At last price cuts spread to CV sector
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by Pater Lawton
Three manufacturers have finally dropped the list price of some working vehicles, long after a far reaching government report forced down the cost of cars in the UK.
Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Nissan have all cut cash from the list price of a few of their commercial vehicles, with savings of up to /1,320 on a Nissan Cabstar E 110 chassis-cab.
However, the reductions are unlikely to signal widespread changes, like those seen in the car market, unless a major player brings down the cost of bigger selling vans, particularly in the 3.5-tonne sector.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
insists buyers can find excellent deals for CVs on the forecourt and should ignore list prices, while resale value guides like CAP Red Book warn against the dangers of government intervention.
Forcing down the cost of new CVs, they argue, would have disastrous effects on the second-hand value of vehicles, particularly nearly-new examples. This has already proved to be the case in the used car market. Fleet operator Lox Service included a 145m provision in its end-of-year accounts for 2000 to cover the projected cost of a fall in the residual value of its cars.
So savings worth thousands are still to be found on the Continent, whether you organise the deal yourself or go through a third-party company like TataIlse Eurekar (phone 0870 7424505). It is offering a selection of new Transits and says buyers are being "ripped off'.
With a quoted delivery time of four months, the Eurekar web site (wmv.eurekar.com) claims savings of up to 15,500 an the popular ford van.
Beth options may involve more hassle and take longer than buying through a UK dealer, but the savings should make it worthwhile.
Commercial Motor heard this week from Wisbech-based Mahe UK, which says it has saved 1.4,000 on a new Sprinter and thousands more on a Iffte by buying in Southern Ireland.
For a DVLA information pack on importing vans phone 0870 2400010 or write to Customer Enquiry Unit, DVLA, Longview, Swansea 5A6 7JI.