Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

Stoots

  • Posts: 6200
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #20 on: November 11, 2024, 10:27:19 pm »
I have paid cash for the last few used vans I have purchased.

If I can't work or can only do a little due to health and age related issues, then I don't have to worry about how I'm going to make the van payments.
So for me, I will continue with my 62 plate swb Boxer van for as long as I can. If something should happen to this van and I would need to buy another, I would probably seriously consider giving up window cleaning and retiring.

I've always bought older vehicles, had dozens of them over the years. But bought a new one on a whim a couple of years ago. Its worth about 12k less than what I paid for it in just over  2 years...total waste of money. Could have bought a cheaper van and replaced the engine 3 times over and still be better off.  Won't ever buy a new one again its all great until the novelty wears off after a couple of months.

Splash and dash

  • Posts: 144
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #21 on: November 11, 2024, 10:41:53 pm »
I have paid cash for the last few used vans I have purchased.

If I can't work or can only do a little due to health and age related issues, then I don't have to worry about how I'm going to make the van payments.
So for me, I will continue with my 62 plate swb Boxer van for as long as I can. If something should happen to this van and I would need to buy another, I would probably seriously consider giving up window cleaning and retiring.

I've always bought older vehicles, had dozens of them over the years. But bought a new one on a whim a couple of years ago. Its worth about 12k less than what I paid for it in just over  2 years...total waste of money. Could have bought a cheaper van and replaced the engine 3 times over and still be better off.  Won't ever buy a new one again its all great until the novelty wears off after a couple of months.


It’s more cost effective against tax to buy new than run older vans ,depending on your turnover

Stoots

  • Posts: 6200
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #22 on: Yesterday at 07:48:45 am »
I have paid cash for the last few used vans I have purchased.

If I can't work or can only do a little due to health and age related issues, then I don't have to worry about how I'm going to make the van payments.
So for me, I will continue with my 62 plate swb Boxer van for as long as I can. If something should happen to this van and I would need to buy another, I would probably seriously consider giving up window cleaning and retiring.

I've always bought older vehicles, had dozens of them over the years. But bought a new one on a whim a couple of years ago. Its worth about 12k less than what I paid for it in just over  2 years...total waste of money. Could have bought a cheaper van and replaced the engine 3 times over and still be better off.  Won't ever buy a new one again its all great until the novelty wears off after a couple of months.


It’s more cost effective against tax to buy new than run older vans ,depending on your turnover

Not really. Probably more so if you are vat registered.

But mine as an example

29k Inc Vat, can't claim vat back

2 and half years old

Now worth around 13.5k book value maybe 15k private.

Ive Lost say 14k.

I saved around 5k in tax but if I sell it for 14k I'll pay 2.8k of that back profit on sale.

Could have bought a van for say 5k had it 2 years and if I had been really unlucky spent a grand on repairs and lost a grand in depreciation.

Depreciation kills new vans it almost never  works out better financially.

It gives a bit of peace of mind with warranty and it's nice to have but financially a new vehicle is about the worst investment you can make.  Infact it's worse than that when you add the finance interest.

deeege

  • Posts: 5004
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #23 on: Yesterday at 08:21:29 am »
I have paid cash for the last few used vans I have purchased.

If I can't work or can only do a little due to health and age related issues, then I don't have to worry about how I'm going to make the van payments.
So for me, I will continue with my 62 plate swb Boxer van for as long as I can. If something should happen to this van and I would need to buy another, I would probably seriously consider giving up window cleaning and retiring.

I've always bought older vehicles, had dozens of them over the years. But bought a new one on a whim a couple of years ago. Its worth about 12k less than what I paid for it in just over  2 years...total waste of money. Could have bought a cheaper van and replaced the engine 3 times over and still be better off.  Won't ever buy a new one again its all great until the novelty wears off after a couple of months.


It’s more cost effective against tax to buy new than run older vans ,depending on your turnover

Not really. Probably more so if you are vat registered.

But mine as an example

29k Inc Vat, can't claim vat back

2 and half years old

Now worth around 13.5k book value maybe 15k private.

Ive Lost say 14k.

I saved around 5k in tax but if I sell it for 14k I'll pay 2.8k of that back profit on sale.

Could have bought a van for say 5k had it 2 years and if I had been really unlucky spent a grand on repairs and lost a grand in depreciation.

Depreciation kills new vans it almost never  works out better financially.

It gives a bit of peace of mind with warranty and it's nice to have but financially a new vehicle is about the worst investment you can make.   ;D it's worse than that when you add the finance interest.

I bought a 1 year old Berlingo this time around for this reason. Most of the depreciation has already been lost and it had only done 12k miles. Was also Irish imported so no VAT.  Helped on the tax bill last year also  ;D
"....and it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink, and mother wake me early in the morning."

