BUYING a used van for business? Find out why and how a vehicle’s hidden bad history could adversely affect your business and how to prevent it.
Equipping your staff with a business van means providing them with a safe and secure means of transport with which they can operate at their best. You can even deploy magnetic name panels on the van as an additional advertising strategy.
Vans do not always come cheaply, as we know, and so there are many employers who choose to buy second-hand in order to keep the costs down.
Despite the bad press in the past, used vans are much more reliable these days, and yet it’s still worth investigating the vehicle or dealership effectively when buying, just to be sure that it comes with a clean slate!
What’s the history?
Checking the van’s history is the number one way to be sure what you are buying! However, this is not always as straightforward as it might appear, again due to the occasional dodgy character who messes it up for everyone!
Vans which have been cloned are likely to incur costs for the company, because you will need to replace it and may not be able to claim anything back. It also stands to reason that if there is any unexpected problem with any vehicle, it could affect the operations of the business and cost you money, as well as possibly injuring staff members.
As a business owner, how can you sure you’re buying a good van?
Second hand vans have a 30-day guarantee
In 2015, new legislation was introduced, protecting consumers and some regular dealerships from the sad few who still sell vans and cars illegally. These days anyone buying second hand is given a 30-day period in which they can return the van, if you are not satisfied with it.
Of course, this is regulated and so it doesn’t cover you against wear and tear or any problems which are obviously as a result of something that happens after you bought the van. If there are issues which you can prove are unusual given the age and state of the van, however, you can request for it to be returned.
Get a HPI Check
It is a really wise idea to get the van investigate by a full HPI Check within this time frame. Better still, before you hand over the money if you can manage it!
This will give you a detailed history of the vehicle including an assurance that there is no outstanding finance or history of serious crash damage, that the mileage is accurate and any additional details that may have been omitted.
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