Modern Vespa

With the help of this forum I ruled out 150 models and decided on GTS. Then came the color dilemma - I'm pretty sure I've settled on the Red GTS 300 Super. But now finding a new one or slightly used is making me nuts. (The only other color MAYBE in play is the orange but I go hot and cold on it.) So for my questions...

I found one a couple hundred miles away 2020 model with under 50 miles from an auto broker. The broker bought it at auction. Can't figure out how a bike that was manufactured in September of 2019 could only have about 30 miles on it, and however that happened is it a negative for a bike to sit idle almost two years? Also the dealer/broker says it has about 11 mos left on warranty.

They're asking a $100 less than MSRP is for a brand new one because it has a windshield, top box (which I would immediately remove) and crash bars. This broker/dealer adds a $349 documentation fee. Granted I'd have to pay freight and doc fee on a new one but Vespa is currently offering a $500 discount for which I qualify - and needless to say I'd get the full two year warranty.

So what should I do? Driving myself nuts trying to analyze and quantify the pros and cons.

Would welcome your thoughts on the pros and cons and by all means, any suggestions.

Heard the orange is hard to find since its a new color. There's also been issues with low supply and higher demand due to covid, and worldwide shipping backups.

Not sure how a 2019 has any warranty on it. Bought my 2020 in may, and it only had a few months left on the 2 year warrantee.

Think the question is do you want a fully new vespa, or a new to you vespa. I ended up kinda doing the same thing. Bought with the idea that used was saving money, but not sure i really saved that much in the end. But did end up with what I probably would have bought either way.

Orange is readily available in SoCal. And to clarify the used one is a 2020 manufactured in September of 19.

ah sounds like the bike was manufactured around same time as mine, would still not count on the warrantee if that is valuable to you.

I bought my 2020 in March of this year. It had been sitting at the dealer with no battery or fluids in it. They set it up when I bought it.

ah. ok.

There used to be shenanigans from dealers about activating the warranties on products on the floor before they were sold. Had something to do with getting paid by the manufacturer o something like that. IIRC a dealer could punch the ticket to start a warranty even though the motorcycle had not been sold yet so it's could be possible to get a new scooter to you, that has less warranty than is ideal for a new owner. (If I recall correctly that is)

Thou protesteth too much.

Certainly I thinketh too much

I work on my own machines so I enjoy old stuff, but you sound like a new Vespa would tick all the boxes.

I was at Vespa Portland this last weekend and saw an orange and a few reds. I wasn't paying close attention so I can't guarantee they were GTS and not something smaller. Helluva drive though, for you.

Fly & ride!

I'm not sure I'd be interested in something bought at an auto auction.

Just go with the new one, small difference in price to get what your heart really wants. If you were saving thousands then sure grab the used one.

You live in San Diego, what are you whining about?

Scooterwest has TONS of them in stock right now. You can buy one *today*!

Take a pass on auction bikes if you don't know what you're doing. There could be $$ issues that aren't obvious.

Not whining at all - just searching. I was there the day they got all those bikes in. Not a single red GTS Super. Believe me I sat in constant contact with them. Good folks.

Orange?

I second this opinion. How did a basically new scooter end up at auction? At the very least I would want all the details on that story. I've never done auctions for bikes so this might not apply, but, I know with auto auctions you need to be very careful. You can come out with a steal if you know all the tricks, but you can also get had, bad.

I’m with you in spirit Mayor. Once you get the “fever” you can easily go a bit crazy looking and searching. I can’t believe you were at Scooter West in San Diego when that shipment came in. I saw the video that Robot did. I really liked the Orange FWIW.

There is only one cure for the fever. Can’t wait to hear how you like the 300GTS. My problem is I need to have a deal. I finally capitulated and bought new but only after the local dealer lowered the price about 6%.

Good luck! You will get there!

BillRush tell me more how you got “a deal” - I’ve found the opposite w many dealers, they stick fast to MSRP and even jack up freight and prep charges. Tell me your secret!!

Timing is the big one.

Sometimes, dealers order motos they can't sell. After some period, they have to start paying rent or send them back. Those are the ones you can get a deal on, because not making a deal costs the dealer money.

Then, there are normal times. A dealer might give you a couple hundred off cause he likes you, or wants to beat a rival to a sale.

Then, there's now. The pandemic has fucked both supply and demand in ways that are bad for you as a buyer. If the dealer is only getting X motos per month, they have no incentive to make a deal. In fact, they need to make as much money as possible to make up for the supply constraint.

Negotiating can be a sport, but even in normal times, it's probably not worth days of your life to save a couple hundred bucks. Now? I'd send over the money for whichever one you like, and ride into the sunset with a big smile on your face!

Knowing how many financial shenanigans are in the car market, it's easy to be skeptical of moto prices, but the margins are much lower.

As my dad (who used to work at a car lot) pointed out, someone who's trying to screw you with fees doesn't itemize the cost of throwing away the packaging. PDI and freight are real expenses to the dealer, and MSRP is so close to wholesale that they can't silently absorb them and keep the doors open.

Back in March I decided I wanted a Vespa GTS. I liked the Touring model for the screen and rear rack and decided on the 2020 model for the great British racing green color. A google search turned up 2020s all over the country. Most were still listed at MSRP, but one had knocked $500 off the price. It was 7 hours from me. I negotiated with them back and forth through email, and the salesman got the manager involved. We finally settled on $7300 out the door. I figure I saved about $800 by getting last year's model. It's the color I wanted and it still was a brand new scooter. As Mayorofnow said, their margin is pretty small. I paid MSRP but saved the shipping,setup, and admin. fees.

I got lucky. The dealer 20 miles away quoted about $1000 lower than my local dealer where I preferred to buy. The lower price had zero labor on installing the accessories (crash bars etc). So my local dealer came down about $700. I said, “aren’t you supposed to match that lower price?” So instead they give me about $150 off the Vespa helmet I wanted. I think we were both happy.

Nice!

I paid $8800 in Sept 2019 for mine, when the going rate locally was $9000. (I think the dealer I can walk to wanted $9300+. They make me all kinds of uncomfortable.)

The best quote I got was in Orange County for $8500. The logistics of going down and getting it would have been a pain, but I used it as a floor to negotiate a bit lower.

check out this one:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/vespa-scooter.1512978/

It is surprising that dealers are selling them for more than the MSRP. I didn't know that. It's good that there is such a strong market but it sure sucks for the buyers.

Allow me to say that the price of Piaggio scooters in the USA is high, but more than anything else there are no offers because the competition hardly exists.

It's sales tax, registration, PDI, and freight.

Here's an excerpt from my quote with the dealer's costs:

Of course...I forgot about sales tax and registration. I paid those when I got back to SC. I bought it in VA.