"The 400hp 4-Series are still scarce and hard to
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get" Nigel Birkmyre
West Penine Irucks has premises at Middleton, Stafford Park, Stoke and Telford. Managing director Nigel Birkmyre is heavily involved with the used truck side of the business, which has a throughput of some 400 trucks a year.
"The 400hp 4-Series are still scarce and hard to get, but they are starting to come through in the second-hand market," he reports. "The 400hp twin-steer with a lift axle is selling very well but there's still a market for 4X2 tractive units. Both ownerdrivers and small fleet operators seem to be happy with that level of power. In the early days some operators were afraid to buy models equipped with EDC because of the increased use of electronics, but we're well past that situation now and they want the higher power.
"Unit injectors have helped make the fuel consumption better but there's still a market for the 360," he adds. "Not everyone wants to operate at the maximum weight or even 38 tonnes. Since then the range has changed. Over the past 18 months we've been selling new models
with destroked engines, with unit injectors, rated at 340, 380 and the 12-litre engines at 420hp. It will take a while longer for those to come through the system.
"For the earlier models you can expect to pay about £29,000 for a 1996 4x2 Rcabbed 360 while a 400 will fetch around £32,000," Birkmyre concludes. "A 1997 Preg 6x2 360 is priced at £33,000 but the 400 is valued at more again, at £39,000." •