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 United States market, the Vespa currently represents 20% of the market for new scooters, but it is not yet a large number of units compared to the avalanche of Honda and Yamaha scooters used on the road for the past 30 years. From now on, if a friend asks me for advice on buying a first motorcycle that gets his feet wet, a Vespa Sprint 150 may be at the top of my list. 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. The low-volume Porsche 911 retains less than 60% of its value after three years, but, on average, a Vespa keeps 72%, according to an article published in the New York Times.
Power has announced awards for used vehicles with the highest resale value in the US market and, although its official press release makes no mention of bicycles at all, the leading brand is Vespa Scooters by a wide margin. With more metal in the body, a Vespa that falls in a parking lot only gets a scratch or a blow, and the broken plastic doesn't break. 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.
