For multiple scooter owners

[macgawd]

I see a lot of folks on here that have multiple scooters in their collection. These things aren't cheap--where I live, the Buddy 125 is just over $3,000 OTD, and that doesn't include insurance, gear, etc. As someone who is having a hard time saving up for even one (I've got a good paying job, but I've also got a mortgage, two cars, and mouths to feed), how do you afford to purchase multiple scooters?

A jealous outsider,

=M=

[MikieTaps]

sell your cars Thats what I did, couldnt be happier. The insurance payments alone with pay for a scooter every year and a half or so... I am 22 so insurnace on cars is ridiculous for me... I only have my one Buddy as of right now, but I am looking into a Stella... I want a side car real bad!

[louie]

no kids, two working adults, simple living, and an outragously small mortgage on a house that was on the condemnation list=3 scooters and 1 mc.

[Kurzer]

"deef ot shtuom dna ,srac owt ,egagtrom a tog osla ev'I tub"

sorry, I couldn't resist playing it backwards but yeah... take all that away, at least for me, and you've got it.

[NathanielSalzman]

I think that folks with multiple scooters didn't get them all at once. That is the case for our household. I had a Vespa, then my wife bought her Buddy six months later, then I bought the Blur a month after that and sold the Vespa about two weeks after getting the Blur. This winter I want to get a second-hand Ruckus to hot-rod. It's also worth thinking about that not everybody buys their scooters brand new. My first scooter was second hand., actually.

[StL_Stadtroller]

4 cars,
4 scooters
1 motorcycle
1 modest mortgage

everage jobs & lower middle-class incomes...

but - no kids, no credit cards, no car payments...
save up and buy everything cash.
we'd buy a house outright too, but there are certain advantages to having a mortgage...

[kazoo]

OP. Its been mentioned before, but if you wait a year or so, maybe less if you are willing to travel and get a low mileage pre-owned.

[DennisD]

Two adults with ok paying jobs.
Two young teenagers at home.
Two dogs.
Two cats.
1 1998 Van (bought used in 1998)
1 2004 CRV (bought new in 03)
1 mortgage payment (less than 2 years to go)
1 1996 Honda Helix (bought used in 2000)
1 2004 Honda Ruckus (bought used in 2006)
1 2006 Triumph Bonneville (bought new in 2006)
1 2006 Yamaha Vino 125 (bought new in 2006)
1 2007 Buddy 125 (bought new in 2008)

The key to all of this is to live well beneath your means, sock away money and be allergic to debt!

My four scooters and one motorcycle cost a whole lot less than many folks spend on one motorcycle. The longer I ride them and maintain them myself, the longer the cars will last. I am a bit concerned about the tires rotting off of the van. I am probably going to have to have her reshod before long.

[macgawd]

sell your cars Thats what I did, couldnt be happier. The insurance payments alone with pay for a scooter every year and a half or so... I am 22 so insurnace on cars is ridiculous for me... I only have my one Buddy as of right now, but I am looking into a Stella... I want a side car real bad!

Selling the cars isn't a practical solution, for several reasons.

1, I still owe money on one, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, anyway (340 hp HEMI)

2. I've got a family. Scooters may be addictively fun, but they're not practical transportation for 3 people and the necessities of life (groceries, building supplies, etc.)

3. The scooter is not going to be my primary mode of transportation, so I'll need some sort of backup.

=M=

[macgawd]

The key to all of this is to live well beneath your means, sock away money and be allergic to debt!

That's certainly true, but the money we sock away over and above normal living expenses goes towards investments for retirement, health care, and other things that I don't consider to be trivial or secondary. I guess a scooter, while a goal for me, is not a high enough of a priority to cut out saving for the future and insuring our persons.

You must make a lot more more money than we do to be able to afford to pay for upkeep and insurance on 8 vehicles, two kids and yourselves.

=M=

[MikieTaps]

fair enough... I get most things around on my scooter, but I am only buying food for 2, and the only other passenger I have to worry about is my GF...

But that is how I am affording this scooter, and hopefully a couple more in the near future.

[paige]

Different priorities. I have heard that kids are really expensive.

My husband generally has a project that requires a budget and a certain amount of time. Instead of taking vacation and going somewhere, he often takes the time from work and the "travel" money to build something. This is how scooter projects are addressed. This is also how the shed got built, the garden redesigned, etc. He would rather play with scooters than rent a cabin or visit relatives.

[luckyleighton]

I have a 02 nissan minivan, a 96 honda, a 03 honda and 1 scooter. I have two little kids and a mortgage. We both have decent jobs. We have no debt other than our mortgage.

