Modern Vespa

Does anybody know anything about the 250 ie scooter and / or seller that just sold a 2008 with 600 miles on ebay for 2,800.? Something seems very fishy

Do you have a link?

Here is the link.... I think

2008 Vespa GTS 250ie Midnight Blue 600 miles - eBay (item 190333741191 end time Sep-10-09 18:44:08 PDT).webarchive

Nobody ever saw this GTS 250ie for sale? I ended up being the "winning bidder" for 2,700. which right away sends a red-flag. No contact from seller who listed that he wanted cash - in person which is the only way I would deal on it anyway, so that was fine but everything else about it sound very odd. Nobody recognize this scooter or seller from Elmvale, Ontario?

Wow, that's a steal or scam. Could be someone was just trying to get rid of it quickly. I noticed it was in Canada, and this is the sellers first auction (and never even bought anything , thus no feedback). That doesn't look good at all. If it's legit, you just got an awesome deal.


Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190333741191&ru=http://shop.ebay.com:80/%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp3907.m38.l1313%26_nkw%3D190333741191%2B%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1#ht_500wt_1182

It certainly does seem too good to be true. I would ask for his name & address and see if you could verify that he lives there before proceeding. It could be real but it sure seems too cheap to be true.

How can this be real? The dood could have got more money by just having a dealer buy it from him w/o the hassle of ebay etc

Thanks "Stanny" for making the link work - it was above my skill level.
If it is a scam, it is kind of pathetic, since it is cash in person. I guess they could be planning on trying to rob me in person - unfortunately stranger things happen in the world. Still, a very fishy auction and about a 12 hour drive from my home, so I am not budging or getting my hopes up until "all of the ducks are in a row". I was hoping that they (seller) were either a member on the forum or somebody on here knew of them. Always leary of a 'too good to be true' scenario.

I believe the seller is on the up and up. The description is accurate and the photos are very good. It also says he accepts cash or PayPal.

My concern would be Customs and any duty that may be levied. I would also make sure it had all the documents necessary to register and title it in your state.

I think you got a very good buy.

Customs, hadn't thought about that. Anybody have info there??
I too was looking closely at the pictures before bidding last night - the background, the house etc. all looked respectable and cared for - as opposed to blatant Craigslist type scams with obviously shady looking pictures. Still, you never know - nice respectable looking people can be crooks too.... I bought my Et on Ebay without any problem - drove to look at it, test ride and exchanged cash once they could provide proof of ownership etc. But that was only a 1.5 hour drive from home, not 12. I assume GTS has the red/brown key deal also?

I can totally sympathize with getting caught up in the emotion of the moment - esp. with an auction - so please excuse me for being blunt, but that's the type of question you're supposed to ask *before* you submit a bid and win...

Can a CDN Vespa even be registered in the U.S.? I know US market Vespas are all 50-state legal, but does that necessarily mean there is reciprocity back and forth across the northern border?

IF you drive the 12hrs, see the bike, are not robbed at gunpoint, complete the deal, cross back over the border, and get the bike home, it would really suck to find out only at the DMV the Monday after that your bike is unregisterable in the U.S.

Ducks --> Row. Get 'em there.

Very good points. I believe if it turned out that the Vespa could not be registered in the US, that would be a legitimate reason to retire from the contract, without any penalties from eBay.

That is a nice looking 250. Hope it works out.

Sounds like a trip to your local Motor Vehicle office is in order.

What does the VIN plate say? If you get a photo of that you may have better luck at the DMV getting straight, realistic answers.

just ideas...

TechGuy - Good idea ! Thanks.

It's a lovely scoot! I'm envious. Bought mine through eBay also With only 6 miles on clock for £2400 with a saving of neaarly £800.00. I drove to see it took reg and checked it out via dvla and insurance company before parting with my hard earned cash!

I looked into importing a bike into the USA a couple years ago - I wanted to buy a Vespa in Korea, ride it around for a year or so, then ship it back to the states. I found out this would be near impossible and promptly told that ONLY one entity is allowed to bring in Vespas into the USA - and that is PIAGGIO (for sale that is).


So I would look into this really hard before paying up.

It's only about two thousand kilometers from me. If you decide not to get it, let me know and maybe I'll take it. At least I'm in the right country.

cheers

'Wangta' post was very interesting. Waiting to hear back from the seller and based on reply will check with my local DMV office beforehand. Mental note made 'Woodenhead'.

I'd be a little skeptic just because the seller lives in Canada yet the speedo is in miles and the temp is showing fareinheight. Unless of course HE/SHE bought the bike in States?? Or the pics are not the bike??

It's a great price so I hope it all turns out!

If you look at the first picture there's an American flag hanging by the side of the door. That and the imperial units on the gauges, no ebay feedback, and a willingness to ship to the UK all raise red flags to me.

