Bought my Tomos Quadro today in Holland. Went with a used blue one I saw at the local dealership. Seemed to ride ok. It had been sitting in the showroom all winter (along with about half dozen other used Quadros for sale). Paid about 550 euros less than a new one costs and it still cost me 850 euros. Left with the paperwork and went to buy insurance in another country (Germany).
After a brief bout of "where the hell am I and why did I ever turn my life over to this freakin' GPS navigation unit in the first place!!!", I arrived at the insurance agent's office. Insurance and tag for a year cost me 130 euros.
They are so quick and efficient in delivering services over here in Europe it's freaking amazing. Helps to offset the feelings of overwhelming fiscal rape that also go hand in hand with a lot of purchases made here. (Gas is eight dollars per US gallon, e.g.)
I hope I did the right thing by buying a used Tomos. The positive experience most of you Tomos riders have written about suggests that they hold up extremely well. I think the one I bought had under four thousand km on it. I got a three month warranty (whatever that's worth in Holland these days -- hope I don't need to find out).
I'll use the money I saved for a helmet, chain lock, nice cot/tent, a bike trailer and maybe even one of those specialized dog trailers that look just like the myriad baby/child bicycle trailers I see on a daily basis. Since my German is rather weak, I'll just have to read peoples faces to tell whether they are smiling because of my cool moped, or laughing because of my hairy 'baby' :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timtimes/4720367952/in/set-72157602271665534/
I've got to go back over to Holland and drive my new honey over the threshold (border) to our honeymoon suite in Germany. I hope she's looking forward to a wild ride because I'm definitely gonna be in the mood for some heavy duty piston action. She's in the bathroom (dealership) right now, getting made up real pretty for the event. Official honeymoon next Wednesday (weather permitting). I'm gonna take videos because I'm well aware of exactly the type of 'nasty' that passes for entertainment around here. Thank me later.
Enjoy.
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