Scooter Buyers Guide
Hello, my name is Tim Juntgen and I’m the founder of Carolina Fun Machines.
We have way too many people come to us with their new scooter looking for help and advice. People that have owned their scooters for less than 3 months that are no longer running, or running properly. They have come to us because when they went back to the place they purchased the scooter from they found that:
1. They were no longer in business.
2. The scooter they purchased just a few months ago no longer is covered by any warranty.
3. The place they purchased the scooter from has no service department or parts for the scooter they sold them.
Most of these people are first time buyers that weren’t aware of the important things to consider or the proper questions to ask when shopping for a new scooter.
And when they realize the mistake they have made it makes them, and me, very mad because at this point there is nothing either of us can do to get their money back or get them out of a bad scooter purchase.
So I’ve taken the time to put together the follow information hoping to help people better understand the scooter marketplace and what to look for and the questions to ask when they are out shopping for a new scooter. We truly believe an educated consumer will end up being much happier in the long run than one that isn’t.
The biggest thing you need to understand is that all scooters are not created equal. Many may look the same but the actual quality can vary dramatically. Who manufactured the scooter will determine a great deal if it is one that after a few months of ownership you will be happy you purchased or mad as hell because you realize you bought a piece of junk. I will provide you some pointers on how to tell if a scooter is any good later in this guide. But the simple thing to remember is that a cheap scooter is nothing more than a cheap scooter and you didn’t get the deal of the century. The reason it was cheap is because it was built using the cheapest parts available and cheap parts just don’t last very long. That is why cheap scooters have a very short warranty, if any warranty at all.
Shop around, go out and visit a number of scooter dealers. Look at the product, you can see the difference in quality and ask to take a test ride. When I say look at the quality I mean not only the quality of the scooter but look at the quality of the dealership. Look at the way they present themselves and the product. Ask to see the service and parts departments. Does it make you feel comfortable that if you had to bring your new scooter back for service they would care for it the way you would? Do they actually have parts for your scooter in stock? Is the service department full of the brand of scooter they are trying to sell you? If it is that should tell you something about the quality of the brand they want to sell you.
Always ask for a written copy of the warranty that comes with the scooter and read it very carefully. If it is a factory warranty and the factory is located in China it is not worth the paper it’s written on. It takes months to get parts from China. If it doesn’t cover both parts and labor for at least 1 year or 6,000 miles it is indicative of a low quality scooter. The warranty should be from the dealership and that is why it is so important that they have a full service and parts department to back the warranty that they give you. There are hardware stores, used car dealers and people selling the low quality scooters that have no way to support them after you purchase one, otherwise you buy them as is with no warranty. And to top it off they only sell scooters when the weather is nice.
We opened for business over 3 1/2 years ago and from the beginning we have worked on any Chinese made scooter, regardless of where it was bought. Over the last 3 years we have worked on over one thousand scooters from most all the manufacturers. We have seen a number of major failures with these low quality scooters such as engine and electronic failures. I’m talking about repairs that end up costing the owner $200, $300, $400 and even $500 dollars within just the first few months of ownership. Some of these new scooters had less than 1,000 miles on them. And it isn’t the parts costs that add up to being so much but the labor it takes to do the repairs. That is why low quality scooters only come with a short parts only warranty.
That is why it is so important that you make sure your new scooter has a parts and labor warranty for at least the first year or 6,000 miles. Otherwise that scooter deal of the century you just got becomes the purchase from hell that you never forget.
Along with the written warranty ask to see their service and parts departments. All scooters at some point in their life will need some love and attention. If they don’t have service or parts for the scooters they sell how can they back up the warranty or take care of you and your new scooter after the sale?
Ask them how long they have been in the business of selling and servicing scooters. Is it their main business that they operate 12 months a year, or is it a side line that they get into when the weather is warm?
We have operated under the same owner for over 3 1/2 years where both of the other major scooter dealers in Charlotte changed ownership last winter.
Warranty
Two years ago we were an authorized dealer for the Andretti Benelli line of scooters that came with a 2 year or 6,000 mile warranty. Power Sports Factory, the US Importer, ended up going out of business. As a result we found ourselves with over a hundred new Benelli customers with warranties that we had no vendor to support us on. Instead of taking the position that the warranty was from Power Sports Factory, and since they had gone out of business their warranty was worthless we stood behind the warranty at our own expense to make sure our customers received what they were promised when they purchased from us.
The low quality scooters will come with no warranty or at most a 6 month parts only warranty. And when you read the warranty it will only cover the internally lubricated parts of the engine.
The good quality scooters will come with a 1 year, 6,000 mile parts and labor warranty that will cover all of the components of the engine including all the electrical parts of the engine such as the stator, rectifier, CDI and starter motor.
The premium quality scooters will come with a 2 year, unlimited mileage, warranty that covers just about everything on the scooter.
The IMPORTANT thing is to always ask for a written copy of the warranty and read it very carefully. Make sure that the dealership selling the scooter will be around to honor the warranty and has the service and parts departments to deliver on that warranty. Otherwise you may end up with nothing more than a giant Christmas tree ornament that looks like a scooter.
Live life, have fun, be careful and ride safe!