NBR - Price for 2009 Piaggio BV250?

[walke2jd]

There is a BV250 on craigslist in my town. It is a 2009 with 1,000 miles on it. Everything looks new and it has been garaged since purchase.

Can anyone weigh in on the value of this scooter? He is asking $4,200 which I think is over-priced. I was thinking somewhere closer to $2900 seemed reasonable, but I wanted to get a second opinion.

[MrChet]

KBB:

http://www.kbb.com/motorcycles/piaggio/ ... /trade-in/

Retail is $2990. Trade in closer to $2K for my Zip in Oregon.

I live out in the relative sticks though. In a big city like NYC or SF prices will be higher. Also, KBB motorcycles doesn't really take into consideration the mileage and condition.

That being said, in my experience used Vespas carry the same premium as buying one new. KBB is also not always accurate. In the end it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

[Syd]

Well, the new BV350 retails for $5700, so I agree, $4200 for a 4+ year old BV250 that has sat for most of that four years is more than I would pay.

But like MrChet said, if somebody will buy it that's what it's worth. How long's it been on CL? And where are you?

[walke2jd]

Its been on Craigslist for a month or so. I have been keeping an eye on it to see if it would drop in price, but he is holding firm. I am in Virginia Beach.

I emailed him yesterday and came down to $3800, but that still seems high to me. I am gonna give him a standing offer at $3200 and maybe by the end of the summer, he will be ready to negotiate.

He is using the NADA Average Retail Value which is at $4100, but that seems way too high for a 4 year old scooter that retailed at $4800. Not sure how they come up with their values, but it doesnt seem realistic.

[Dooglas]

That being said, in my experience used Vespas carry the same premium as buying one new. KBB is also not always accurate. In the end it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Certainly the metal-bodied Vespas have a reputation for holding their value as used bikes. That has never been true to the same degree of the plastic-bodied Piaggios, however. And, the BV 250 is a discontinued model beyond the rest of the discussion. From local examples, I'd say the high twenties, as indicated by KBB, is about right. Heck, the last of the new old stock BV 250s were going for under $4K new, so the seller's ideas on value are more than a little optimistic.

And then there is this one -
http://madison.craigslist.org/mcy/3839133557.html

[jrsjr]

Yeah, it's not worth that. Let them stew for a while and make a reasonable offer to see what happens. I'm not optimistic, though. Somebody who puts that high of an asking price on a bike is probably not going to suddenly become a reasonable person who will negotiate with you. Sorry.

[Syd]

Yeah, it's not worth that. Let them stew for a while and make a reasonable offer to see what happens. I'm not optimistic, though. Somebody who puts that high of an asking price on a bike is probably not going to suddenly become a reasonable person who will negotiate with you. Sorry.

Agreed. He's probably trying to get every dollar he spent for it.

[Milt]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to let you know that BV 250s can be had for quite a bit less than the one you were considering. I found a nice BV 250 on Craigslist in Fort Collins that I negotiated down to $2600.00 last November.

The scooter has exceeded our expectations, so far. The only thing it needed was the removal of the evap. junk (under the odd cover in the pet carrier) - that system accomplishes nothing and the machine runs much better without it.

We've been getting around 70-75 mpg and had zero issues after the evap. junk went away...

[walke2jd]

Ya, he never ended up going low enough for me to bite. I am still prowling craigslist for a deal like you are describing, but nothing so far. Maybe spring will kick some dust off a few garage dwellers and I'll see them pop up on CL. My dream bike is the new 350, but I cant touch one of those until the prices come down a bit on the used ones.

[Dooglas]

Now here is a used BV 350 for sale that really shows how far outside of reality the asking price of that BV 250 really was.

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic125768

[Syd]

Now here is a used BV 350 for sale that really shows how far outside of reality the asking price of that BV 250 really was.

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic125768

Wow. $3900 is a good price. I wouldn't sell mine for less than about 7k

[pocphil]

We've got a BV500 at our Mentor Store with 2200 original miles, Piaggo Top Case and windshield and not a scratch on it. $2900.

Just sayin'

http://www.clevelandmoto.com/id20.html

I'd think about going to Vegas for that BV350 - awesome bikes.

