Modern Vespa

Very good condition, 850 miles.

New to the forum and tried a search first, so if someone already asked sorry for the redundant post.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to get a modern vespa for around 1500.

This would be my first scooter. Good friend bought a 2004 ET2 and I absolutely LOVED riding it.

I figure with the current economy like it is, I might as well ride my scooter off into the sunset when I get canned.

Haha well it certainly has been asked before, but don't worry about it. Welcome to Modern Vespa! I personally love my ET2.

1500 might be a LITTLE low for one with 850 miles on it in excellent condition. But if that is their asked price, that is a very good/reasonable one! I think they tend to go for more around 2K these days (the scooter craze keeps the values high despite the age). But GIVEN the age of the scoot, 1500 does have a nicer ring to it. If they are currently asking that, snatch it! If they are asking 2000-2150, however, I'm not surprised.

A couple things to note about ET2s which have been explained much more fully in other threads: They are peppier than LX50s due to having 2-stroke engines instead of 4-stroke engines. They lack, however, the LX50 fuel economy for the same reason, so don't expect 85 mpg. The ET2 will give you fuel-economy figures more in line with the larger-than-50cc modern vespas. That said, most of us ET2 owners agree that the increased sportiness of the bike over the 4-stroke 50cc is worth the sacrifice. The engine is also more modifiable/upgradeable. It's a great first scoot (or in my case long term scoot) which will allow you to carry lots of groceries etc around town ~40 mph. Enjoy!

Hey Thanks for the reply.

Only reason why I'm asking is that my roommate bought a 2004 ET2 with about 1500 miles on it for 1500 including helmet and chain.

This guy wants 1800 for his et2. I'm thinking its 3 years older so would feel kind of a sucker if I went for it.

On the other hand I'm DYING to get a scooter and I REALLY would like to get a Vespa haha.

What do you think, 1800 too high for a 2001?

Your roommate sounds like he got a very sweet deal. I'm not sure how much the age factor plays into it to be honest (re. being 3 years older than your roommate's). I don't believe there were any technical changes to the ET2 over that time, so it should be mechanically the same bike with fewer miles (anyone?)

There ARE a couple of things to consider, however, regarding the age: in 7 years, this scoot was ridden only 850 miles. The good part is, it has very low mileage The bad part is, the fuel system and stuff tends to gum up over time when sitting. This likely means that the 2001 ET will want its carb cleaned and some fuel line cleaner run through. The fuel tap also becomes sticky with non-use, and this can cause it to cease to seal off correctly. This won't break your engine or anything, but it can cause your engine to run a bit off as well as hurt gas mileage. The fuel tap could also be perfectly fine, but it might be worth checking out given the low mileage + age.

Those things really aren't big deals, and needn't involve a mechanic even (save if you need to replace the tap and don't know how). But I bring them up so you can anticipate that an older scoot with such low mileage might actually need some cleaning of the innards that a higher mileage one might NOT need.

I think you could pay 1800 and not feel robbed on this one. But I also think you have evidence of someone getting a newer one (even though I think the mechanics are the same ) for less so it couldn't really hurt to play that card. They might go along with it! Maybe you could meet them at 1650 or 1700. But if you love the scoot I think you could feel pretty good with that price if they won't budge. Folks around here were asking much more than 1800 for them in the summer.