Internet scooter purchases

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:24 pm

Anyone done this?

I found an out-of-state deal on the scoot I want that saves me over a $1000. They deliver it to my city for a reasonable freight charge. I'm typically cautious. I also have found that when something is too good to be true .......

Anyway, what has been everyone else's experience with this?

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:31 pm

youngster wrote:...I found an out-of-state deal on the scoot I want that saves me over a $1000...

Depends on the scooter.
Depends on the dealer.

Ask yourself the same question, but change scooter to camera, or computer, or game platform - something you are familiar with. What questions would you need answered before you bought that item. The same questions need to be answered for the scoot.

Is it from a reputable manufacturer?
Is it being sold by a reputable dealer?
Are all the accessories that should come with the scooter coming with this deal?

On and on and on. Answer those questions and you will have your answer.

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:41 pm

Sym HD 125 $1899, New, any color
Sym HD 200 $2199, New, any color

$289 freight charge

Seems like a reputable motorcycle dealer.

Post by **illnoise** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:51 pm

It's downright illegal to sell a scooter online in many states. It needs to be sold by a licensed dealer and prepped and inspected before it's delivered to the customer.

And the dealer can't title it for you, so that's added expense and hassle, and it'll come in a crate without being looked over by a mechanic, and need some assembly.

I think it's fair to say that a responsible dealer will not drop-ship you a quality scooter in the crate. No reputable scooter manufacturer would let them do it, and no warranty would cover a scooter prepped by the consumer.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:57 pm

Dealer to dealer delivery should do the trick. Of course that would entail some negotiating with a local shop, heck car dealers have been doing that for years.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:03 pm

agrogod wrote:Dealer to dealer delivery should do the trick. Of course that would entail some negotiating with a local shop, heck car dealers have been doing that for years.

That's only when the car dealer doesn't have the color or trim level you want, and the dealer initiates it. A local dealer who's basically just being under-sold by somebody out of state is not likely to cooperate.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:12 pm

The key word here is "negotiating".

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:31 pm

agrogod wrote:The key word here is "negotiating".

And the first question asked in any negotiation is "What's in it for me?"

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:49 pm

Yeah, unless you know how to prep a brand new engine, don't do it. There are CRITICAL things you need to know if you want the bike to have any hope of surviving the first few miles of running.

If you don't know how to deal with all of that, you couldl end up with an unsafe to ride bike that won't last long.

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:48 pm

I'm saving about $800

Can't I take it to a local moto mechanic and have them prep it?

Post by **Lostmycage** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:45 pm

youngster wrote:I'm saving about $800

Can't I take it to a local moto mechanic and have them prep it?

Call them and ask. Expect to pay their full prep charge since that'll be the same service that they perform.

AtlBuddy · Post by **AtlBuddy** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:21 am

I have a lot to say about his since I recently did the same thing. We bought a Vespa lx 150 from a dealer(99.5% feedback) in Ohio on Ebay. It seemed like a great deal since we saved about 1200 off of retail. They had a $199 anywhere in the U.S. shipping special which we opted for. Here are the things that went wrong with the purchase:

1. Took 2 weeks to receive the paperwork as it was never sent out overnight.
2. Scooter was shipped a week later than promised and was overlooked cause they were "busy".
3. The scooter showed up damaged.

As of now, (2.5 months later) I am still waiting on the repairs to be paid for. The dealer did send a piece of trim for replacement but he side rear fender has to be repainted. they are submitting a claim to the shipping company for the damage but the shipping company is saying it is the dealers fault for poorly crating the scooter. I told them I don't care who is at fault as long as I get the scooter fixed.

What I did do which I am glad about is have the scooter delivered and received by my local scooter store. He was able to immediately see the poor crating materials and identified the scratches. He also refused to take delivery and it was sent back to the shipping companies warehouse. I had it shipped to the store just for this reason. If there was a problem, I wanted to have a professional on my side stating the deficiencies. My dealer was great about completely checking everything on the scooter and even identified an unplugged headlight. Hopefully this will all be wrapped up soon and I can move on from this. the dealer has worked with me to some degree but it has been a fight and huge inconvenience for me. Worst thing is it isn't even my scooter. I hope this gives you some help in your decision. I am not saying don't do it: I am saying this is what can go wrong.

bigbropgo · Post by **bigbropgo** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:30 am

The money you might save will disappear the first time you need repairs or adjustments that would be otherwise covered under warranty. It more or less looking at the big picture and weighing you options. Having a dealer that's close (ish) and a warranty can be worth more than $800 for sure.

