Valuations company My Car Check Trade is expecting used van values to fall slightly heading into the winter months, while it is also predicting that Volkswagen values won’t slide due to the ongoing emissions scandal.
At the moment, the VW Transporter is outperforming the market, and that isn’t set to change, Gavin Amos, head of valuation services at My Car Check Trade claimed.
Amos also said car-derived-vans values are doing well, while vehicles finished with obscure paintjobs are generally much less desirable.
“A spray job can be a wise investment,” Amos said.
According to Amos, the VW Crafter and Mercedes Sprinter are both top performers in the marketplace, but the company has seen a few cases of the new-shape Transit not achieving expected values.
However, Amos said dealers were exploiting a profit opportunity in the medium van segment.
“Ever more dealers are seizing the profit opportunity in conversions, often with Transporter but increasingly other models too. The most popular approach is buying a high mileage example, customising the exterior and leaving the back as a blank canvas for the customer to spec,” Amos said.
He added: “Buy the van at the right price, add spoilers, colour coding and alloys, advertise it and then go for the upsell – window fitting, seats, lineouts and camper conversions – at the point of sale. There’s serious money to be made.”