I always look at it like scooters are cheap that are not from Italy. Being half-Italian it hurts my feelings. I am new to this and enjoying it, but in a few years if I am still enthusiastic I could easily see getting another one. Fortunately if I really want something I don't think its too much. We are conservative spenders though and are able to live cheaply down south.

BTW, for me it seems kids cost more time than money. Little kids don't ask for much and are happy with hand me downs and consignment. I know teenagers will be different.

[illnoise]

I have 3 scooters (in various states of repair) and a motorcycle, and all but one were bought used for peanuts before my daughter was born. The only one I bought new, I traded in a used vintage Vespa for, and its trade-in value was more than the cost of the bike. We own one car that we bought new, and it's been paid off for a couple years, before that we drove the same car for 9 years.

I have a lot of single scooter friends who buy (at a premium) and sell (at a loss) bikes and other toys every few months as the whim dictates, and they've all thrown thousands and thousands of bucks at scootering. Next spring you'll see lots of low-mileage buddies for sale on Craigslist, being sold for people that put 'em on their credit card, then got bored with them before they were even paid off, and now they're selling them at a loss because it's easier than buying a battery charger or having the carb cleaned. To some people $3000 means nothing. To me, it's a pretty considerable investment. To others, it's out of the question.

I used to spend $150 a week on records, and $100 a week at bars, and I'd go to four rock shows a week, and eat out every night, and I always wondered "How can anyone afford a car or a house?" I still don't know how anyone can afford to buy a house, but we did it, and lots of people poorer and dumber than us have, too. If you make it a priority and give up less important things, you can make it happen. A dude down the street was complaining about how much scooters cost, and he has at least three $2000 TVs in his house, and he's probably paying $120 a month for satellite TV. That's not important to me, but a scooter is. It's all priorities.

Bb.

Bb.

[DennisD]

The key to all of this is to live well beneath your means, sock away money and be allergic to debt!

That's certainly true, but the money we sock away over and above normal living expenses goes towards investments for retirement, health care, and other things that I don't consider to be trivial or secondary. I guess a scooter, while a goal for me, is not a high enough of a priority to cut out saving for the future and insuring our persons.

You must make a lot more more money than we do to be able to afford to pay for upkeep and insurance on 8 vehicles, two kids and yourselves.

=M=

I forgot to mention that I am approaching or am already in the "old fart" category, so I have planned and taken care of all those things long ago that you mentioned. It was not always easy to forego our wants but we did so looking to the future. Although I have enough time in service to retire I am hanging around until full social security - maybe. I might get mad and go home tomorrow and take a long, long, scooter ride, laughing all the way. My daddy did the same and retired to the golf course at 57. He is 91 and still loves golf. I guess I did listen to a few things he told me. But I hate golf.

Dennis

[macgawd]

I have 3 scooters (in various states of repair) and a motorcycle, and all but one were bought used for peanuts before my daughter was born. The only one I bought new, I traded in a used vintage Vespa for, and its trade-in value was more than the cost of the bike. We own one car that we bought new, and it's been paid off for a couple years, before that we drove the same car for 9 years.

Buying used as opposed to new has always been a consideration, but not being mechanically inclined is a disadvantage, since there's no way for me to know what kind of shape the used scooter is in without taking it to a competent mechanic. It's why I have to consider maintenance costs as a factor in the cost of any scooter.

I used to spend $150 a week on records, and $100 a week at bars, and I'd go to four rock shows a week, and eat out every night, and I always wondered "How can anyone afford a car or a house?" I still don't know how anyone can afford to buy a house, but we did it, and lots of people poorer and dumber than us have, too. If you make it a priority and give up less important things, you can make it happen. A dude down the street was complaining about how much scooters cost, and he has at least three $2000 TVs in his house, and he's probably paying $120 a month for satellite TV. That's not important to me, but a scooter is. It's all priorities.

Before I married, I was terrible with money--I had no savings, no investments, and a mountain of credit card debt. My wife, who is a financial advisor, was a life saver when it came to my finances, and so as a result handles all our money matters. So I guess I should clarify that for her, the scooter is not a priority; although she would love for me to have one, she doesn't think that we can part with thousands of $$$ in cash for a scooter right now.

While we are close to being debt free, (a mortgage, one car payment, and some minor credit card debt from much needed dental work), we don't have a lot of margin for spending outside the normal budget. The rise in fuel prices has actually been beneficial to us, as it has forced us to cut back in areas of unnecessary spending, and we've actually been able to save money. I'm a graphic artist, so I can make money on the side, but I don't get a lot of freelance work (though I wish this would change), but what I do make usually ends up going to repair projects or other needs, before it goes to the scooter fund.