AtlBuddy · Post by **AtlBuddy** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:46 am

btw, the vespa we bought has a full warranty just as if we had bought it from a local dealer.

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:05 am

Excellent feedback. Thanks

I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty. SYM has a 2 year warranty on their scooters. Why does it matter who I buy it from. My local dealer has a mechanic that works on SYM. It should be covered, right?

I also think he would be willing to prep it for me. I will ask that question of him before I pull the trigger.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:25 am

I'm gonna hazard a guess here that the seller is Lynnwood MotoPlex in Washington State cause I was able to match up the models and prices.

Here's a link to their "specials" page (scroll down for the SYMs).

http://www.motoplex.net/pages/specials/1/1/default.aspx

Reason I'm posting this is so that fellow MB members can give it a look to see if it sounds legit, worthwhile, etc.. Also, some of the folks here might have some experience with these guys.

If this isn't the correct dealer, well, what can I tell ya, my guess was wrong.

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:39 am

As a new board member I wasn't sure I was permitted to post the names of retailers.

I would like to know any experience other have had with them

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:51 am

OK, for what it's worth, here's a link to their BBB report:

http://www.bbb.org/western-washington/b ... -wa-500092

AtlBuddy · Post by **AtlBuddy** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:30 am

youngster wrote:Excellent feedback. Thanks

I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty. SYM has a 2 year warranty on their scooters. Why does it matter who I buy it from. My local dealer has a mechanic that works on SYM. It should be covered, right?

I also think he would be willing to prep it for me. I will ask that question of him before I pull the trigger.

I am not sure it will void your warranty. If it has never ben titled and your buying it from the dealer than you should be registered as the original purchaser and be eligible for warranty. As I said before, the one we purchased has full warranty and road-side assistance. I received the Vespa road side assistance car today as a matter of fact.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:10 am

By the time you ship it and pay to have it prepped, registered, licensed, etc., etc., etc., I don't think you'll be saving anything. But you will be gaining a headache.

dawg onit · Post by **dawg onit** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:17 am

I have a friend who ordered a scoot, came in a crate, front wheel was not attached along with many other parts. (wasn't as nearly nice as a Sym though) She payed 1099 for a new 150cc scoot, after a couple weeks the front tire was on, and it was semi assembled. Then came the DMV, (IN PHX) who wouldn't register or pass her scoot because of no title and turn signals weren't high enough. So then it sat, by the time she found a buyer,the scoot wouldn't start so the guy offered her 300... it still sits in her back yard.A Sym is much nicer than what she got stuck with, but the whole shipping thing sucked in its own way.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:18 pm

youngster wrote:I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty.

I don't know about their warranty, but if I were the manufacturer I wouldn't warrant a scooter that was assembled by someone who wasn't trained or certified to do it. There are probably a dozen things you could do wrong that could cause some component to fail prematurely, and they probably don't want to take responsibility for that.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:58 pm

Skootz Kabootz wrote:By the time you ship it and pay to have it prepped, registered, licensed, etc., etc., etc., I don't think you'll be saving anything. But you will be gaining a headache.

yeah i read somewhere dealers were selling discounted HD 200's for $2500+ tax, title, lic. so that's under $2900 OTD. this site has 'em for $2200 plus $200 shipping + tax, title license, etc. so final cost is what? $2600-$2700 for a bike you have to slap together yourself with questionable warranty status? thats not such a great deal. especially when you consider other deals that can be had for the same price in the marketplace right now

i have read it's a "buyers market" when it comes to scooters but idk? plus Carter Bros burned to the ground so it's no wonder these are so sharply discounted

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:54 pm

Mine was Internet purchase. My family started the purchase when they found bike on E-bay and it did not sell. They called dealer directly. It was a bit hair raising for a while. I gave the out of state dealer Power of attorney to handle all of the paperwork so it was a lot less hustle when my bike arrive. It took longer for bike to get to me then anticipated (they were looking for cheapest possible carrier). The bike came fully prepped. I asked about that and it was all set up at no additional cost to me. It was crated. Oil and gear oil were all in gas was drained for shipping. All I had to do was put gasoline in and turn on ignition key. The only Custom" thing I found was someone did extra wiring so that battery can be charged without removing it (there were additional wires that no one could figure out what they were for until I showed pic to my local dealer). Overall I saved about $ 700.00+ and ended up with Itallia vs 125 model. To be honest if my dealer could have negotiated the price and got me both set-up and "extras that Genuine was offering at the time I would have bought the 125cc scooter from him

Post by **illnoise** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:18 pm

TVB wrote:
youngster wrote:I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty.
I don't know about their warranty, but if I were the manufacturer I wouldn't warrant a scooter that was assembled by someone who wasn't trained or certified to do it. There are probably a dozen things you could do wrong that could cause some component to fail prematurely, and they probably don't want to take responsibility for that.

Exactly, THATs why.

And even if it was, If I was a dealer, I'd be happy to do warranty work for a bike that was bought out of state and moved to my area, but I'd flatly reject working on any bikes that a neighboring dealer undercut me on, and didn't prep properly.

Bb.

Post by **illnoise** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:36 pm

Looking at their site, they sell only top-tier brands and appear to be a responsible dealer, so I can't imagine they're shipping un-prepped crated bikes.

I would definitely ask them how the bike is shipped and what recourse you have if it's damaged in shipping, as well as finding out about additional expenses you may have re-titling the bike across state lines.

Just the tax to bring the bike into a different state might kill you. I'm sure I could buy any bike I wanted in Indiana for $800 less OTD than I'd pay in Chicago. Then I'd pay $800 or more in taxes when I titled it to my Chicago address, not to mention the hassle of arranging delivery and re-titling it. It'd have to be a REALLY good deal.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:36 pm

JHScoot wrote:i have read it's a "buyers market" when it comes to scooters but idk? plus Carter Bros burned to the ground so it's no wonder these are so sharply discounted

Well… everyone is discounting now. With SYM, there are the additional issues of their troubles in the USA and having a big stockpile of repos and other new/low mileage scooters that are getting sold at auction for dealers to sell at even greater discounts. This could be driving prices down further. It may also be the case that some dealers are dumping scoots with the intent of dropping SYM due to their current problems.

pocphil · Post by **pocphil** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:31 pm

Within the past 6 months or so MANY dealers have been dropped by their distributors. I can think of one here in Ohio who has been advertising VERY aggressively on Ebay and Craigs bikes WAY below msrp and claiming to ship bikes nationwide for under $200.

This company is no longer an "AUTHORIZED" dealer for some of the major scooter companies they represent or sell on Ebay.

We've talked to many customers who have still not gotten their titles from this dealer even up to 6 months later. We've attempted to do warranty service on these scooters only to find their warranties have never been activated.

According to dealer law in Ohio you have no expectation of warranty if you are not buying the vehicle from an "Authorized Dealer".

What this means is they are not allowed to sell these bikes with warranties, extended warranties or promotional programs like RoadAmerica etc. You know they aren't working real hard to include that information in their Ebay ad tho'.

Buy your bike from the dealer you'll be expecting to work on your bike. If a deal seems too good to be true...well, you know the rest....right?

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:46 pm

What I have learned

1) Dealer has an A+ BBB rating
2) Dealer Preps the bike before shipping (but drains gas before shipping)
3) Comes with the 2 year manufacturer warranty. I checked local SYM mechanic and he said they honor that warranty. Also said SYM are very well built
4) Title is overnighted as soon as cashiers check clears.
5) I simply go to local DMV to pay tax and registration.
6) Pick up scooter at Freight company, gas it up, and drive it home.

I warming up to the idea.

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:58 pm

I personally wouldn't buy a scooter from a non-local dealer. Maybe its just living in economically depressed michigan, but I want to have a place to have my scooter serviced, by parts and accessories, and just stop in to aask scooter related questions. If folks don't buy local then the local shops will close and you'll be shipping your scooter across the country every time it needs to be repaired. Even if you can get a deal, is it worth losing your local shop as a resource?

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:01 pm

youngster wrote:What I have learned

1) Dealer has an A+ BBB rating
2) Dealer Preps the bike before shipping (but drains gas before shipping)
3) Comes with the 2 year manufacturer warranty. I checked local SYM mechanic and he said they honor that warranty. Also said SYM are very well built
4) Title is overnighted as soon as cashiers check clears.
5) I simply go to local DMV to pay tax and registration.
6) Pick up scooter at Freight company, gas it up, and drive it home.

I warming up to the idea.

BINGO – We did this TWICE and it worked very well and saved us close to one thousand dollars per scooter including getting our registration, state inspection and custom plates.

First scooter – we went out of state day trip and picked up

Second scooter - we had shipped across country and when we pulled off the shrink wrap, pulled out the boxes of goodies that was part of the deal and rolled it off the skid – started right up with about a ¼ tank of gas!

