Fleet vans

[Guest peter]

I also had an x250 last year and it was great, no problems at all. I bought my current van for the layout and would have still bought it if it was on a fiat, and it would have been a damn sight cheaper.

As for who voted the sprinter the best van, it's here,

http://www.comparecontracthire.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/mercedes-benz-sprinter-voted-best-large-panel-van-for-fourth-year/

[dawki]

I guess we all see and like different things with vehicles.

 

I just think the merc feels different the moment you open the door or touch the steering wheel, but thats me.

 

What I will say is that when I go to the auction and see those people who are willing to part with a bit extra of there hard eared cash for a Merc van rather than other makes, well these people are no mugs and are not getting any sweeteners to choose Mercs.

 

They must know from experience the merc will serve them well

[rupert123]

dawki - 2012-01-08 9:38 AM

 

I guess we all see and like different things with vehicles.

 

I just think the merc feels different the moment you open the door or touch the steering wheel, but thats me.

 

What I will say is that when I go to the auction and see those people who are willing to part with a bit extra of there hard eared cash for a Merc van rather than other makes, well these people are no mugs and are not getting any sweeteners to choose Mercs.

 

They must know from experience the merc will serve them well

 

Dawki, not sure what auctions you go to but my old partner and I until about a year ago attended BCA auctions, usually Manchester once or twice a week. I only sold cars and vans part time since retiring because I enjoyed it and made a bit of cash. I still belong to BCA and look at auction view most weeks. Now it is hard to see how you reach your conclusions as you get two types of people at car/van auctions. Private buyers who know no more that the usual private individual and will buy whatever they want with not much thought to profit and the trade buyer who buys for one reason only, to make a profit. The trader neither knows or cares if the vehicle he is buying will give better service just what money he can make. It is hard to say that any vehicle attracts more attention than another and what determines the price but be assured it is all to do with profit not about the vehicle itself. A good Mercedes whether car or van will usually fetch more than the equivalent vehicle of another make because it started out at a higher price. Despite my knocking Mercedes I used to specialise in them because I could always sell them. Did this make them better vehicles, certainly not, it is all about the badge and the strange, to me, impression they are still the top vehicle they were twenty or thirty years ago. They are not bad by any means but today others have caught up and indeed passed, compare todays Merc 'C' class with a Ford Mondeo and they do not compare, the Ford is better in almost every way but it will still be harder to sell on secondhand. Strange but true, great thing a good badge. If you have a Merc and are happy then fine but please stop all this they are the best stuff because they are simpy not.

[dawki]

I guess the price of any works van going through the auction regardless of make or what anybody might have paid for it when it is new, is what somebody will bid for it on the day be it private or trade buyers.

 

And when you get certain vehicles that more people want, be it a sprinter van or a transit pick-up /tipper that will dictate the price surely.

 

So why will bob the builder or jim the window fitter pay as much of his hard earned for a 1-2 year sprinter with 100k on the clock as He would to buy a new one from a different manufacture.

 

Are they all a bit daft and just buying the badge or do they have enough knowledge or information about a certain make of van and prefer to spend their money wisely?

 

if i was buying a saloon car a merc would definitely not be top of my list, but buying a van it would

 

[Guest Peter James]

Another great post Brian. I have only one thing to add

 

Brian Kirby - 2012-01-05 6:15 PM

The only person who probably loses out is the punter who buys on credit, .

... and the other creditors when the dealer goes bust and the finance company takes all the assets.

 

 

A story I heard from soneone 'in the know' was that the directors of Mercedes Benz had a meeting in the late nineties, and decided their vans were over engineered, and they were going to place more emphasis on volume and profit......

 

For what its worth, I think their badge has held its value because they have not trashed the build quality, just brought it down to the same level as their competitors. Or perhaps just let their competitors catch up.