Modern Vespa

Hello everyone:

I am here because I need your advice and I hope you can help me with that. I live in Galveston, Texas, USA.

There is a 2007 Piaggio mp3 500cc for sale for $3,500, and it has 7,500 miles on it. I had never heard of the Piaggio brand. I was thinking of buying a brand new Honda Rebel 300 ABS, but the 2007 Piaggio mp3 500cc kind of captured my imagination and I really liked it. My questions to ask of you are:
1. Is the 2007 Piaggio mp3 500cc a reliable scooter?
2. Is it easy to maintain? There are not that many dealers of this scooter in Texas, and I am concerned that if it breaks down, I may have a problem on my hand since there are no local dealers I can go to for repairs
3. do you think the price of $3,500 is fair?
4. Do you think I should buy it or maybe I should buy the new 2023 Honda Rebel 300 ABS which I was originally going to buy?

Thank you for your guidance and advice or suggestions or recommendations.

Its 15 years old it will need some TLC for sure. If you can't do your own maintenance and there are no dealers around it won't be a good buy for you.

oldgoat
Thank you for your advice. I am greatful.

On the reliability front, nothing beats a Honda or any other Japanese bike for that matter even when they are somewhat neglected. As the old Timex slogan used to say "it can take a licking but keeps on ticking"

The main weakness with "other" bikes and especially so Italians is always electrical.

The Italians may have invented electricity, but they mastered the art of electrical failure.

Example: A little over 100 years ago, when the Titanic struck a iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic the lights stayed on for several hours until the ship went down. And this was on a ship built in the UK (northern Ireland to be precise), not exactly the Mecca of electrical craftsmanship and quality control. Fast forward 100 years, and the Italian Costa Concordia hits a rock a few hundred yards off shore. First thing that happened was instant and complete electrical blackout. It doesn't get more authentic Italian than that.

Just sayin'

sbaert
Thank you for sharing your observations. I am grateful to you.