Modern Vespa

Reread post one. The dealer is selling for 7700. The rest is govt stuff and freight home for the buyer.

Sherman Oaks? If you're having it shipped why limit yourself to a local dealer?

Nifty Kawasaki KLR 650 located in Marathon for $3900 with detachable cases. Great bike if you ask me and closer to Key West:

https://keys.craigslist.org/mcy/d/kawasaki-klr-650/6575250184.html

w.

Not sure what taxes are like in Florida but I picked up a brand new 2016 GTS 300 Super Sport from a dealership in Montreal(I'm in Toronto) last September. I got a great deal because Piaggio Canada did not bother bringing 2017s at all into Canada because they had a surplus of 2016s. The dealer I bought from had them for $5995 plus 13% tax. I paid an extra $798 for freight and PDI and then $300 to ship it from one province to another(about 650km). So all in I was at $7200CDN.

Reread it again. The $600, $298, and $220 fees they are charging are not government fees and are negotiable. MSRP is also negotiable.

I know people want what they want and to each their own, but, my opinion is that $9K is just crazy for a Vespa. And I love my Vespa, I'm not knocking the brand.

eh... Miami is about 3 hours from Key west. Ft lauderdale another 40 minutes north...

There are loads of transport services via Uship you can knock some $$$ off.

And if you've got your heart set on a Vespa GTS, you are going to love a Kawasaki KLR650.
There's also a Yamaha upright piano on the same craigslist, and it's a Yamaha.
The OP could save even more money and learn to play the piano. The Yamaha piano.

full disclosure- I'm not a big fan of the Kawasaki KLR 650, and don't see it as the next logical choice if I suddenly decide I don't want to ride the Vespa anymore. It's the bike I would pick if it was between the Kawasaki KLR650 and an Electric Honda Hero though

The OP offered price and location as obstacles in buying a new Vespa. As others have pointed out $9k is a big ask for this OP who is looking for something a little bigger. I love my Vespa but also own a motorcycle. To me a sub 4k Kawasaki closer to home with removable hard cases is something I'd be interested in if I lived in the keys.

Still willing to ride a Vespa down from Miami if that would help this guy out but I don't appreciate the sarcasm here. Only pointing out that there are options out there. Tapping out of this one before it turns.

w.

. True but i was referring to tbe sales tax, filing fees, licensing and additional freight, none of which is under dealer control unless he decides to waive the fees as part of the deal and absorb the cost. The freight to key west is another issue. Good conversation.

So then, if everyone took your advice starting today you would not have a used scooter to buy in a few years. So you better thank those of us that are willing to put out the " ridiculous" amounts to buy a new one so you can buy a used one down the road.
You damn well better hope everyone doesn't start taking your advice too.

Everything between seller and buyer is negotiable. Even sales tax. A % of that could be reduced in any deal, but of course, the state will still get it's full % from the dealer.

$220 documentation fee is way too high. $100 is more customary, and that's with a trip to the DMV. All the dealer really needs to do is supply a Title and a receipt. The scooter will be shipped, so it doesn't need to be registered at the time of sale. The buyer could register it himself when the scooter arrives. If it were an out of state purchase, it certainly wouldn't be registered first.

Some dealers are weird that way, though. When I bought a Honda CB1100, They started out with a $200 DOC fee. I didn't want to pay ANY DOC fee. We negotiated that down to $100, but they said there HAD TO be a DOC fee line charge on the sheet. So he left that $100 there, and took another $100 off the agreed on price. Go figure.

Charging extra for things that need to be done anyway in every sale is gouging. It'd be like going to your local coffee shop and buying a $1.75 cup of coffee and then being charged 15c extra for the cup, 10c for the lid, 5c for the paper bag, and 5c for the shipping cost that the coffee shop paid for delivery of the cup, lid, and bag.

I agree that since the buyer is willing to do a long distance purchase, he needs to call several dealers and get the best deal he can. And have a price in your mind you're willing to pay and ask them all- "What's your bottom line out the door price on this scooter?" Of course, shipping, if needed is extra.

I hope you've cancelled that credit card since then.

When I was pricing new Vespas I was shocked by all of the added costs. Fortunately I wasn't a serious buyer. I don't think you're getting bamboozled, but I also think the costs are a bit absurd. My suggestion is to keep riding the 150 until you find a great deal on slightly used Vespa, somewhere closer, and where somebody else ate those costs.

That $100, they get it from you somewhere. I use to sell cars and then worked in service and parts dept. If you screw sales, they will get even more money out of you in serive for being what sales person calls a "Maggot" for taking money out off the sales persons pocket.

Your not taking money out of the counter persons pocket at a coffie shop.

