The Vespa gathering dust.
Bobbi’s posts about buying used cars got me thinking about selling my husband’s Vespa scooter because we almost never use it. It came out once last summer, to be exact. I’ve never even driven the two-wheeler myself! But its potential for fun and gas savings makes us hesitant to sell. Are we being foolish by not selling it – or by not using it? What would you do?
Pros of selling
Cash – Nada Guides values the 2007 LX50 Vespa scooter at $2,310, a nice chunk of change. (Edmunds and KBB do not value scooters). That would more than cover a summer vacation next month or go halfway to maxing out one of our ROTH IRAs.
No guilt – We won’t feel guilty every time we see the Vespa gathering dust in the basement. And we won’t be bogged down by the Vespa’s inertia, currently greater than our motivation to get it
road ready.
Bike – I have a mountain bike to get around town in, so I still have options other than driving.
Loosing value – The longer we don’t use it while waiting to sell it, the more value it sheds. The waiting game is ours to lose. (Though we’re not currently paying registration or insurance on it.)
Cons of selling
MPG – At 85 miles per gallon, it’s more than twice as efficient than our two cars. The Vespa has enough storage, believe it or not, to make small grocery runs, which is easier than lugging food home on my bicycle.
Work – Cleaning the scooter, gassing it up, and fixing a broken gauge will take 2-4 hours. Plus, we’ll need to take pics, make a Craigslist ad, and deal with often flaky potential buyers. Who knows how many hours we’ll spend to sell it.
Parking fees – Parking a car at the local beach costs $20, but the scooter gets in for free.
One car – If we go down to one car, which I am hoping we can do, having the scooter will be a nice option for in-town errands and trips.
Missed fun – Buzzing around on the scooter is super fun and parking is always easy. Riding the scooter is a summer adventure!
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Use it! It’s a great option to your bike. You may fix it up and find you are not able to get as mch $$ as you planned. You’ve got it; it’s paid for; it’s in good condition. USE IT UP!
Keep it, ride it and smile as you cruise around town!
@theresa and Linda O. Hmmm, so far everyone thinks we should keep the Vespa. Any other opinions out there?
thought you got divorced?
@Brooke I got re-married! http://bargainbabe.com/2011/05/23/how-i-got-married-for-less-than-1500/
I think the real problem here is – why aren’t you using it? Is the only reason you’re not using it because you have the mountain bike?
I can’t tell if this is Bargain Babe or one of the writers, but you can use a scooter all year round in many places instead of a car, you save tons in gas and car maintenance, and provided you take a training course, they are very safe.
I commuted to and from the suburbs of Chicago downtown for years, and it saved me thousands in gas, car maintenance, and parking fees. I still use it now that I work in the burbs and not much can beat it!
One of the neatest things that people tend not to remember is also that it has the advantage of being small – parking is easier, and cheaper if not FREE. (A lot of green communities are encouraging smaller vehicle use and give away parking for motorcycles and scooters).
Plus you’ll never meet more fun people than you do when you’re on a scooter – I have a Honda Metropolitan that never fails to get people’s attention somehow. And some of my neatest friends I’ve met while commuting on it.
I wouldn’t sell it. I’d fix it up and make a plan to actively use it. If there’s really no way that I could actively use it, than I might sell it. But I think right now, you’re just lacking a plan to use it because like most people, you treat it as a toy, not a working vehicle in the family.
@Connie I work from home so I don’t use it for commuting. My husband works at a secure site so he would have to file a bunch of paperwork to be able to drive his vehicle to work. Every spring we have to heave it out of the basement (7 steps) and it is quite heavy. Because we get a lot of winter weather in New England, the Vespa is not safe to ride Nov-April. May depends on if it’s raining or not.
I agree that it is great for many commutes and is fun and makes parking a breeze, but my uses for it are limited to around town drives. Maybe I’ll make one more effort to use it this summer and if that doesn’t work, sell it in May/June.
I forgot to add this on and its not letting me add to my comment:
People are seriously amazed that I commute with my scooter. Its that mindset that has to be let go of – you can have fun and having a working vehicle at the same time!
I agree with Connie. The question is, “why aren’t you using it?” If a Vespa would get up the hill to my house, I would definitely get one. My concern would be that it would be stolen. So give it up – why is it just taking up space in your garage?
keep it. i sold a 2005 tomos scooter in 2009 when i moved from boston to virginia. i wish that i hadn’t
I would definately be riding it myself, those trips to the store, the library and the post office. Not to mention some other shopping too!!
If you or your husband aren’t using it, just sell it. The longer it sits around not being used, the more things go wrong with it. I don’t think discussions/suggestions are necessary. Step up to the plate and make that decision on your own.
