It seems you want a mid to newer shifty with 10" tires. Do you want ready to go, all systems rebuilt/refurbished/repaired pro style so you'll not expect to be working on it much or would you love an old barn find type w/ an OK motor that needs at least a lot of minor stuff sorted, but for half the money?

Unless you are somewhat experienced and willing to deal with small problems inherent in a 40 or 50 year old vehicle, you probably ought to concentrate on a newer PX model. If the older lines appeal to you, they are much the same under the skin w/ minor improvements to the motor & disk brake on the newer P series scooters.

As far as buying one from a distance, your best resources are here and you've already found MJRally. It's always best to see it yourself before you buy, but unless you know what to look for it's nice to have someone who knows Vespas advice. If you find a killer deal a state away, post it up w/pics for some knowledgeable opinions on the bike, maybe even someone close by willing to take a look . Can't you avoid being scammed by paying w/ PayPal or am I showing myself being out of date?



You simplest solution if you'd rather ride than wrench now that it's summer is just plan a trip to Fresno.
Check out a known good scoot w/ lo miles and nice upgrades already done for a good price.
Bonus: A nice 5 hour jaunt and you get to see Bakersfield.

I took a flyer and bought my P200 long distance off of E-Bay with the understanding that education, wisdom, and contentment all cost money. It's a pretty leak-free, 2-kick starter now, but it's had some fairly significant cash infusions to make it that way. It's still not cosmetically great, but it's a solid, low-mileage (<4K miles) working scooter. I wouldn't recover the fix-up costs selling it, but that's OK. Don't buy an old scooter if what you really need is cheap transportation.

Hi Larrytsg

About describing my P125 being upgraded to 177 , I agree that that is confusing. I actually had a DR180 kit installed and I understand that the actual size is 177, not 180... kinda like a 2x4 is only 1.5 x 3.5.

I used the smaller number in order to not oversell the product.

Hope that helps

Hi Charles 92027.

I just sent you a PM but I have been having trouble with PMs on this forum (PMS?). If you don't receive it, email me at jmdippel@sbcglobal.net

Bear - Sorry if I was confusing on describing your scoot, I just knew it was upgraded but my lazy ass decided to just guess at what kit you had installed, instead of actually fact-checking.

I know nothing about Polini, DR, Sito, Pincaso

But I know that your scoot looks like a good looking solid runner at a decent price. As a buyer I bet I could ride that scoot for a season or two without doing anything more than fluids and air in the tires.

Right you are Larrytsg... Hotrod Al has done a fine job upgrading and maintaining this one... and with less than 3000 miles on the kit, it should give solid, reliable service for some time to come.

Thanks everyone for the great advice.
I'm going to Fresno next week to pick up my scooter!

To add to the thread - we used FaceTime so we could talk and ask questions, while Fatbear5 was able to show me the details on camera. It worked out really well.

Adding to what Charles 92027 said, Yes, we had a very good transaction thanks in no small part to the members of the forum who added their suggestions regarding Research and Shipping. Good advice all around.

I would add too that as part of his research, Charles 92027 called Hotrod Al, who has done all the work on the scooter, and got all the pertinent information straight from the Mechanics mouth. I would also add that Al offered his continued tech support should Charles have any problems in future. Great guy!

Thanks to all who contributed to this transaction.