Question:

While I am captivated with Vespas, the Buddy seems to be a better deal, and I also like the placement of lights on the handlebars. It seems that this would be very useful for visibility. Does anyone who is familiar with both have any input on this? It just seems reasonable. Any other strong feelings people have about the two? (I know, this is a Vespa site… but I had to ask!) I’m a medium sized woman, by the way.

Answer:

My wife was initially enamored with the Buddy (“It comes in pink!”), but after some research and side-by-side comparison she went with the LX.

The Buddy is a very good scoot, despite its smaller displacement, it is actually a hair faster than the LX150 because it’s lighter. It’s lighter because it’s mostly plastic while the LX is more metal than plastic.

The Buddy is definitely a bargain on the front end, but after, I dunno, five or six years I wonder what the resale on it will be. The Vespa is a pretty safe bet in resale value. If you take the long view on that, I would say the price less resale value is probably about even…depends on if you can afford it on the front or back end of ownership.

The Buddy is manufactured in Asia (this is a “so what” for me), but they are well-supported by Chicago-based Genuine Scooters who are part of an excellent scooter shop called Scooterworks, also in Chicago.

Genuine/Scooterworks sources and sells lots of optional equipment for both the Buddy and all model Vespas.

You probably know the drill on Vespa, made in Italy and well-supported by their dealer network.

The LX150 has more accessories and more third-party companies making accessories than Buddy. The “captivation” factor is legit…Vespas are very cool.