When the bug bites
That pretty scooter from Vietnam could turn into a nightmare (2strokebuzz)
If you bought a scooter because you wanted to ride (which is really the only good reason to get one), at some point you will succumb to the siren song of the vintage Vespa or Lambretta.
2strokebuzz’s Dr. Buzz answers an inquiry from Katy, who used to have a Honda Metropolitan and now wants a vintage Vespa.
The article spends considerable time on the dreaded “Viet-Bodge,” a scooter purchased from somewhere in Asia that, while it’s cosmetically pretty, is a mechanical nightmare that would ultimately cost a fortune to put right. If it could be.
In a nutshell, you shouldn’t buy a vintage scooter on a whim. You will need to do your homework, and be sure you are dealing with a reputable seller. A new-old bike, like a PX 150 or Stella, will give you the vintage scooter experience with mod cons like disc brakes and electronic ignition. You can find lots of those on Craigslist. Let the buyer beware. 
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Scootin' Old Skool 
“In a nutshell, you shouldn’t buy a vintage scooter on a whim.”
Orin saves you the time of reading my long-winded babbling with that one sentence. That’s really what I was trying to get across. Nice.
Bryan, my stats show most people who read my post click through to yours. And if you haven’t, you should. In fact, if you know someone who’s talking about buying a vintage scooter, you should send them a link to Bryan’s post. The man knows whereof he speaks…
Any vintage vehicle generally requires greater than average mechanical skill, a full set of tools, friends with similar interests, and about five times as much money as you originally thought it was going to cost to keep your project running. Then there’s the other thing: you are talking about dated technology which generally produces dated performance. Dated performance is always upgraded in one’s mind.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads