[4 Major Reasons NOT TO Buy a Cheap Scooter Online]
Why buying from online scooter stores is like shooting yourself in the foot!
Are you shopping for a cheap scooter? You’ve come to the right place. Learn useful facts and information from industry leading gurus on where to and where NOT to buy a cheap scooter. Here are some awesome tips every scooter buyer should know!
DON’T BUY A MOTOR SCOOTER ONLINE! Please!!!
Here’s 4 reasons why:
1) NO RECOURSE WHEN YOUR SCOOTER BREAKS OR FAILS
If it breaks or needs maintenance, you can’t bring your scooter back to the shop because it’s a virtual store you purchased it from! Virtual stores are great for clothing and shoe shopping maybe, but NOT for buying a motor vehicle. Let’s imagine two weeks down the road, after you’ve purchased your cheap scooter online, it starts to bog down or sputter to a halt on the side of the road. What will you do now? Hopefully someone will answer that 1-800 number that came with your online scooter purchase. But chances are they only provided an email, as most do not even have a 1-800 number to call. Not that they can do anything for you over the phone anyways. But let’s say they do happen to have a phone number, they’ll most likely spin you around in circles for days, asking you to first ship the broken part back of course. Hopefully you read the warranty details! It was probably ONLY the engine that was covered, and of course they’d be happy to send you the part once it arrives off the slow boat from China, in 3-6 months (not kidding). And yes, you’ll still need to send in that broken part, so hopefully you’re a certified Motorcycle/Scooter mechanic as well, who can figure out what’s even broken and then pull that part off the scooter with your own two hands, then somehow get to the post office (because you won’t be getting there on your broken scooter) and spend 20 bucks shipping it back to them. This may be the worst-case scenario, or it truly might be the best-case scenario when dealing with cheap Chinese online scooters. Either way, it’s a nightmare and a headache to deal with all together.
2) BS PRICES!
All of the online retailers that we’ve seen give COMPLETELY bogus price breakdowns, making it look like you’re saving up to thousands of dollars. Here is a legitimate price breakdown from SaferWholesale.com, showing you that the “LIST” price of this 150cc Chinese Scooter is $3,599!!
This is a straight up lie. Comparable scooters actually LIST for around $1,199 and up to maybe $1,699 (AND IN STORE TOO!!!). Buying online can end up costing you way more, and you don’t have any where to take the scooter when you need repairs or service work. WHATA’ DEAL! ☹
Actually for $3,599, you can pretty much get yourself a gorgeous VESPA! 😉
Or for JUST $1,499.00 find your nearest WOLF Scooter Dealer and pick up a shinny brand new 150cc with a 2-year limited parts warranty, 1 year bumper to bumper, and awesome customer service included!
3) OLD OUTDATED MODELS
Most of these online internet shops are selling motor scooters that are several years old. Not all, but we’ve seen it a lot more than not. Go ahead and give one a call and ask! You’ll see. They’re usually last seasons or the one before that and they rarely advertise the model year on their website because most internet scooter shoppers aren’t concerned about that, so they can get away with it easily. Some of these motor scooters have been sitting around in warehouses for an extended period of time which can cause many issues, usually due to heat, moisture, or just the fact that it’s a motor vehicle that’s been sitting and not being used. Imagine leaving your car in a garage for two years and trying to start it up and run all over town with it. You’d have to put air in the tires and they would probably have flat spots, you’d need an oil change and you’d potentially have some other major issues as well. Some of the major issues you may find on a scooter that’s been sitting in a warehouse for a few years would be:
• Tire dry rot
• Tire flat spots
• Rotting vacuum and fuel lines
• Engine and gear oil can lose viscosity (basically not be able to function properly)
• Belt dry rot
• Battery can lose its battery life
• Carburetor can have dry rot on gaskets
• Brittle dry plastic body panels
Those are some of the prevailing issues with letting a scooter sit for a few years. So your new scooter may not be so new. Make sure to ask the manufacturing date!
4) AWFUL, AWFUL, REVIEWS
Learn from the mistake hundreds of other consumers have already made. Don’t be tricked by their phony self-given 5 Star reviews and ratings. Go to outside sources like the accredited BBB and see actual customer feedback for the “TOP” online cheap scooter companies:
You MUST see this! Keep reading…
1) SuperiorPowersports.com – Check out their BBB 1-star, F rating, with 45 complaints in 3 years! WOW!
2) PowerRideOutlet.com – Check out their BBB 2-star, F rating, with 135 complaints in JUST 3-years!
3) SaferWholesale.com – Also known As GREAT SPORTS INC – 3 Stars from 79 customer complaints! That’s a lotta complaints! “Safer” huh?
4) KillerMotorsports.com – Check out their killer F rating and reviews!
BUY A SCOOTER FROM A LOCAL DEALER!
Here’s why:
You’ll have recourse if something does go wrong (and it is a motor vehicle) so the chances are things can and may happen from time to time. It could be as simple as you let your scooter sit for 3 months over winter with the fuel tank full and now the carburetor jets are gummed up and it won’t start! Or maybe you wore out your belt, your battery has died, or you never got that first maintenance and now the valve clearance on the motor is too tight? Who knows, but this isn’t a pair of shoes, where the worst that could happen is the soles wear out over time or they’re not that comfortable. A motor vehicle needs regular maintenance and sometimes repairs!
Find a local shop that has good reviews, stands behind the products they sell and offers local pickups. I would take the time to go into the shop, meet the people who work there, ask about the different Brands and price points they have to offer, and get a feel for the store in general. If they seem like used car sales men, are unfriendly, or don’t have the answers to your questions- keep searching!
FIND A LOCAL SCOOTER DEALER NEAR YOU!
Well we hope you’ve enjoyed this article by Wolf Brand Scooters. We wish you safe and fun travels! If you found this article informative and helpful, please make sure to share it via your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. And don’t forget to leave a comment. Pretty please with a cherry on top!
The Wolf Team
All the information found on this website was collected through extensive research. However, Hammer Brand LLC., DBA Wolf Brand Scooters does not represent a legal law firm or entity in any way. We are not a government agency and cannot be responsible if laws change, are updated, or in fact never existed. Our readers are responsible for coming to their own conclusions and acting accordingly to the actual law in their state through their own research and counsel. We are only a guiding point with information to the best of our knowledge.