CVA VIEWPOINT Independent auctioneer Chris Wright is managing director of
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Commercial Vehicle Auctions, based in Doncaster. He holds sales on two Wednesdays every month with a throughput of 160-200 trucks, 80150 trailers and some items of plant. Wright also conducts auctions around the country at customers' premises.
"We don't see a lot of F2000s with the more powerful 460hp engine—once operators get their hands on them they don't want to get rid of them," he says. "The 403s and 414s are more plentiful and many end up in Eastern Europe; RHD doesn't put them off one bit.
"The market has swung back in favour of the 4x2 axle configuration because of the road tax situation but there are still those who want to run at 44 tonnes, and of course they are looking for 6x2s with a high power option. Anything over 400hp seems to suit this market so the 414 and the 464 fit the bill. Ideally they are specified with the big Roadhaus cab.
"We sold a 1999 S-rag 19.414 4x2 recently for just over £20,000. The third axle on a 6x2 can cost an extra £2,000 and of course you can add around another £2,000 for the high-roof Roadhaus cab. Looks can be deceptive and MAN's cabs look pretty much alike from one model to another. You need to be aware of what you are buying around the models' changeover point to be sure not to buy an older one that has hung around in a dealer's yard with a later registration.