Don't get me wrong; I'd happily ride a Vespa, and no doubt have a lot of fun while I'm at it. But it's a cheap piece of tin with a shit engine, and the price should reflect that. Same as custom bikes; why are they worth so much? they're pig iron with tractor engines, it can only be the scrap value that holds their prices.
The scooter scene is a lifestyle thing,there are many scooter rallies all over the country with thousands turning up,i have many good friends who are into the scooter scene and they enjoy the social side of it,mainly being 40+ they now have a bit of disposable income and spend a fair bit on there bikes,fair play to them i say.
In the absence of bootsam although he was a Lambretta man - they may have been two-strokes but the original Piaggio engines and gearboxes were beautifully made and very reliable if two-stroke guidelines followed. Am surprised anyone would jump to any other conclusion having admired other Italian design and manufacture.
An interesting post and some interesting points made by simmytt and Chris. I would like to add my 2p's worth.or more likely ramblings,as I was there and did it in the sixties. My first 2 wheeler was a Lambretta GT200,in its time cutting edge and a dream bike for most Mods.There was always fierce debate amongst us as to which was best-the Lambretta or the Vespa GS. I look back now and think that my poor father,a Norton and Velocette man must have been very disappointed in my choice of 2 wheels and lifestyle.However e was a great father and taught me a lot about riding and maintenance. I thought the quality of the build was good,it always started easily,good gearbox,not so good brakes.It was utterly reliable until I went down the route of 225 conversions.Perhaps if I had been a bit more technically savvy I could have done something with it. It was a brilliant time for us Mods,we had plenty of disposable income,we were every mums dream as we were very well dressed and consequently there was no shortage of girlfriends.We had a great social life. I also had friends who had motorbikes but we never mixed bikes and pooters for obvious reasons. Would I ever be tempted to buy another Lambretta?If a guy knocked on my door with a concours Lambretta GT in blue over white asking 10 big ones I would probably say yes.It could then sit in my garage with the rocker boys Tritons.Who knows they might even let byegones be byegones. Ps.To get back on track.In its day the Vespa was a very well put together machine.
As I said, they were designed, built and sold as a cheap transport solution, and they would have to remain cheap in order for me to show any interest in them. It's a shame, cos I certainly wouldn't say no to a nice little scooter, but when you start talking 5 figures that effectively takes all the remaining bikes off the streets, where they should be, being ridden and enjoyed.
If I had a 10k Lambretta in my garage I would probably ride it and have a big grin on my face when I did. But I agree it is a shame when so many vehicles,bikes and cars,become so collectible and thus valuable ,that they end up hardly being seen.Tis a strange old world we live in. As an aside I don't think my Lambretta was cheap transport at the time.I seem to remember it cost quite a lot of money to buy.
To be fair only the cream of scooters demand top money,there is a pecking order in both the Vespa and Lambretta range,a half decent scooter can be had for £1500.Its a bit like comparing a desmo with a monster both Ducatis's but at different ends of the spectrum.To those who dont know the difference between Lambrettas and Vespas is that the Lambretta has a frame and all components can be removed from the frame,if you so wish you can ride a lambretta just as a frame with no bodywork at all,where a vespa has pressed steel bodywork and only the side panels can be removed to gain access to the dryer,both 2 stroke with lots of tuning potential.