While the muscle car fans among us may scoff at humble little scooters like these, there are definite arguments to be made for at least having something of a small runabout in your garage for days when sucking down premium gasoline at six miles per gallon doesn’t make much sense (like, now). The Honda Elite is an excellent choice for a scooter than can actually hold its own in modern traffic as with the right-sized rider, it could eclipse 60 miles per hour. And, of course, it’s an 80s Honda product so it’s pretty darn reliable, too. This Elite has extremely low mileage and is a “Deluxe” model with a pop-up headlight and digital speedometer. Find it here on craigslist for $3,200.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for flagging this. The Honda Elite was offered in a few different flavors, but the 150 is the one to get. Powered by a water-cooled, four-stroke engine, the Elite could kiss 65 miles per hour while also delivering 64 miles per gallon. If you live in a small town or have a house by the beach, a scooter like this not only makes a lot of sense but it’s also just plain fun. My uncle has an Elite and despite riding Harleys most of his life, he can confirm that the little scooter gets up and goes when you need it to. The seller’s bike sports extremely low miles with just 158 miles on the odometer. As mentioned, the Deluxe models like this one get a digital speedometer.
Interestingly, this scooter sold a few years ago on eBay for $1,751, according to the website Bike-Urious. I never thought a scooter represented the potential for a modest flip, but these are the days we’re living in. I don’t blame the seller one bit, as under $2,000 seems like a serious steal for a scooter that hails from an era in which all forms of transportation are becoming very popular. The 1980s has given some enthusiasts a taste of the nostalgia bug and they are spending real money to buy the car, trucks, and yes, scooters of their youth. That said, the scooter market isn’t exactly booming, so I’m not shocked it didn’t sell instantly at this price, either.
The pop-up headlight is a pleasingly Honda detail considering how many of its car models from this era had the flip-up headlamp assemblies. The seller reports that shortly after this scooter was purchased, the original owner put it into storage the right way, meaning the gas and oil were drained and the carburetor was cleaned. He or she even removed the side flare pieces and wrapped them in blankets to prevent them from being dinged up while in storage. While it may still seem difficult to think of a scooter as a collectible, this Honda Elite 150 looks to be the real deal and is likely one of the best of its kind left on the market today – and how often can you buy the best of anything for under $5,000?
If you check on the other site, when it was sold a few years ago, the odometer reads 1,126 miles! It now reads 158 miles! I believe the miles have been turned back. You can tell it’s the same scooter too because they both have the same aftermarket LED headlight.
The Elite 250 was an even better, more powerful scooter. Still, this one is nice.
Anybody else remember the band Devo doing the TV commercials for these? Fond bit of ’80s nostalgia, there.
Yes, loved that commercial !!
You beat me to it – great commercial by one of my favorite bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IT8-wY3z1k
I have seen Devo live more than any other group, yes i am old. Whip it, Whip it good.
Nice! I wish that I could say the same thing. Only saw them one time in Boston – Bank of America Pavilion 15 years ago. Would have loved to have seen them in their heyday – not sure why I didn’t.
On that era of Honda scooters, the auto-bystarter, basically an electro-mechanical choke, was unreliable and is likely no longer manufactured…so unless the new owner is lucky, problems may arise & persist.
What? No concern trolls popping out of the wood work handwringing and pearl clutching about “the saaaaafety! The saaaafety!” ?
Great for the Back To The Future crowd, but my 2015 Honda CTX700 delivers 65 MPG with a parallel twin cylinder, fuel injection, full fairing, and a comfortable riding position for two as a full sized motorcycle. GLWS.
True, but kind of an unfair comparison. This reflect the tech and safety of the day, certainly lacking compared to something 30 years newer. Same could be said for any automobile of the same era.
Advances in technology are great. That’s what the “T” in CTX stands for. The MPG is what matters the most to me in this economy now. I knew several friends with their Elites, Puchs, and the like back in the day and they all enjoyed them a lot. There’s always a market for the budget commuter.
Yes, with gas prices in Vegas over $5 a gallon I’ve been seriously considering buying a scooter. Most of my trips are to the grocery store or gas station so it makes sense.
This is a great looking scooter and I love the pop-up headlight and digital dash, but not so much at this price.
Too bad Cadillac doesn’t make a scooter.
Cool piece. Remember seeing these new on the dealer floor. Just my opinion but the 150 has better styling than the 250. Got enough already or I’d be contemplating this one.