Can you think of a vehicle that would retain 72.1 percent of its value for three years of ownership? According to data from J, D. Power and Associates, Vespa scooters do just that. This year was the first year in which J, D. Power tracked resale value and published a study on their findings.
The published study referred only to cars, but The New York Times reported that the study data also extended to two-wheeled vehicles. The brand that topped the list was Vespa, owned by the Piaggio Group. Not only was 72.1 percent of Vespa's retained value slightly better than that of other vehicle manufacturers, but it considerably exceeded them. For comparison, the average value retention of four-wheeled vehicles stands at 55.7 percent one hundred.
The New York Times noted that Vespas hold their value better than any other vehicle you can buy today, whether it has four wheels or two. Sure, you can buy a high-quality scooter at a lower price from Honda, Yamaha, Genuine Scooter Co. You can also buy lower quality and much cheaper scooters from numerous Chinese manufacturers, but none of these brands has the prestige of a Vespa brand. Vespa is a luxury brand and its prices are reflect.
The scooter company attracts a particular part of the market. The brand has been the first one people think of when they think of scooters since the 1950s. Combine it with an elegant, classic design and Piaggio's reputation for reliability, and there's no doubt that scooters hold their value so well. The name Vespa is almost as much an iconic Italian luxury fashion brand as Versace, Prada, Gucci or Fendi.
Hell, half of those brands use Vespa scooters in their advertisements. When you consider all that, it's clear why the company's products retain their value so well. We have joined some affiliate programs that will allow us to post advertisements for select motorcycle stores and motorcycle-related products on the site. A division of A07 Online Media, LLC. In the 24 classes of vehicles considered in the resale value awards, the average retention value of four-wheeled vehicles was 55.7 percent.
Across all Vespas, it was 72.1 percent, according to data from J. Power, giving Vespa an advantage of more than 16 percentage points. With the exception of collectible vehicles, Vespa scooters hold their value better than any other on the road, including other scooter brands and motorcycles. The Vespa became the romantic ideal of a motorcycle when Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn mounted it on one in the 1953 film “Vacations in Rome”.
While people who want a scooter will probably buy a Vespa, Honda, Yamaha, or Buddy, there are also people who simply need a scooter. I bought a 49cc Vespa Primavera a few months ago because legally I can't drive a 125cc or more until my driver's license is 3 years old (stupid law, by the way), so my plan is to sell it 3 years after buying it to help me buy a 125 cc one. When I received my insurance check, I quickly searched for used vehicles before making up my mind by the scooter option. The New York Times points to the fact that the scooter company is one of the only premium players in the scooter market.
Vespas were a staple of the British mods movement of the 60s, which served as the backdrop for Who's 1973 rock opera, “Quadrophenia”, in which a character sang: “I'm riding a GS motorcycle with my hair cut neatly cut”. This is the amount I spent to buy and own a Vespa three years later and how much I saved in total on transport. Probably what most boosts the retention value of the Vespa is the image that has been forged in popular culture for 72 years. Today I will analyze my purchase of Vespa from a financial point of view with numbers and total transparency.
According to Genuine's vice president of sales and operations, Trey Duren, these three brands outsell Vespa in the United States. On the contrary, many notable scooter companies, such as Lambretta and Cushman, went bankrupt, forcing owners to look for parts. Piaggio, which makes the Vespa, acquired a reputation for reliability even though it stopped importing new models to the United States between 1981 and 2000. I've heard that, since the Vespa has high-quality parts and is an icon for many people, its value doesn't decrease much year after year.
