I'm in a bit of a pickle. Not a serious one mind you but one that I nevertheless never thought I'd find myself in. I am looking to buy a 150cc scooter for zipping around the neighborhood and have narrowed it down to two possiblities, one driven by emotion and one driven by reason.

My brain says to go with a like-new 2020 Kymco Like 150i with 224 miles on the clock. It is a reliable Taiwanese scooter with LED lights all around, a USB charging port, ABS, a 13.5 bhp 150cc engine, a top speed of 68 mph, and an official EPA rating of 80 mpg. It will most likely last a lifetime and be very reliable yet also incredibly boring with absolutely no drama.

My heart says to go with a 2018 Piaggio Vespa LX 150 with 683 miles on the clock. It is an Italian vehicle with none of the bells and whistles listed above, a top speed of 59 mph, and an official EPA rating of 70 mpg. It will most likely fall apart at some point but will do so in a very flashy and flamboyant manner. It is $1,000 more expensive than the Kymco but it looks absolutely stunning and unlike for the Kymco there are actually a plethora of third-party accessories and spare parts available.

Every single fiber in my body says Kymco, because it's the more sensible and much safer choice. However, I really like the idea of owning an original Vespa and an Italian vehicle, one that might go up in flames and rot away in my driveway but will look absolutely fantastic while doing so.

Who would you listen to in my position - heart or brain?

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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"

Heart,
that is what motorcycle is about.

If I would use my brain, I would drive a Volvo car.
And not old Motorcycles.
( I have a Suzuki GT 750 -72, Harley WL 750 -43 and..... other things that make no sence.
But I love them)

Having a 50n Special (1988), a 50 ET (2001) and a PX 125 (1998) Vespa in my garage the answer is very easy.

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I would listen to your brain. It is clearly thinking it through and you have your answer. However I think you have asked the wrong question.

You have asked “which is the best scooter from an economic perspective in the current market?”However, you have already said that there is a plethora of ways to keep the Vespa on the road - this is a situation that will continue for many years - there will be spare parts available for years, either genuine or from a third party. You are less likely to be saying that about the Kymco in 10 years time - at best you are likely to be looking at second hand spares.

So the question you brain should be going over is “which scooter will I be able to keep on the road for 30 years and then sell it for more than I paid for it?” Only one winner there.

Anyway, motorcycling is about passion, character and putting a smile onto your face. Scootering is probably the same.

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

Would Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday have looked even half as cool on a Kymco?

I rest my case; the Vespa has something the Kymco will NEVER achieve.
It has Cool.

Attached Files

vespa.pdf (200.0 KB, 85 views)

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Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost.

Choose with your brain not your heart. It will always be rewarded forever and ever….

Personally I would have chosen a Honda SH150i. Its better, more reliable and thus in the end more economical than any other scooter.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

The sun must have addled my brain on this one as without a doubt I'd go with the Vespa. It may be more expensive, slower, thirstier and throw the occasional Latin tantrum but it is the essence of what scooters are all about. The Kymco is just an imposter in a pretty dress.

And all of that from someone who started his two wheel career on a Lambretta, and after two years of stripped bolts, wrecked electrics and never ending side of the road rescues swore to all the powers in heaven he'd never ride anything Italian ever again.

A quick question - are you sure about the year for the Vespa LX150 as they went out of production in 2014 and was replaced by either the Primavera or Sprint.

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

You are right, it is not a 2018. It is a 2012 Vespa LX 150.

Either way, thanks for all your input, it was great to read. I have slept on it and have decided to listen to my brain in this instance instead of my heart for a single reason: the Kymco has ABS. If this scooter was just for me I wouldn't care as I have enough experience to make up for lack of ABS to a certain degree. However, my wife wants to ride it too and she has little to no experience so it could end up being a life saver, quite literally. Especially considering that she already crashed a scooter once before in Thailand due to lack of ABS. She panicked, pulled the brake lever way too hard, and the front wheel locked up throwing her sideways onto the gravel and from there straight into a Thai hospital.

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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"