Deal of the decade or dealer of death? The $315 scooter.

Mon, Nov 10, 2008

Scooter


I’m a fan of extremes (I was gonna say ‘acrophiliac’ but that’s heights what the word for ‘extreme lover’?) , so in reaching across the spectrum of scooter prices we’ve seen a vintage going for $25k, there’s the modern Piaggio MP3-500 which will take you above the $10k mark once you get her out the door and on the other side of the spectrum is what you see here.

I won’t tell you the name since I got this in a spam last week, but I couldn’t believe my eyes. THREE HUNDRED and FIFTEEN bucks for a new scooter?! You can’t buy a USED scooter for $315. I don’t know how they do it, but my question for you is… Would you rock the $300 scooter down the street? Speaking of rocks, this was part of the description:
“Two 50CC model with rock price, 20 % off. the lowest price in the world.”

Wow! It is actually the price of a rock! For real look here. Opinions?

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24 Responses to “Deal of the decade or dealer of death? The $315 scooter.”

  1. Tim Says:

    Scooter Super Safe! Ultra Red and Flashy Silver! Steel Wheels Deliver Safe and Comfortable! Great Deal with 315$ Don’t pass it!

    Reply

  2. Anonymous Says:

    I used to be a scooter dealer and the lowest price I saw wholesale unless you bought a container was $ 290.00 each. Wow, talk about a minimum profit deal for a fine Chinese ride.

    Reply

  3. Dale Says:

    If it moves, buy it. It’s not like you’ll take this thing on the freeway. It probably maxes out around 30 so jump on board while it is still in stock. I once had a boss that said something like it doesn’t matter who makes *fill in the blank*, as long as it does what its supposed to at the best price possible.

    Reply

  4. Steve Says:

    You know what… I’d almost be willing to put my neck on the line and review on this thing.

    Not that I would go this far, but it would be interesting to see a total cost of ownership report for years 1-3… I’m making assumptions of course.

    I’ve contacted the company to get pricing clarification (is $315 wholesale or MSRP? Who can order? What is the minimum quantity? How much is shipping). It’ll be interesting to see how the company responds.

    Reply

  5. Anonymous Says:

    First disposable cell phones and now disposable transportation? What’s next, disposable homes?

    Reply

  6. Micah Says:

    I would be a little more than apprehensive riding it down the street at city speeds.

    It would probably all right for just riding around the neighborhood.

    Reply

  7. scgt Says:

    What’s next is disposable human being! Not considered safe at any speed, imo.–Lorenzo

    Reply

  8. Jim Says:

    on another note I LOVE THE ROCK SITE!

    Reply

  9. Enviromoto Says:

    That has to be wholesale, container, plus shipping pricing. Do me a favor and email me the link Steve.

    Thanks.
    Jeremy (at) enviromoto dot com

    Reply

  10. Leo Says:

    I bought one for $400 and it has overall been a good scoot for the last 5 years.

    Reply

  11. Orin Says:

    I’d say $315 is all it’s worth. But you could ride it until it dies, then toss it in a Dumpster somewhere. Disposable transportation, yes…

    Reply

  12. Anonymous Says:

    Steel wheels that are ruined if you try to change a tire or hit a pine cone.
    Electrical system that will short out when it gets wet, Welds that will snap if you fart while riding.
    Headlight bulbs Superman can’t find with X-Ray vision, A battery weaker than a AAA.
    When will the US stop importing this crap???
    Anyone willing to sell this crap should be deported……To China!!!

    Reply

  13. Enviromoto Says:

    It was a bait and switch..

    To the Anonymous post above me.
    Sir you are a idiot.

    Reply

  14. Anonymous Says:

    And you Jeremy (Enviromoto) work on crap!!!
    I have 6 years experience with scooters from China…….They suck!

    Reply

  15. Enviromoto Says:

    Sure you do.

    Reply

  16. ScooterScoop Says:

    Now now guys… deep breaths.
    I have to admit, I snickered a bit at the “Welds snap” comment.

    I think China will come around sooner than later. Not to say that I’m not abhorred by what they’ve done in the food and toy industry… I just think that when it comes to motor vehicles they are starting to pay more attention to what’s being done in Taiwan. If Honda can produce a decent bike in China, then there’s hope.

    Though… I will NEVER drive China’s Brilliance BS6 sedan and not just because it has “BS” in its name.

    Reply

  17. Anonymous Says:

    Since 2003 I have welded 8 side stands back on and 4 rear shock mounts, I did not keep track of how many broken exhaust systems I have repaired.
    Ask Bill from Cobra motors or Phil W. from POC how many broken welds they have seen, Message PJ (Milw. Vespa) on the Scooter BBS about the junk from China we have seen.
    Believe me, I have seen more than I wanted.
    Not to mention the long life rubber parts and fish oil they fill them with.

    Reply

  18. Enviromoto Says:

    When was the last time you had a weld fail and what was the make/model?

    Reply

  19. Anonymous Says:

    http://www.ibacycles.com/scooters.html
    Qingqi, Vento and Strada’s. Have lots of bad welds.

    definately a wobble, handlebars going back and forth. its fine when you
    have a firm grip, but you can still feel it. i’ll pop the front wheel
    off this weekend and take it to get balanced, should only run about 6
    to 7 bucks, dont think they can use regular weights though, they will
    probably have to use lead tape, oh well. maybe i’ll be able to get a
    few more mph’s out of it. have almost 1300 miles on it now, have to
    change oil and gear lube again soon, boy what a pain in the arse
    getting gear lube back in to that tiny hole! all in all i’m pretty
    satisfied with the scoot. the only things i’ve changed are the plug
    (went to ngk) and the mirrors, i would recommend for any new scoot like
    this to just leave off those cheap mirrors, i was going down the road
    hit a bump, and the right mirror just broke right in half, so i ordered
    some good old black metal mirrors and screwed them in, not lighted, but
    at least they dont shake rattle and roll like the cheap stock ones.
    also the center stand had really crappy welds, one broke so i had to
    lay it on its side and re weld it, while i was at it i welded some more
    weak looking ones. that center/kickstand set up is pretty chinsy. it
    seems as though the chinese just bend things to make them fit instec of
    re engineering.

    http://baronscooter.blogspot.com/2008/09/kick-stand.html

    When you buy a 150cc scooter from China for less than a 50cc name brand scooter you know corners have to be cut.

    Reply

  20. Enviromoto Says:

    Thanks for the link they have a couple sweet trikes I haven’t seen before.

    Reply

  21. Anonymous Says:

    The trikes are not DOT-EPA and the motors only lasted for a few hundred miles.
    They only sold 4 or 5 of them.
    A chain drove just one wheel.

    Reply

  22. Anonymous Says:

    Even Chinese made satellites are no good:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7726951.stm

    Reply

  23. Anonymous Says:

    To anonymous : ALL SCOOTERS BREAK even expensive Vietnam/European restos 8-}

    Reply

  24. scgt Says:

    Orin,
    I just don’t think this one will make those hills in Seattle; nor Austin.

    Steve,
    A dealer kept the mp3 500 well under $10k out-the-door for me!

    This imported Mc$315 is a piece of toy plastic-n-steel deathtrap on wheels not worth your life, even if it seems like a sorry life (at the moment). But for someone who hasn’t used his, or her brain very much at all, it may sparkle like a perfect Christmas, or graduation present (w/a funeral home coupon thrown in for free).

    Lorenzo

    Reply

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