Any more of our Ontario members care to comment?

It's definitely not a Euro model as the UK ones have Km/h on the outer ring of the speedo display and mph on the inner ring. I'd say US machine.

Ooo ... I didn't see the American flag but it was the speedo and temp that threw me off.

He mentions that he has a motorcycle and his wife has a red Vespa. In photo 3, you can see the motorcycle and in photo 4, you can see both the motorcycle and a red Vespa. That adds cred.

The US units on the speedo and the US style reflectors ( I think) and the US flag in the background all kinda point to a US bike.

A VIN photo would clear all of this up.

I personally feel the person selling the bike is on the level. So much skepticism re: this post. I'm sure that there's a perfectly good explanation for everything.

Maybe there is an American flag on the lawn because the person selling the bike is American, which could also explain the speedometer assuming it was purchased in the States.

No money has exchanged hands, so nothing dodgy has happened (yet).

your bid was completed on the 10th and your post to MV was on the 11th, I understand you are eager to get your mitts on the lovely Vespa but, that's not an unreasonable amount of time. from the looks of his feedback or lack thereof I'd say that he probably doesn't use his computer much and is not at his screen 24/7, perhaps he and his wife went away for the weekend. I purchased my Vespa on Ebay too, and as soon as I knew I was the winning bidder I contacted the seller myself. I would suggest you do the same since you have not heard from him first.

I wish you well and hope you don't have any problems. Good luck.

So much for the free market economy.

The more detail I hear about this auction the fishier it sounds. In saying that, I might be over cautious. I was watching an article about car crime on the TV the other day and the police advice was "if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is". How cheap is this deal? Is it less than half what you'd expect to pay? Not that half is some magic milestone - just trying to gain some insight.

The other day I was surfing the classifieds and almost got excited by the offer of an M3 convertible for £150. Thought at first it might have been an old rubbish/almost worthless example but the story in the ad just had the wrong sort of detail in it. Didn't say how old the car was, mileage, what extras, service history, t&t. Just some shite about how he "bought it from a dealer, but it isn't [his] thing".

Anyway, this is all speculation (and therefore of questionable value to you, but I do hope it works out for you and you're getting the bargain you've been led to expect.

My guess is he worked out a way to end the sale early and when he did he forgot to remove bids so the sale stuck at the amount is was when the auction ended.

It's only an hour and a half north of me (Toronto)!

I'm just curious how this all turns out.

rickeydean, I love your optimism but there are just some red flags about this auction. Besides the American flag and speedo. The person has not listed it for sale locally. I check craigslist and other sites for Vespas everyday and this has never showed up. Now why would someone sell is this on eBay and NOT sell it locally?? It seems weird but I hope I'm wrong.

I'm very curious to hear updates from ScooterBeagle.

No word yet from seller. I got their phone number from E-bay. I am going to try calling them to see what the real deal is. Regardless, there is no harm done, since nothing has been invested on my part.

I know it's only been 2 days since the auction ended, but since this is his first and only item up for sale, you think he'd be watching it like a hawk and contacting the buyer immediately.

The seller finally sent me an email Sunday saying that he had been away for a few days etc. All sounded perfectly reasonable. He wanted to know my name and address to research shipping options to which I did not divulge rather I wrote him back 5 min. after receiving his email asking for the VIN, so I could verify through DMV it's ability to be registered, also for him to verify that he had a proper bill of sale and from what dealer and a clear Title. I also told him that I would be coming in person and would be paying at that time, after everything checks out. Now it is Monday afternoon and no response form seller... grrrrr.

Well, it will be interesting to see if you hear anymore from the seller. He's certainly not in any hurry to find a buyer and there are too many things that just don't sound right about this whole transaction. FWIW: I have bought several motorcycles from out of state sellers and I always have them fax the title to me so I can see the VIN and that their name is on the title with no liens. Good luck!

XLR8 - good advice. That will have to happen before this goes any further.

I brought my Vespa from ebay I were able to view before buying though lucky for me. If/when you go to view it I would take a friend or two for moral support etc. there seems to be plenty of pictures to back up the fact he actually owns it. He may be a bit disappointed at the sale price hence the slow responses to your email.

For what it is worth, and to all the skeptics, I bought my GTS250ie off Craigslist for $3300 and it came with extras! The guy was legit and had 3 BMW 2 wheelers and a Goldwing. He just didn't ride the Vespa. And, he was in the next state over from me as well. You just have to do your homework and be careful. Good luck, I hope you get a deal like I did.

I would ride that thing across the border. To many hiccups passing over in a truck or trailer.

So, it seems to have turned out that this sale was an attempted scam.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

250 sold on Ebay - stolen?

Just in case anybody cares.

Like I said...