Get ready for a one-of-a-kind adventure as you drive a Scoot Coupe 2-person, 3-wheel scooter that looks like a miniature convertible car! Your professional, English-speaking guide will provide driving instruction and helmets before you head out on the road. You will then join the caravan and discover the island of Cozumel on a scenic joyride like no other.

You will drive to the northern side of the island, which is also the first area of that was developed in Cozumel. This makes the Northern are of Cozumel the most important historically for the Island. The tour will then stop at the Mestizaje Monument right in front of the beach; the guide will walk you through the area explaining how the local indigenous people after some time began mixing races with the Conquistadores from Spain. This is also a great photo opportunity.

After that you’ll head out of town and into the Northern more scenic side of the hotel district. We’ll stop at staple of old Cozumel where the beach and crystal blue waters meet. Here is where you will have free time to relax in the sun or go for a swim. This Beach Club is famous for the blue waters and friendly typical Cozumel feel. Play a game of beach volleyball, take a stroll, snorkel from the beach, or just bask in the sun. The scene is perfect to take in Cozumel for all its wonders.

The next stop is downtown, where you’ll have time to shop or go for a walk at the main downtown plaza. Once an hour of shopping and getting to know the local down town area is up, your guide will lead you back to the comfort of your ship.

http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?tourCode=CZM-510&t=C&exType=S

Dana Point drivers are sharing the road with a new kind of vehicle.

The three-wheeled Scoot Coupe is now available to rent or purchase from Pacific Coast House of Rides at 34105 Pacific Coast Highway. Manager Justin Dornan said the store bought three of the vehicles and began to rent them out for tours of the harbor last week.

The Scoot Coupe has become the most rented vehicle since the store opened in late September, Dornan said.

“Our whole fleet will be out for most of the day on the weekends,” he said.

The vehicle, about the size of a go-cart, has the styling of a sports car but handles more like a scooter. Handlebars replace a steering wheel for controls, and the interior seats one passenger and one driver.

Florida-based Panther Motors began offering the Scoot Coupe in 2004, according to scootcoupe.com.

Though the coupes are popular at scenic tourist destinations, Panther Motors also promotes them as commuter vehicles. The trunk can accommodate several bags of groceries, and rack attachments are available to hold bikes or kayaks. Coupes may be fueled at traditional gas stations and can travel up to 80 miles on a full tank, which holds about a gallon of gas, Panther says. Some even come with iPod docks and GPS units.

Though they are classified as motorcycles under state law, a motorcycle license is not required to operate a Scoot Coupe, Dornan said. However, a helmet is mandatory – the coupes can reach speeds up to 55 mph.

PCH Rides rents the vehicles for about $40 an hour, depending on the season. Scoot Coupes also are available for purchase for $6,000 to $7,000, depending on the engine size.

The vehicles caught Dornan’s eye on a trip to Hawaii, and he saw them again in Las Vegas. He also saw an opportunity.

“It was like Mario Kart in real life,” he said.

He said he plans to purchase a dozen more Scoot Coupes for his rental fleet in the spring, when tourism picks up.

You can reach Pacific Coast House of Rides at 949-415-4724.

Contact the writer: fshyong@ocregister.com or 949-492-5135

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/scoot-330178-coupes-coupe.html

Visitors to Hawaii can rent convertibles, four-door compact cars, Hummers, mo-peds, Harley-Davidsons — and now, scoot coupes, or three-wheel scooters.

Basically, it’s a scooter with three wheels (two in front and one in back) that can seat two and go up to about 40 miles per hour.

MiniCoupe Hawaii, a new business launched in February in Waikiki, occupies this new niche and plans to open a dealership soon to sell the scooters as well.

The business, owned by a San Francisco couple, is the exclusive dealer in Hawaii for Scoot Coupe, which is manufactured by Panther Motors in Florida.

Other cities on the mainland already rent out the coupes — in San Francisco a company rents them out as GoCars.

In Hawaii the coupe is categorized as a mo-ped, and thus, only a driver’s license is required to operate it. Helmets are available, but not required for adults.

Jacob Wankasky, MiniCoupe Hawaii’s sales manager, says the company has a fleet of about 30 that get rented out daily. Most customers are visitors but about 25 percent are local.

“;It’s very popular,”; said Wankasky. “;On a mo-ped you can’t ride together, so with these you can ride together and talk. They’re a lot safer than mo-peds.”;

East Oahu drivers likely have spotted the coupes coasting along Kalanianaole Highway or even as far up as the North Shore.

The scoot coupes are not allowed on major highways, including the H1, H2, H3, Pali or Likelike, although a few occasionally stray there by mistake. Wankasky says every customer is given an orientation, along with a map, showing where they can and cannot go.

People of all ages have been renting the scoot coupes, he said, but they have been particularly popular among baby boomers.

Tony and Mary Salazar of Los Angeles opted to rent a scoot coupe from MiniCoupe Hawaii for a half-day yesterday, instead of a rental car, deciding it was a more interesting way to see Oahu.

The couple was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary.

“;It’s open-air,”; said Marie Salazar at a stop near Diamond Head Lighthouse. “;It’s open, and not as fast, so we can see more.”;

“;It handles nice,”; added Tony Salazar.

For an additional $20, coupe renters can take a GPS-guided tour from Waikiki to Lanikai, complete with narrative information. The company also highlights stops like Leonard’s Bakery and Giovanni’s shrimp truck.

Two models are available: the standard edition and the limited edition. The latter has more luxury features, including an iPod hookup and a four-stroke engine.

The coupes retail for $6,299 to $6,599, according to the manufacturer’s Web site.

http://archives.starbulletin.com/content/20090729_Scoot_coupes_hit_the_streets_as_comfy_mo-ped_alternative

There’s a three-wheeled newcomer on the streets of O’ahu — the Mini Coupe — although it’s actually a two-seater moped.

