What is my moped worth?

We receive daily phone calls and emails from people asking what they should sell their vintage mopeds for and/or if we want to buy their mopeds. Here are some generalizations about moped values. (There are always going to be exceptions… but yours probably is not one.)

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Non-running mopeds are worth $100 USD
Running mopeds sell pretty quickly for $200-300 USD
Running mopeds sell less quickly for $500+ USD
The “right buyer” may give you up to $800
The value of modified mopeds
The value of our mopeds (why our mopeds cost so much)

 

NON-RUNNING MOPEDS ARE WORTH $100 USD

  • If it can’t be ridden down the road, there is no way to tell what the moped needs. These bikes typically have 40 years of unknown history. Riding them allows you to hear and feel the bike’s functionality. If it cannot be ridden, it cannot be properly diagnosed. There are a lot of costly and/or time consuming repairs that may be needed on a moped so most people will not bet more than $100 on that gamble.
    • If the seller says it “just needs a carb clean” or “just needs a spark plug,” they are lying. If they have the ability to accurately diagnose that, they would have the ability to do those things and double or triple the value of their moped.
  • This price is very standard on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Moped Army, garage sales, scrap yards, etc. We do our best to both buy and sell at “market rate.” Since we typically buy non-running mopeds for the standard $100 market rate and it would be wrong of us to sell non-running mopeds for more than $100, we just don’t sell non-running mopeds. We restore them and add value before selling!
  • There are always exceptions, like:
    • Top tank mopeds (the ones that look like little motorcycles) usually sell for a bit more.
    • If the buyer REALLY REALLY wants a specific moped (See “RIGHT BUYER” info below).
    • If we are low on inventory and you have a super common moped that will be cheap for us to restore.
    • If your non-running moped has some weird specific part that someone really needs.
    • The upper end of what someone will pay for a non-running moped is $200-$300.
    • These scenarios are not common.

 

 

RUNNING MOPEDS SELL PRETTY QUICKLY FOR $200-$300 USD

  • If it can be ridden down the road, someone who does not care too much about the individual unit will pay this much and you will sell it in less than a week. It may be to a person looking for cheap transportation, someone looking for an “easy” restoration project, a moped hobbyist (hoarder), or us!
  • This price is very standard on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Moped Army, garage sales, scrap yards, etc.

 

 

RUNING MOPEDS SELL LESS QUICKLY FOR $500 USD +

  • There are a lot of moped hobbyists, collectors, hoarders, and flippers scouring the standard peer to peer market (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Moped Army, garage sales, scrap tards, etc.) ready to jump on those sub $300 mopeds.
    • Please note that we as a shop only purchase mopeds that are brought into our store. We do not go after the peer to peer market at all; we leave that open to you guys and gals. We want you to purchase project bikes so that you can come to us for parts and/or repairs!
  • People who are looking for $300 transportation but keep getting beat out on the sub $300 deals will often pay up to $500 for running mopeds.
    • As a seller, if you are “not in a hurry” to sell, maybe hold out for $500. Your buyer will come around in about a month or two.
    • As a buyer, this is an OK price. It’s not a great deal, BUT if a $500 moped is in your budget, if you like it, if you have fun on a test ride, and if you don’t want to mess around trying to be the first one to the best peer to peer deal, go for it!
  • We have hundreds of mopeds between our facilities, so we are not the buyer who just really wants a moped and has got beaten out on all of the cheap deals. We are not going to buy a typical moped for anywhere near $500 (sorry!).

 

 

THE “RIGHT BUYER” MAY GIVE YOU UP TO $800+++?!?!

  • NOTE: This is not normal in the peer to peer market but there are always exceptions.
    • You’ll need to find the right person. This buyer is typically someone who had the exact same moped as a kid. The same year, the same color, all of that. Maybe they were using that moped to get to their sweetie’s house for their first kiss. Maybe they used it to get to their first job which taught them the work ethic that made them wealthy today. Maybe they didn’t have a moped at all and they were jealous of the neighbor kid, so now is their time to have that perfect example of the model they didn’t get as a kid.
    • A moped hobbyist may also have some weird obsession with a specific rare-sub model of a moped or something and be willing to pay more than the moped is “worth.” Even as a shop that currently has hundreds of mopeds in our shop and has had thousands pass through our shop, there are about a half dozen mopeds that we have never seen and would pay $1,000+++ for our personal collection. If a moped is so rare and desirable that we hold a moped as mythological, you probably don’t have it… but it sure would be cool if you did!
  • As a seller, to get these prices in the peer to peer market, you’ll need to have a really really nice bike and it may take you a few years to find that perfect buyer BUT when you do find them they’ll be appreciative that you took the time to list the bike and maintained the listing long enough for them to stumble across it.
  • As a buyer, IF YOU REALLY WANT IT, BUY IT AND DON’T FEEL BAD ABOUT PAYING EXTRA FOR WHAT YOU REALLY WANT. Seriously, “worth” is objective so if it is in your budget & you really want it, go for it!

