The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

As gas prices near $4 per gallon, some local residents are turning to scooters as a summer alternative to driving their cars. Sales of scooters have been brisk since late April at local retailers like Hodag Honda and Shoeder’s Auto Sales.

“It’s probably going to be the best year for scooters,” said Nick Plouff, a salesperson at Hodag Honda.

Consumers are attracted to the high gas mileage of the scooters, which ranges from 90-100 miles per gallon. Operators of vehicles with 50cc engines or less do not need a motorcycle endorsement.

“They’re fun and they’re real easy to drive. It’s kind of like riding a bicycle. You can just hop on them and go,” said Lynn Shoeder, the owner of Shoeder’s Auto Sales.

Shoeder began selling scooters at the end of April, thinking it would be a good time to try out a new market.

She started by ordering five scooters from a wholesaler in Green Bay. The scooters arrived on a Friday and were gone by Monday afternoon.

“We’ve sold about 30 of them since April 25. It seems to be a trendy thing for the younger people. Most people are using them to go back and forth to work or school,” she said.

Shoeder also said she has begun to see customers using their economic stimulus checks to purchase her scooters.

“People will use them to make a down payment and then we finance the rest for them,” she said.

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Bob wrote on May 14, 2008 5:57 PM:

" If these gas prices keep going up we will all need to be riding bicycles or scooters or whatever, here in Florida the traffic is so much I don't know if it would be safe to ride one. My wife and I were hoping to come up to Rhinelander this summer as we are formally from Rhinelander but have been in Florida many years and we were looking forward to coming back and seeing the great North-Woods again but with the price of gas I don't think it will be possible when you are on Social Security and everything keeps going up it is next to impossible to do this. We are both getting old now and we would like to see Rhinelander again. "

Kathy Wants a Scooter wrote on May 14, 2008 12:59 PM:

" Great Idea! How are they on gravel roads? "

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