I’ve “restored” two bikes previously. A GS550 which was basically a paint job, some shotblasting of parts & a few minor mechanicals & an RS125 which I got going from a garage find with again some pretty low level maintenance & repairs. I put it that way so that you real mechanics, panel beaters & engineers that can strip down a Desmo’s engine in your lunch break, understand my very different ability levels. However I’m up for a challenge & would like to spend my weekends doing...something. So, daughter’s always wanted a Vespa & as a graduation present last year I might have suggested she could have one, could also have been a dog, but she never got that either because of course ‘that’ situation got in the way & it never happened. Onto my question: Is it still possible to buy a non-wrecked Vespa under what I used to know as “spares or repairs” because as soon as one I like turns up on eBay, it quickly gets out of hand making economical repair out of my ability? Happy to work on panels, paint, accessories, lighting, & the engine as long as it’s not seized but just don’t want to start with a £700-£1000 buy price. Any ideas where to look, anyone got one lying around in need of some TLC?
I think anything historic even if it’s a bag of rust and some wheels is strong money these days. I think unless you stumble on one via friends/colleagues that’ll be your starting price. Have you considered a Aprilia mojito https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=aprilia+mojito&_sacat=422&_sop=12
Needs to be a Vespa to make it worth spending the money to do it up I think. There’s some around & I keep hearing stories about people finding a project for £500 or so but not on eBay it seems
To be honest I think unless you drop really lucky the days of realistically priced projects is long gone, with the advent of eBay majority of folk know they’ll get a better price. Good luck with your quest.
Let me know if you hear it see any of these 500 quid Vespas. I'd buy a few. Vespas and Lambrettas have gone stupid in the last 10 years. You might find a Vespa made in Vietnam for not too much but I doubt 500 will get anything but a wreck.
Not so much the vintage models but several from the 90’s onwards crop up. Theres a 98 ET4 project at the moment for £395 but it’s not quite the right bike