BOTH bikes were pre-prepped for us, took them in for their first service like normal to our local shop who loves seeing us come in as we have three buddy's they service all the time.

Think happy thoughts and get your scooter on!

Get Past Warm ! ! !

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:08 pm

jasondavis48108 wrote:If folks don't buy local then the local shops will close and you'll be shipping your scooter across the country every time it needs to be repaired.?

Local Dealers thrive on peeps like you and in Big D - that means full retail - no deals! All my service and free press about Buddy's go straight to my local dealer! We send local people shopping there all the time.

jasondavis48108 wrote:Even if you can get a deal, is it worth losing your local shop as a resource?

I live for the deal - shop for the deal and will find the deal every time! Wouldn't buy without a deal! That is how we got five scooters in seven months. Heck, I want to buy a couple now yet can't use them so I have to focus on something else like not spending money!

Just imagine a world where EVERYONE bought local - the internet would just dry up and go away ! ! ! Then what would we do for entertainment?

ps: Jason - Not picking on your post - there must be 30 posts saying the same thing - your was just the last one I saw!

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:15 pm

everyone has they're own opinion about this kind of stuff so no offense taken. I'm local crazy; buy almost all of my food from small local farmers at a farmers market. Buy as much of the other stuff as I can from michigan companies. Hell if there was a company who made scooters in michigan I'd have one. My state is F*cked economically so I feel real strongly about supporting what little economy we have left

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:23 pm

Very cool - local buying - we know your economy is hurting has been for some time - we have relatives there and we love Ann Arbor!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:54 am

MYSCTR wrote:Just imagine a world where EVERYONE bought local - the internet would just dry up and go away ! ! ! Then what would we do for entertainment?

That's complete and utter nonsense, which doesn't even deserve a rebuttal.

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:13 am

TVB wrote:
MYSCTR wrote:Just imagine a world where EVERYONE bought local - the internet would just dry up and go away ! ! ! Then what would we do for entertainment?
That's complete and utter nonsense, which doesn't even deserve a rebuttal.

...and yet you did ! ! ! !

Point is local and the internet have their values. The internet is not going to cause all the local dealers to dry up and go away just as the local dealers are not going to cause the internet to cease to exist.

sosha · Post by **sosha** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:50 am

Just to throw another log on the fire, youngster.......

What state do you live in? If it's Sunny California, fagettaboutit.

Post by **illnoise** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:24 am

As Phil pointed out, if your local dealer is someone you want to stick around to service and accessorize your bike, you're killing them by buying elsewhere. Especially now that bikes repossessed from dealers are showing up on the market everywhere underselling good/legit dealers. In many cases, it's illegal or shady.

In this case, I think the dealer is legit and all, but it's still just not cool to not support your local dealer, especially in times like these.

Have you asked your local dealer to match their price? Maybe they can't, but I bet they'd be happy to work out a deal that would still save you some money, give them some business, and save you a lot of hassle and potential problems in the long run. Your local dealer's price might include the tax and titling fees you'll have to pay anyway.

Bb.

VoodooKitty · Post by **VoodooKitty** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:35 am

illnoise wrote: Have you asked your local dealer to match their price? Maybe they can't, but I bet they'd be happy to work out a deal that would still save you some money, give them some business, and save you a lot of hassle and potential problems in the long run. Your local dealer's price might include the tax and titling fees you'll have to pay anyway.
Bb.

+1

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:45 am

MYSCTR wrote:
TVB wrote:
MYSCTR wrote:Just imagine a world where EVERYONE bought local - the internet would just dry up and go away ! ! ! Then what would we do for entertainment?
That's complete and utter nonsense, which doesn't even deserve a rebuttal.
...and yet you did ! ! ! !

No, a rebuttal would've involved explaining point by point just out how completely divorced from reality it is.
The opposite view, that ordering things for delivery from distant warehouses can kill off local retailers of the same merchandise, is not only possible, it's exactly what's been happening over the past few decades to local bookstores and comics shops, music and video stores, consumer electronics retailers, etc. There is an unmistakable trend away from locally owned and operated businesses, and don't imagine that scooter retailers are somehow immune.

youngster · Post by **youngster** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:33 am

Folks,

My local dealer was not at all interested in getting in a bidding war. If this were a couple hundred dollars difference a negotiation might be in order. As it turns out I'm saving over $1000 on the SYM HD 200 by having it shipped to me.

