The retained value of 72 percent of Vespa was not only 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. 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. 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. A power and leader in the motorcycle industry, the value of the Vespa lies “in the image it has built in popular culture for 72 years; it has been successful since the 1950s and, over the years, it has preserved the aesthetics of the original version from 1946. 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.
With more metal in the body, a Vespa that falls in a parking lot only gets a scratch or dent, and the broken plastic doesn't crack. From now on, if a friend asks me for advice on buying a first motorcycle to get his feet wet, a Vespa Sprint 150 may be in top of my list. The low volume, much coveted by the Porsche 911, retains less than 60% of its value after three years, but on average a Vespa retains 72%, according to a New York Times report. In the US 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 used Honda and Yamaha scooters that have been on the roads for the past 30 years.
