Pickle -- I, too, am thinking about getting a scooter. The high speed for a scooter is not fast enough to drive on the Turnpike or I-95, our interstates where speeds can reach 80 and beyond. A 150 cc scooter tops out at 55-60, although I've read a few people claiming to get 65.

I would be confined to "surface roads" and would use it mostly for local errands. We have a 6-month hurricane/rainy season, and I would be miserable riding a scooter in this weather, even though it generally is warm enough. So I would plan to keep my aging car.

A scooter gets 80 mpg and the best hybrid gets 50 mpg on the open road. I hate the thought of driving a car without standard transmission, and of course the hybrids rely on automatic transmission for the automatic fuel savings.

If you carefully consider how much you will be able to use your scooter, you may be happy with it. Some have three wheels, which make them more stable.