how to sell a used scooter, part II
As I've written both here and on girlbike.com, I've had my red Vespa Ilene up for sale off and on, but didn't want to sell her to just anyone. Some would say (not you, of course) that it's crazy to have deep feelings for a scooter, and I just couldn't bring myself to sell her. But I hardly rode her in the past year, so I finally decided it was time.
Through the grapevine, a woman who lives about an hour away heard about Ilene. She had been shopping around for a scooter and wanted to come up and check her out. She recently got her motorcycle license, and had her heart set on buying a scooter. It took over a couple of weeks for us to finally get a time for her to see Ilene - finally this past Saturday, we were able to set up a test ride.
She and her boyfriend arrived, and the first thing she did was walk up to the scooter and pet the leopard seat cover. She had that look in her eye, and had a big smile on her face, and I knew she loved Ilene the minute she saw her. I answered a bunch of questions, went over the controls, took it down to the road for her to practice putting it up and down on the center stand, and then she was ready to do her first test ride.
Well, she just LOVED her. She took off up the road, and we could hear her laughing as she rode. There is no other way to describe it - this girl was absolutely chockablock full of glee. After she rode around the block a little, her boyfriend took it for a ride. Then both of them, 2-up. Smiles all around. Then I took her for a long ride (me on Rosa, her following me on Ilene) on curvy roads, up and down hills, in town and in the middle of nowhere, and she had a smile on her face the whole time. I already knew Ilene was hers. But even if she decided not to buy her, it was totally worth the ride because she was just so freekin happy, and it's always a lot of fun to ride with other crazily happy scooter people.
I was right, she was sold on Ilene. If it weren't for the banks being closed on Saturday, she was ready to take Ilene home.
When she left, she said goodbye to me, and then said goodbye to the scooter - proof she's the right buyer for my special girl.
But I have to say, when I took Ilene for our last ride on Friday, I had second thoughts about selling. She has an oomph that Rosa doesn't have, has a different sound and a different feel. She's got energy off the line and loves to go fast. I've poured a lot of love, money, sweat - and yes, even some tears into this pretty little scooter. What if I regret selling her?
Ilene's new owner and her boyfriend came back late on Monday to pay, get paperwork, and pick Ilene up. I thought I was going to be incredibly sad selling Ilene, and I am. I've been looking out where she was parked, and I miss her. But I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. Why? because I know she'll be loved and admired, and best of all, ridden. That's what she was made for.
A version of this post was originally published today on girlbike.com.
