A great discussion going on at Modern Vespa that I thought I should share:

Movran asked: If you were going to pick up a vintage Vespa, what would you get and why?

There was some great answers, below I have highlighted some of the best.

•   Vespa – I think most would say “GS150” “GS160” or “SS180”
• Lambretta – SX200 or TV200… even though the TV200 is rarer, i’d rather have the SX because i LOVE the looks of the stock oxblood seat cover against the white paint.
• If reliability as a daily driver and finding new parts is important, I would say get a P series
• A Rally 200 is a great bike spanning vintage and modern styles. It isn’t quite as sexy as a GS but it has a lot more charm than a P series.
• I think the P200 would be a good start for most MV types to get. The engine components are easy to get to; spark, carb (jets), cables. It’s like the VW bug of scooters because you can get parts for them almost anywhere. Being an owner of a smallframe, I have to deal with the constant double checking to make sure I haven’t accidentally picked up a part for a P instead.
•  px series parts are inexpensive and widely availible. there are several service manuals and pretty much any vintage scooterist knows how to work on them. they are one of the easiest bikes to work on, dependable and have the best suspension and brakes.
• Expect to pay $2500-3000 for a really good condition orignal P200. If it’s a US 79-81 model, they made it in Silver, Maroon, White, and Italian Racing Blue and possibly another color or two i’m not aware of….so you should be able to recognize those colors immdiately as the stock job.