How many miles are "too many"?

slukach · Post by **slukach** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:22 pm

I want to get a 50cc buddy scooter and was just going to buy a new one. But I started looking around online and have found a few used ones for about 400-600 cheaper than a new one. Obviously they are older (saw a 2009 and 2007 online) and had miles on them (both about 2300 miles).

But I wanted to know if that many miles meant that I would be fixing things or tuning up in the near future.

Can anyone give me their input about the miles and any info they have on these years (2007 and 2009)?

Thanks

Post by **illnoise** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:36 pm

2300 miles is nuthin', that's just past the second service interval. The engine's broken in and if there were any issues with the bike, they'd have manifested themselves clearly by that mileage.

On top of that, in most cases, people who ride regularly take better care of their scooters. Bikes that sit around are actually *more* likely to develop issues. And a lot of very-low mileage used bikes you see are "impulse buys" that were dropped on the way home from the dealer or ridden a few times then ignored by their owner.

Quo Vadimus · Post by **Quo Vadimus** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:03 pm

If I remember correctly you'd get a Stebel horn with the 2009. A plus for safety if you feel the same about the bikes otherwise.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 6:53 am

That's definitely not too many miles, so long as they did the oil changes per schedule. The thing to remember though is that they may be $400 to $600 less than new, but if you buy new you will get a 2 year warranty, which includes 2 year roadside. The warranty is NOT transferred when the bike is sold used.

Now Buddy's are so darned reliable, you may never miss not having that warranty with the used ones, but it's something to keep in mind in case that is important to your piece of mind.

I bought my 2008 used in September of 2009 with only 80 miles on it. I made sure I did the maintenance on it and now have 2,100 miles on it...still running like a champ!

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:21 am

If it's properly maintained it should run for ages - I'd worry more about the state of the bike from a scratch & dent perspective than the engine as long as it runs clean and shows it has been maintained.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:53 am

I have over 7000 miles on my 50cc (2009), and I haven't had to do much of anything with mine. The last time I had it looked at by a mechanic he said the clutch was going to need to be replaced soon, and I've noticed lately that I've lost about 5mph top speed, so I'm probably due for some work. That scoot should have plenty of trouble-free miles ahead of him.

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 1:54 pm

I've got the 125 not the 50, but I put 30k miles on mine in 2 years and never had an issue I didn't cause myself

2 or 3 thousand is nothing at all, thats barely broken in.

slukach · Post by **slukach** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:25 pm

Thanks for all the info.

Didn't realize the warranty didn't transfer. Has anyone had to use the warranty since they bought theirs?

What about pros and cons of new vs. used?

Post by **illnoise** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:38 pm

If the bike's a couple years old and has that kinda mileage, nothing's likely to go wrong with it warranty-wise, problems like that are generally apparent early on.

And there wouldn't be much warranty left on an '09 anyway (and none on the 07) so it's no biggie that it doesn't transfer.

I don't know why people are always surprised by that, looks like *some* auto manufacturers will extend the warranty to a new owner, but many don't. And I don't think the warranty is ever transferrable on consumer electronics and such.

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 5:02 pm

I've had some warranty work done (125cc) and asked what it would be w/o warranty. It's been really, really reasonable each time.
The number of times I've used the warranty vs. what it would have cost...I'm not going to worry a bit when mine runs out this coming January.

New vs. used: Used is already broken in: one less thing to worry about. New, you know everything the scooter's been through because it was you doing it. I don't really consider that a con towards used if you get it from the original buyer...you can always ask. Barring that, a good look-over can find signs of how the scooter was treated.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:38 am

illnoise wrote:On top of that, in most cases, people who ride regularly take better care of their scooters. Bikes that sit around are actually *more* likely to develop issues. And a lot of very-low mileage used bikes you see are "impulse buys" that were dropped on the way home from the dealer or ridden a few times then ignored by their owner.

+1!

A lot of people will find something like a 2001 Vespa ET4 with only 100 miles and think they got a like-new scooter. Nope. It's going to have problems.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:53 pm

hey guys

is 8,000m too much on a 2007 Vino? when does a scooter engine start to lose oomph? like compression and what not?

is this a fair deal at $1300? what should i offer, if anything at all?

http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing ... r-96506212

8000m is probably a year's worth of riding for me, at least. give or take

Dean F · Post by **Dean F** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:26 pm

slukach wrote:Has anyone had to use the warranty since they bought theirs?

Yes, I had mine for about a month and the rear tire valve broke while riding. Genuine took care of everything, towing, parts, and labor.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 3:17 pm

JHScoot wrote:is 8,000m too much on a 2007 Vino? when does a scooter engine start to lose oomph? like compression and what not?
is this a fair deal at $1300? what should i offer, if anything at all?

I don't know what a fair price would be, but Yamaha's a good manufacturer, and 8K miles* in three years sounds like it's been ridden regularly enough.

*I assume you mean "8,000mi" not "8,000m" (meters). 8km would be neglected.

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 4:27 pm

$1300 for an '07 Vino 125 with 8,000 miles is okay but not for a 50cc, that would be kind of be a crappy deal.

Have you tried looking on your local Craigslist? You might be able to find some gems.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:10 pm

Condition and maintenance history is everything on small engines. If they are taken care of, they can run for along time. If they are misused or poorly maintained, then there will be problems. Especially with a 50, I would recommend starting out used. You don't know when ugrade-itis will strike.

(none of this applies to scoots owned by Kaos, of course

)

juice · Post by **juice** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:11 pm

Someone mentioned the importance of regular oil changes but the buddy 50 is a 2 stroke and does not have crankcase oil . I use synthetic 2 stroke oil in mine , it really cuts down on the smoke , smell and carbon buildup in the exhaust . I bought my 2009 for $1,000.00 from a lady who only put 40 miles on it before she dropped it and broke a mirror . I had to remove the clutch and exhaust restrictions and replace the mirror . Good luck .