Modern Vespa

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the forum and while I'm currently enjoying my Genuine Stella, I am interested in purchasing a new 300 GTS HPE a year or so down the road.

I used the search function and really didn't see anything regarding selecting a dealer when buying a new bike, so please bear with me.

As we all know, the Vespa community is often challenged with local dealers that provide sub-standard service and support, while really great dealers are hours (or perhaps days) away.

While it is best to support your local dealer (or risk having them disappear), the $7.5k price tag of a new Vespa makes me reluctant to work with my local dealership. (It's actually hard to even visit the shop, as they aren't knowledgeable, think Vespas are overpriced and try to sell you something else)

At the same time, buying from a dealer like Vespa Motorsport in San Diego seems like a slam-dunk as far a customer experience, but two days each way to address any warranty issues puts that method of buying in question as well.

What does the group think about the best way to buy a new Vespa? Go local and take your chances or travel and hope that you don't have any problems that require taking it to the shop?

Perhaps a hybrid plan of buying a the best shop and then using local service if I do have a warranty problem?

Who knows?

Thanks for any insight or experiences. I have to imagine that this problem impacts Vespa sales here in the States. A good relationship with your local dealer is key, but so often having a great dealer close by isn't an option!


Steffan

Hi. Welcome.
A Vespa dealer can not refuse to work on a Vespa under warranty because you didn't buy from them. It's addressed in federal law.

They can give priority to scheduling service appointments to customer A over customer B but, the USA isn't so saturated with Vespas that that would be a major issue IMO.

Buying out of state, you probably need to figure at least $500 extra to ship it to you.

At the rate we're already losing dealers I wouldn't buy just to establish a long term relationship with a local dealer because they may not be around that long.

Its your hard earned money so go with what's best for you financially. But if after figuring shipping, and my local dealer was close in price to an out of state one, I'd buy from the local guy.

I pretty much agree with everything but one point above.
With regard to scheduling, just because Vespas don't saturate the market doesn't mean you can get an appointment. That same dealer sells other brands and other sorts of vehicles, so ANY of their other customers may take precedence.

I don't see much of a difference, pricewise, between Vespa ABQ and Vespa Moto. Buy it in Albuquerque, you pay all the fees and taxes. Buy in San Diego, you pay the fees, then pay the taxes once you get home. I say buy local.

Welcome
If you're in no hurry, wait for a used HPE to show up next spring. Still has a year left on the warranty. You will save a ton if someone not dedicated to riding buys one and decides they don't like riding.

I'd purchase locally to establish and good relationship. With Vespa service needs, you'll may want to be on very good terms with your local dealer.

I thought about adding the same advice. In many parts of the country riding season will be ending in a month. I've always bought used no matter what scooter or motorcycle I was buying. Let someone else ride it out of the dealership and take the 30% depreciation hit. With a little patience I've always found a bike with between 400 and 2K miles at 30% to 40% off MSRP.

I love the rationale of buying used, but in my experience, it compounds the complexity of the transaction, starting with the sheer volume of time and research it takes to find, track and eventually view/evaluate a potential "target" of your search.

Not exactly a needle in a haystack, but Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, CycleTrader, etc., can suck huge chunks of time out of your day/week and sometimes lead to nowhere.

The lucky turn of events will have a new Vespa owner return it to the dealership for another scooter, a smaller one or what have you (which happened here in KC with a nice GTS 300 with 134 miles on it), but that's truly more luck than anything else.

I'm not saying to not pursue a used opportunity, but keep track of the time you spend on it and decide when you've burned enough of your own hours to have passed the break-even point. Your time is worth something, after all.

The time I spend looking is online and in my spare "surfing the net time" that I'd be playing around on the 'puter anyway. And the amount of money saved is fully worth it.

You'd be surprised how fast I can do a transaction when I'm motivated.
Saw my Vespa on an out of state dealer website while I was at home, but had to leave to be somewhere. Called the dealer from my truck driving an interstate highway (hands free) talked price, agreed, and called him back from a service area and gave him my CC info for a deposit. When I returned home from my trip, I hitched the trailer up and drove 140 miles to buy it.