Maybe I'm just not meant to have one, I don't know.

=M=

[siobhan]

Hi macgawd,

you may really want to consider used even if you're not mechanically inclined. I know this is the MB list but I'm a huge fan of used Hondas. After the apocalypse, every Honda will still start up.

Look around for a used Elite (a 250 just went for $850 on craigslist here in Rhode Island!). It might not have the look you love (I'm very partial to it myself...if it's good enough for Lou Reed, it's good enough for me "Don't settle for walking"), but it's a good place to start. And then start saving up for what you really want, buy it and sell the Honda. I got my 80cc Elite for $300 over the winter and I haven't put a dime into it. It just sorta keeps on running.

[luckyleighton]

it is about priorities for some.

I am one of the nuts who doesn't have cable.

[illnoise]

I'm a graphic artist, so I can make money on the side, but I don't get a lot of freelance work

Do you have a resume/portfolio online? Sometimes I get so much freelance, I can't even get it all done while I'm at my full-time job. : )

Now is not one of those times, but you never know...

That's a good point, though, most of my toys were bought with freelance cash that I hid from my wife.

Bb.

[Johnny]

My bikes were all purchased used for a decent price. If you are patient enough, you can find deals.

[macgawd]

I'm a graphic artist, so I can make money on the side, but I don't get a lot of freelance work

Do you have a resume/portfolio online? Sometimes I get so much freelance, I can't even get it all done while I'm at my full-time job. : )

Now is not one of those times, but you never know...

That's a good point, though, most of my toys were bought with freelance cash that I hid from my wife.

Bb.

http://www.mach6design.com

I do mainly screen printed apparel design, but have extensive experience in other areas as well. There's also a narcissistic bit on there with my personal music--don't judge me too harshly!

I don't know how much longer this site will be up--it's up for renewal, and I haven't decided whether I want to renew my domain or not.

=M=

[jrsjr]

The only way I ever manage to buy anything is to set up a separate fund just for that thing. All my spare change, christmas money, birthday money, stimulus check money, bonus money, windfall money from odds and ends, money from selling stuff on e-bay, money from selling my old scooter; in short, every extra penny I get my hands on, goes in there. And then I'm very, very patient. And, eventually, that money adds up to a good-sized down payment on my next, um, adventure.

[bunny]

After the apocalypse, every Honda will still start up.

The ones that aren't overrun with roaches, that is...

[ericalm]

Before I married, I was terrible with money--I had no savings, no investments, and a mountain of credit card debt. My wife, who is a financial advisor, was a life saver when it came to my finances, and so as a result handles all our money matters. So I guess I should clarify that for her, the scooter is not a priority; although she would love for me to have one, she doesn't think that we can part with thousands of $$$ in cash for a scooter right now.

I was pretty much in the same boat before I met my wife. She's not a pro financial advisor, but has been saving and building credit since birth. I was a bit less responsible and lived pretty much on a cash basis, never going into debt but never saving anything either. Really, the reason we can have 2 scooters is that we don't live beyond our means, don't buy on credit or carry debt (other than mortgage and cars), have our retirement funds squared away and then saved up some cash.

Like paige's husband, my wife and I both work very hard, and put in a lot of hours (I'm also in graphics/design, though I primarily do editorial art direction and marketing stuff) and don't take much time for long vacations, trips or visits to relatives. A scooter's like a vacation every day. Ha.

I also didn't drive a car for about two years. Instead, like an idiot I let it sit in the driveway and paid insurance and registration on it. Bah—should have just donated it!

It is about priorities, though. At my age (under 40, but staring down the barrel), house and retirement came first. Otherwise, I may have more scooters by now.

And, yeah, not having kids definitely frees up some disposable income. I can think of no better way to dispose of it.

[illnoise]

Yeah, vacation is another thing a lot of people put a lot of money into. We've been married for ten years and we've only gone on three 'real' vacations, each time for only 4-5 days when we found amazingly cheap airfare and lodging. We spend most of our vacation time with friends or family, and scooter rallies, usually crashing on someone's floor, or car camping in Wisconsin, which is pretty cheap. I've got friends that make half what I make, and they go to Mexico every winter, and skiing, and to Europe, and this one couple I know goes to Disney World twice a year (and they don't even have kids.)

Scooters are a cheap vacation. If you have an SUV and a trailer, ha.

And cellphones, geez, what a waste of money. I have one of those, though.

So just quit TV, cellphones, coffee, vacations, eating out, record stores, and a second car. : ) If you're already doing without all those, I'm sorry for you.

Bb.

