![\"BCA](\"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bca-auction-17-sm.jpg\")
Choosing the specification on any new vehicle is always\u00a0a case of finding a cost-effective balance between ‘need’ and ‘want’, but where\u00a0commercial vehicles are concerned,\u00a0cost constraints mean that buyers often restrict their options choices to ‘must have’.<\/p>\n
However, this approach\u00a0isn’t\u00a0necessarily the best way\u00a0to maximise resale value, according to\u00a0Duncan Ward, who is\u00a0General Manager, Commercial Vehicles Sales at\u00a0vehicle\u00a0remarketing specialists\u00a0BCA:<\/p>\n
“A van is a working tool, so getting the right specification for the job is a given.\u00a0 But, equally, getting the right added extras\u00a0will make any van more attractive to used buyers a few years down the line when it is time to sell. The auction buyer will seek out the best vehicle they can buy with the budget they’ve got – and if a van with two side loading doors, a bulkhead and aircon is on offer that will be the one they bid for, if all the other vans available are basic models.<\/p>\n
“Generally a better specification will make a van more desirable and saleable with higher-spec vehicles often selling more quickly, improving cash-flow for the seller. The key is, knowing which features are worth paying for when it comes to resale value.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
To help van buyers optimise their specification levels, BCA has\u00a0provided a checklist of top\u00a0option choices for van buyers:<\/p>\n
Interior ply-lining is one of the best value extras for any van buyer.\u00a0 It’s expected by buyers and, importantly, it protects valuable company vehicles from \u2018inside-out’ damage that is likely to occur day-to-day.\u00a0\u00a0 Value-wise ply-lining might add \u00a3100, but the real benefit is that the van is much more likely to be in a more saleable condition after three or four years’ hard work.<\/p>\n
Side-loading doors are another key consideration for buyers.\u00a0 And these are just as essential for smaller vans as they are for the larger one tonne and 3.5 tonne vehicles.\u00a0 BCA believes that, at the very least a van should include a single nearside sliding door, but two side-loading doors will be particularly appealing for businesses whose drivers are going to work in tight, urban conditions.\u00a0 Potential value in the used market can increase by around \u00a3150 for a single and \u00a3250 for two side-loading doors, depending on the vehicle.<\/p>\n
Factory-fitted satnav does not, however, make a huge difference to the selling price because most mobile and smart phones now offer this facility.\u00a0 Similarly, in-van entertainment and blue-tooth connectivity may only add a marginal increase of \u00a350 at resale. Parking sensors for the 3.5 tonne market where low-speed reversing damage is more common might also add \u00a350.<\/p>\n
Still inside the cab, air-conditioning is highly valued when combined with a bulkhead, otherwise all that cool air dissipates into the load area and simply burns money.\u00a0Similarly, if a van is being used for start-stop urban deliveries air-conditioning is considered wasteful, because the driver will be in and out of the cab and not getting the benefit.\u00a0 However, air-con is appealing for vans that do longer distances or where the vehicle doubles as the family transport at the weekends for a tradesperson.<\/p>\n
The key message is\u00a0that spending a little\u00a0more\u00a0when you\u00a0specify a vehicle can pay dividends when it comes to selling, as it will help you secure a fast sale with a strong resale value, effectively lowering the total cost of ownership of\u00a0your van.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When specifying a van, spending more at the start can help improve resale values and ensure a fast sale, advises BCA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[624],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6339"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6339"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6340,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6339\/revisions\/6340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}