Buying a scooter

V-rock · 09-04-2008, 08:52 PM

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for a scooter for my wife and found the Chinese scooters at 1/2 the price as the Korean or Japanese which makes it very attractive.

I'm an auto technician and my main transportation is a motorcycle which I ride no mater the weather. Getting my hands dirty on a two wheeler don't scare me.

My biggest concern is finding a reputable on line dealer. When you walk into a store and talking to a salesperson you may have an impression of how they conduct business, plus there is a physical place you can go back if you have any problem.

By looking at an Internet seller only tells me how good their web designer is, it is impossible to determine even if it is located in the US!

My dilemma right now is:

1 - Pay more money + dealer fees for a place I can look at the scooter before I buy it and take it back if there is any problem
2 - Get a cheaper scooter on line and hope to get minimum problems with the shipping and delivery, also I know I'm on my own on the warranty

I know the you get what you pay for, I know I can deal with the mechanical problems and there are a lot of honest people trying to operate a business, but there are also a lot of crooks that set up a nice web site and they only concern is to separate me from my money.

How can I determine how reliable a dealer is?

fufu2wheel · 09-04-2008, 10:07 PM

If you have made up your mind to purchase scooter from internet retailer, be prepared to work on the scooter yourself. These machines are not difficult to work on, but do require proper tools, some common mechanical knowledge and patience to diagnose and solve the problems that you may encounter.

If you purchase a scooter on-line, your local retailers are likely to refuse to work on your scooter or "look down" on your machine.

V-rock · 09-04-2008, 10:43 PM

Like I said earlier I'm not afraid of taking things apart, that is what I do for a living. It's the someone running away with my money or delivering a damaged product and not answering my calls/e-mails that bothers me

IronFist · 09-05-2008, 12:00 AM

Most dealers that I've read about here at least deliver a bike. Sometimes not the right one, or it has something missing, or it can't be plated because of the bike's Title was printed on toilet paper. If it's a creditcard purchace you do have 30 days to dispute. If you can wrench you should be ok if you can get parts. Internet dealers might have a hard time getting parts for your scoot. Hope this helps.

VinceDrake · 09-05-2008, 12:22 AM

Greetings fellow wrench bender!

You raise an good point. I mean, the "Dealer Discussion" Forum is full of nasty-grams about Dealers that have sucked, do suck, or will suck, but not so much on Who doesn't suck.

Myself, I went the online route 3x, and it turned out well all in all, but like you said, I accept that whatever is in the crate is mine, and my problem. To a certain extent, if I were willing to spend the extra money, to get the warranty, and some place I can pound on the counter at, I would have went all-out and got (another) Honda... (I have China-Atv's)

Really nothing has happened, parts-wise, to any of my machines that wasn't a.) my fault, or b.) repairable with a Good NGK or SKF catalouge.

--Vince

warrior91 · 09-05-2008, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VinceDrake

Really nothing has happened, parts-wise, to any of my machines that wasn't a.) my fault, or b.) repairable with a Good NGK or SKF catalouge.

--Vince

Indeed!!!! :!:

DesertDog · 09-06-2008, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V-rock

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for a scooter for my wife and found the Chinese scooters at 1/2 the price as the Korean or Japanese which makes it very attractive.

I'm an auto technician and my main transportation is a motorcycle which I ride no mater the weather. Getting my hands dirty on a two wheeler don't scare me.

My biggest concern is finding a reputable on line dealer. When you walk into a store and talking to a salesperson you may have an impression of how they conduct business, plus there is a physical place you can go back if you have any problem.

By looking at an Internet seller only tells me how good their web designer is, it is impossible to determine even if it is located in the US!

My dilemma right now is:

1 - Pay more money + dealer fees for a place I can look at the scooter before I buy it and take it back if there is any problem
2 - Get a cheaper scooter on line and hope to get minimum problems with the shipping and delivery, also I know I'm on my own on the warranty

I know the you get what you pay for, I know I can deal with the mechanical problems and there are a lot of honest people trying to operate a business, but there are also a lot of crooks that set up a nice web site and they only concern is to separate me from my money.

How can I determine how reliable a dealer is?

Hey v-rock

check this guy out he is very know how savy on scoots.

www.oregonvintage.com

you will and hope not but i did on my scooter that i just purchased , i had to change the pilot and main jets to get mine to run better

and he tells or mentions which jet manuf. fit these china scoots,
mine took Kehin

good luck
Mark

tigertamer · 09-06-2008, 07:13 AM

Welcome back DesertDog

Tigertamer

katoranger · 09-06-2008, 06:49 PM

Welcome back DD.

