OP
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lx 50
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Location: philadelphia
 
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lx 50
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Location: philadelphia
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Hi All!

I found a motorcycle dealership in Jersey that is selling a 2007 LX 50 (they actually have several) for a big discount ($2300) because they are old stock. Brand new, never ridden, just 2007's. Here's an ebay link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-LX50-Brand-New-black-or-red-LX-50-no-extra-fees_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14Q2el1262QQhashZitem2a00e6e5c2QQitemZ180403758530QQptZScootersQ5fMopeds

I'm not actually buying the bike via ebay, cause that's just scary Since the dealer is only about 100 miles from me I'm going to go up and get it there. I need to spend a day in NYC anyways, it's been awhile!

After talking with the dealer about financing and out of state tags (I'm a MD resident, in MD they do not title or tag 50cc scooters), I realize he's either shiesty, or an incredibly uninformed human. Nonetheless, it's a great deal. So I'm skipping financing and paying cash to avoid his shiesty tagging practices (I'll elaborate if anyone is interested).

What I'm getting to, finally, is considering my feeling that this dealership might be a bit crookedy, are there specific things I should look at on the bike and/or it's paperwork to be sure everything is legit? I'm educated enough to know what a Vespa looks like, what model etc. but maybe there are some crazy Chinese look-alikes out there, or some well known to the community scams that happen, etc.

Needless to say I'm a cautionary purchaser. If anyone has any tips I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for reading through
Trish
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Kymco P250 Now, P200E in the 80's
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@techguy avatar
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One way to start checking on the "shady" dealer is to get a couple VIN's from them and then do some research on the VIN numbers to ensure they are what they say they are.

If they are reputable at any level they should be willing to give them to you. If they don't want to give you the VIN I would be very wary of dealing with them at all. If they are real VINs they will check out OK. You could even call the police to confirm they were not stolen.

You may also look at the Better Business Bureau to see if they have any open complaints.
OP
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lx 50
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lx 50
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Thanks TechGuy. I have the VIN for the scooter I would be buying, where do I look to check up on them?

I was also thinking that there may be something on the VIN plate I should look for to be sure it's what it claims to be. Beats me what
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Kymco P250 Now, P200E in the 80's
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You can try CarFax or http://www.pronto-net.com/vin_app/vin.php to see if they can find you VIN. Not all of the VIN sites will correctly convert the VIN for some motorcycles or scooters.

I am hoping the collective brain here can provide more definite information.
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El Macho
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El Macho
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I just had a look at the seller's feedback. Perhaps one to avoid? No recent transactions and one of the three most recent ones was very negative.

Caveat Emptor. You're better supporting your local dealer.
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Molto Verboso
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Molto Verboso
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I have to agree. Why would you want to give your money to someone that you already feel is shady and dishonest? Better to pay a little more and feel good about the transaction. Trust your gut instinct on this one.
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lx 50
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But it isn't a "little" more. A 2009 LX 50 is $3900 after fees & etc. This 2007, 0 miles, same warranty starting the day I buy it, same exact specs just built a longer time ago, is $1600 less.

There is a point when one has to outweigh pros and cons, and $1600 is a huge weight. That's 41% less money! I'm paying cash so the dealer doesn't have a chance to play any games with titling that he would have if I financed.

I have the advantage of proximity on my side, I'm not having this thing shipped I'm going to pick it up, so I'm able to check everything out first. That's why I wanted to know if there was anything I should look for on the bike that might scream foul play.

BTW TechGuy, the VIN link worked, VIN checked out fine and true to the product. Thanks for that tip!
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Molto Verboso
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Molto Verboso
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My only tip would be to ride before you buy. I didn't do that, and I realized I was underpowered after only a week with my LX 50. After 3 months, I'm trading up. If you live in a flat area it will be okay, but the hills around here are not a good match to a 50cc bike.
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Hooked
Vespa GTS 300
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Hooked
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I couldn't agree more with above! I bought a 150 and it was not powerful enough, and ended up getting a 300 (which is powerful enough). You can get a good used 150 for about the same as what you would pay list for a new 50. No contest in my opinion. You may be wanting to avoid tags, etc., and that is a different story. But, I'm guessing in a year you will be wanting to trade up in HP. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
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I do expect to trade up in a year, it's my plan anyways. It will take me a good year to be comfortable enough on 2 wheels to have a more powerful machine.

I've been watching ads for used scoots and they aren't in abundance around here or are more than I can pay. Unless you want some crazy wrecked up chinese scoot, which I don't. I'm not prepared at the moment financially or timewise to go through the hoops to get a motorcycle license, tags, etc. and a more expensive new scooter. Laughing emoticon

I live and work in Philadelphia, takes me about 8 minutes to get to work in my car down Kelley Drive at 4:30 AM. I expect I'll only be going 5mph or so slower on the scoot so no big difference there. Most locals here no better than to take the highway anyways, you don't really get anywhere fast, so I'm not missing anything!
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phelikz wrote:
I live and work in Philadelphia, takes me about 8 minutes to get to work in my car down Kelley Drive at 4:30 AM. I expect I'll only be going 5mph or so slower on the scoot so no big difference there. Most locals here no better than to take the highway anyways, you don't really get anywhere fast, so I'm not missing anything!
I'm a fan of little 50cc scoots. I think they're great fun to ride as a commuter and serves the purpose as a cheap, low-cost transport option just like the original Vespa scooter back in the '40s... although the "Vespa" branding is no longer associated with "cheap" these days

I noted from the eBay link that these are 50cc 4-stroke scoots. From my experience with a 2008 Piaggio Zip 50cc scoot (also a 4-stroke), you probably won't get very much past 30mph (top speed) on a flat road. They also accelerate much slower than a scoot with a larger displacement engine, or even a 50cc 2-stroke scoot. I think it's best to test-ride the scoot before committing to a purchase.

That said, you mention it's just an eight-minute drive in your car and you probably know best if that is sufficient power for the purpose of commuting to work base on the route you usually take or can choose to take.

Welcome to MV!
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I think my S-50 was a great first scoot. My 2009 4-stroke S50 got up to 43 on flat roads next to the lake - it was fine around the neighborhood but got slow when going up large hills. I think a 50 is fine for someone who will be riding max 5 miles distant in a quiet, flat city/town and who weighs 150 with all of their gear, bags, etc. Our speed limit on streets is 30 and 25 in residentials, so it makes sense. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a used scooter so that there wasn't so much loss between new price and what it will sell for, but hindsight is always 20/20!
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