Your teen isn’t quite ready for a car…or maybe you’re not ready for to stay up nights worrying. Buying a teen this year is an even bigger challenge. Besides the inevitable nail biting and wincing, spiraling insurance and gas prices make this a monetary challenge as well.

If your teen’s only traveling a short distance to get to school, a Vespa Gas Motor Scooter might just be a better choice. O.K. it doesn’t quite have the cachet of a car and it’s hard to squash 10 of one’s closest buddies on a scooter, this long established mode of transportation, popular in many major cities in Europe and is rapidly becoming the vehicle of choice for hip urbanites.

The easy-to-maintain, 4-stroke engine accelerates to 60 miles per hour, but scooters are restricted to city streets. The range is 100 miles to a tank of gas, making this a great economical choice.

Unlike their cousins, full fledged motorcycles, scooters are lighter and easier to maneuver with smaller wheels and a smaller engine. The rider’s feet rest on the floorboards rather than on foot pegs, and you’ll still need a helmet to ride one.

Your teen will have so much fun, you’ll want to try it too!