You don’t need 250cc for your purposes. The higher the displacement, the lower the gas mileage and higher the price.
I have experience on the low end. I started with a moped, which is technically a cross between a motor scooter and a bicycle. It has pedals and you start it by pedaling, unless you have an electric start. You can pedal it without using the engine if you get stuck somewhere, but take it from me, that is NO fun. My moped was a vintage 49 cc and it only got up to 25 mph. I quickly realized it was just a toy. Most people call scooters “mopeds” but that is incorrect.
I now have a big wheeled scooter, an Aprilia Scarabeo 50 (technically, 49.9 cc) two stroke. In my state, anything under 50cc does not require a motorcycle license. I regularly commuted 20+ miles on fairly fast major roads with speed limits under 45 mph. This little scooter could get up to 50 mph, was very peppy, and a lot of fun to ride. It gets 80-90 mpg. I never had a problem with it.
They don’t make the Scarabeo anymore in this size or some of the larger displacements, but maybe you can find a used one. The Kymco People is a similar design and is also an excellent scooter with a good reputation. I would avoid a scooter with small wheels, if you’re going to get a scooter.
I would get something up to the 150 cc range, because that’s all you really need, unless you’re trying to impress someone. 250cc is way too powerful for your needs, imho. I was always able to out-accelerate cars with my little 50cc scooter. I considered this very important for safety reasons. (maneuverability) I intentionally bought an older model two-stroke because I wanted to be able to kick start it if my battery died.
Anyway, if budget is the primary consideration, go as small as you can get away with in a quality used scooter. Try before you buy. Whatever you do, not buy new no-name scooters off of Ebay. Those things aren’t safe.
Somethings to consider are, that you can Customize your Bike for your needs, you can mount Crash Bars, a different Handel Bar that gives you a better siting position, a Windshield for better weather protection, if you don’t want to carry your Helmet and other gear around with you after you park the Bike, you can mount a Top Case on a rack at the rear or have some Cases mounted on both sides.
Also if you buy second Hand then maybe your first thing to go bad is your Battery, I strongly recommend to replace it with a spill proof sealed Maintenance Free unit that will be only a bit more costly than a old style one.
This recommended Bikes (Honda Nighthawk, Kawasaki Ninja) are very low tech simple designs, very little maintenance is required, mainly checking the oil and greasing/oiling the Chain, adjusting the Chain tension and after that checking if the rear brake is still adjusted right.
I go for about a 1000 km, check oil, go for 3000km change oil, go for 10’000km, check air filter/clean or replace, Valve clearance and change oil and oil filter. That’s it, I did not have to change a Spark Plug yet after 40’000km and have had practically never an issue with them since I drive 4 stroke engines.
Good luck on two wheels…
My Ninja 250 was easy on tires, I had Pirelli Sport Demons, which is a fairly sticky tire, and put about 15K on it before selling, and they had plenty of tread left.
The Ninja weighed right at 400 lbs, and was very easy to learn on.
Here’s a thread of various owners and their experiences. 99% positive.
The Yamaha dealer where I bought my R1 is also an Aprilia dealer. They had some Scarabeos in there, and I though they were the cat’s pyjamas. Big wheels, nice design, great mileage. I’d love to have one for puttering along the beach. The strictly-enforced speed limit is 25 mph, and that’s barely enough to maintain steerage on the R1 – not to mention satisfactory cooling. A Scarabeo 50 would be a hoot.
This past September, I got a motorcycle after years of not riding for the same purpose - gas was getting too danged expensive. My vehicle at the time (and the primary vehicle for my household) is a Ford Freestyle - kind of a cross between a station wagon and and SUV. We needed that car because there are six of us in my family - but since I only have part time custody of two of our kids, and most of my driving time is commuting to work and back, the SUV was overkill. I was regularly spending $45 or more a week in gas.
So I made the decision to get a bike, and after spending some time searching on Craigslist and at dealers, I found a guy selling a gently used Kawasaki Vulcan 750. I paid $2000 for it, and he threw in a helmet…though I still bought a new one (helmets are ticky things - never trust your head to a used lid). After buying new gear (chaps, fixed my old jacket, top of the line helmet, saddlebags…I already had motorcycle boots and riding gauntlets), I had spent about $2500. I also decided that I wanted to try to ride year round, save for when its raining heavily or road conditions are otherwise nasty, so I bought a nice rain suit ($50), some thermal underwear ($30), a baraclava for my head and neck ($10), and some glove liners for my riding gauntlets ($10), so there was another $100.
Insurance was the real shocker - I currently pay about $115 a month for full coverage on my SUV (still financed). Since I bought the bike outright, I was able to get liability only - it costs me $115…every year. It was crazy how much cheaper it was. Of course, I got a discount for taking the MSF course (I HIGHLY recommend this, almost think it should be mandatory) - and that ran another $200. The good thing, though (at least in Georgia) is that the MSF course lets you skip your driver’s test for the license…you still have to take the written test, but it wasn’t that hard.
Now, instead of spending $45 a week in gas to and from work, I spend $8 a week, and only have to fill the “big car” up about 1 - 1.5 times a month.