I'm not so in love with my local shop that I'm willing to overlook that much money.

dawg onit · Post by **dawg onit** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:59 am

Do your thang, from what I hear SYM scooters rock. But with that companies current situation, it might be a good idea to keep nice with your local shop.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:56 am

illnoise wrote: Have you asked your local dealer to match their price? Maybe they can't, but I bet they'd be happy to work out a deal that would still save you some money, give them some business, and save you a lot of hassle and potential problems in the long run. Your local dealer's price might include the tax and titling fees you'll have to pay anyway.

Bb.

support your local scooter shop

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:45 pm

illnoise wrote:Have you asked your local dealer to match their price? Maybe they can't, but I bet they'd be happy to work out a deal that would still save you some money, give them some business, and save you a lot of hassle and potential problems in the long run. Your local dealer's price might include the tax and titling fees you'll have to pay anyway.

Bb.

This is what my Honda dealer did for me with the sh150 that I bought in May. They told me up front that they wouldn't be able to match the price of the Blur 220 (the other scooter that I was considering) but they were able to knock $250 off the msrp and they knocked off all of the dealer associated fees. This saved me several hunderd dollars and made me happy enough to purchase the scooter. Now I have the scooter that I wanted so badly and my dealer loves me for buying the scooter that they had one hell of a time selling

Another point for buying local is that the more you spend with your local dealer, the more likely you are to get deals on other stuff you will eventually want to buy from them. Also, I have found that loyal customers tend to get pushed to the front of the pack when they need service to get thier scooter back on the road. Just something to think about.

jmkjr72 · Post by **jmkjr72** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:39 pm

youngster wrote:Excellent feedback. Thanks

I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty. SYM has a 2 year warranty on their scooters. Why does it matter who I buy it from. My local dealer has a mechanic that works on SYM. It should be covered, right?

I also think he would be willing to prep it for me. I will ask that question of him before I pull the trigger.

unless it is set up by a licensed sym dealer the warranty is void plain and simple

thats how the warranty is voided you need to read thru the warranty that is in every warranty i have ever looked at it needs to be set up by a dealer licensed for that brand some cheap clone brands say any small engine mechanic

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:47 pm

jmkjr72 wrote:
youngster wrote:Excellent feedback. Thanks

I'm unclear as to why buying this way voids the warranty. SYM has a 2 year warranty on their scooters. Why does it matter who I buy it from. My local dealer has a mechanic that works on SYM. It should be covered, right?

I also think he would be willing to prep it for me. I will ask that question of him before I pull the trigger.
unless it is set up by a licensed sym dealer the warranty is void plain and simple

thats how the warranty is voided you need to read thru the warranty that is in every warranty i have ever looked at it needs to be set up by a dealer licensed for that brand some cheap clone brands say any small engine mechanic

Exactly why the selling dealer in both case with us - prepped the bikes before we got them! NO BIGGIE - they were willng to deal!

MYSCTR · Post by **MYSCTR** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:48 pm

youngster wrote:... I'm saving over $1000 on the SYM HD 200 by having it shipped to me.

I'm not so in love with my local shop that I'm willing to overlook that much money.

I am right there with ya! BINGO ! ! !

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:28 am

Maybe I'm dense, but I always thought that the margins on scooter sales were slim. So, what I'm coming up with is that the distant dealer can sell (and ship) a prepped scoot for $1000 less than the local one can, and still turn a profit. Assuming that the distant dealer's margin is typically thin, then the local dealer's margin is exorbitant by comparison. Unless, of course, the local dealer's costs are higher. But $1000? That's a pretty big difference, no?

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:30 am

i had a local dealer offer me an HD 200 with 800 miles but full warranty for $2350 recently. seemed a good deal considering the dealership

had to turn it down because that is somewhat out of my budget atm. but i got a great deal on a new 2009 Kymco Agility 125 from the same shop. a price so low, i agreed not to quote it!

of course i live in SoCal where competition among dealers is somewhat fierce, though. but it's nice to make one offer and have it accepted right off while others had rejected it.

i didn't even bother calling the other dealers to tell them "can you beat it" because they were such poop heads to me before. i wouldn't buy from them to save a buck or two after practically being laughed out of their shops. and they could probably only match the price at best, as i am paying a chinese scoot price for a Kymco with full warranty and a great dealer

happy happy

VoodooKitty · Post by **VoodooKitty** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:59 am

JHScoot wrote:but i got a great deal on a new 2009 Kymco Agility 125 from the same shop.

Congrats on your new Kymco!

Modern Buddy

Internet scooter purchases

Internet scooter purchases

Re: Internet scooter purchases