Modern Vespa

I've always wanted a sidecar, and this seems like a decent deal considering it's practically new.

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/759844691.html

Comments? Taking points? Maybe I'll see if he'll let me ride it this weekend.

Oh evil debt...why must you tempt me with pretty shiny things?!

****Update. It's been sold as of today. I suppose it's all in my dreams at this point!****

a buddy of mine just bought a new stella and was looking a a side car. He paid a little over 4k and was told that the side car was gonna be something like a grand.
Seems a little too much for me.
~El Josh AKA Ruby

Well, it's cuter than heck, but many years ago I learned the hard way that one should not fall in love with a piece of machinery--it always seems to come back to bite in an uncomfortable place--especially if one goes into hock to do it. So if you can't pay cash, you might want to reconsider.

Cary

Seriously! My heart aches when I look at it. I know I'd be crazy to go in to more debt to buy it. But growing up poor, I'm use to wanting things I can never have.

You can buy new for that price. Make sure you really know what your doing when you buy a sidecar rig as it is NOTHING like driving a scooter.

ehh. I just don't see what the point is. I can see the thing being slow and clumsy.
Just don't see the point of a side car. Kills the performance I'd bet.

I just think it would be fun to have a sidecar so our dog could come along on rides. She loves scooters and the only thing holding her back is her size.

MJ, I'd say hold off on this one. It is a bit pricey and I think you could get a better deal if you buy them separately. I've seen a few side cars pop up every now and then. Might make for a nice winter search and project.

Yeah, that's the appeal for me to having a sidecar. I ride 2 up all the time, but it's kind of hard to do with a pit bull.

I e-mailed the link to one of my vintage contacts who's currently selling his Stella, so I'll see what he says about the whole thing.

(before anybody rants about how unsafe sidecars are and how it's not safe to ride with your pets...please don't. I'm aware of the dangers. No, I don't weat Toreador Pants, and yes, I have an endorsement. I'm hardly worth lecturing at. Thanks!)

It's not really about performance. I mean, the guy has it kitted and he says it cruises at 40mph. Definitely not a speed machine! It would be more for the luxury of having a sidecar for those times when you say to yourself, "Damn, wish I had a sidecar."

Yep, I'm aware. Thanks though!

I have a sidecar rig and was originally going to build one with a Stella. The Sidecar will cut your performance by 33-45%. They are a lot of work to drive as it requires a lot of upper arm strength. All I say is make darn sure you go out and drive one before pulling the trigger.

I would never buy a vehicle (scooter, car, et cetera) without test riding/driving it first. Five grand is a lot of money to spend on something that doesn't work with my body or is going to be a lemon. It also worries me that he's had it for a few years and it's still not broken-in. Most of my major problems happened within the breaking-in period.

It also worries me that he's had it for a few years and it's still not broken-in.

That may very well be, because it's just not that convenient or fun to drive, unlike your scooter.

Cary

it's all about the look
8)
~El Josh AKA Ruby

Save your money it looks bloody awful

you should do it if you know what you're getting into...

if i had the cash, i would buy it. i think sidecars are fun, not practical...

$5500 is a lot of money... you could get a new vespa S with some $$$ left over...

BUT your pit bull will love you forever

take it for a spin and let us know what you think


-cheers

Here's what my buddy said about the Stella. I'm actually glad you guys gave me the feedback you did because now I'm not so much in love with it anymore. Now I know that shiny things do not equal love.

<i>It's nice that he added the kit to the Stella. That sidecar rig really slows the Stellas down. Unfortunatly, it sounds like he is trying to get most of his money back on all the mods, chrome, etc... that he did to it. A 2005 Stella was around $3200 out-the-door, the sidecar was around $1400-1600 depending where he got it, all the chrome bits were probably $400-500 total. The only way he spent $8000 on that setup is if he had the dealer do all the work for him. All the mods and chrome have no resell value. That used Stella shouldn't cost more than $2800-3000 and a used sidecar might be worth $1400 or so. The low mileage is good. He should really only be asking $4500-5000 tops for it. You never make your money back on a scooter that you "mod" out. (Looks like the sidecars now retail for $1900 new... ouch!) It's odd that the dealer put the kit on there before the engine was fully broken in. Normally, you should wait until you have a good 1000+ before you kit an engine. I am sure he realized early on that the Stella 150cc engine didn't have enough power to pull that rig.

