Used van dealers are reporting a drop in sales and expect the trend to continue over the coming months, according to George Alexander, chief CV editor at Glass’s Guide.
Mileage has once again become a key concern for used buyers, who consider vehicles with 40,000 to 50,000 miles to be the best purchase, rather than lower mileage models.
“Used buyers have again become fussy about mileage and think that lower mileage carries too great a price premium while higher mileage brings too many problems,” said Alexander.
He also noted that across the auction scene, the number of LCVs going under the hammer remains high, with too few buyers in the market to absorb them. This he said has led to an inevitable summer lull which has taken its toll on price levels.
Among car derived vans, Fiestavan and Peugeot’s 207 continue to perform well at auction meeting Guide prices, while Kangoo, NV200 and Doblo vans are still largely underappreciated within the sector. Volkswagen’s Caddy continues to perform well but the number of Caddy Maxi vans on offer has at times overshadowed the smaller Caddy, leading to some price weakness. Trend or Limited trim Transit Connects remain popular, with the T200 75PS models performing the best.
Larger panel vans are in high demand, with good quality vehicles in scarce supply and achieving strong money at auction. Vauxhall Vivaros continue to sell, although often in a mediocre condition, but Scudo, Dispatch and Expert vans have sold well at auction with end users being especially keen to acquire clean and tidy examples. Alexander commented that demand for the smaller 260 and 280 Transit vans has been building over past months with strong sentiment hovering around ’06-plated stock.
Alexander adds: “While almost every older 3.5 tonne van offered at auction is tatty, even high mileage examples of Sprinters in particular and most Transits seem to sell effortlessly. However, Ducato, Boxer and Movano heavy vans with high mileage struggle to convince buyers that they have similar durability.”
