Modern Vespa

I'm looking at a 1979 P200, it's an 8+ hour drive from where I'm at. It's not by any means a deal, but it's priced fair. I'm just curious as to how far others have driven to pick up a Vespa.
And as always thanks for your opinions 👍🏻

First of all: 8 hours there and back or 16 hours in total? With a 16h drive, you'll soon have to plan an overnight stay.

My experience is that if the seller knows that the journey is very long, they are less willing to negotiate. Conversely, the buyer's reluctance to accept a defect/to pay too much is greater.

You must know for yourself where your personal limits are, but I would try to clarify as many points as possible in advance (condition, papers, keys, function, etc.). Without a video call where I can take a detailed look at the points that interest me, my willingness to drive that far would be very limited.

That is pretty far to go, but if it's the right model and color and in really good shape, I might consider that.

That's about my limit for a one way drive, but I could squeeze out 10 hours if needed. But, I do this little tip/trick before considering said drive. I find something else in the area that I want to visit. A arcade with pinball machines I've never played, historic sites with good reviews (I love old houses.), weird sites/tourist traps or big flea markets. This way, if you pass on the purchase its not a total loss. If I go by myself I wing getting a room for the night, I'll sleep in the car if I have to. If my wife goes I make sure I have a room reserved.

If you've never owned a P200 before they are fun. I miss my old one every now and then.

For me, it would also depend on where I'm cruising to and what's along the way. If I can make a little road trip out of it, have an overnight in a cool little town, and maybe eat at a notable restaurant, that alone could be worth it.

That being said, all of those things + fuel are added costs, and should be factored in.

Depends on the drive

One man's long drive is another man's Road Trip !

Furthest I did was for an ET4 125 which cost me £275, I got a mate to drive me down, then rode back around 6 hours, 220 miles

It also depends on what else you got planned for those hours I suppose?

I have driven over 5 hours.
And I just sold my GTS to a guy who drove about 5 hours each way.

I drove 7 hours each way one day to buy an engine from a nice family in North Georgia, all in one long day.

As for the Germans being less willing to work with the buyer if they knew he was driving so far, that is much different than my experience.

The sellers were so kind, wanting to know about my scooter experience.

A few weeks after I got home, I received a big box full of everything they didn't sell off of their parted out scooter.

Nice people exist.

Bill

I've previously bought items unseen with a series of pictures, and then found someone on Shiply to collect and then deliver to me.

6 hours one way. I picked up a 1977 Rally 200 some years ago when an add came up at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. By 3pm, my son and I were on the way. Got there at 9pm, left by 9:30, got back home 3:30 AM Monday morning. It was worth it.

Hey thanks for the great advice and information 👍🏻

I don't think it's because of a particular nation, but because of the people involved.

I bought my GTS on eBay 2200 miles away.

I had considered and the seller suggested flying there and riding it home.

Today I would absolutely do that but at the time I had only about 200 miles of highway experience so it was a little too much for me.

I had it shipped for $450 and never regretted it.

I once bought a bike in Walnut Creek CA when I lived in KY. I flew out, made an agreement, flew home, and had the bike shipped. Didn't have time to rid it back and it was winter.

5 hours one way to pick up my BV.

Well, full disclosure, it was 20 miles this side of Minneapolis where we attended the 1K Scoots rally.
Unfortunately the trailer was already full, so I had to ride it home. Poor me.

I've done 16 hours roundtrip, and overnighted in a cheap hotel in Virginia.

I wouldn't travel more than an hour if price were still in question.

But once you've found what you're looking for…isn't spending 4-5-more hours retrieving it a good use of time, compared to the amount of time you'd spend continuing to look for something closer - and maybe not succeeding?

Hi neighbor, I'm in Olympia. I've found that searching outside of the Pugetropolis region has yielded more options for bikes and better prices. For myself, if it's something specific that I am actually looking for, it's worth a few tanks of fuel and a cheap hotel if required. If you are not that crazy about it, wait and something closer will eventually pop up. It's just a matter of when. For the record I drove four hours RT to pick up my project Vespa, of which timewise is nothing.

Funny you should ask.

Recently I was considering buying a scoot that was 1500 miles away. 1st thought was fly and ride. Wife said no and told me to ask for a lower price and rent a pickup to haul it home.

With everything ($) adding up, I decided to get a riding mower. It has a cup holder and lumbar support. 🤡