Modern Vespa

Since everybody's insisted local scooter clubs are the easiest way to get a used clunker P200 (or similar) for myself to fix and ride, I've joined the only active message board I can find for the closest major city to me. However, since joining, the members there haven't been particularly helpful. Maybe it's because I'm comparing them to the Modern Vespa crowd, who are always encouraging and polite, but I'm not so sure.

I've been told things like asking about a cheap project bike here "[is] kind of like asking a bunch of really hungry people to let you know if they find some free food so you can get it" (to which someone else replied "awesome") or the chick today that told me to "Please take pictures of the unicorn that will come along with the clunker you get".

One guy was actually nice enough to point out he was selling a Bajaj, and gave me the opportunity to talk to him about it before he posted it on craigslist, but it wasn't something I was into. The only other bike that's been posted was the one below, which sold for $1.3k+ on ebay and had to be shipped from Australia. I was told this was the only thing I'd be able to get in my price range.

What gives? Am I really asking too much to try and find a non-running older vespa for $1000 or less, or are these people just genuinely unhelpful? Of all the places I search for scooters on the internet, this is the only place I get this kind of attitude.

dullivan,you are interested in something that every tom dick and harry is looking for,a cheap P series project.

with the exception of a few die hard scooter enthusiast(these gurus know who they are)the rest of us doo daa's would be tripping over ourselves to find a P200 project for under 1000,PERIOD.

SO DON'T BE DISCOURAGED.

MV is a great place for chat and information on repairs and resto's.

keep trolling the ad's and maybe stop asking around places like this.

truth be told.

You are not being unreasonable. I think to an extent the market has become unreasonable of late, as sellers are hungrily latching onto the fact that people want to save money to, ironically, jack their prices up. "Save money on gas by BUYING something! Preferably my VNB for $5K!"

The local market sounds even worse for you, which might be why those folks are being so sarcastic, but that is unnecessary of them.

Boston has a big market for scooters, so I think the prices tend to skew high, but I snatched up my P200 project for $1K. It was running, I rode it home. It has needed a lot of work, but I think it was a solid price. You will find something, but who knows when. Once you set your sights on <1,000 you are going to play a waiting game, avidly scouring for possibly months in a wide area in the current market. But I think you'll find something eventually.

You're not being unreasonable. You should be able to find a scooter in your price range but from the sounds of things it's a tough market in your area. Keep looking, you'll find something.

+1 on what these guys said. The relentless search should be half the fun. Be willing to travel a bit. And beware that once you do find that scooter, you'll still be hooked on the search, and start looking for your next one immediately.

Haha +1. I REALLY REALLY can't afford another and don't have a place for one. But I'll be damned if I go more than a day without hitting up scoot.net

Yes.

Be patient, you'll find one.

See, this is why I love MV. Thanks for the encouragement y'all. I have to admit, searching is fun. I'm also looking on every craigslist ad from Orlando to Nashville, so I've definitely got "willing to travel" covered.

I appreciate y'all making me feel better. I think that's probably the main reason I posted this. That, and even though the search is fun, it gets a little tedious every now and then. Thanks for making my day a little brighter.

Check your PMs. It's a bit more than you wanted to spend but....

the thing is, you're doing it the right way. You've got a group of people here that will say "here's something" or "don't buy that, that sucks".... so, you're not going to end up with something crappy in the process.

I think we're just about as good ( if not better ) than a local community ...except that local vintage clubs tend to pass around bikes ( and girls ) cheaply between them... so if you can get tied into that pipeline you're in good shape because there's no shipping, you can try the bike before you buy it, you know the history, etc.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/mcy/1221435702.html

Opinions?

how far are you willing to drive?
i get to my brothers place in atlanta in about 5 hours.
here in the area of NC there are some decent lads with quality scoots that can help.
These guys are very knowledgeable, and i bought mine from one of them.

don't give up - i wish you well!

It's a frankenbike...but i get the distinct feeling this is an american bike, and someone just kinda threw it together as such..... i could be mistaken... but i don't smell anything fishy with this one.

I mean, it CLEARLY is a '61 VNB ....look at the round tail! Plus, it's rocking the center floor strips rather than the plastic p-series matt that an asian bike would have.

I'd buy it.

*edit* Plus, it's all kitted up... i like this thing.

It's a bit more than the $1000 but I figure if he was willing to look at that Army P for 1500....

Looks like it's a bit of a drive too. Not too bad, GA is one of those small states out east

It's a much better deal than the Army P-series.

Plus, if the guy is moving he may be more motivated to sell it and thus go down on the price if you put cash in his hand.

Thanks for the lead Nigel. I hadn't gotten back to you because I was bantering with Rover on PM, and my dad just happens to be at my house, and I was running it by him. He was a mechanic for years, so he'll be the one teaching me to turn a wrench. I'm willing to drive anywhere that I can get there and back in a day. I'm in Waycross, GA, which is almost to Florida, but I could probably get to some places in NC and back with luck and no cops. A drive that long means I would need to include gas in my budget though.

girls? really?

Can we get an update?

Come out to Scootlanta on any Wednesday night and meet them/us in person as they are the most helpful bunch around in my opinion - often working on scoots in the parking lot! Plus, you'll see lots of vintage scoots for sale or just bought or somewhere in between.

I started on your quest and ended up wanting reliability and bought a new vino 125 first to convince myself I would stick with it (I had a Yamaha ATV to trade) rode it for a year, loved it and traded it in on a new GTS. I started that adventure wanting vintage - still do, but in my case I want it as #2 in the stable. I know the one I want now - I see it weekly - but waiting for the right time down the road. Patience...

In my experience over the past two years, the forum is really a summarized one stop area whereas there are multiple local club forums for the types of questions you are asking.

