wkreps: I'm sorry to hear about your S8 150cc exhaust issue. I bought a new S8 150cc in 2012 & I noticed that there was red paint splatter over the white paint near the floorboard. I told my dealer I wouldn't complete the delivery until Kymco replaced the plastic panel. They did without an issue. I think the Kymco Chinese factory isn't up to par with Taiwan. I put about 1K miles on her & sold it for a new SYM HD200. HUGE difference in terms of QC. Then again it cost $1,000 more.
Seems like you have taken to scootering. Consider moving-up (if funds are available) to a GT300i. It's so much nicer then the S8. But then again it's a lot more money. Kymco has some nice financing deals as well. I paid cash for mine as I sold my Suzuki TU250X motorcycle for $2500.00, then decided it wasn't worth a loan for another $2500.00 In the end, you'll LOVE the GT300i trust me.