This project scooter is for sale right now on ebay out of Ohio. This is the kind of project that I like. It looks like it is all there, but has been sitting for a long time. It looks all original, just scruffy. There is some surface rust, but nothing looks like it is too bad. I'd give this one a full restoration. The primaveras are just so simple, that taking it apart and renewing everything would be a fairly straightforward proposition.
This has some added interest because it is a "Sears" Primavera. Technically, this is a Vespa 125 VMA1, and not a Primavera. These were sold by Sears for one year only, and it was the last years that Sears sold scooters. They sold this as their 125 model, and they also sold a 150 Sprint that year only. As far as I can tell, the Vespa dealers did not sell the Primavera concurrently, they only sold it the following year. These scooters are pretty cool in that they have some unique features that are absent on the other smallframes sold in the US.
These Sears scooters did not have a battery, and did not have the ugly battery door and battery box on the left side like the later smallframes. The only other US market smallframe that had a similar frame was the Vespa 90, which was sold in '64 only. These also had the larger engine door, which unlike the small door on the 90, makes engine maintenence a bit easier. They had a very simple headset, with only one simple switch, no ignition key, and the simple Siem headlight that had no chrome ring. Finally, these scooters had the one year only "Mickey Mouse" Siem tail light.
As I said, I really like these Sears 125's, and if this were close to me, I'd make a play for it. This scooter obviously needs a lot of love. Primaveras generally are not worth a lot of money, even when they are done up. With the cost of paint, motor parts, tires, etc., you'd certainly have a substantial sum tied up in a restoration. For me, I think you'd probably be upside down on it if you bought it for much more than $850. However, if you don't really care about spending a bit more than it is worth, and want a really cool fairly rare scooter, I'd be comfortable bidding up to around a grand. We'll see how high it goes!