I'm in NC and found this a few months ago.

http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=180345546467

I was surprised to be the only bidder. It was as advertised, and has had new tires and cleaning up. It's now over 600 fun miles later. I had been looking for at least 5 months. It had no title and that cost 100 bucks for an indemnity bond, dmv paperwork and a trip to an inspector to get a title. Don't give up.

Ugh...lucky BASTARD!

long drive, but here you go. 1k:

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/mcy/1223424371.html
email him for pictures, and let's see what we've got.

Shit, I could probably check that out for you this weekend.

I love this ad. "It Runs!"

It was advertised before for $800, he then purchased "a part" and voila, it runs! Was it a $200 part? Or a new spark plug?

Either way, I want to see it - Dullivan - jump on this.

Go Dulli go!

'the part' was a $999 lml engine. the scooter itself is a buck.

I am kinda curious about this one. A Cajun Vespa. Raceland is kinda "dahn da bahyoo". Raceland is near Houma which is where NIH does a lot of genetics studies because it has the smallest gene pool in the country. (Just about everyone is or related to a Boudreaux or Thibodeaux).

The best deals seem to come from old guys that are the first or second owner that never rode them much or took really good care of them. Good things come to those who wait but you will have to act quick when the good one appears. It's usually the first caller and the first to show up and takes a look at the scooter. I drove 15hrs straight one time all along calling the guy on the phone letting him know my progress and when I got there someone was waiting to snatch it up if I didn't buy it. Luckily the guy was honest and held it for me.

+1

Dullivan, you asked on Scootlanta and immediately someone posted a pretty good deal on a project bike. Hell if I had $1000 I would have snagged that Bajaj. You said 'thanks but no thanks' right away so I think you deserved a little good natured ball-breaking.

Right about now that Bajaj was probably the only cheap yet good deal on a vintage in Atlanta and the owner had been trying to sell it for months so I can't blame him for taking the first paying offer. Ya snooze, ya lose, ya know? A little while back a very nice lady in my club sold a running P200 for $1500! She also sold a very nice unicorn...I mean running, not welded from coke cans VBB for $2K. The guy who posted the ebay link sold a complete disassembled vintage (GL I think) a few months ago for way under $1K.

I'd say you're being slightly unreasonable with your price range. Hell my 78 P200 set me back $1200 and it hadn't run in 14 years! Be patient, save up at least $1500 and keep looking. You've been at it what...three weeks? Come on up and visit us sometime. We're having a badass city rally September 17-20 this year! Most of the Atlanta scooter folks have known each other a long time so don't take offense at the jokes. It's done out of love!

hey dullivan,while your in new orleans give MV'r MEG a big hug for us all.

summer is short

spend a couple extra bucks and get a bike thats worth the time,sounds like a good invite up in atlanta to go for a ride with a group.

group rides are the sh-t

Holy cats! I took off at noon yesterday to go take my Regents Exam and get registered for classes (yay returning to college, boo paperwork) and I come back to a message explosion! I'll try to address all this. Sorry if this turns into a long post.

I emailed the guy about the frankenbike. I haven't gotten a response, but I'm going to email him again today. I've also got a lead from a friend at work who's friend (following me?) has a "scooter" for sale. That's all this chick knows about it, but I'm willing to ask questions. She's called the girl that owns it and left a message for me. Naw'lins? I've never been farther than the west side of 'bama in a car. Texas and Cali were both by plane. Let's consult google maps and see how long it would take me to get there....... 8 to 10 hours. Ummm...screw it. Let's see what this guy's got. Emails away!

Wow, that was fast. As I was putting together the next paragraph, I got an email back saying it's already been sold. Dang. NOLA road trip plans are out the window I guess. That would've taken quite a bit to convince my wife it was a good idea anyway. Honestly, the most helpful post from a scootlanta person yet. I think you're right on both counts, I passed on that Bajaj when I really should have taken him more seriously, and it seems I got dismissed by the rest of the board because of it. However, like you also said, I've only been at this for a few weeks. I'm a total noob! I had no idea what I was looking at, and missed a good deal. So I guess it all boils down to me getting started on the wrong foot.

Also, as that L do pig pointed out, y'all all hang out on Wednesdays, and use the forum a little differently than places like MV. You know who you're talking to, and folks can tell if they're just being given a hard time, or if something is just a joke. It's a little harder when you're getting all this stuff in text only. Such is the joy of the internet.

Really, honestly, thanks for at least letting me know why I was being given a hard time, and that it wasn't because I wasn't welcome, but because I was being an FNG.

Okay, got all that taken care of, so now its time to check scoot.net and craigslist for the day, fill out and file my FAFSA, complete a new D&D character and actually do some work, hopefully all by the end of the day.

EDIT: Also, to address another post, sorry to say it, but with supply and demand around here what it is, I really don't think I'm going to be able to find anything for my price range. I'm going to keep looking, but I may just need to keep saving while I do so. Prices here and in places like Chicago and Cali seem to be much more different than I realized at first. I guess the lessons you don't want to learn are the slowest to finally figure out.

You're a good guy, Dullivan .... you'll have a nice ride soon. Don't be in a hurry, and the right bike will fall into your lap.

-Eric

aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww so sweeet of eric to ssay that

don't be a dick.

ok if you want me to be honest over here you wont get shit for less than 3500

Well...I wasn't trying to be funny. Eric goes out of his way here to help people and give advice. Not ever do you see this guy try to be an asshole even though he easily could be. Just have some respect. If you want to be a dick go somewhere else.

Paying even $500 more for a running scooter is way cheaper. After your first order of parts you would realize how true this is.

are you talkin to me jlbjs1