I'd say go local if you're going to buy the HPE. They are super nice and there is a lot good feeling happening when you roll that shiny new unblemished toy out. Keep in mind that $7.5K is going to be about $9K once they tack on the extra fees and tax.

A used GTS can be had for 40-50% of that and an extra $4500 in your pocket can feel very nice!!

I'm intrigued what question you ask your local dealer that he doesn't know the answer to?

I'm in the buy local camp. If only for ease of getting work done etc.

Local dealer has to pay more for shipment than a dealer nearer the port of entry?

I would say find the best price you can. Factor in the cost of shipment to you then ask the local dealer if he can match your price?

As has been said wait for a used one to show up.

I just bought an HPE and I did not buy from the local dealer -- s/he does not keep any Vespa inventory on hand so whether or not s/he is knowledgeable about Vespas or can do a good job servicing Vespas was immaterial as I wanted to be able to ride one before making my purchase decision.

If they did keep Vespas in stock, whether I purchased there would have been determined by which models they had in stock. I'm rather particular.

I ended up driving about 150 miles away to a dealer who told me they didn't have the model I wanted but did have 2 or 3 other things I wanted to look at and meanwhile I could test ride the sister engine to the model I really wanted. My great good luck, when I showed up, they managed to get my target model onto the lot some minutes before I arrived. The shipper was still unloading great big boxes of scooters as I parked and my scooter was dripping bubbles as I walked past it.

You can not exceed the speed limit. It's addressed in state law.
By the time the Feds get around to sending out their top field agents to investigate, the bike you bought somewhere else will be out of warranty, even though it's still sitting in the service department at the dealership, "waiting for parts," someone "forgot" to order, and you'll have posted at least fifteen times asking if anyone wants to join you in a class action suit, and/or knows a good lawyer for this kind of thing. You will have figured out that Piaggio has as much support at most dealerships as the dealerships get from Piaggio after you call and ask them to make the dealership fix your bike.
A lot can change in the two years between now and the time the OP thinks he might be interested in possibly buying a new bike. OTOH, usually when someone starts talking like that, they are about a month away.
Keep riding that Stella, that will put you in the market a lot sooner than you think. And if you do want to buy somewhere else, don't go in a bunch of times and stroke the salespeople for hours then show up one day on a brand new bike you bought somewhere else and expect them to be happy to see you.

When i read your posts and see that many of you are many miles away from the dealer i am amazed.
Perhaps because Italy is small and therefore to go to a dealer in another city, they do not make more than a few kilometers; for example i live am "alone" 38 miles from Rome and my city has more than 300,000 inhabitants

Nice fantasy scenario you should become a fiction writer on the side.
The OP's local Lemon Law would apply long before your scenario plays out.

hello from Abq! I purchased a GTS in AZ. You are right about local Dealer. Any parts that I need are mail order from Scooter West, and service is done with help from Robot's on line vids.
So it's good to see aother Vespaite in Abq, but aren't you that Guzzi guy? Hope to see you on a GTS at the Coffer Shop.

Dribbling Bubbles

Heaven forbid that something goes wrong with it and you have to get it the 150 miles back to where you bought it.

Buy local and make friends with the dealer.

Sorted.

Bill x

I'm not saying that it's right but in many of the dealerships that I've worked at a vehicle that's been bought from the same dealership will be given preference to one that was bought out of state because it was cheaper.

I can see why.

Bill x

I would buy local - less hassle and supporting local is helpful for all.
I bought my Vespa Super 300 in ABQ though be it nineteen years ago and there were more scooter dealers around but still only one Vespa dealer in ABQ.
Moved several years back to a much larger metro area but still limited dealer's.

Local? Yeah, that would be nice. The nearest Vespa dealer is just over 300 miles from our home.

