ADVANTAGE TO USED TRUCKS
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One big advantage of buying a second-hand truck is immediate availability, says Matt Heath, general manager, fleet sales, at Maritime Transport. There is no need to wait for what could be months on end while it is assembled and delivered.
“If it looks as though the new one you’re interested in won’t appear for some time and you’ve just won a contract, then it’s possible that you’ll opt for a used one to service it because you won’t want to lose the work,” says Paul Evans, director, used vehicle operations, Iveco.
Heath adds: “We can deliver one of ours in as little as a week. Even if you want some modifications made to it – a power take-off, light bars, bigger fuel tanks and so on – it can be yours in as little as three weeks.” That, in part, overcomes one of the objections to buying second-hand: that you are acquiring a vehicle constructed to someone else’s specifications. While it is true that changing the engine, the gearbox and the size of the cab might not be possible unless you are willing to engage in some substantial – and probably pointless – expenditure, getting alloy wheels and spotlights fitted and having the vehicle resprayed is easy if you are prepared to spend the cash.
That can give the truck a fresh look, and opting for a personalised or nondating registration plate means customers will not be readily able to identify just how old it is.