Mini Coupe Hawaii sales manager Jacob Wankasky said the company started renting the brightly colored little vehicles in February from a fleet of 31 based at the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel on Waikiki’s Niu Street.

He said the company bought the coupes from a previous owner who had purchased them three years ago but needed to get legal approval for the three-wheeled two-seaters. Wankasky said that came through last year.

Despite a current downturn in tourism throughout the state, Wankasky said business is picking up a little more each week, especially on sunny summer days.

“We sell out a lot, depending on the weather,” he said. He said most people call to find out more when they see the coupes on the road. The company also rents a space near the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Riding in the little convertibles offers an obstructed view of the sights and sounds of the street scene. The motor starts up like a moped, sounds a little like a lawn mower and turns heads among the curious, prompting some people to wave or shout from the sidewalk.

“People feel like celebrities for a day,” Wankasky said.

Jena and Gary Morris of Roanoke, Va., rented two of the coupes Thursday morning to take a half-day trek to Diamond Head, the Kahala Hotel and out toward Hanauma Bay with their sons, 6-year-old Abram and 5-year-old Joshua.

Why the sporty two-seater moped? “I have two boys and that’s what they want to do,” explained Jena before buckling up and heading out.

Operations manager Eric Soh gave the Morris family an orientation, telling them not to drive on five roadways: H-1, H-2, H-3 freeways, Pali and Likelike highways.

“No sharp turns, and be gentle with the gas,” Soh suggested. He also walked them through an inspection reminiscent of the rental car routine: look for major scratches, check to see if the gas tank is full, and he warned them that’s there no reverse, so the best way to back up is walking next to the coupe like a bicycle.

Wankasky said people can rent a GPS tour that takes them turn-by-turn to their destination. He said the most common trip is out to East Honolulu, although some take a seven-hour trek to the North Shore and back.

So far, he said the celebrity clients have included musicians Lil’ Wayne and Erykah Badu.

And he said some residents rent the vehicles for weddings and other celebrations. Later this month, one Waikiki hotel has reserved 25 of the coupes for “a manager’s outing.”

Honolulu Police Lt. Cary Okimoto, who has worked in Waikiki since 2003, said he’s heard of no problems with the Mini Coupes. “It’s kind of new to me,” he said. “We haven’t had any complaints.”

The company is running 25 of the older two-stroke model; and six of the more powerful four-stroke engines. Wankasky said the company plans to buy more of the more powerful models as the company expands.

Police did say a few of the vehicles have received tickets when renters take them on the freeway, where mopeds and other slow-moving vehicles are banned. And Wankasky says other drivers also will call to report seeing the coupes on the Pali or freeway or anywhere they think they don’t belong.

He said the staff tries to reach the drivers to remind them of where they should and shouldn’t go.

Wankasky would not identify the company’s owner, but state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs records show the company was registered Nov. 21, 2008, by agent Jennie Hanaoka.

Each of the coupes now include the company name, phone number and the biblical citation John 3:16. Soh said that’s a reflection of the Christian family owner’s beliefs.

“They feel like it’s a blessing for the opportunity to be here,” Soh said.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Jun/21/bz/hawaii906210329.html

The Scoot Coupe is becoming quite the topic of conversation. The Scoot Coupe has really entered the public consciousness after an appearance on The Price is Right, and is quickly becoming quite a popular water cooler topic as a car that can really take advantage of a tank of gas. Built by Panther Motors Inc., the Scoot Coupe is a two passenger car that is set up to be almost a cross between a scooter and a car, perched on three wheels, and designed to get great gas mileage for people driving in town.

The Scoot Coupe is being advertised as a completely redesigned version of the car, with wider fenders to create a wider base, rack and pinion steering, dual wishbone suspension, and ABS disc brakes on all the wheels now. The Scoot Coupe is also being sold with music players and other amenities, with the two new models from Panther being called the P50 and the P150. For a three wheel vehicle it is definitely an interesting venture further into the market for reliability and gas-savings, and another car that falls in line with vehicles like the Smart Car.

The Scoot Coupe is definitely a futuristic looking car, and one that may take some getting used to for people to buy into the concept. That is probably why the Scoop Coupe made its appearance as a give-away on The Price is Right (hosted by Drew Carey), and certainly why the car is now the talk of the town. The contestant competing for the little car ended up winning the prize, and now it seems to have become quite a popular toy in the market of affordable new vehicles on the market. For all intents and purposes this is a car, which can be driven on the road as such, but it is so compact that the Scoot Coupe may find that it is more of a niche product in the long run.

The Scoot Coupe is being advertised as going 60 to 70 miles per gallon of gas, putting it up as one of the most gas efficient cars on the market. It seats two people as was mentioned early, and comes with engines of either a 50cc size or 150cc. The car only tops out at 45 mph, so it isn’t geared to go on the freeways, and it’s being sold with an MSRP starting at $6199. It is definitely an interesting car in a market that has been saturated with luxury vehicles, but it also may not seem practical for people looking to pinch pennies. It doesn’t have room for much, so it could most likely only be a car for some small city travel, and for a good topic of conversation, but this looks like a car that could quickly become just a fad if consumers don’t put their money where their interest lies.

http://yakjam.com/scoot-coupe-makes-news-after-appearance-on-the-price-is-right/

Market Street dealership planning to sell them

PARKERSBURG – If Market Motors is successful, brightly colored three-wheeled vehicles soon will be tooling around the Mid-Ohio Valley this summer.

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/516349/Get-behind-the-wheel-of-a-Scoot-coupe.html