 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ THE VALUE OF MODIFIED MOPEDS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • A modified moped may have $500 OR $1,000 or $1,500+++ worth of performance parts on it, so how does this affect value?
    • If a person did a bad job installing the parts and the bike does not run right OR is not safe OR is too powerful and will destroy itself soon OR just looks ugly now OR all of those things, the bike is probably worth WAY less than it was worth before all of the money and time was spent on parts and time was spent on labor.
    • BUT there are some really wonderful, caring, careful, intelligent, artistic moped builders out there who have invested lots of time & money learning mopeds and building specific bikes. When these people sell mopeds, OF COURSE it is fair and “worth it” to pay them a price that is equal to the value of the moped before modification PLUS the value of parts invested PLUS the value of their time for the work they have done to the moped.
  • As a shop, we do not generally buy modified bikes because we warranty all of our work and if we did not do the work ourselves, we cannot warranty someone else’s work – even if they are an exceptional builder.

 

 

THE VALUE OF OUR MOPEDS (WHY OUR MOPEDS COST SO MUCH)

  • Simple Answer:
    • Everything that we sell has *AT MINIMUM* New tires, New tubes, New fuel petcock, New fuel line, New fuel filter, New NGK Spark Plug, Working headlight, Working tail light, Working kill switch, full tank of premium gas with Amsoil Saber full synthetic 2t oil, & new full synthetic transmission fluid; PLUS it has been polished up and it comes with a 60 DAY WARRANTY.
      • $700-$900 at our shop *typically* gets you a moped with our minimum restoration described above. Although it is more expensive than a $300-$500 CL moped; we feel the new parts, professional work, and peace of mind make our mopeds a better value for a rider. From there, the more time and money and parts we spend on the ped, the more speed and safety and looks you get.
      • $800-$1200 at our shop typically gets you a moped with the minimum stuff described above plus other wear items such as grips, chains, cables, shocks, pedals, seats, etc. replaced with new. Mopeds in this price range also typically have minor performance work done to them to get them in the 33-40mph speed.
      • $1200-$1700 at our shop typically gets you a moped that has everything above replaced AND some extensive motor work involving part to get the moped in the 38-48mph speed AND some modernized suspension and wheels to accommodate ether increased speed AND maybe even custom paint and/or powder coat and/or decals.
      • $1,700-$2,500+++ is not the norm for pricing or for mopeds. This is an exceptional moped at an exceptional price. At our shop means that we invested a TON of both time and money into the moped. When bikes at this price come up you can be assured that the moped will be as good looking and safe as a moped can be PLUS it will be as fast of a moped as we feel comfortable putting a customer on.
  • Complex Answer:
    • When you buy a moped from us, whether it be $700 OR $2,700, you are getting more than a professionally serviced moped with some fancy new parts. Honestly, if that’s all you were getting from us, it wouldn’t be that great of a deal.
      • Because each bike is unique, we work to pair you with the right moped for you. When you come into our store, you get the opportunity to explain your goals with regards to looks, budget, target speed, intended use, etc. From there we put you on a few different bikes that we think would work well for you for test rides. Once you know what you are looking for; we will make final adjustments for speed, comfort, and aesthetics so that the bike is really right for you.
    • After you take the moped home, we are your support system.
        • During the 60 day warranty period, something will probably go wrong… but that’s OK! These things are 40 years old with an unknown history. We are bringing them back to life for the first time in who knows how long. Even though we fix everything that is wrong with it, then test ride it 10-20 miles; then fix everything that goes wrong on the test rides, then put on 10-20 more test miles until we feel confident, we can’t know what will go wrong in 100 or 200 or 500 miles. For this reason, we want you to use the moped and shake out any additional problems that happen as it comes to life and we want to fix them under warranty. We typically find that once these problems that arise bringing the bike out of dormancy are corrected, these mopeds are good for a long time with minimum effort. We just need to get there together. You don’t get this support system with a peer to peer sale.
        • After the 60 days, we are here to complete your spring tune ups, performance upgrades, wear item replacements and more. All of these things will go faster (and cheaper) if we know the bike.
        • We are also available to our customers for parts and troubleshooting advice if our customers decide to take on the DIY experience.
        • For better or for worse, buying a moped from us means establishing a relationship with us;  We know, love and appreciate our customers. Without you, we wouldn’t be who we are.
  • OH YEAH – Also when you buy a moped from us you can use a credit card and you get 25% off all retail such as helmets, gloves, locks, apparel, etc. with your purchase.
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