Modern Buddy

I am corresponding with someone about this 2005 Stella 2t. It has 5500 miles on it. It has not been ridden in a few years but it was garaged. He said he drained the gas, cleaned the carb, and changed the gaskets before storing. It's white, decent shape, some scratches on the engine side cowl. He replaced the head with a Pinasco 177 and replaced the crank. He added a Sito+ exhaust and rejetted. He says the battery or starter are bad so he kick started it. It also needs new tires. Includes spare set of wheels, tools for engine, etc.

Thoughts on questions to ask or pictures to request? He values it at $1500.

its always a tough decision to buy a scooter that isnt running. .. for some.....
A newbie with no experience in wrenching on a 2t shiftie may have a tough go at it.
A seasoned veteran who's wrenched on them would buy 1 in a heartbeat if they can get it cheap.
Fortunately, you can get help here in this forum.
Best case is that you offer a decent low ball price and hope that fresh gas and kickstarts will bring it to life.
But then, say, you have electrical gremlins after the motor gets up and going.
Have you ever owned one before?
Its good that we are getting close to Christmas, as a seller may be better motivated to 'take the money and run' when you flash some cash.
Id say, check for spark.
If you do get (see) spark, then Id have to make an offer.
White is a nice color. Remember the beginning of American Graffiti?
good luck.

Yep, it is an unknown. They guy seems trustworthy, he is a forum member of another forum I frequent, but you never know till you dig in.

I have a little experience, nothing major, but can do few mechanical jobs. Do you have to remove the gas tank to tweak the carb on these?

I have never owned a 2 cycle vehicle before, much less a vintage style scooter.

This would be a hobby bike, not a commuter. Something for weekends and campground riding (we take our scooters behind our RV).

If he did all that before putting it into storage, he would literally only need to put some gas into it for it to run. He wants someone to buy it as-is where-is for a reason.

The tires are dry rotted but it could surely be started. I can ask him to do that.

Id say, with a dump of fresh gas, it should kick over.
IF, there is spark.
If it does kick over, then Id make an offer to him.
But once he starts it, he may not be willing to negotiate the price.
Id suggest to check for spark, if there is, then start negotiating.
Offer a 950 opening bid. Thatll please him, that you're close to a grand.
Tires can be cheap and with your experience, you can put them on yourself.
good luck...

Hes going to get it running and send me a video. Hes going to replace the tires, the battery and ensure everything is working as it should.

New gas, new battery, everything running as it should be. No leaks, no work needed. I am getting excited now. How do I go about making a fair offer on this scooter? I would say cosmetically its less than perfect but mechanically its better than average. There is a small dent on one of the side covers and a hole drilled into the glovebox (for an alarm). Comes with 2 sets of wheels. I was thinking $1300 with all the extras?

sounds like a good Christmas present for you.
Is it a color that you can live with?
Whatever you offer will become his starting point.
Hes selling it, He should throw out a number first.
good luck[/quote]

Yup, it's white, I like the color. He is asking $1500. I hope to finally check it out in person next week!

$1500 is not unreasonable with what has been done to it. Buy it!

Well, I am still waiting. He sent me a video of it running but then something broke on his test drive (crankshaft key and key hole?). He said he needs to crack the case and repair it. It will be another week at least.

I am still looking around, what do you think of this one?

2003 (2 years older)
6800 miles (1000 more miles)
Only mechanical mods are a Sito Plus exhaust
Many cosmetic modes, pristine condition
$2000 obo

This one is for sale by a scooter reseller, kind of an amateur dealer. I dont think he knows 100% of the history. But it looks really nice to me.

That should be your red flag to turn and run while you can. If you had bought that stella, it would have become a paperweight on the first ride.

You mean the white one?

The silver one is down to $1800 now. Also has new tires (3) and a new battery and a Prima trunk. Very tempted but I have no idea whats a fair price.

bigcanoe wrote:The silver one is down to $1800 now. Also has new tires (3) and a new battery and a Prima trunk. Very tempted but I have no idea whats a fair price.

You thought the white one with body damage was fairly priced at $1500. Make an offer for whatever you want to pay on the silver one after you take it on a test ride.

I agree on the white one. Its just not running and no ETA on when that will happen. Thank you!

bigcanoe wrote:I agree on the white one. Its just not running and no ETA on when that will happen. Thank you!

You evidently missed my point. The white one has body damage as well as mechanical issues and you were interested at $1500. If the silver one is in excellent physical condition and runs well, it should surely be worth more to you than the white one.

Not exactly, but I did misread what you posted. And I get the point!