[peabody99]

there are 2 adults in our household. We had 2 cars. We sold one car and got a buddy...well w/in a few weeks we had 2 b/c it was causing real problems. Still cheaper than the car. Here is where we save: spouse no longer pays $50 month parking. Motorcycle parking is free. In the winter if the roads are bad, he walks part way and takes free shuttle the rest. Other MB users also take the bus in the winter.
We live in the city which certainly helps.
gas savings are huge. I get reimbursed by the mile for business travel around town, so I pretty much make money to ride to appointments.

It makes fiscal sense for us to have these things and they are fun too. If you would use is like a jet ski-basically a toy, then it might not make sense. I happen to love jet skis and boats, but they are not too practical

[charltons]

we love debt!

[xkennx]

I know my way of thinking isnt always right, but I like to have toys - besides I dont have any kids so if I died tomorrow only people screwed over is the banks. Of course there probably is alot of waste on my end. The fact that so much stuff comes out of my bank directly I dont really know what is all for anymore.

I have been telling myself for the last 2 yrs to get ride of most of my rides and cut my expenses - but who knows when that will ever happen. But what really sucks is I work so much I dont actually get to ride anything. And where I am now it is completely unsafe to ride a scooter.

06 BMW 740 / 05 Toyota Landcruiser / 06 Ford Focus / 99 Landrover Diesel (for the sand dunes) / 96 Cad Eldorado / 93 Volvo 240 (my baby) / 88 Ford Ranger (offroad truck) / 54 Chevy Bel-air (project car)

80 Vepsa P200 / 80 Vespa P20 (kitted out to 210) / 74 Vespa Prima / 74 Vespa Sprint / 74 Bajaj / 02 Yamaha Zuma / 01 Yamaha Zuma (polini kitted) / 06 Custom Chopper w/ T&P 128 engine.

So yeah if I died tomorrow - damn the bank would be pisssssed off

[KCScooterDude]

Although I currently have only one scooter, the decision we made was in part designed so I could buy more toys.

We have one newer cage - a Ford Explorer that's about four years old. In a few years we intend to trade it in for something more fuel efficient, a wagon of some type - possibly AWD. We're both in sales, but work mostly out of the house, so we can share the good car when she needs to drive her territory or I have clients to take out.

I purchased two vehicles this spring and paid cash, rather than making a down payment on a new car.

First was a Genuine Blur 150 - about the same price as a Buddy International because they were getting rid of last year's model.

Next was a 1980 BMW 320i to tinker with and drive on rainy days or trips that are two long for the scoot (about three times a week). I paid less for this car than the scooter, and if you want something that's a bit safer in the reliability department there are plenty of Hondas and Toyotas you can find at about $3k. Don't worry about the miles, because if you ar committed to scooting you only need to put 5K a year on it or so.

So, I have no debt in the vehicle department and can start looking for mroe toys!!!

Basically I want a maxi scoot, a Stella to trick out, a motorcycle and an early 90s 5 Series.

[polianarchy]

The only way I ever manage to buy anything is to set up a separate fund just for that thing. All my spare change, christmas money, birthday money, stimulus check money, bonus money, windfall money from odds and ends, money from selling stuff on e-bay, money from selling my old scooter; in short, every extra penny I get my hands on, goes in there. And then I'm very, very patient. And, eventually, that money adds up to a good-sized down payment on my next, um, adventure.

+1. Being extremely patient helps. I'm still paying off grad school and renting my home, so I'm waiting to buy my second scooter (STELLA!) until after I lose the student loans. I also want to move back West, so I won't be buying until after that, too. It's all about priorities -- I've no kids nor husband to take care of, and I have very inexpensive taste & hobbies. I REALLY REALLY want the Stella, but I will continue to wait until I can afford it. Until then, I make weekly stops to the scooter shop to visit all the pretties.

[bunny]

We're fervent devotees to Dave Ramsey's debt snowball thing...which is basic common sense when you think about it...It was this snowball that gave us the funds to buy my Italia in the first place. Selling things off and paying down debt can be a drag, but in two years...EVERYTHING will be paid off except the house and we will have all this money to play. (We already contribute MAX on our ROTHs & 401k)

In a couple years, I am sure I will be bitten by some other rabid scooter and will have to partake or die. Until then, I am happily paying down our debt and relishing the freedom every paid off credit card gives us!

I see more scoots in my future...or at least more road trips!

[polianarchy]

HEB, Tx? That's not Hurst-Euless-Bedford, is it?

[bunny]

HEB, Tx? That's not Hurst-Euless-Bedford, is it?

I've been meaning to change that...

[polianarchy]

It's hard to forget the high school football chant of "HUB! HUB! HUB!"

