TO CHARGE OR NOT TO CHARGE
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The temptation to charge an outrageous premium for the most desirable trucks in a climate in which prices remain strong is obvious, but Phil Holmes is wary of pursuing such a policy.
Some oealers are charging as much as £5.000 over the odds, but it will backfire on them in two or three years time because the owner won't see that premium or anything like it when he comes to sell his vehicle," he warns. "He won't be happy, and he'll view you as the bad guy you'll end up regretting it."
"We've even reached the stage where salesmen are charging £2,000 more for a six-month-old tractor unit than they are for a new one," says one industry insider. "That's because they know the new one won't appear until November, and the customer can't wait that long. But take advantage of somebody in this way and he'll never forget it," he adds. "Hauliers have long memories."
It is not a mistake that Stuart Wolstenholme intends to make. "We have eight of the latest R-Series Scania R420 6x2 Highline tractor units dating back to 2005, all identical and with air-con and sliding fifth wheels," he says. "They've done around 400,000km each."
Wolstenholme is selling them at £48,000 apiece and does not believe that is over the top, "Bear in mind that a new one with the same spec costs £69,400," he observes.