I'm seriously considering getting myself a Vespa or something for it.
If you're serious about taking this approach, may I recommend that you take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Beginner RiderCourse? While I know you're an experienced driver, and probably experienced on a bicycle, there are aspects of driving a motorized two-wheeled vehicle that are just *different* from either of those two activities. You do end up taking a the course on a motorcycle, but the street strategies and a lot of the handling in terms of steering and stopping are more or less the same (and used motorcycles are cheaper and more plentiful than used scooters! Not that I'm biased...). I'd also recommend a full-face helmet and some sort of protective clothing. A lot of people seem to think that because it's "just a scooter" they don't need the same protection as a motorcycle rider, but a get-off at 35 mph is a get-off at 35 mph, no matter what you're riding -- the ground doesn't care, and will chew you up regardless.
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If you're serious about taking this approach, may I recommend that you take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Beginner RiderCourse? While I know you're an experienced driver, and probably experienced on a bicycle, there are aspects of driving a motorized two-wheeled vehicle that are just *different* from either of those two activities. You do end up taking a the course on a motorcycle, but the street strategies and a lot of the handling in terms of steering and stopping are more or less the same (and used motorcycles are cheaper and more plentiful than used scooters! Not that I'm biased...). I'd also recommend a full-face helmet and some sort of protective clothing. A lot of people seem to think that because it's "just a scooter" they don't need the same protection as a motorcycle rider, but a get-off at 35 mph is a get-off at 35 mph, no matter what you're riding -- the ground doesn't care, and will chew you up regardless.
I just want to see my friends safe. :-D