I have to agree. My 2008 Majesty (1100 miles, $2100), 2010 300 GTS (4600 miles, $2900), 2008 Silverwing (8000 miles, $2900), and 2006 GT 200 (3200 miles, $900) were all CL purchases located within 200 miles of Abilene, Texas, an easy day round trip. The Uhaul trailer rental each time was 22.95 with insurance. Even with fresh rubber parts and fluids, way cheaper than new, and the riding enjoyment is the same, in my opinion. Your money of course, and showroom new is nice, with a warranty, but there's not much you can't maintain on the Vespas yourself. Plus, think of all the farkles you can buy with the cash you save.

This is also the case in Italy...

300 miles? Wow! But it's like going from my home to Milan.
If you lived here you could go to Pontedera with less than half the way.

Only if the OP can get the dealer to take it in for warranty service and keep it at least 30 days before a year is up or the warranty expires, and a whole bunch of other stuff that makes it very hard to get relief under lemon law statutes for most motorcycle purchases.

As the owner of Vespa Sherman Oaks I could be super competitive, beat any deal offered and ship it to you for free.

Having said that buy it from your local dealer, form a great relationship and help sustain them being there when you need them.

Best,
SDG

I am happy to make friends with the dealer on getting service, but I am absolutely not happy having to purchase a vehicle without the chance to see it in person or get a test ride. Hence the 150 mile trip.

Yeah I made that no test ride mistake once in my buying arc.

Never again.

Actually on that particular bike the whole process went right up the shitter.

Bill x

When I lived in Houston I bought several scooters either new or new Ols stock.

First was a 2006 GTS as NOS in 2008 from Vespa Houston.

Second was a 2009 Aprilia-Piaggio NOS Scarabeo 500 from AF1Racing replacing a 2007 that I bought used from someone who screwed up the electrical system with aftermarket accessories.

Third was a NOS BV 500 from Vespa Houston.

Vespa Houston changed ownership after I bought the BV

Fourth was a 2018 Verdi Esperanza GTS from David at Vespa Sherman Oaks. I wanted that color and David was one of the few who had one available when I was ready tonight it.

Then a NOS 2016 BV 350 for m TTRO in New Orleans, to replace the Sports City killed by Hurricane Harvey.

Finally a 2019 Vespa GTS from AF1.

So clearly I've done both. I've also got service from several different dealers both those I have bought from and those that I haves never bought from.

What I would do it's find my best price then take that price to my local dealer assuming I had one since Denver or Boulder are closest to me in Breckenridge aka 90 miles and apparently the Vespa Houston fellowship is either c9osed or closing. That leaves AF1 in Austin or the dealer in San Antonio as the closest option.

My Liberty 150 came from a dealer 98 miles away. It "just" slipped in under my 100 mile limit for dealer service. I ride it to the dealer for general service (oil changes) and it will fit in the car for major service (valve checks). The thing is, the OP is looking at a quality scooter, so I highly doubt it will be problematic. How well you trust the closer dealership is up to you. I bought my Zuma 125 from a dealership right down the street. They hate scooters and always clown them. But I never bought it back to them for anything. I did all my own service and-Im gonna admit it-bought almost every accessory online. I later purchased a Burgman 200 from the same scooter clowning dealership and had to bring it in and discovered they have a great service bay, and I made friends in the parts department, so I used them for all my Suzuki accessories. The sales guys still clown scooters though. So choose wisely and get out there and ride!

Do like I did and save a couple of thousand buying a new 2018. Bought mine from XTREME Power Sports in Maryland

https://www.xps-usa.com/default.asp?page=xAllInventory&make=vespa#page=xAllInventory&year=2018&make=vespa

Putting aside the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, which spells out US dealer responsibilities on warranties, the question of whether a dealer "slow rolls" the service on a bike purchased elsewhere comes down to simple economics. Dealers make about 25% of their profit from new sales, 9% from used sales, 22% from service, and 44% from parts, accessories, and merchandise, according to a 2018 KPMG study:

https://home.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/au/pdf/2018/motorcycle-industry-alert-february-2018.pdf[url][/url]

Fully 66% of a dealer's profits are not related to sales. A dealer who's dumb enough to alienate a potential parts, service, accessory, and merchandise customer is just because the customer's bike comes from a different dealership is ignoring the bottom line.

and your missing 1 that I know of

service service service is what keeps the doors open, selling new bikes is good but service has less expenses that sales and more profitability because you not only sell parts but you also have the labor.

