13 Reasons Every American Should Own A Scooter
It was my junior year in college when I realized that I was taking up too much space. By default, I had inherited a gargantuan Green Buick LeSabre as my primary mode of transportation. As a musician, it was helpful to have a spacious backseat to lug my guitar and gear around, but typically (95% of the time), I was driving me, myself, and the iPod around with 4 empty seats along for the ride. Did I mention that I could have fit a beached whale in that trunk?
Brian and Allison Bustos on their wedding day riding a Stella Scooter through the Crossroads District of KC
I decided to look on craigslist for a better solution for the daily trek. I stumbled across a post for a 2003 Stella Scooter made by Genuine Scooters in Chicago. I had never heard of or seen one, but after doing a little research, I was sold on the idea. Genuine Scooters, in 2003, had purchased an old Vespa factory in India and started reselling the Vespa PX 150 with a new branding– "Stella". It was the exact same vintage body, rocked a 4-speed manual transmission, had room for two riders (intro my wife), and got over 90+ MPG.
Stella Scooter- designed by Vespa
I ended up buying the one I had found on Craigslist– it was red, zippy, and turned heads; and it's still turning heads ten years later. I'm convinced after owning a Stella (Vespa) for over a decade that every American should have one tucked away in their back pocket for use during the warm months. Here's thirteen reasons why you should supplement owning a car with a scooter:
- Brand-new Stella costs 1/5th of the price of a brand-new car
- Stella costs less than $120 to fully insure for the year through Progressive
- It seats two people comfortably
- For those who like making baby's, you can add a sidecar
- With speeds surpassing 55+ mph, it's a breeze to keep up with traffic
- When traffic comes to a halt via traffic jams, scooters are great for making illegal maneuvers
- 90+ MPG = less than $4.00 to fill up your tank when gas prices are at their highest
- Style points! Style points!! STYLE POINTS!!!
- Needing to park downtown? There's always a spot to squeeze between two cars
- You can order new parts and modify it with all sorts of craziness at Scooter Works
- It's got a spare tire on the side in case someone throws nails at you
- It's got a kick-start to intimidate the neighbor at the pump
- You'll hit your return on investment guaranteed or I'll give you your money back
2003 Stella Scooter photographed on May 3, 2008
Credits
Photography taken by StudioThisIs
Wedding Dress designed by Allison Bustos
Suit Designed by Banana Republic (Monogram Series)
Scooter originally designed by Vespa
Scooter reintroduced to America by Genuine Scooter