Here is another one:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/759173601.html

It is an older Stella with more miles and no kit. Looks like the same chrome kit for the most part.

The first one is probably a better deal. The 2005 Stellas seem to have all the bugs worked out. If you could get him down to $5000, that would be more reasonable.

When I sell my Stella, I'll be taking all the chrome off of it. It really is just an accessory and doesn't add any value to the bike.</i>

There have been several discussions about taking dogs on scooters, sidecars, etc. The only thing is, you may enjoy it, but your dog may not. Before you buy an outfit like this, are you absolutely certain your dog would enjoy it? I know my dog is so skittish that even the sound of the wind freaks him out. I wouldn't dream of taking him in the scooter no matter what.

Certainly a very good point. I assumed that my dog would eventually warm up to something like that. However, the sidecar wouldn't solely be for riding my dog around in. Thanks for your input. I've already decided I don't want the Stella anymore.

I'd love one, even with the performance hit, but there are none to be had on the East Coast. I would ask to test drive it first and see if they'll take what you are willing to pay. It never hurts to ask.

Good call on getting your friend's feed back too. Sounds very reasonable.





If/when your friend sells some of that chrome, can you send him my way?

There's nothing to stop you just buying the sidecar and fixings and putting it on your own scoot, they make them for the GTS's now, but the fixings look a bit cumbersome

Certainly! We were actually up in Seattle a few weekends ago for Insanity. Were you there? We were the Portland crew that trailered up.

I was there for a bit of it but it was a busy weekend with other stuff too so we unfortunately couldn't go to everything. I went to the movie in Georgetown, the ride to Woodinville, and the city ride on Sunday. Hope you had a good time at the rally!

Grind out a better price then buy it. If your not happy you can always sell if you bought it for a decent price.

Athough you shut Cf down about the safety angle he gave spot on info.
And yes I can speak from experience.

......MJ.....Personally, and for no matter......i like the way you make decisions . Getting input for something like this, from members that have had experience and first hand knowledge is priceless. You could do yourself a favor and knock off a little of that debt in the interesting times......Hey, maybe there is a place in-town that rents them for the day or week ....chk that out.

Anyhoo- good decision.....too may responses from people looking out for you.

godoggo ~

-

You must be a very smart person.

Thanks for the PM, godoggo. You're always a doll!

i too am obsessed with Stellas and their sidecars. but WHERE do you go test on of these [unless of course you happen to find it packaged for sale, and i never do here] . i've never seen a side car on a lot.

I get what you are going for with the sidecar....
Just cruising and looking good.


Me personally?
I have ridden a 150 sidecar rig before & it was a shitbox combo.....dangerously slow.....& the extra strain on an already underpowered motor isn't good for the long term.
(Even with the kit it probably wouldn't be much better.)


An old club mate rode a Rally 200 sidecar rig for a few years & it was actually damn fun.

I used to ride "monkey" in it & we would bomb some of the tight roads around here.

Bob at Moto P in SB had a super clean P200 rig for a few years & it was pretty fun as well.




I guess I am saying I wouldn't do a sidecar with anything less than 200cc's



And someone point me to the alternate reality were Stellas are $8000.00

sheesh...some people...





I say save your rubles for a 200 setup or do it yourself.

That sidecar is tiny! You're absolutely right about the 200cc engine. Even with the kit on the Stella, it's only doing 40mph and the kit is supposed to give it an extra 30cc's. Maybe with the combo of a small custom-made sidecar and a larger engine, it would work out more in my favor. I plan on buying a project bike soon...something easy to work on with lots of available parts, so if I still have sidecar dreams maybe I'll go with the P200. Aww, who the fuck am I kidding. I can't afford a damn sidecar...

At Amerivespa last year this woman had a Stella with a beautiful custom-made side-car (with dumb-ass Hello Kitty stickers all over it). The thing was hot, but she carried around her 2 daughters (one teenager and one kid) and lady was sloooooooooooow.