You want to buy from a salesman that doesn't work on commision, buy from damn Cars Max and get their POS cars.

What costs. Shipping? Piaggio prices are right in line, try shipping a scooter.

Dealer prep? They have to have some one pull the scooter out of the crate and prep it. That takes a building they have to pay for to store and prep the scooter. That is covering the show room cost too. Someone has to pay interest on the loan they used to buy the scooter from Piaggio.

Love how people that don't have even a little clue how much it costs to run a dealership are such experts. And then complain because there isn't a dealer near them

Agree totally.

WEB-Tech,

They didn't get that $100 from me somewhere else. I told them my bottom line OTD price I would pay right then, they said they couldn't meet me there. The salesman even checked with the sales manager and came back and said no. The salesman wasn't too sharp. I pushed back my chair, thanked him, shook his hand and walked toward the door. The sales manager saw me walking away and came over. He was ready to let me walk, he just came over to say goodbye and thanks for stopping in. I told him I was going to visit other dealers and that it was a shame since we were only $100 apart. He seemed surprised and also annoyed with the salesman and said he'd take care of it, grabbed the offer sheet and wrote that last $100 away. I bought the bike on the spot.

You seem to think that we should gladly bend over and take what the dealers offer just because it costs a lot to run a dealership. If a dealer can't make ends meet being fair to the buyer, then they should maybe open a Starbucks instead. WE are the customer and it's OUR hard earned money we are looking to spend.

And w/r/t dealer prep, we all know it's some 16 yr. old they pay $9/hr to that does the uncrating and the prep.

It is a shame you have such a poor view of dealers. Let's us just cut them all to the bone and drive them out of business. Then we can all bemoan the fact that we can no longer buy a new Vespa in this country. As time goes on and many models are extinct, we can marvel at the fact that antique Vespas sell for what we could have had a new one for before the dealers all folded up.

seems high... when i ordered my lx in 2010 (2011 model) my dealer charged me $100 for shipping. i did have to pick up myself from dealer about 110 miles away, no problem. prep charges? they un- crate it and screw on the mirrors and do a once over and make sure it runs. i live in michigan and purchased from a wisconsin dealer so did not have to pay any taxes or title at time of pick up. of course did have to pay to state of michigan. you might be able to work a little better deal.

Remember that was 7 years ago. Costs change.

No, just don't be a maggot, which you 100% were by a dealer deffinition. And if you ever went back for service I bet they got that back
So nice to have the NOTES section under Customer info in the computer and we had a code for "MAGGOT".
They need to make money too.

[quote="Vintage1

And w/r/t dealer prep, we all know it's some 16 yr. old they pay $9/hr to that does the uncrating and the prep.[/quote]

And at most dealers you would be wrong, they can afford to hire kids these dayds because evberyone want to beat the last guy in price.
You just don't get it and never will guy.

I completely "get" the cost of doing business,--I've insured many auto dealerships. but....

what I don't get-is the superior attitude that can be encountered by the sales staff/mgr/whoever.

There might be a code for "maggot" but there is also a code for the obnoxious dealership/staff that is bored, lied on the phone, keeps asking if i'm going to put a deposit down on a bike that is not present, and offers little to no information.

That code would be "no sale". I vote with my feet and my pocketbook.

I realize that to many of those people in sales...scooters are "for millennials". but guess what, that's not true. as an older person (53) i'm far more likely to plunk down that 8300 for a new scoot (figuring shipping, dealer prep and tax) In college I worked in a tack shop (horse gear-saddles, etc) and what you know as a horse person... the customer with the most cash may well be in stained jeans and cruddy boots. it pays to be polite and courteous to all.

So, if i'm going to be viewed as a maggot and not be given the time of day...yeah. there's other places to spend the bucks.

Going into a dealership and knowing more about the product than thecsakesprrson is depressing. I never ask questions. I have google.

Going into a dealership and knowing more about the product than the salesperson is depressing. I never ask questions nowadays.

Sigh...sounds too much like my old dealer in these parts, which is why I'm thrilled not to have to deal with them any more. The new dealer closer to me couldn't be more different. I managed to get the ear of a Piaggio rep at an open-house event at this dealer's last weekend, and gave him an earful about how off-putting the old dealer was, and how I ended up buying my GTS almost in spite of their indifference, and how, based on what you and others here have experienced, isn't exactly an isolated issue. He seemed to get the message...and I might get to repeat this in-person to the big cheese at Piaggio in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

F long ago. Like i said in another post, i tend to lose things.

Doesn't Greyhound or another commercial bus company have a route down there?

