4. Buying A Used Van – The Process
Van Advertising
Once you have decided on which van you want to buy then hit the classifieds – whether for a new van or a used van for sale, sites like www.Vanlocator.co.uk advertise thousands of vans for sale across the country.
For an offline search pick up a copy of Van Finder Weekly at a petrol station or buy Van Buyer Weekly at good newsagents – call 01733 566933 and the guys there will send you a copy for free.
List your questions
Once you have the van you are interested in at roughly the right price contact the dealer to confirm it is still available with a list of questions that the advert hasn’t answered – tyre condition, special extras fitted and the warranty available are three obvious points that are sometimes omitted – confirm the specific model as well – you don’t want an unnecessary journey. Talk to the seller about the price on the phone to see how flexible they are, reassuring them that you are a serious buyer – either with cash or good trading/credit history.
Part Exchange your Old Van?
If you have a van at present, ask the dealer if they are interested in a part exchange. Describe the van carefully and be prepared to take some photos to email to the dealer to have a chance of getting the best price. If the dealer will not offer you what you think it is worth, then you might try a few local dealers or advertise the van for sale online or in the classified magazines, such as Van Finder Weekly. Click here to advertise your van for sale privately.
Van Provenance Check
If all this seems OK you may wish to carry out a provenance check – to see if the van is on finance still, (and therefore belongs to someone else), if it has been in an accident and to verify the current mileage. These checks are available online to the public these days for just a few pounds and will buy you peace of mind. It also shows the seller that you are serious about buying the van.
View the Van – the test drive
Arrange a date to view the vehicle – don’t forget that if you are hoping to drive the van away you need to have arranged your van insurance and make sure that the dealer has taxed it for you. Many dealers now offer 7-day driveaway cover to help overcome this problem.
Make sure that you view the van in daylight where possible – and if you are not sure about mechanical matters then take an expert with you. There are plenty of experts for hire who will give the van a once over for you for a fee.
Before you hand any money over, make sure that you test drive the van – a dealer’s insurance should cover him for test drives, but make sure to take along your driving licence. When test-driving check that everything works including the radio, all the lights – check the aircon, even if it freezing outside in case it needs some maintenance. Make sure the van does not pull to one side and under braking it pulls up in a straight line. There should be no annoying rattles or squeaks inside the cab.
On the outside, check the condition of the tyres – they should have at least half of their life left in them – if not it is a reason to ask the vendor for a discount. Look at the paintwork – does it all match? Has there been some repair work carried out on the van? If it looks like there has been then the repair may not have been 100%. Was the van unduly smokey from starting up?
Final Negotiations
Remember, if the van is exactly as described on the phone and a price agreed, restarting negotiations is not likely to be well received. However, if things differ even slightly from your understanding of the description then you have every right to talk about a discount. Especially because at this point the seller thinks that they have made a sale, so will be more likely to ‘help you out’ to get the sale finalised. Remember if you don’t ask, then you don’t get; a remark about the van not having a drop of fuel in it may even get you a few pounds off to fill it up for you! Be realistic – knocking off £500 for one damaged tyre is not going to happen!
If you are not intending to drive the van away immediately then get the dealer to install your extras for you. If you need a roofrack or would like new plylining or a CD player fitting then see if you can get the labour part of the job free. Chances are the dealer will have agreements with a number of suppliers for such things and should get a better price than you could for the items. It also means that when you finally get the van it is ready to go to work.
Remember that a great form of advertising your business is the appearance of your van so you might wish to take some advise from the dealer about graphics – again they are certain to recommend a good company to put together what you need. When investing in a new van don’t scrimp and save on the graphics. Whilst full colour full body wraps can cost a couple of thousand pounds, part wraps may be just the ticket to help you stand out from your competition!