I vote for keeping the Vespa and actually using it, especially for those errands near home for groceries, etc. A friend of mine drove his Vespa for years rather than taking his car to work and saved a bundle. Vespas can even be parked in/at a bike rack in L.A., and get free parking most places, including beaches. What’s not to like about all that. The only time the Vespa would be impractical is during rainy or snowy weather, and I don’t think that’s a major concern for you and Dan. Plus I agree with Connie’s comment about the fun factor of meeting people. You’re a true people person, so that should sway you.
Really all those pros are moot if you don’t actually use it so I say sell it.
@BB ~ Your ideas sound like a good compromise between keeping vs. selling. Use it for fun this summer/fall, which should give you an idea of its value to you. If the cons outweigh the pros, sell it next spring.
Oh, my. If I had it, I would use it. I have been wanting one forever. I used to drive a little scooter when I was in high school. I wish I had never gotten rid of it. Right now it would come in handy when I just want to run to the store. We live too far for me to ride a bike (we are in the country), but gas is just so ridiculous I hate to drive in for just a loaf of bread and gallon of milk. Use it.
I love my scooter. The only reason it is not being used at this point in time the weather is averaging 108-110. A bit too hot for the helmet. When it cools off it is the perfect second vehicle for husband to ride to work or for me to keep at home to run one of the teens to and from school or practice. The gas mileage is great. I wanted it for 6 years and now finally have it. Wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Dear Bargain Babe,
Let the facts speak for themselves: the Vespa has been sitting around and gathering dust.
for how long now? even if you did use it regularly, your Rhode Island weather doesn’t allow scooters most of the year.
Speaking from the experience of giving my scooter to my younger sister when I moved to the east coast, who never used it, it then was left out, was vandalized more than once, and generally lost a lot of value… if you’re not using it, sell it while it still looks nice and move on. Its the perfect time to sell it!
Love,
your east coast sis
No one else has said this, so I will: In my household, we place a high premium on safety. Why take unnecessary chances when you don’t need to? And, clearly, as you’ve written, there is no NEED. You may be a good rider, but what about the other guy? I lust after a Mini Cooper, BB, and safety is a big one of several reasons I haven’t bought one. (I read carefully when you write about yours so I can enjoy it vicariously.) So I will stay with my much-safer, paid-off Honda Accord, at least until I win the lottery.
I think you should sell it and use the proceeds for something you will LOVE. New England weather and roads aren’t kind for Vespas. Great photos from the Frugal Fest! Wish I coulda been there, but was working. Hope you have it next year in the same place.
Since you haven’t been using it, I say sell it and take a great vacation. If you have doubts about selling, force yourself to use it as often as you can during the next two weeks. If you really enjoy your Vespa outings, then you’ll know you should keep it. If you find yourself thinking, “UGH! I have to get THAT thing out again,” you’ll know it’s definitely time for it to go. No point in keeping something you’re not using.
I vote for selling the Vespa because you haven’t used it so far so what makes you think you’ll be happy using it in the future?
Keep it and use it. We have a 2009 Yamaha C3 that gets 100+ miles per gallon. We have a second car and store it for the summer months and use the scooter instead – for all the reasons you stated already. Plus we save 70$ per month on auto insurance while our second car is stored
Use it. Sell one of the cars and keep the bike and the Vespa.
We took the scooter out for a second time, to the beach, and enjoyed it. Now it’s parked on the side of the house for easy access. I’m hoping to learn to ride it myself this week and start taking it to beach volleyball and in-town appointments/get togethers.
I especially liked Dennis’ suggestion of using the scooter as the second vehicle in the warm months and storing one car. Does your insurance company really let you only cover it half the year?
Keep it. I have the same one here in Los Angeles, and it’s very hard to sell on Craigslist. For the $1300 or so you’d get for it, just use it! I’m going to sell mine, only to buy an LX150 for a $1000 more on Craigslist, I need the extra horsepower here (50cc was fine in Chicago)
BB, my insurance is for only April-November (the riding season in Chicago), so its absolutely doable! 🙂 The rest of the year its in storage so I don’t bother with the insurance then.
Well I am looking for a scooter or a vespa I just got back into college and I enjoy being outside and as a student gas is so expensive I wanted something I could keep for the long haul..also enjoy going to the beach and really enjoy the wind in my hair so if you are interested in selling it..it will go to a good home..i just would have to work with you with the price cause like I said I am a student and working 2.5 jobs coming in fall so budget will be tight..but just let me know my email is strawberryskitz@hotmail.com