Allen

DesertDog · 09-07-2008, 10:32 AM

Hello and thank you :lol: :) :D :) :D

IronFist · 09-07-2008, 12:44 PM

DD

MOTO · 09-09-2008, 05:25 PM

if you're interested in getting a scoot, especially a Chinese one, definitely check out the forums on this site: http://www.scootdawg.com/

09-04-2008, 08:52 PM	#1
V-rock Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2	Buying a scooter Hi everyone. I'm looking for a scooter for my wife and found the Chinese scooters at 1/2 the price as the Korean or Japanese which makes it very attractive. I'm an auto technician and my main transportation is a motorcycle which I ride no mater the weather. Getting my hands dirty on a two wheeler don't scare me. My biggest concern is finding a reputable on line dealer. When you walk into a store and talking to a salesperson you may have an impression of how they conduct business, plus there is a physical place you can go back if you have any problem. By looking at an Internet seller only tells me how good their web designer is, it is impossible to determine even if it is located in the US! My dilemma right now is: 1 - Pay more money + dealer fees for a place I can look at the scooter before I buy it and take it back if there is any problem 2 - Get a cheaper scooter on line and hope to get minimum problems with the shipping and delivery, also I know I'm on my own on the warranty I know the you get what you pay for, I know I can deal with the mechanical problems and there are a lot of honest people trying to operate a business, but there are also a lot of crooks that set up a nice web site and they only concern is to separate me from my money. How can I determine how reliable a dealer is?
	0

09-05-2008, 12:00 AM	#4
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	Most dealers that I've read about here at least deliver a bike. Sometimes not the right one, or it has something missing, or it can't be plated because of the bike's Title was printed on toilet paper. If it's a creditcard purchace you do have 30 days to dispute. If you can wrench you should be ok if you can get parts. Internet dealers might have a hard time getting parts for your scoot. Hope this helps. __________________ IronFist ___________________________________ The "chain" of command is used for beating spammers. ___________________________________
	0

09-05-2008, 12:22 AM	#5
VinceDrake Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Saskatchewan Posts: 491	Greetings fellow wrench bender! You raise an good point. I mean, the "Dealer Discussion" Forum is full of nasty-grams about Dealers that have sucked, do suck, or will suck, but not so much on Who doesn't suck. Myself, I went the online route 3x, and it turned out well all in all, but like you said, I accept that whatever is in the crate is mine, and my problem. To a certain extent, if I were willing to spend the extra money, to get the warranty, and some place I can pound on the counter at, I would have went all-out and got (another) Honda... (I have China-Atv's) Really nothing has happened, parts-wise, to any of my machines that wasn't a.) my fault, or b.) repairable with a Good NGK or SKF catalouge. --Vince __________________ "Sometimes it is better to say nothing, and let people think you're an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it."
	0

09-06-2008, 07:13 AM	#8
tigertamer Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Wheeling, West Virginia Posts: 683	Welcome back DesertDog Tigertamer __________________ 07 H-D XL883C 06 LF 200GY-5 Yin and Yang CAUTION Obey The Traffic Regulation. Always Wear a Helmet. Don't Ride After Drinking Wine. Before Operation, Read The Owners Manual Carefully.
	0

09-06-2008, 06:49 PM	#9
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	Welcome back DD. Allen __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
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09-04-2008, 10:07 PM	#2
fufu2wheel Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 13	If you have made up your mind to purchase scooter from internet retailer, be prepared to work on the scooter yourself. These machines are not difficult to work on, but do require proper tools, some common mechanical knowledge and patience to diagnose and solve the problems that you may encounter. If you purchase a scooter on-line, your local retailers are likely to refuse to work on your scooter or "look down" on your machine.
	0

09-04-2008, 10:43 PM	#3
V-rock Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2	Like I said earlier I'm not afraid of taking things apart, that is what I do for a living. It's the someone running away with my money or delivering a damaged product and not answering my calls/e-mails that bothers me
	0

09-07-2008, 10:32 AM	#10
DesertDog Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 782	Hello and thank you :lol: :) :D :) :D
	0

09-07-2008, 12:44 PM	#11
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	DD
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09-09-2008, 05:25 PM	#12
MOTO Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 45	if you're interested in getting a scoot, especially a Chinese one, definitely check out the forums on this site: http://www.scootdawg.com/ __________________ 2006 Roketa DB-05 (RKM-200E5)
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