[bunny]

Ah...I did not grow up there...the move was a product of my relationship. I find I like this little town a lot. Not too big, not too small.

[sotied]

I'm a graphic artist, so I can make money on the side, but I don't get a lot of freelance work

Do you have a resume/portfolio online? Sometimes I get so much freelance, I can't even get it all done while I'm at my full-time job. : )

Now is not one of those times, but you never know...

That's a good point, though, most of my toys were bought with freelance cash that I hid from my wife.

Bb.

Freelancer here too. Even though I'm on a one-year writing sabbatical, I picked up a couple jobs early in the year to buy the Buddy outright.

And the reason the money went to the scoot instead of food or house or other 'fun' is because I've shifted my obsessions from mountain biking and eating out every night to scooting around town and pretending to be European.

Online portfolio? Sure, who doesn't?

http://www.ideas2words.com

Oh, I'm a writer not a graphic specialist. But that doesn't mean we still can't be friends.

[louie]

Being extremely patient helps...

...Until then, I make weekly stops to the scooter shop to visit all the pretties.

yeah, that's how i get through the waiting periods. if you get the right mind-set it can be half the fun. i think i've made a hobby out of planning and morphing them into something that fits.

after all "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans".

of course my afore mentioned situations contribute to my abililty to buy these little toys too, especially the no kid part.

[irishtim]

,...no credit cards, no car payments...
save up and buy everything cash.

Works for me! Haven't had a payment in years. If we can't pay cash we don't buy it.

[ericalm]

Oh, I'm a writer not a graphic specialist. But that doesn't mean we still can't be friends.

Some of us are both! I'm getting more writing gigs than art direction right now. Bah. It's a very weird market.

[KCScooterDude]

Oh, I'm a writer not a graphic specialist. But that doesn't mean we still can't be friends.

Some of us are both! I'm getting more writing gigs than art direction right now. Bah. It's a very weird market.

There must be something about this forum. Or scooting. Or message boards in general.

I freelance too. I keep getting dragged back into it. University of Missouri Journalism School grad - 15 years in newspapers in reporting, editing and later special sections writing. I sell real estate now, and keep getting freelance work from my former employer. Last month I made more freelancing for them than I did full time, which is sad. It's great billing your former employer, but kind of a sad commentary on newspaper pay.

I've started getting other work from ad agencies because of this.

With newspapers laying off full-time employees, there is a lot of opportunity out there.

[illnoise]

There must be something about this forum. Or scooting. Or message boards in general.

It's scootering (and it's scoot<i>er</i>ing, not scooting, ha</a>.

It's long been noted that the scootering population has a higher incidence of:

Geminis
Graphic Designers
Filipinos
Lesbians
Vasectomied men
Adoptees

I know a couple people that are 5 out of 6, but it's tough to find a lesbian with a vasectomy.

Bb.

[bunny]

Geminis
Graphic Designers
Filipinos
Lesbians
Vasectomied men
Adoptees

I know a couple people that are 5 out of 6, but it's tough to find a lesbian with a vasectomy.

Bb.

Whoa. What are the odds of THAT? Sociological wonder...

[KCScooterDude]

There must be something about this forum. Or scooting. Or message boards in general.

It's scootering (and it's scoot<i>er</i>ing, not scooting, ha</a>.

It's long been noted that the scootering population has a higher incidence of:

Geminis
Graphic Designers
Filipinos
Lesbians
Vasectomied men
Adoptees

I know a couple people that are 5 out of 6, but it's tough to find a lesbian with a vasectomy.

Bb.

So I guess scootin' is out of the question? I probably shouldn't use scooter folk, Chinascoot or Chinameter either.

[illnoise]

Chinascoot is not the preferred nomenclature, dude.

Nice HTML tags, there, dork. oops.

Bb.

[zemacar]

polianarchy:

I have very inexpensive taste & hobbies....

Guess you're not a bluegrass musician, then. It looked like such simple fun, but after you've put in the time to learn to play decently so others will let you play with them, it can cost big bucks to go and pick in that field. Good acoustic instruments can cost $thousands. Some of mine are worth more than my Buddy. Many picking parties, festivals and jams are in fields with no amenities. I like to know where/when/how certain biological necessities will be met, so a self-contained RV starts to look good. Maybe a small trailer - then I can use the tow vehicle for other things when not camping. But even a small trailer requires a fairly big rig to tow it.

Our fleet now includes a lightweight trailer, bought barely used, and a Jeep to tow it (a freakin' luxury liner, also barely used and a real deal). I finally camped at my first festival just last wkend and if I get off this computer, maybe I'll go to one this wkend too.