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Winners and also-vans
Page 72
Page 73
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For our latest bargain hunt we trawled through 014's classified ads in search of a 3.5-tonne panel van — and that meant an lveco, a Merc, a Renault or an LDV...
THE CM CLASSIFIEDS cover everything from CDVs to Special Types, so just for a change we've been looking for a lightweight. Specifically, our remit was a 3.5-tonne panel van — average wheelbase and medium height and low mileage preferred — with a powerful driveline, and a maximum of four years old. Our notional operator would be turning it into a trade van, so we didn't want any mechanical hassle.
With lveco, LDV. Mercedes-Benz and
Renault Trucks all handling vans in this class, we're interested to see who has what to offer.
Starting with Iveco,we inquire about Daily 35S12s, and come across a 2003 (03)-registered example with 116hp on tap and a five-speed transmission. It's the latest version and has meow miles on the clock.
We ask about service history and are told that it's "clean".The asking price is £8,850, which is below book price, presumably reflecting its mileage. Convinced there are better Dailys out there, we check out an independent dealer in Manchester, who seems to have a few available.
"Clean inside and out, decent engine [the HPI 1.16hp), low mileage... ex-rental," says the salesman. "A company offloaded it. It's been well looked after."The vehicle in question is almost identical to the previous one we inquired about, except that it's six months younger, on a 53-plate.
At 110,000—" don't go in for that £9,999 business for a quid," says the dealer — it's well priced. "The livery is being stripped as we speak,"he explains, adding that it's a strong van, with good loadspace and engi.ne.
We like the sound of it, tell him we're interested and then continue to shop around. Next stop is a Mercedes-Benz outlet where we ask about Sprinters.This is uncharted territory for Mystery Shopper, so we aren't sure what to expect. Mercedes-Benz took control of its used network four years ago and the cream of th crop goes through its Approved Used V hicle dealer scheme.
Vito and Sprinter both have rising residuals, so we're cautious about prices. We struggle to fi d the medium wheelbase and roof height w 'd set our hearts on; long wheelbases and hi roofs seem to be the order of the day.
e eventually find one in the Midlands, The 31 CDi TD matches the Daily for spec.We're quoted £1 1,999 for a 2003 (03)-registered example with a slightly high 80,000 miles under its belt.A younger high-roof, medium wheelbase Sprinter is priced at £12,550.
Both the Mercs are more expensive than the Daily; for an extra £750 we can have a high-roof/long-wheelbase model.
We turn away from the Germans and instead look at Renault Masters. In terms of marketing, the Master migrates between the van and truck sectors, but this doesn't affect prices or availability.
The first port of call has a MM35 TD with the 2.5-litre 100hp engine that came onto the market at the end of 2003. It isn't as powerful as the others we've looked at, but we're still interested. It seems we aren't the only ones, as it's already been snapped up.
Not to vvorry.The salesman tells us about a 2003 (03)-registered 2.2-litre 90hp mediumwheelbase panel van.With 75,000 miles on the clock, it is priced £8,500.That's close to book price, but it's clean throughout.We fail to locate any 53-plated Masters during the next few calls, so we move on to LDV.
Various franchised Daf dealers still sell LDVs and we pursue a Convoy. One of the main reasons for LDV's success is its attractive prices.There are a few examples available on a 52-plate with the 2.4-litre DTi 75hp engine, but we think it might struggle for power,so we look for the 90hp version— and soon find one in the Midlands.
This 2003 (52)-registered Convoy with a high roof, barn doors at the back and 60,000 miles on the clock is ours for £7,000.That beats the others hands down on price. It has a new clutch, but the reason for this isn't revealed.
Conclusion
We were surprised by the competition in this sector. After a slow start, we got good results more or less with every phone call.That shows there are plenty of vans out there, they're just not very well advertised.
Of the four manufacturer-approved networks we contacted, LDV proved the most helpful.The Convoy is a robust and functional beast that can't be beaten on price, but even at 90hp the engine is less powerful than the competition.The MB Sprinter, on the other hand,is much more flamboyant with a price to match. It's no less functional, but its status attracts a premium you might not want to pay.
Renault's dealers struggled to provide what we needed, which helped propel the Iveco Daily 35S11 into this week's top slot, aided by its unmatched price. •