I was only talkimg about new or NOS from dealers but you are right I missed the first scoot I ever bought a 2006 Genuine Buddy 125 we still have.

Bought used,

Aprilia Sports City craigs list Casper, WY with 281 miles on it, guy bought it for his wife without consulting her.

Suzuki Burgman 400 Kileen, TX another Craig's list and the only scooter I regret buying.

2007 Scarabeo 500 eBay which sold me on that model scooter, my favorite after the GTS.

Can't imagine Piaggio not stepping in if a dealer is refusing to do warranty work because you didn't by the scooter from that dealer. Dealer does have a franchise agreement they have to meat the terms of. Small claims court may work too. not sure about that. You do have a contract and that dealer is part of the manufactures service centers.

The service person at Rockridge Two Wheels in Oakland refused to look at a rear wheel that I suspected of being bent from the factory, creating a vibration in corners, when he learned that I bought to scoot from another dealer.
They were very cold about it.
I was bit upset, but I understand their feelings. No hard knocks...

If it's a part, it's NOS, if it's a vehicle, it's a New Non-current.

Small claims court wouldn't work.
What you need to remember is that there is not an obligation by the manufacturer to transport your bike to a dealership that will work on it. And yes, dealers are supposed to do warranty work for every covered vehicles. Warranty work is one of the necessary evils a dealer has to do to keep a franchise. They typically take a loss on it, because they pay the technician to do it and the manufacturer doesn't pay them actual money. Instead it is traded for credit towards parts sometime in the future, at a rate way below what it really takes to do a job. And the dealer usually wants to pay the technician based on the time the manufacturer allots for the job, like 45 minutes to replace a fuel pump, etc. The vast majority of dealerships are multi-line, where the technicians got into the industry because they like something, like V-twins, or BMWs or Sport bikes, etc, and that's what they know well and work on all the time. And it's a very seasonal business in the US, so the technicians try to get the jobs that are going to make them the most money in the least amount of time.
So if you were turning wrenches, and there was a stack of work orders that could turn into a nice paycheck, or you were a service manager and part of what you got paid was determined by how much money you brought in, are you going to jump for joy at the prospect of taking this thing into service?

If you look at most dealer agreements, they limit where a dealer can sell vehicles, and require the buyer and dealer to go over the vehicle and sign a pre-delivery inspection form, and a lot of States will not let dealers who are not licensed in that State sell vehicles there, or will require that the customer takes delivery at the dealership, etc. How often is this enforced? The only time I remember in recent years was when a dealer in Iowa was shipping hundreds of new KTMs to California. California and the California KTM dealers came down on him, not KTM. If you invested in a dealership and hired people to represent the brand, what would your attitude towards the manufacturer and the buyer be if someone living across the street from your dealership could order a bike out of state and then demand you work on it?

dealers are required by Vespa to perform warranty work even if not bought there.

any dealer that turns away any business in any dept is an class A idiot...

what if the customer just moved to the area, they bought it elsewhere, so what...

service their vehicle, make some money on parts and labor. Win them over with honest good reliable work. When its time to upgrade, then we can hit the showroom and make a deal.

Margins are so razor thin on new scoots, you'd be shocked. On a few models our landed cost is more than MSRP (a negative margin, and why there is dealer fees). There really isn't going to be much price difference dealer-to-dealer on a new scoot comparing same models and years.

These folks are great. My first dealing with AF1 was ordering some parts. Then, we made arrangements with them to put a set of City Grips on my GTS 250. Everyone in the place was friendly. My wife was wanting a bigger scoot than her PCX, so we went there - I was thinking she might like the new GTS or the BV 350 that had just arrived. The scoot that caught her eye was a 2019 Xmax that had been traded on a GTS. We made the deal, everything went as planned, and they were once again great to work with. My wife rode away with the scoot of her choice, I picked up some other Vespa parts.

If/when I am ready for a different scoot, the folks at AF1 are at the top of my list. They are over 300 miles from our home, but have definitely earned our business.