Modern Buddy

The time has come, and after riding my Eclipse 125 all Spring and Summer, I'm ready to upgrade.

My question for the forum is, how? I've never sold a scooter (or car, for that matter) locally. My scooter is paid off, fwiw, but how would I handle the title, and the sale in general? She's in perfect condition and ready to ride for a bit longer before winter, but I just want to make sure that I do it right.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Well, I have successfully sold a couple of scooters on Craigslist. That demands some thought about test rides, method of payment, where and how to meet, etc. The title part should be fairly straight forward. In exchange for payment in full, you sign over the title to the new owner and notify your DMV of the sale. The procedure in each state is a little different, but you should find instructions on your DMV's website.

I would be strict about a few things. Why? My brother went to sell his 175 Honda, years ago, and the guy who came to test ride it crashed it and totaled it. He gave my brother nothing. Only insurance paid some.
I notice today that many sellers require the potential buyer to have a motorcycle endorsement and cash in hand in case they wreck the bike. That may sound a bit much but I can understand why.
When the buyer pays you, you then sign the title over to him/her and inform the DMV of the sell. But check your state.

I sell about 4 scooters a year. Here's my 2 cents:
If you wait until Late May, you will get more money and sell it quicker than if you list it now. I won't let a person ride it unless they show me the cash and their M endorsement. I lead the test ride on one of my other scooters. I take them through the neighborhood and onto a bigger road, so they can open it up. Where I'm at, you don't need a notary for the title. If it's above 50cc and a title is required, I photocopy both sides for my records. I did a quick look on OK craigslist. Not a whole lot in the way of Buddy's. You might check into a motorcycle consignment shop if you don't want to mess with it.

Dooglas, ucandoit, and DeeDee, thanks for the advice. This is all great and helpful!

I thought about waiting until next Spring to sell it, but I wasn't sure if I'd get a little more out of it now or then, since it'd be a year older.

Is there a resource for figuring out resale for my particular model? I know it won't be worth what I paid for it, but I don't want to take too bad of a hit, as the Eclipse is in perfect condition with upgrades and super low miles.

Thanks again!

coolrays wrote:Is there a resource for figuring out resale for my particular model? I know it won't be worth what I paid for it, but I don't want to take too bad of a hit, as the Eclipse is in perfect condition with upgrades and super low miles.

Both Kelly Bluebook and NADA have compilations of wholesale and retail value of motorcycles and scooters.
You can look them up on-line. A special model like the Eclipse may be a problem, however, if there is not much sales information available.

Unless you're selling through a dealer w/ financing, blue book is worthless. It's what your local area will bear. I guarantee the way I buy and sell scooters never makes it near Kelly statistics. You don't know the true value until you have a buyer standing in front of you with their wallet open. Take a look at your local Craigslist and see what similar scooters are selling for. Keep an eye on how long the post stays up. Go on to Ebay and look under sold auctions. Are their any 2 wheel shops in your area that take bikes on consignment? That would be a good place to start. See what they would sell your bike for and figure 20% less as a private party. You'll know real quick once you list it if it is priced correctly. If I don't get any interest in the first 10 days, I'll delete the ad, reduce the price and re-post a couple of weeks later. You can expand your market by being willing to ship. Sites like uship.com is a great way to get a scooter moved for low cost. If there isn't much scooter activity in your area, what is the closest big city?

coolrays wrote:The time has come, and after riding my Eclipse 125 all Spring and Summer, I'm ready to upgrade.

My question for the forum is, how? I've never sold a scooter (or car, for that matter) locally. My scooter is paid off, fwiw, but how would I handle the title, and the sale in general? She's in perfect condition and ready to ride for a bit longer before winter, but I just want to make sure that I do it right.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Since this is your first sale, you're going to have high expectations about what you're going to receive from the sale. It's a normal feeling. I've sold a lot of scooters on Craig's List over the past 10 years and in only one instance, did I ever receive my asking price. Assuming you bought your Eclipse new, under the best of circumstances, you'll very likely get only 1/2 of your initial investment back. Unless you have to have some cash up front for that upgrade and you're willing to take a big loss on the Eclipse after owning it for less than a year, I'd keep it. Use it as a back-up or just be satisfied with it. It is a nice looking scoot. My 2 bits worth.

Bill in Seattle
'12 170i Buddy Oxford Green
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green

From the buyers end, I know I've never seen a Buddy go on Craigslist for over $2k in KC and I'm guessing OKC is going to be a similar market. Doesn't seem to matter the year, or mileage and really even the CCs, they all go for between $1k to $2k and the ones listed over that sit for months even in prime riding season. Heck, even the Blurs do not sell until they break below that $2k mark.