“To Vespa or not?”

Photo by PoPville flickr user brunofish

“Dear PoPville,

Over the last month or so, I’ve noticed Vespas and other similar makes all over DC, especially near my DuPont/Farragut office. My work commute is a bit long and while I don’t mind taking the bus or ubering (or walking, which is what I tend to do), I wouldn’t mind having my own transportation. However, I don’t need a car, at least not at the moment. I’ve looked into the different models and really like the GTS Super 300 because it goes a little faster than some of the other models and I could potentially use it to visit my family in the VA suburbs. I know I need a special license for it and looked into insurance too but I have questions about people’s experience with them but don’t know anyone who has one and the articles/threads I’ve found aren’t recent.

Some questions I have are:

What’s the parking situation like?
Are car/bus drivers inconsiderate or aware/cautious around them?
Are theft or vandalism big problems?
Is it better to buy a new or used Vespa?
Although, I’m partial to Vespas, are other makers more practical?
Are they easy/affordable to fix if there’s an issue?

When I look around, most cars just have drivers, no passengers (except for Ubers and the like), so why don’t more people have mopeds or motorcycles in DC? What am I missing?!

Any answers/advice you and/or your readers could provide would be highly appreciated!”