OT: Rained all day -- Bought a Lambretta!

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siobhan
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OT: Rained all day -- Bought a Lambretta!

Post by siobhan »

Ok, I'm sooo excited and I know this has nothing to do with Buddys, but...
  • ** b/f saw a craiglist ad this morning (Sunday) for a 1958 Lambretta LI 150 (Series I) about 60 miles from where I live
    ** I said, "and you haven't contacted him yet?!"
    ** He sends email...guy calls with specifics and directions
    ** We get in car and hustle up there (stop & go traffic the whole Mass Pike)
    ** We pull up to the house and there are mopeds EVERYWHERE (Tomos, Puch, Motobecane)...the guy is a mechanic and he loves mopeds (swears by the Tomos)
    ** And he has this gorgeous Lammy that he bought from the original owner who last drove it in 1964!
    ** It was shipped over in the late 50's to the local Air Force base (has the base sticker from the early 60's) so it's an Italian model in kilometers
    ** The guy got it running, rebuilt the engine, it practically purrrrrs and the best part...he didn't touch the paint so it's got the perfect patina of a 50 year old scoot AND it started first kick
We gave him all the money we could get the ATM to give us and we're going back to pick it up on the weekend with the rest of the cash. I'm sooooo psyched!

We had two LI 150s (Series III) but traded them for an Innocenti Mini in 2000/2001 and I've regretted it ever since. And now we'll have a beautiful Lammy again.

Oh, and he has a Series II he's going to be selling in the near future.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky »

Wonderful barn find!
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Threegoofs
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Post by Threegoofs »

Thats awesome.

If I can ask... around how much was it?

My brother in law has a Lammy that is about 1960 that he restored... I've been trying to get him to sell it to me for years, but he doesnt want to part with it - and he doesnt ride it at all. I'm curious to the going price.
I was told by my wife that I have too much money and not enough hobbies.... or something like that.
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newslinky
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Post by newslinky »

First let me say Very Nice find!

Second let me ask is it a moped or is it a scooter?
Proud owner of a Buddy St. Tropez 150
sradwick
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Lammy Find

Post by sradwick »

That story makes me want to cry. Congrats. Xmas comes early.
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siobhan
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Post by siobhan »

Threegoofs wrote:Thats awesome.

If I can ask... around how much was it?

My brother in law has a Lammy that is about 1960 that he restored... I've been trying to get him to sell it to me for years, but he doesnt want to part with it - and he doesnt ride it at all. I'm curious to the going price.
We got it for $1,500 which I think is really, really good. He did all the hard stuff (rebuilt the engine, new seals, cleaned out the gas tank, carb clean, new exhaust, etc.) ... all the stuff that a lot of people don't look for because they're so dazzled by the paint, but we both know it's a pain to have to track a headlight that won't come on or a bike that will start and then die out within 10 seconds.

I would say that a Lammy that is in good (unmolested) shape should run about $2,500 - $3,000. If it's all tricked out and running well, it could fetch a lot more. But you should get the family discount ;)

We know we won't lose money on this deal if we needed to sell in the event of an emergency cash flow situation. But we have no intention of selling.

I'm a sucker for the saddle seats. I absolutely hate riding on the back of the Vespa P with its bench seat because there simply is not enough room for my legs. But the saddle seats let each rider have all the room you need and there's floorboard space for the passenger. Plus, we'll get the 3-in-1 backrack with the back rest, the spare tire holder and the spring rack to hold stuff. I've been restraining myself from calling Gene.
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siobhan
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Post by siobhan »

newslinky wrote:First let me say Very Nice find!

Second let me ask is it a moped or is it a scooter?
It's a scooter...Lambretta was the competitor to Vespa in Italy (and it's the scoot brand Jimmy rides in Quadrophenia). The guy was just mad for mopeds, though...they were everywhere...it was like a breeding farm for Motobecanes and Tomoses. And he was a hoot...great stories.
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AxeYrCat
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Post by AxeYrCat »

That's frickin' AWESOME!!

Congrats!!! :shock: :D
Huh? What just happened?
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ericalm
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Post by ericalm »

Great find! I wish my wife would react the same every time I found a Lammy I wanted to buy. :)

This would have cost you a LOT more around here.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
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chromebroom
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bought a lambretta

Post by chromebroom »

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! Congrads. :-) Your scoot is beautiful. I can see how you would be excited. I am just looking at the pic. Don't get me wrong, I love my Buddy, however, darn your scoot is sweet !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy the Journey and Ride Safe
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Xena
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Post by Xena »

Awesome find and score Siobhan!

Totally looking forward to seeing her :)
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