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POSITIVE VIBRATIONS

10th March 2011, Page 44
10th March 2011
Page 44
Page 44, 10th March 2011 — POSITIVE VIBRATIONS
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The overall mood in the used market is positive, despite certain setbacks Despite concerns about the price of diesel, the vagaries of the economy and the odd, hopefully short-term, downturn in inquiries, the underlying mood in the used market overall seems to be positive.

“We’ve had a good start to the year, prices are holding up well and we’re very optimistic about things,” says Dale Slee, sales manager at MercedesBenz’s Wentworth Park site, Barnsley, which holds ex-contract trucks for the manufacturer.

“Demand in the UK is picking up and prices are rising,” says Richard Mills, MD of independent dealership European Vehicle Sales (EVS), based on the Sandtoft Industrial Estate not far from Doncaster.

“A lot of people want to update their vehicles and we have to work pretty hard to get the right stock; and increasingly it’s got to be Euro-4.

“New trucks are really expensive these days, and if an operator has had a bad year or two and the books don’t look so good, then he may find that finance houses are reluctant to lend him the money,” he says.

They may be happier about funding a less expensive, second-hand vehicle. While EVS has traditionally been associated with Mercedes – “it still accounts for about 70% of our sales”– it is offering all makes, including Volvo and Scania.

He agrees that diesel prices and economic uncertainty are having an impact and is noticing that a growing number of people want to rent trucks from him.

“Their attitude is that they’ll hire a vehicle from us for a bit and if things don’t work out for them, then they can hand it back,” he says. “However, if things go well, then they’ll probably either want to buy it or hand it back and buy something else from us.

“For ages, firms have been saying ‘we’ll do it later’. Well, ‘later’ is now here”

“It’s right that the price of fuel has got ridiculous, but goods have still got to be shifted from A to B.”

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