Vespa made headlines in The New York Times.... and Dealernews columnist Lenny Sims from NADAguides/J.D. Power gets quoted:
Piaggio, which makes the Vespa, acquired a reputation for reliability even though it quit importing new models to the United States between 1981 and 2000. (Some importers brought them in through 1986.) Because the scooters were still sold worldwide, parts remained reasonably easy to get. In contrast, many notable scooter companies, such as Lambretta and Cushman, went out of business, leaving owners to scrounge for parts.
The least expensive scooters are often no better. “You will have a problem with availability of parts, and repair shops don’t want to service them,” said Lenny Sims, who tracks the motorcycle business as vice president for specialty markets at J. D. Power.
What probably drives Vespa’s retention value most of all is the image it has burnished in popular culture over 72 years. “It’s been a great brand since the ’50s,” Mr. Sims said. “When you see a movie shot in Italy, they are riding around on a Vespa.”
Across all 24 classes of vehicles considered in the Resale Value Awards, average retention value for four-wheelers was 55.7 percent. For all Vespas it was 72.1 percent, according to data from J. D. Power, giving Vespa an edge by over 16 percentage points. With the exception of collectible vehicles, Vespa scooters hold their value better than anything else on the road, including other scooter and motorcycle brands.
See the whole story in The NY Times, including a couple of dealer cameos, here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/business/vespa-scooters-resale-values.html?fbclid=IwAR16cvAo1nx42Ob5HMhzvzS0qutajroEYrSWK0zK5zNEP-61fGH0tHSElTA