Keep it clean Used van dealers think repair and
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valeting stock will cost them.
Dealers should invest in repair and valet preparation to guarantee sales as there is a shortage of clean vans with low warranted mileage around at the moment says Chief editor of Commercial Vehicles at Glass's Information Services George Alexander. The issue,Alexander says, is compounded with too few trade buyers carefully evaluating the condition of the used stock they are about to purchase. He advises buyers to make the right deals and "accept some refurbishment work that can be sorted on-site, then
even greater profits can be generated".
He suggests trade avoids buying vehicles which require major bodywork repair; keep preparation costs in-house to minimise external expenditure. Alexander warns that
best looking vehicles will secure sales. "If interior or exterior cleanliness is anything other than first rate, then you are taking a needless risk and may well lose the deal. In the short-term there is no prospect of much prime stock becoming available,"Alexander says. "Therefore, the trade buyer will need to get back to selecting those little gems hidden away within the much higher number of ex-fleet lots doing the rounds." •