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Lots of demand
Page 72
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Duncan Ward, British Car Auctions' UK development manager for CVs, reviews the auction scene, where business is booming.
past the half-year point and volume business remains steady and conversions are good. Buyer attendance has been strong all year, with a good mixture of trade and end users meaning that every vehicle has a chance of attracting bids at remarketing time.
The strongest interest continues to be with the clean, late-year,low mileage sector, where demand is pretty much across the board.
The corporate fleet sector continues to deliver stock that attracts the buyers and strong conversion rates are being recorded. Well presented vehicles with a nice specificalion, a good pedigree and a sensible mileage with all documents are very much sought after. As always, condition is key here.
Be aware of market sentiment
Older vehicles, typically six to 10 years with higher mileages, have to be carefully valued to be in line with market sentiment, and condition becomes even more critical.That said, anything that is a little bit different seems to get the buyers' attention almost irrespective of age or mileage. Clean vehicles with rare or unusual specifications, such as cranes or extra axles, are generally snapped up. The trade and operators are keen to buy 7.5tonners. Boxvans are in great demand if they have a 20ft body to convert into horseboxes; Dais are much sought after as they are easier to maintain and don't have as many electronic parts as the Iveco counterpart. Dais are also far more popular with female horse owners, who find them an easier drive.
At the moment 7.5-tonne curtainsiders remain popular but they are very thin on the ground at present and this is keeping prices high. Expect plenty of competition when examples do reach the marketplace.
Demand for 7.5-tonne tippers and dropsides —particularly those fitted with cranes — remains strong, mainly due to the high level of construction work nationwide and plentiful ground maintenance contracts.
Strong demand for middleweights
Middleweight rigids of most types are doing well, with residuals boosted by their limited availability, and a strong demand has been noted at recent sales. For example, a batch of ex-Royal Mail 1998R Daf 55.210 curtainsiders made around £5,000.
Multi-wheel tippers, particularly with grabs, are being snapped up, despite the recent increase in volumes from leasing companies and construction utility fleets.
Multi-wheelers without tipper bodies are finding new homes quickly:no doubt some buyers have plans to fit six and eight-wheel chassis cabs with tipper bodies if the wheelbase is of suitable length.This can be carried out at a reasonable cost leaving plenty of scope for profit from eager tippertnen.
Trailers remain relatively strong at both ends of the age range:anything on steel that isn't too new will do well for export, though with varying legislative changes across Europe on trailer age they can no longer be too old. Middle-aged fridges continue to do well in Eastern Europe. •