My daughter at college has killed the second car we've given her and I've run out of spares. She thinks she'd like a scooter, so I told her I'd tap into the collective ADV brain-power and get some suggestions for her. She's in Tallahassee, Fl.- the terrain is hilly but not severe. Her longest ride would be about 20 minutes, and she'd like to be able to carry a passenger or groceries. She's also looking for something new- I'm five hours away, not convenient for service/repairs. And she'd probably like something "cute"- she is a girl, after all... I appreciate any help ya'll can give!
the Met is underpowered and too small, especially to carry a passenger on. You need something with a bit more oomph, so the cheapest, most reliable "cute" alternative is a Yamaha Vino 125.
Take a look at the 125/150 class, at a minimum. Vino 125 is good. I've heard a few happy owners of the Stella "Buddy". Kymco Bet&Win 150 is a nice scoot, 2 year warranty, and Kymco builds really good stuff. Check out their "People" lineup if you want a big-wheel scoot. The Aprilia Scarabeo is nice, too. In the used scoot department, if you could find an 80's era Honda Helix in good shape, that would be a nice college bike--plenty of cargo space for books + a jacket, plenty of get-up-and-go. Might be a bit long in the wheelbase department for a n00b who may be wanting to park it on a sidewalk or snug it next to a college building, but worth a look. Depending on your budget, check out the used Vespa ET4's. As usual, budget for safety gear and MSF. They're offering a scooter course at some locations that's a 1/2 day instead of the usual 2.5-ish day course.
how did she kill the car if she ran into something with either car maybe she shouldn't have anythng with a motor until she grows up.
The other used choice, (I just sold one) would be the Yamaha Riva 125 or 200. Both the ones I had were solid as a rock, and they had plenty of power.
http://www.classicalwheels.com/codenew/product.asp this place is a great source for Vespas. Toatally rebuilt ans shipped to your door. They can custom make one too.
good I see to many people either get a big suv or a very small scooter for thier offspring that are too immature to drive. If you can get them the yamaha rivas as zzron said are solid as a rock I put 9k miles on a 200 last year. If I were to get another scooter I would be tempted by this one DIAMO VELUX 250CC or 150 http://www.diamousa.com/gallery/scooters-150cc-velux/gallery.html
I'd be wary of restored older Vespas. Who knows how much bondo or whatever is under the flashy new paint. The Buddy has been successful, and is at a good price point. One of the new Bajaj might be an option if Heather has experience shifting gears on a bike. The new Vespas are great, but on a campus the metal body might get beat up when it is hoisted to the top of the flag pole or other such college shenanigans. Plus they're pricey. Who are the dealers in her area - maybe that's where you should look? A new Chinese import scooter from eBay (that you should buy a second one of to use for maintenance and repair parts) may not be the bargain it seems to be. Bajaj, Kymco, Vespa (and parent/sister companies Piaggio/Gilera/Aprilia), and the usual suspects from Japan are the only ones I'd consider.
From the website: Run, don't walk, away from these. They are cobbled together in Viet Nam and have a horrible record of reliability and general bodgery.
They are just cosmetically good...mechanicallyt they are junk, and you'll spend thousands getting them fixed. Do a Google search on Vietnam Vespa.
As an average height female (5'-5"), I found that many of the scooters in the 125cc+ range had seat heights that were too high. The only exceptions were the Honda Big Ruckus and the Suzuki Burgman which had seat heights or around 28". I have the big ruckus and an Aprilia Scarabeo 500 but the seat height on the 500 is way to high for me.