Modern Vespa

New to the Forum. Thanks for letting me in.
I need a little purchasing advice.

I once owned a 1980 P200E in a previous life (wish I still had it), so understand the joy of riding a scooter. Now after a 30+ year hiatus, The Vespa bug has hit me hard. Not being able to justify the expense of a new Vespa, I believe the scooter I'm wanting to settle on is a used GTS 250 and have one in sight locally.

It is a 2006 GTS250ie, Cherry Red, Cosmetically flawless. 3350 miles, Asking price is $2600. Extras are: a midsize windshield, pretty new tires, a Leo Vince 4road muffler coupled with a Super Corsa Racing Power Booster to work with the 3rd party muffler. KBB value shows $2800

Before you say, snatch it up, here are some of the things I'm nervous about. Does age matter? It's pretty low mileage, but at that age, that means it has sat in a garage for years unridden. Good or Bad? The engine sounds good but does have a little bit of a what I would call a clicking noise to it at idle, if I was to guess is coming from the belt or clutch area. I'm just guessing. Something I should worry about? I plan to try and do all or most of the maintenance myself so I don't want to get too over my head DIY wise or expense wise. The engine is also a bit dirty IMO so it is hard to see if any seals are leaking or not. The person selling the scoot also said it occasionally experiences a vapor lock symptom after it has been ridding a while and the engine is warm. I didn't experience that when I test road it. I asked a shop about it and they said it is more then likely a fuel pump that needs replacing. I asked them about the engine clicking noise but fortunately or unfortunately, the 7 miles I road it to the shop I guess warmed it up enough that the clicking noise wasn't happening. They weren't too concerned about it. One last rub on this scoot. It has an after market exhaust (4Road) which in my opinion, I would rather have a more quiet original pipe sound. It's not TOO loud, but loud for my taste. I've done some research on purchasing a new or used original pipe and they seem to be hard to come by for some reason and a bit on the pricey side. Am I making too big of a deal about it?

Sorry about the long post. Don't throw me under the bus too much for being a newbie, but I'm interested in your advise. Should I snatch it up? Or keep waiting.

Just my opinion, which can be easily outdone by a great number of people here:

If the scooter is close to you and close to a reputable Vespa mechanic, it might be worth paying a nominal fee for said mechanic to go through it and tell you its current shape and what it would need to be road ready. Not sure how much that would cost, but it would certainly be a good investment to alleviate any worries about it.

The most common answers for an older bike that's sat around for a bit is gas and rubber. Rubber rots, so replace hoses, tires, etc. and check the gas tank and fuel line, etc. A good mechanic would check that and more.

Good luck!

I would say it sounds like a good scoot (without seeing it of course). You shouldn't be concerned about the age other than for the rubber bits. The tires might be a concern. In all, I think you should trust your gut. Worst case scenario, you may need a new exhaust, new tires, and a new fuel pump.

The vapor lock might be from an evaporator unit. I am not certain when those began being installed but they do have symptoms similar to vapor lock. Basically, your bike gets hot and it stalls. You can and should remove it and it should eliminate the issue.

My thoughts are, step back and take dmpawley's advice. Take it to a Vespa mechanic and have them put it on a computer. Make certain they check it all out and then make the decision.

The clicking noise sounds like the pulleys need to be replaced in the variator. They can chatter when on their way out. (Although they chatter a bit anyway).

Parallel lives -- the only difference was that I had a P200 (no e) and it was 34 year ago, not 30...and nearly exactly a year ago I wound up with 2006 GT200 with 8,000 miles and an asking price of $2,500.

I will say that my engine was kept clean, however.

So, yeah, I'd totally have bought it.

And then, based on the advice I got here I installed new tires, new belt/rollers, fuel filter and lines, some other minor stuff...

...and then proceeded to pile on 8,000 more trouble free miles, only occasionally wishing I had the additional power of the larger 250 motor.

Oh, and (again!) the same issue with the exhaust: I just waited until a used stock pipe showed up here and snagged it and sold my aftermarket one here, as well...and it should be easier to do that for your bike than for mine. Just be patient and dutifully haunt the For Sale section.

I think you mean the rollers. But yeah, they will make a little racket even when new. Just part of the Modern Vespa sound.

Wow, we did have parallel vespa lives tdrake. Amazing. Who knows, it could have been 34 years ago that I had my P200e. And it sounds like your 2006 GT200 has worked out well for you. That makes me feel good.

Thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate the advice. I'm feeling more confident in this purchase. If the seller hasn't sold yet, the Vespa community may have a new brother on the road soon. Me! I'm excited.

Again, thanks for the quick responses. I'm feeling the love.

Good luck on your decision and welcome to the forum.

Yes I do! Thank you for correcting me, I don't know why I said pulleys.

You said pulleys because you've read too many references to Dr. Pulley rollers or sliders. I do it too.

In late 2015, I bought a 2008 GTS250 with 300 miles on it. So I know that it sat for a long time.

Changed out the belt and tires, did an oil change and gear oil change, flushed and changed the coolant and any old gasoline.

I have since put over 10K miles on it and will be replacing belt, rollers and rear tire very soon. I check the hoses periodically, but none have needed to be replaced.

I would say to do a thorough inspection underneath and pull out the underseat bucket and poke around. Check all hoses and wiring for any damage. Take a flashlight with you, and if satisfied go ahead and buy it.

Hoses should be checked, but they're easy to replace.

The Vapor Lock definitely sounds like the Evap is clogged. My 2008 exhibited the same symptoms. I finally bypassed the system and never had another problem.

Change the Oil. Change the gearbox oil. Change out the coolant. Change the Brake Fluid.

If you don't know the age and history of the Belt and Rollers, change them out as well.

Factor all that into the price.

I think it sounds ok from here.

P.