Scottish Cleaning Service

  • Posts: 363
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #24 on: Yesterday at 09:01:53 am »
My mechanic mate was saying new vans are all electronics and they don't want anyone bar themselves to work on them. He was saying a customer bought a new Transit 4 or 5 years ago. Ford garage told him, this is brand new technology and we don't know how to work on them at the moment and suggested an older van. The guy was determined to be the first and the van lasted 4 years and was in and out of the Ford garage and even had a new engine fitted. In the end the van disappeared and he now has another new Transit but they have seemed to iron out alot of the problems.

Better to buy an old shape van until its been out there on the road for 3 years so they know all the faults that have came in. I'm looking for a 23 or 24 plate Crafter but swapping tank over will be a headache and better to do it in the Summer when daylight is still there at 10pm.

EandM

  • Posts: 2182
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #25 on: Yesterday at 09:59:11 am »


I've had the green Ranger for 12 years and the black one for four.

Both have been absolutely perfect for window cleaning for me but I accept they wouldn't suit everyone.

As an added bonus they have car speed limits too.

Spruce

  • Posts: 8459
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #26 on: Yesterday at 11:29:24 am »
My mechanic mate was saying new vans are all electronics and they don't want anyone bar themselves to work on them. He was saying a customer bought a new Transit 4 or 5 years ago. Ford garage told him, this is brand new technology and we don't know how to work on them at the moment and suggested an older van. The guy was determined to be the first and the van lasted 4 years and was in and out of the Ford garage and even had a new engine fitted. In the end the van disappeared and he now has another new Transit but they have seemed to iron out alot of the problems.

Better to buy an old shape van until its been out there on the road for 3 years so they know all the faults that have came in. I'm looking for a 23 or 24 plate Crafter but swapping tank over will be a headache and better to do it in the Summer when daylight is still there at 10pm.

You are right. Never buy a new model of any vehicle until it's proved itself in the marketplace.

I've never understood why there is usually a queue to buy a new model vehicle by enthusiasts.

In 1998/9 Alfa launched their new Alpha Romeo 156. The first models in the showroom were absolute junk, IMHO. Internal plastic components just fell off in the showroom and on the lot. They were back numerous times for coolant leaks. Fix one, give it a clean bill of health, and another leak would start a week or so later. Some of those early models were in our workshop more than with their new owners. If the leak was at the heater matrix, the whole dash had to be removed to fix it. Fiat's answer was that customers just accept that Alphas are going to be quirky.

My wife was then given one as a company car. No issues, apart from that it used oil, which it continued to do all the time she had it. In fact, there is still some oil for it in our garage. It was specifically for that Alpha engine. I topped that engine oil up every weekend.

The same thing happened when Citroën launched the C5. It took them a while to solve electrical problems. They were fitted with numerous computers (I forget how many), but they sometimes didn't talk to each other correctly, causing the vehicle to go into limp mode. In the end, they were pretty good cars. What I could never understand is that motor manufacturers never seem to test new models in an everyday environment. All they have to do is send a few models over to Africa, and faults will become immediately evident within a few hours.   ;D

What did amaze me was that the best troubleshooters were the recovery lads working for the RAC and Green Flag. (Citroën never used the AA.) In 99% of recovery cases, their road side fault diagnosis was correct. Most of our workshop mechanics had no idea how to trouble shoot.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Spruce

  • Posts: 8459
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #27 on: Yesterday at 11:39:59 am »


I've had the green Ranger for 12 years and the black one for four.

Both have been absolutely perfect for window cleaning for me but I accept they wouldn't suit everyone.

As an added bonus they have car speed limits too.

I wonder how new legislation is going to work for double cabs, especially as they will be treated as cars rather than commercial vehicles. I'm thinking about tachograph use. There is some confusion even now when it comes to tachograph use. If you tow a trailer with a digger on the back, then you must have a working tachograph. But if you are towing the digger within a certain distance from base, (I think it's 20 miles), you don't need a tachograph.

I spoke to our policeman customer and he didn't understand the ruling. I asked him what he would do if he came across a double cab pulling a digger on a trailer. "As long as it is securely strapped down, he would ignore anything else."

I wonder if the old Land Rover Defender Estate will lose is commercial status as well. It's no longer being made, so I guess it doesn't matter.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Stoots

  • Posts: 6200
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #28 on: Yesterday at 12:33:48 pm »
I have paid cash for the last few used vans I have purchased.

If I can't work or can only do a little due to health and age related issues, then I don't have to worry about how I'm going to make the van payments.
So for me, I will continue with my 62 plate swb Boxer van for as long as I can. If something should happen to this van and I would need to buy another, I would probably seriously consider giving up window cleaning and retiring.

