Modern Buddy

Hi everyone! First post here we go . . .

I owned a Stella in Denver back in 2004. Loved it to death.
Fast-forward 13 years and I'm living in LA thinking how great it would be riding a scoot here. So I looked into getting another and I ran across all these California restrictions on 2 strokes and the 7,500 miles rule and all that fun stuff.

I could maybe just buy something vintage but I'd like something restored & definitely don't want to accidentally buy a bodge (which it seems have completely infiltrated the market since I was last into riding).

Has anyone on here recently successfully registered an older Stella 2T in CA with less than 7,500 miles? Googling the issue turned up a million horror stories but none too recent so maybe the issue has resolved itself?

I really like the pop pop of the 2 stroke and am familiar working on them so it feels like a safer route for me, but I'm not totally opposed to a 4T if there are mods I can do to make it louder. Or has anyone on here gone from a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke and want to tell me why I should change my mind about them?
So much has changed since I was last riding, I don't know where to start. HALP.

If you really want to go classic, then go classic. A PX150 or P200 is a fun classic ride, though they demand a fair amount from you as a DIYer. Otherwise, there are lots of fun 4 strokes out there with no registration issues - be it the 4T Stella or a modern Vespa or a Buddy.

Cali has a TON of p200e about. I'd be getting one of those if you have to get vintage. There are probably a few NOS 4t stellas dealers still have as well. It seems like your no stranger to DIY so I'd be trying to find a P series.