I had to leave my scooter at the dealer in New Orleans while taking a trip to DC last year. I trailered it down and brought the trailer, a U-Haul, back empty to return. when I got back from DC I took Greyhound to New Orleans and rode it back home.

True, I might not look all that fancy but I just wrote a cheque for my 2017 GTV when I bought it with all the add-ons without thinking twice about it. The Piaggio dealer has always been great to me though and we've since gotten to know each other pretty well. BMW on the other hand has been less of a joy....

It does seem a bit high but their are probably reasons for that ,so who am i to question them. That said Bald Wasp has offered to ride it down for you. sounds like a great offer. I bought my LX out of state. He came from Vespa Santa Barbra. The dealer here was outrageous. It's primarily a Harley dealer that sells Vespa's. Harley people don't like them either but it's the only one here, so they live with it. They were clueless and only had a black one, '07 was a year with many colors. I guess some people like black but mot me. The dealer has a branch on Maui and they wanted to charge me to bring it over. I saved on taxes because it was bought out of state. Buying it and having it shipped to my door saved me over $1500!

As far as buying used I fully agree with the few (one?) posts that some of us need to buy new otherwise exactly where are you getting your used ones from? I believe this site is called Modern Vespa? There wouldn't be very many modern ones if no one bought any. If you want to save money you could buy a shiny brand new Vino or Rukus. When I was young sure I bought used but cash was tight. But then again for a lot of the time I rode there were no new Vespa's available in North America. It'd be a shame to go back too those days. Some of us like new things and prefer to break in our own engines and know EXACTLY where the bike has been and the history of it. Buying used isn't all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Nothing against those that do but don't bash on those of us that buy new either.

The upshot of all this is: It's Complicated. When I started making my way back to motorized two-wheeling (after my beloved talked me into getting a scooter rather than a moto), I started off looking for a used GTS, to little avail: at the time, four out of five GTS' I found on good ol' Craigslist had salvage titles, and the fifth...usually looked like it should have a salvage title. (This ties into my theory about Vespa ownership in general: more often than not, people either keep them - even if they stop riding them - or wreck them, hence the seeming boom-market in salvage-title examples. We ended up spending the difference to get me a new one. I was somewhat lucky to snag a floor model with about 90 miles, and got the dealer to shave some bucks off. All in all, stuff worked out.

I looked at 2 solid GTSs two week ago that Vespa Marietta Georgia were offering at good prices. They had a white one with too many Italian decals and a clean black one. The white one was selling for a mid 3k handle and the black one, which was a little nicer was around mid 3k I think. Even with shipping these are a good deal. Neither had what I'd call "alot" of miles and the only defects I saw were some fairly minor blemishes.

UPDATE. Black one sold. The white one is $3700 with only 1200 miles on it.

w.

Exactly. When I went to pick up the Honda, the salesman wanted to do the walk-around for the new buyer (me). I waved him off and got on the bike and rode home after he started off the talk and immediately not being able to figure out how to open the seat.

So, by trying to get the best deal possible, I was a "maggot"?
Thank you for proving my point and reinforcing my opinion of some dealers.

Any dealer that would have the nerve to label a CUSTOMER a maggot deserves to fold.

Preach!

Could not agree more.

This IS! one decidedly weird thread? From start to finish...

Threads like this are always entertaining, because they go down so many rabbit holes and never really get back to what the original post was about. What I have observed is that people who feel obligated to warn the public at large how much less a bike is worth than what someone else is asking are usually the ones who have the crazy money ads on CL trying to sell their own stuff for about what it cost new.
The suggestions to buy other stuff that has little in common with what the original poster wants are always entertaining. A lot of effort was spent trying to keep that dealer from selling a bike.

You do know that the OP titled this thread
"Am I getting bamboozled on price?"

So it is completely appropriate if people post that they feel they would not pay that price.

And, of course, people are also free to post that it's a great price, go buy it.

Nothing personal against the dealer. Dealers will get what the market allows.
which = What people are willing to pay.

I am wondering if Vespas sell on credit in large proportion-as do all other vehicles? With cars & trucks the typical buyer couldn't tell you what they really paid for their latest buy. Not talking about are they smart or not, just that between the trade-in factor, add-ons, interest factors of the trade and new buy they really don't know and couldn't calculate it either plus they don't even care.
What does matter is that it has enough techno baubles to make it interesting to them or that it's green enough, etc..Read some modern car reviews and the cooments are all about gizmos, the "look", basically none about the actual handling and so on.
If one lives in KW FL they are sort of (a huge sort of!) like me/us in that you must go after some items as they are not procured neatly at hand.
Honestly I feel the OP is kind of gutsy to make the original post.