I've always bought older vehicles, had dozens of them over the years. But bought a new one on a whim a couple of years ago. Its worth about 12k less than what I paid for it in just over  2 years...total waste of money. Could have bought a cheaper van and replaced the engine 3 times over and still be better off.  Won't ever buy a new one again its all great until the novelty wears off after a couple of months.


It’s more cost effective against tax to buy new than run older vans ,depending on your turnover

Not really. Probably more so if you are vat registered.

But mine as an example

29k Inc Vat, can't claim vat back

2 and half years old

Now worth around 13.5k book value maybe 15k private.

Ive Lost say 14k.

I saved around 5k in tax but if I sell it for 14k I'll pay 2.8k of that back profit on sale.

Could have bought a van for say 5k had it 2 years and if I had been really unlucky spent a grand on repairs and lost a grand in depreciation.

Depreciation kills new vans it almost never  works out better financially.

It gives a bit of peace of mind with warranty and it's nice to have but financially a new vehicle is about the worst investment you can make.   ;D it's worse than that when you add the finance interest.

I bought a 1 year old Berlingo this time around for this reason. Most of the depreciation has already been lost and it had only done 12k miles. Was also Irish imported so no VAT.  Helped on the tax bill last year also  ;D

Absolutely right

The person who buys my 22 plate van with 15k on the clock for 14 grand and no  vat is getting a hell of a better deal than I did.

Lesson learnt don't buy stuff on a whim  ;D

֍Winp®oClean֍

  • Posts: 1687
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #29 on: Yesterday at 12:40:13 pm »
I bought a 2010 Citroen dispatch, ran it pretty much trouble free for 5 years and lost £1650 in it when I changed it! Had my current Scudo 5 years next January and it's cost me nothing above normal servicing costs. Come January, it will be worth 2 to 2.5k less than it's purchase price of 5 years ago.
It's not about how much gold you get out of the ground, only how much of that gold 'you' get to keep!👍
Comfortably Numb!

dd

  • Posts: 2566
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #30 on: Yesterday at 03:40:08 pm »
If you keep it a long time nothing wrong with buying new. I bought my dispatch brand new nearly 19 years ago and it has been an excellent van (I realize not many people keep their van quite so long).

Still planning to keep it another year or two.

֍Winp®oClean֍

  • Posts: 1687
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #31 on: Yesterday at 04:27:45 pm »
If you keep it a long time nothing wrong with buying new. I bought my dispatch brand new nearly 19 years ago and it has been an excellent van (I realize not many people keep their van quite so long).

Still planning to keep it another year or two.

Agree with that, it's the only way to make them pay.
Comfortably Numb!

CleanClear

  • Posts: 14669
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #32 on: Yesterday at 04:34:51 pm »

I wonder how new legislation is going to work for double cabs, especially as they will be treated as cars rather than commercial vehicles. I'm thinking about tachograph use. There is some confusion even now when it comes to tachograph use. If you tow a trailer with a digger on the back, then you must have a working tachograph. But if you are towing the digger within a certain distance from base, (I think it's 20 miles), you don't need a tachograph.

I spoke to our policeman customer and he didn't understand the ruling. I asked him what he would do if he came across a double cab pulling a digger on a trailer. "As long as it is securely strapped down, he would ignore anything else."


I thought it was anything over 3.5 T even as a combo. So 2T vehicle, 750 kg trailer is fine. 3.5T vehicle with trailer will be over and caught by the regs ?
*Status*--------Currently Online---------

CleanClear

  • Posts: 14669
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #33 on: Yesterday at 04:36:20 pm »
If you keep it a long time nothing wrong with buying new. I bought my dispatch brand new nearly 19 years ago and it has been an excellent van (I realize not many people keep their van quite so long).

Still planning to keep it another year or two.

Mate, not many people even stay married that long !!  ;D ;D
*Status*--------Currently Online---------

dd

  • Posts: 2566
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #34 on: Yesterday at 06:12:43 pm »
If you keep it a long time nothing wrong with buying new. I bought my dispatch brand new nearly 19 years ago and it has been an excellent van (I realize not many people keep their van quite so long).

Still planning to keep it another year or two.

Mate, not many people even stay married that long !!  ;D ;D
I know which has been easiest to maintain, manage and been more reliable.

Scottish Cleaning Service

  • Posts: 363
Re: What size van should I get
« Reply #35 on: Yesterday at 08:50:05 pm »
I bought my Crafter when it was 18 months old and Vat had went down to 15% so it cost £14,200. It was the credit crunch and they couldn't sell them in 2009. Still got it and not much has went wrong with it but I spend a fortune on it every year and bought 5 new wheels a few years ago at £75 each. If you take care of things then they will last a long time. It has done £100k miles and on third timing belt, water pump and ancillaries. New battery, third one, new PS pump, Alternator and next thing will be Flywheel and Clutch which I have. That's the only way to make money from a van and that's to run it till it dies.