Modern Vespa

I am thinking of getting a bigger bike than my 06' LX 150...either a GT200 or GTS250...I have seen GT200's used easily for $4,000 area and used 250's depending where as low as $4,800 (with less than 2K miles). I have heard that the 190 kit and a windscreen will help pickup(torque) and top speed a lot but also heard that when it comes time to resell the bike, you get less for it because it isn't an original,stock bike. First, is this true? Second, it will cost me about $400 for the kit and another $200 or so to install it at my dealer. Should I just give up on the idea of getting a kit installed and upgrade? Opinions please. I also don't know how safe it is if there is a major increase in pickup and top end cruising on the 10" and 11" wheels compared to the bigger bikes which are designed to handle 75-80 MPH with the 12" wheels.

I owned an LX150 Kitted to 190.

At the same time I owned a GT-60 about the same as the GTS250.

IMHO dont waste your time on the kit. Sell your scooter and roll that money into the GTS250.

Now you can jump on the highway...
Bigger is Better~

In my experience with cars, "performance mods" add next-to-zero to the value when it comes time to sell, and if anything, they do in fact hurt. People like stock for 2 reasons:

1) They plan on modding the hell out of it themselves, and want a clean slate to start with - no chance for a "bodge job" from the previous owner...no surprises.

2) They want a vehicle that is bone stock to keep bone stock - they're not into modding.

After having been a modder with my cars for 2 or 3 cars straight now (and paying the price at resale), I'm keeping my LX stock and only adding bolt-on "cosmetic" stuff like crashbars, topcase, etc. No engine mods for me.

Like wierd bastard said, save your money and roll it into the bigger bike that you want. As for the question though, I think once you ride these new bikes off the lot, the value drops no matter what. There's just too many riders out there that buy these things, put 600 miles on them, then sell them three years later for next to nothing.

Hey mines is kitted out and about town it flies. It will do 68mph flat out. But if your worried about resale value already you might as well go back to the stoneage. Sorry but everything looses money and you may get more with a kit or less. Something is only worth what others are willing to pay for it. In my opinion its a brill wee kit.

Save your money. Someone else asked the same question you did this morning.

Bottom line is no matter what you invest in upgrades, you're never going to see it back at resale.

You can put all the upgrades on the market on your bike. Unless you fundamentally alter the final drive ratio, it's not going to go any faster than stock.....

First of all, I will not lose money on my 06' LX 150. I bought it in mid May this year with rear topcase, two Helmets (one of them a Vespa helmet). It only had 102 miles on it at time I purchased it for $2,700 dollars. The plum paint looked brand new and still does. I now have 625 miles on it. My local dealer said it's worth at least $3,000 so as for resale, I think I'm okay. I could probably drive it for another year or two and get at least what I paid for it. I do agree and think going with a bigger bike is the way to go. Hate to part with the plum color...wish they made it in the GTS. I think it's true what one person posted. It's all about buying them right. Get one from someone who thought it would be cool to own a Vespa and never had the time to ride it and steal it at a great price. The only thing you have to be careful of is how long it sat without being started once in awhile. Hmmm...sell mine for 3,500-3,800, buy the new one for about 4,500...original cost 2,700...it's like getting a GTS for a net total cost of...3,700 if I sell mine for 3,500...Not too bad!!!

If you think you can sell a used, 2 year old LX150 for $3500-3800.00, you're going to be waiting for the right buyer for a LOOONG time...

You could probably still get $2700.00 out of it if you were to sell it outright. A dealer is likely going to offer around $2400.00 in trade.

But... The longer you hold on to it, the less it will be worth when it comes time to trade it.

Adding custom options like a windscreen or chrome will not increase its resale value either.

Yes, I do think $3,500 for a 2 year old LX 150 is not unreasonable. I see ET4's (which are at least 3 years old by now) advertised and sell for $3,000 and some higher. I'm not saying you would buy it for that much or I would, but, sometimes a purchaser's decision isn't based solely on price alone. When someone goes to get a new one and realizes that with all the shipping and put together fees, a $4,300 LX 150 is really over $5,000 coplete, they may buy one two years old for $1,500 less. And, sometimes people will buy one locally used instead of online because they can see it and try it first (and no shipping fee). So, if someone locally was interested, it would sell. I think getting the GTS for under $5,000 in great shape is a bigger bargain. 2002 Vespa Et4 (only 67 miles) sold for $3,800 recently (item number 300145487760 ). Maybe a little high...maybe it sells for 3,200...still a small difference for a much more powerful bike...really need to get the GTS power.

I put a few thousand $$ in mods on my WRX and have no expectations to get them back at resale. I expect them to make the car worth less. That's not why I did them. I did them because the car is a blast to drive with them. That, to me, is worth the extra cost and loss at resale.

I put a couple thousand $$ in mods on my LX150 and have no expectations to get them back at resale. I expect them to make the scoot worth less. That's not why I did them. I did them because the scoot is a blast to ride with them. (despite Scrapirons oft repeated insistence to the contrary.) That, to me, is worth the extra cost and loss at resale.

Many dealers will sell you a new 2007 LX150 otd for $3800 now. A used red 2006 LX150 went on eBay last week for $2500. That being said all you need is one buyer who wants your bike.

I have a kitted Et4 and love the extra torque and acceleration. It really is a blast to ride. Of course, I also bought it used so didn't mind sinking some money into it... part of the fun I guess.

I really like the asthetic of the ET4, the curvy lines and oval headlamp. So, I'll hang onto it for a few years and likely give it to my daughter when she goes to college. You can see in the forum that there are still a lot of very dedicated ET4 owners, and LX owners, and GT, etc.

The GTS, the Scarabeo, Piaggio BV, and other Tiawanese bikes offer faster, bigger, reliability and diverse styles in the 200 and 250 and up engine size. The Tiawanese bikes are arguably better and cost about 4 grand brand new.

But, Vespa will always hold a passion that the others just can't rival, IMHO.