Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/mcd/d/ ... 75732.html

... ever spent time owning or working on those things?

If you have, you'd understand why Spree/Elite have higher resale value than these things, and why they become this: https://treasure.craigslist.org/mcy/d/s ... 72626.html

noiseguy.. quality means something to you and me, but not to today's young buyer...

noiseguy wrote:... ever spent time owning or working on those things?

If you have, you'd understand why Spree/Elite have higher resale value than these things, and why they become this: https://treasure.craigslist.org/mcy/d/s ... 72626.html

And even that is asking too much on a TaoTao.

I own one, used to own two.. I do not recommend them.

I knew of a shop that pay 299 for them new. He did have to buy 6 at a time though.

It's the same here in New Zealand. You can buy a brand new scooter for $1700nzd. I would rather buy a mid 90's Honda Dio for around $1000. Much much better scooter in the long run AND you can sell it for what you bought it for in 2 years time. In 2 years time your cheap Chinese scooter will be at the junkyard.

In Florida, I am finding it easy to buy a Spree for $500 US and very difficult to sell one for the same price. My usual deal is I buy a nice one for $450, spend $200 to fix what is wrong with it and to cherry it up (typically putting on new tires, getting it running right, perhaps replacing an electrical switch or two, and installing a new battery), and then can't sell it for $500. I usually end up getting $450 for it after working the sale for several months and turning down a dozen or so $100 offers during the two months. I also get the title straightened out and in my name, which adds about $150 to the loss.

I think what you are supposed to do with the $500 Chinese scooters is to drive them with no maintenance or oil changes until the tires are bald. By then, besides the bald tires, the body has cracks, the sides are scraped up from layovers, the chrome is starting to get rusty, the battery is shot and the engine is pretty tired. There is no need for new spare parts, and that is why there aren't any. You drop the scooter off at the junkyard and buy another one, sort of like buying a new iPhone each year. You get a fresh scooter each year as long as you want one. It does make your life easier, and your fingernails cleaner.

I think the scooters are made in the same factory that sells those Black Friday printers.... You know the ones... The ink on them is so expensive, and the printer so cheap, you might as well just by a new cheap printer that already has ink in it.

Issue is you're paying too much for nonrunners, and FL has titles which is an extra tax. I would look into a dealers license here. And lower your offer price on bikes.

Fyi I gave up working on Japanese scooters in FL bc asking prices were insane. Suggest you fly to Midwest metro area like Detroit. Buy them there, drive uhaul with them back.

noiseguy, I hear you and you are right. I am paying too much for scooters...problem is that I like all of them.. Florida is also a large state from end to end. It's a 12 hour round trip to Miami from my house, and once I get there, it is hard to bargain. It doesn't do any good to walk away figuring to come back. One 12 hour trip is enough for each scooter. Tossing out a $100 offer over the phone doesn't work either.. but that is what most people are doing..

Greetings:

Here's a pretty nice one in Austin/San Antonio that I might buy if I were closer...

Wheelman-111 wrote:Greetings:

Here's a pretty nice one in Austin/San Antonio that I might buy if I were closer...

Oh my, that one IS nice. Low miles too. My brother lives San Antonio, but it's too bad he's on the road till the end of the year (he drives truck). If he were nearby about now, I'd have him go down and snatch it up for me. I'm in the market for a non-Iowa edition Spree for my "NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS" themed bike with a variated AF05E swap.

This was posted late last night, has title, "easy fix", $350. Listed as a 1982, so it might need my usual title cleanup job. A year ago, I'd have driven to Miami overnight and it would be home by now, and I'd already be riding it this morning. I know nothing about this Spree in particular, but it looks pretty nice from the photos:

https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/mcy/d/ ... 21860.html

Cleeeeaaaan for $350. I'm betting sprees are all over Florida, just cuz of the weather and the old folks bringing em down on the backs of RVs when the retire down there.

benji wrote:Cleeeeaaaan for $350. I'm betting sprees are all over Florida, just cuz of the weather and the old folks bringing em down on the backs of RVs when the retire down there.

They're not. Much more common in colder areas where they don't get ridden that much.