Charlie Ray on his Target Vespa....
Once Daddy and I got our little Chinese scooters sold we were eager to upgrade:
VESPAS!
I love a deal. On everything. Biking duds (Team estrogen). Books (the library). Movies (bargain matinees, Tuesday $5 shows)…and Vespa shopping was no exception.
Daddy and I haunted e-Bay. He liked the idea of a refurbished scooter like the one he used to ride, and we learned about complete rehabs, and terms like “original miles”….which seems a weasel way to talk about the odometer. Daddy knew he wanted a two-cycle Vespa, which was our second “car” when I was a little girl.
“Vespa” means wasp in Italian and refers to that distinctive two-cycle sound. In California, two-cycle means either a vintage scooter, or if new a 50cc, as larger two-cycles are not allowed here. I live on a hill, and thought the 150cc more practical(four-stroke engine).
We learned about scooter clubs, Scooterworks in Chicago, which refurbishes scooters, and were intrigued by the little Fiat 500s they were importing and refurishing under the Tinymotorworks name.
Instead of commiserating about our Chinese scooters, the DMV issues, or finding customers, Daddy and I were now talking about upcoming scooter adventures. And maybe cars? Did we want old cars? Daddy had always like the old mini-cooper and was just about to get a new Mini-Cooper, which seemed a good way to combine old and new, like the Vespa, which was both retro and new. I loved the mint green color. It reminded me of the old VW Bus we drove when I was a kid.
David was the first to jump. I found a great deal on a baby-blue 50cc Vespa that a woman had won in a radio contest. My brother David, who’d enjoyed a little Honda scooter, and helped Daddy and me with scooter transport, grabbed it.
I checked e-Bay every few hours, knew exactly what I wanted—a new-ish green 150cc (or maybe a 50) in good geographic proximity.
Poof, on Labor Day 2003, there it was. Fabulous price, only 18 “original miles” and every possible accessory. Mint green. I pressed “buy it now”, afraid to ask questions lest someone else nab it. Turned out a lawyer dude had bought it for his wife, who hated even the idea. Get it outta here!
Now Daddy felt left out. He wanted a Vespa too. Now! So what if he’d just gotten his
mini-cooper.
That year Target gave away a red 50cc Vespa in every single store. Lots and lots of them were appearing on e-Bay. “Can you find me a deal one?” he asked.
And so I did.
