I bought my first vespa in spring 2006 as a restoration project and what a trial by fire it has been.

I bought a 1960 125 and saw it in person prior to buying it. It looked good at the time, but it has been a money pit to restore.  Thankfully, at the rate that gas has been rising, I will be ok just by riding the thing rather than driving my car.

Consider this when buying a classic (or any used) scooter that has been sitting for a while:

• !!!RUST!!! - No matter how minor it appears to be  on the surface, if you see even moderate rust, you will be in for a nasty suprise come repainting time.  Dont be afraid to pick at it a bit when looking at the scooter.
  
• Paint and body -  The bodywork and paint on a scooter that needs moderate attention will cost about $1200.00 to $1800.00 for repairs and a GOOD paint job.  Im not talking the two color pearly paint jobs, just a quality one color paint job and clear coat.
  
• Cables -  Cables are not fun to replace and are important to your safety.  If they are shot, that adds to the cost of getting it running.
  
• Shocks - Typically need to be replaced.
  
• Tires - about $35.00 to $40.00 each so worn tires = added cost.
  
• Brakes - about $20.00 per wheel if you do the installation.
  
• Muffler - Typical need replacing and affects your scooter's performance.
  
• Motor - Buy a 150 if you can.  These have more power and better resale value.  125's arent bad, just 150's are better and offer more power.
  
• AVOID BUYING A SCOOTER YOU HAVE NOT PERSONALLY INSPECTED!  I carefully inspected the one I bought and found a few suprises that brought the price down.
  
• Compare the body/motor numbers to the database on scooterhelp.com.  The 1960 VNB I am restoring started out as a 1958 VNA.
  
• Hope this helps!  I am not trying to scare anyone, just that I have $3.5K wrapped up in the restoration of a scooter I bought for $800.00 = $4300.00........but it's beautiful.
  
• Finally, be careful no matter where a scooter comes from.  Vietnamese and Indonesians get a lot of Hell about bad restorations.  If you think about it, most of the scooters went there in the first place and the reason they are in such sorry shape is because they were used as primary transportation, not a status symbol.
  
• Take care.