Trying to decide if I should keep used 250 Xciting and pay for a big repair

[Bilbax]

Hi all,

I bought a used 2009 250 Xciting as my first starter bike and used it for commuting almost year round in New Jersey. I did that for the past 3 years until last fall, when the breaks started to seize up and grind the rotors, so it didn't seem safe to ride. Living outside it's taken some abuse and corrosion, but I have been keeping up on changing the oil. Motor seems to run OK, but the belt does seem like it might be slipping, or that might be part of the break problem.

I'm not very mechanically inclined so I brought it to a Kymco shop for repair.
They are saying it will cost about 2/3 of the purchase price to repair the breaks (front and back) and the possible damage to the belt. (I bought it 3 years ago for about $3000 US and the repair could be as much as $2000 US.) I don't have a good sense of how long I could expect it to last if pay, or should I start my savings for a new bike.

Does anyone have opinions about:
A. does that price seem reasonable?

B. Is it likely that I will get some more good years out of the bike if I spend the money, or is this normally the start of a downward slide for well used Kymcos?

Thanks for your help and comments,
Bax

[Viper254]

Hey,

To be honest, it sounds like they're pricing to try and convince you to get rid of the bike. Off the top of my head, I'd probably quote £400-£600 if I were a garage... so maybe $800 tops? And that's still very much the steep end of things.

[CROSSBOLT]

Repair price is way too much. Learn by doing, do it yourself.

[Stig / Major Tom]

$2000 is more than scoot's value now.
If unable to do repairs yourself.... $2000 would make a nice down-payment on a new, or lightly used scooter.
Stig

[Forbes1964]

I’m not certain what the repairs entail, but it seems high to me. However, if there’s another facility nearby that works on scooters, it may be worth getting a second estimate to see if it’s close to the first. 2,000 seems like a lot of brake parts and labor. But I could be wrong.


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[Forbes1964]

$2000 is more than scoot's value now.
If unable to do repairs yourself.... $2000 would make a nice down-payment on a new, or lightly used scooter.
Stig

Sometimes when a mechanic encounters a vehicle that he believes might cause him an unending headache because of age or overalls condition, he attempts to “price the customer out the door” in an effort to avoid “marrying “ it.  He hopes the customer will say “y’all must be crazy to think I’m gonna put that much into this old car!” I’ve done it on occasion. But it backfires when the customer says “well, I love that hunk of junk. Go ahead and fix it” . That’s when I then follow my conscience and repair only what I view as necessary and surprise the customer with a bill that’s LESS than the estimate.



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[Bilbax]

Thanks for all the help, lots of good insights. In the end I got rid of it. Now I have to find a new bike.

It's a shame, because I really liked it.

Thanks again,
Bill

[slunkmonky]

I only paid $1000 for mine (rebuilt title) but if I had paid $3000 and needed to make a $2000 repair, I'd immediately get whatever I possible could for it and say goodbye, or just make it a sideline project to learn myself how to do it.

If I had the $2000 on hand, I'd immediately put it down on either a new Yamaha xMax or Downtown 300. Luckily my scooter started and rode fine today so I'm not forced to do such things. Hope your situation works out, whatever you do!