Is it easy to unhook odometer on Buddy. Is this wear normal?

[pattomike]

I test-drove a 2008 Genuine Buddy 150 today. It ran great, and rode great. It has 2290 miles on it, and he said he will take $1100 for it. (the listed price is $1275...private seller. He bought the scooter used. At first I was really excited about buying it, but later I realized that I am bothered by something. The condition of the floorboard. The floorboard looks very used. Many of the tits on the plastic are rubbed or broken off. And the pieces of plastic that make up the floorboard are a little bit warped and don't fit together nicely. It made me wonder later if maybe this bike has more miles than the 2290 indicates. It is an analog odometer, and I expect it would be easy to disconnect the cable if someone wanted to ride it without registering the miles. There are some scratches on the bike as well. It doesn't look as if it was taken particularly well care of. It doesn't look terrible, but it is far from excellent condition. So now I am having second thoughts. I don't care how good of a price I am getting. If the mileage is misrepresented, or if I think it is, I would never been content with the bike. I added an picture of the bike.

[MYSCTR]

From the picture posted - this Buddy has seen plenty of sunshine. Maybe was kept outside for a few years. Weather can play a real toll on the plastics and rubber mat. We have had a few mats that did not hold their color well, yet most of the body panels and mat can be brought back to life with a good cleaning and polishing with the right products (search for discussions on this topic). Yes, you could pull the speedo cable pretty easy, and/or even break it when pulling the front wheel. I would ask the guy, check the tittle for the stated mileage when he bought it, see how long he owned it and what is the back story on the scoot. Check all fluids, does it start up and idle, can you ride it, how does it handle etc.

We have seen an 08 (maybe it was an 09?) for sale recently from a local dealer with less than 400 miles on it and they are asking $2,300.

Yet if you are not comforteable with the deal - walk away. Best of luck.

[pattomike]

Thanks for your reply. Yes weather is what I suspect, as well. It ran great, and was very fast. He was an elderly gentleman, and seemed to have no idea about maintenance. He bought it used for his wife from a scooter shop four years ago, and she apparently never rode it judging by the mileage. He said he tried selling it on consignment at the same scooter shop but it did not sell. I always thought Buddys sold like hot cakes. He seemed ever so slightly annoyed by my comments on the used condition of the floorboard, and he said I can buy replacements floorboard pieces for very cheap. Not sure if that's the case or not. I don't give a rat's behind about the floorboard, per se. I just want to make sure the scooter has not been used far more than the mileage would suggest.

[babblefish]

The nubs on the foot mat of my 2008 are mostly gone and the general condition of the gray plastic is pretty faded and some are cracked. I bought it with about 7800 miles on it for $450, though it hadn't been ridden in over a year and wouldn't start. But, being tough little buggers, I had it running in an afternoon and have put around 1000 trouble free miles on it already. I have no regrets on my purchase.

[RickyDragon]

I wouldn't worry about the floor board. The blues on this St. Tropez are easy to stain. There is no reason to pull to odometer cable on a Buddy. It's not like it's a Porsche 911 and the miles will greatly decrease the value of the scoot.

[DeeDee]

The blue on that St. Tropez gets beat up real easily. That scooter is coming up on 10 years old. Even if they are garaged over night, they don't look real good after a while. That color scheme seems to hold up the worse out of all Buddys.

[Remous]

I think you're looking too much into it. The floor mat gets beat up because your feet are on it constantly. The mileage is probably accurate. It isn't that hard to take the instrument panel off to unscrew the odometer but I doubt anybody would really do that.

[JettaKnight]

I wouldn't lose any sleep about the mileage. There's a whole lot of other factors that I'd consider before mileage.

To me it just looks like it got a lot of sun.

[pattomike]

I wouldn't lose any sleep about the mileage. There's a whole lot of other factors that I'd consider before mileage.

To me it just looks like it got a lot of sun.

Does this forum have the function that allows me to say "thanks" without having to quote and reply? A thanks button, if you will? It would be helpful.

I am not comfortable with the weathered look despite how well it runs. I offered him $800, he said no thanks. Just to refresh your memory, it is a 2008 Buddy 150 with a floorboard that is missing many nubs, and warped pieces. The paint is also faded. He has another 2008 red Buddy 150 that is in much better condition. I offered him the $1100 he was willing to take for the blue Buddy, but he declined that offer as well. I guess he would rather keep the Buddys in his garage all summer. He has owned both of them for 4 years, and doesn't ride them. But some people want their price, or they won't sell. Not paying $1100 for a 10 year old weathered-looking Buddy.

[Dooglas]

I agree with others that this looks more like damage from outdoor storage than from excessive miles. And yes, damaged panels and floor mats can be replaced at modest cost if you wish to upgrade the appearance of the scooter.

[scootERIK]

I would check is the manufacturing date on the tires. My guess is it will 2008 or older(the front looks like the OEM whitewall tread.) Which means the mileage is probably accurate, also that if you buy the scooter you will need new tires.

The floor mat on the Buddy isn't completely covered with bumps even when new-

[ucandoit]

I think his asking price is fair. I bought a 2008 for about that price, with 3000 miles on it. I agree with the others that you are probably over thinking this a bit. It's understandable because we can never be sure of the history of a scooter and often the sellers truly are pretty clueless about them. Unless you suspect a crash where the frame is damaged, I wouldn't worry about faded panels, etc.
I would be more concerned about the scooter having set so long. The carb. can have issues with getting gummed up, though you report that it performed well. It's common to be unsure about used scooters. His price seems pretty fair to me, but go with your gut feeling.