[Milt]

walke2jd:

Good deals will pop from time to time; the problem is that the BV 250 is a rather nice scooter, so people might tend to hang onto them.

I tested the BV 350 last year before buying the 250 and was quite impressed, but it weighs rather a bit more than the 250. The seat on the 350 is noticeably taller than that of the 250 and, combined with the weight, makes the 250 a better choice for shorter people. I am 6' and find both easy to ride, but my wife (who has ridden Harleys) found the 350 to be too tall for confident control.

Another aspect influencing my decision was the complexity of the 350's service procedures - the 250 requires only $50.00 worth of special tools (clutch and variator holders) and is easy (for a plastic body scooter) to service. If you do not do your own maintenance, the longer intervals on the 350 might appeal to you.

Also, I prefer to control the brakes on a two wheeled vehicle independently and the linked brakes on the 350 prevent that.

While the 350 is a really fine machine, it is just a little too close in size, weight and price to a motorcycle or 'maxi-scooter' for my taste.

For less money, a decent used Yamaha TMAX scooter will out-perform the BV 350 in every way: both have wet clutches, but the TMAX clutch is not part of the unsprung weight, permitting the TMAX to handle as well as the better sport bikes; the TMAX will cruise comfortably at ten to fifteen mph over the BV 350's top speed; modern radial sport touring tires are available for the TMAX, but not the BV 350; weather protection is better on the TMAX; fuel range to reserve is a bit better on the TMAX and the brakes on the TMAX are superb. The TMAX is one of the most popular bikes in Europe, so parts availability and after-market support is excellent. While I really like the BV series scooters, Yamaha's engineering and build quality is about as good as gets.

[Dooglas]

the TMAX will cruise comfortably at ten to fifteen mph over the BV 350's top speed

My BV 350 tops out in the high 80s (90 on a good day). Do you do a lot of sustained cruising at 100-105 mph?

We all have our favorite bikes, of course, and to each his own. I must note, though, that the TMAX was a sales dud in the US. The big Burgman, on the other hand, continues to hold it's own corner of the market. I guess that suggests that there is more acceptance in the US for a big cruising scooter than a big sport scooter.

[Milt]

I don't do that sort of high speed cruising, but a few times that's how fast I had to go on the freeway to avoid traffic conflicts and the TMAX was quite comfortable at about 100, with some reserve still apparent.

The TMAX is not my favorite. I bought it as a stop-gap when my bad knee prevented me from riding sport bikes. After I found a workable compromise (the old Kawasaki ZR7), my wife 'adopted' the TMAX because it was so easy for her to ride well and she preferred its performance to the BV 250's. I preferred the BV 250 because it is more of a true scooter than the TMAX. In spite of my preference, I must say that the Yamaha is better built. Don't take it the wrong way - I still think the BV 350 is a fine scooter for those whose needs it fits. It's just too 'in between' for me. For others, that might well be a virtue.

You are quite correct about the US market; we're a poor market for scooters, in general. People tend to buy big, plush bikes here. Having ridden the Burgman, I remain puzzled by its popularity; the thing makes a Harley seem agile.

[jrsjr]

(...) The big Burgman, on the other hand, continues to hold it's own corner of the market. I guess that suggests that there is more acceptance in the US for a big cruising scooter than a big sport scooter.

Scooter markets are weird. For example, the big Burgman has been a good selling machine in the European markets without a lot of complaints about mechanical problems. OTOH, in the US, the big Burgman has a reputation for having transmission problems. I researched them a couple years ago when I was about to strike on a deeply discounted leftover 650 at my local dealer and everybody said, "Don't do it!" So I didn't. Apparently, there is a design flaw in the clutch bearing that requires a lot of expensive labor to repair when it fails. What's worse, the failure always seems to happen when the bike has higher miles (25,000 to 30,000 miles) and is therefore out of warranty. I'm betting this isn't an issue in the Euro market because they don't tend to rack up the miles by taking six and seven thousand mile round trips the way that US riders commonly do. Anyway, I wouldn't buy a used 650 Burgman without an ironclad extended warranty because the cost of the repair at a dealership may exceed the value of the bike.