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Buyer's market for vans
Page 68
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Used van dealers must implement realistic prices for vans or suffer the consequences as the market begins to absorb an increasing volume of stock, according to Glass's Guide.
After 18 months of the market growing in strength, dealers with the right stock in the right condition have sold vehicles easily without having to use incentives to clinch deals in the balance. But with rising numbers of larger vans entering the used marketplace, dealers would be well advised to keep prices sensible.
Avoid distress
ii ling to respond to this slowdown could lead to stagnant forecourts with dealers forced into `distress selling' to try to make the numbers add up. George Alexander, the chief CV editor at Glass:sGuirle says we're heading bra buyer's market. "The problems start when vendors have unrealistically high expectations of the residual value performance of vehicles aged 18 to 30 months. With many more identical vans to follow during 2006, the market will struggle to soak up the growing volume of used stock," he warns.
Dealers will have to get shrewder to make sure business doesn't stagnate, especially with several rental companies due to dispose of large numbers of vehicles in the next few weeks.
"This will create some price weakness for small vans, but if it isn't managed properly it might prove far more disruptive in the 3.5-tonne panel van sector," Alexander concludes. •