1st time buyer

[helen]

Hello.

I am new to all this so please bear with me if I sound a little dumb .

I want to buy a vespa for my boyfriend who has been an absolutely fantastic support this year. I know he has also had a dream of owning one and I can't think of a better way to say Thank you. I think his ultimate one would be an old traditional looking version but I assume they are collectors items and you need to know how to maintain them?

My query is I that I don't know where to start.

I have had a look at prices of new ones approx £1800 right? which is more than I can afford this year (I am a student). I was looking at around £800-£1000.

What are my best options? Are second hand older bikes reliable? Are they relatively cheap and easy to fix if there is a problem? What should I look out for when buying? What sort of size? am I looking for? My boyfriend has had a scooter about 15 years ago and so I know he can ride one or at least to be able to. I think I read that there are ones that do 30mph and then ones that do 50 mph. Is that correct? Are the 50mph ones a lot more expensive?

Also for tests etc what does he need to do? will he need to do another test? Insurance - how much am I to expect, he is 34 and doesn't have a car driving license.

Any other advice

I know I am asking a lot and it would be great if you could help me or point me in the right direction for more information.

Many Thanks

Helen

[Lucia]

Hi Helen, welcome to the forum. Your boyfriend certainly is lucky having you!

For your budget, you can get a decent second hand one - and you'll be able to get a 'classic' looking one too.

You'll be able to find a scooter specialist/dealer near where you live, so don't worry about maintenance/repairs etc, they can sort all that out - just treat it like a car and have a yearly service and MOT.

If you can, try and sneakily find out (women are good at this - heh) which type of licence he has and let us know. If he took a motorbike licence years ago, he won't need another test. Car licence doesn't matter - doesn't need one.

If you want to have a browse at some vespas, have a look on ebay, but I don't recommend you buying anything if you're new to it - just have a look at the prices for now (usually overpriced)...motors.listings.ebay.co.uk:80/Motorcycles-Scooters_Vespa_W0QQfclZ3QQfromZR11QQsacatZ9936QQsocmdZListingItemList.

I'd also recommend that you buy a copy of Scootering magazine (WH Smiths) - can't remember the price, about £3-ish. There's a Scooter Trader section in there which is better.

The 30mph/50mph - depends on the model, it's probably not priced up that way because some old vespas can go at 40mph but are worth more money because they look nice or a rare. In a nutshell! And some bikes will go 65mph and be cheaper because they are ugly ducklings like mine ;D

Insurance - I'm paying about £15 a month. Tax is £15 a year. MOT - can't remember now, £25 ish I think. Service depends - mine was under £100 this time. Petrol - a fiver for a full tank.

Might be worth posting again if you see anything and we can all throw in our opinions - we're all happy to help.

[Spence]

I'm afraid you won't be able to get a new Vespa for less than 2k in today's prices, although you might be able to get a new LML (Far East Vespa copy) for a shade under.

As Lu says, if your budget's 800-1000 you should be able to get a half decent used scooter, but like any second hand vehicle, the older it is, the more likely you are to have things go wrong with it, that's just life.

I hate to say this but it'll be very hard to surprise him with an actual scooter unless you can find someone who knows about them to help you buy it. Have you tried going to a local dealer to see if they've got anything or know where you can go? Let us know whereabouts in the country you are and we can point you in the right direction.

Only a piddling little 50cc scooter will do 30mph. If you get a 125cc Vespa, he can ride it on L plates and it'll do between 50 and 60mph. Insurance, well that's a perennial topic on this forum. Everyone's different, but it can be quite pricey until you've passed your test. For a good thread on this kind of subject, go to the Introduce Yourself and Your Scoot board and read the thread called Another Newbie.

It might be a case of telling him that as he's been such a good boy he can have a scooter and you'll buy it for him, but he'll need to find the one he wants himself (within your budget of course). Trust me, a 34 year old bloke will be just as pleased with a wad of notes as he will if he comes out of the house and finds a scooter with a big bow tied round it.
;D

[Lucia]

spence said:

Trust me, a 34 year old bloke will be just as pleased with a wad of notes as he will if he comes out of the house and finds a scooter with a big bow tied round it.
;D

[helen]

Thank you both Lucia and Spence.

I will take up all your suggestions. I live in Cardiff but have had a little difficulty in finding a dealer locally... any suggestions?

As for his licence - there is nothing on it so I assume he never passed his test, just went round on L Plates?

I have my father who lives locally to come around with me to look at any possible purchases. He's good with cars and has a two of his own motorbikes but never had experiences with any scooters. Hopefully he will be of some use to a complete novice like me.

Is there anything I should look out for when looking at second hand vespas? Is there something that notoriously goes wrong that is expensive to fix?

Thanks for your help again. You've been great.

[bryno]

All good advice given there .. if someone is going to help you look, I'd suggest point them towards a Vespa PX125, It's probably the best intro to a 'classic' scooter (though to people as old as me, it's still modern LOL), he can learn on it, ride on L plates and it has enough go for zipping round town, easy and cheap to maintain and very reliable.

Plenty of PX125's on the market and easy enough to sell on if he ever decides to go for a bigger engine, all PX's are pretty well the same from the 1980's to today, but worth knowing that the newer ones (last few years) had a front disc brake, so a bit safer perhaps, you'll see them usually advertised as a PX125 disc..

As Lucia says, worth a look in Scooter Trader, that's where most scoots are advertised, give you an idea on budget and also has loads of dealer ads, must be someone in the Cardiff area..

[bryno]

P.S as with every bike or car there are weak spots, but TBH Vespas really are cheap to fix, so unless it's a major fault it will never break the bank..

Look out for worn front wheel bearings, rust especially on the floor and seams/towards the back of the floor, check all the electrics work of course and for signs of it being dropped, scuffs on the side panels, legsheilds etc.. check it sounds healthy enough, goes through the gears smoothly and does not smoke much, and if it has a current MOT you probably can't go far wrong.

Service history is a bonus, if it's a fairly new one be good to see a stamped service book, handbook and a wad of invoices, always a good sign of something that's been looked after..

[helen]

I just wanted to say thanks very much for all your help. I have found a vespa that I am happy with and have presented it to him. He likes it alot - he was rather surprised and stunned. In the end I went with an ET4 124cc 2002 model (in metallic green) . When it came down to it the vespa was close by to view, in good condition and well in my price range. I'm going to be insured on it too so I do my CBT next week. I could quite get into all this and next summer be looking for my own.

Again just wanted to say thanks
Helen

[Spence]

That's good news Helen. My best mate lives in Roath so next time I'm in Cardiff I'll keep an eye out for metallic green ET4s.

If you like the scene enough to be into the music, there's a regular scooterist night at Dempsey's in Cardiff. I think it's the last thursday of the month, but I'm not sure, you might want to check it out.