Buyer’s Checklist: Used Vans

Buying a van is a fantastic investment. For business owners, it can ensure business continuation and growth. For private individuals, it can give you the transport needed to carry our certain hobbies, such a surfing. Given the importance of your van, as well as their costs, it’s important that you make the correct decision when buying a used van.

If you were to buy the van new, you would be afforded a decent level of protection with the manufacturer’s guarantee, but when you buy a used van, you don’t necessarily have this protection. Instead, you have to make sure that you do the correct checks. Below, we are going to talk you through the various checks that you should be making.

1. Look at the availability of vans in your local area:
The first thing you need to do is look for used vans for sale in your area — or however far you’re willing to travel. You need to know, roughly, which type of van you want to buy, so that you can do some preliminary research before you go and buy the van.

2. Research each van to make sure it offers the things you need:
Once you have decided on a make and model of van, or have a selection of potential makes and models, you must research each in turn to ensure that they will offer you the things that you need. Here are some things you should know before you buy your new van:

a. Fuel economy: how much will it cost in petrol?
b. Maintenance costs: how often do they breakdown and how expensive are they to fix?
c. Insurance costs: how much will you pay for insurance?
d. Space: does it have enough space to accommodate your gear?
e. Family/work friendly: Is it good for work, if that’s how you’ll use it? Is it good as a family van?
f. Safety records: does the make and model have a good safety record, or is it involved in a disproportionate number of accidents?

3. Bring along a mechanic:

It’s not always possible to bring a mechanic; you might not know any. However, you can sometimes pay someone to come along and check used vans for sale for you. If not, here are something’s that you need to look for:

a. Check that it’s mechanically sound: does everything look in a good state of repair? 
b. Check for things like rust: is there rust around the engine, doorframes, inside the car? This is not a good sign. 
c. Check for obvious signs of prior repair: it’s important that you look very closely for signs of accidents. You need to be particularly aware of the signs of “cut and shut”. There are plenty of online videos to help you understand what you need to look for.

4. Make sure that it has the relevant documents:

When you buy a van or car, they need to have supporting documents.

a. V5C/2: this is essential. It shows ownership of the vehicle and this section swaps ownership over to you. Never buy a car without this. Otherwise, you might be buying a stolen car, and it will be taken from you.
b. MOT certificates: if it’s on the road, it needs an MOT. If there’s no MOT and it’s not SORN, don’t buy it. 
c. Service history: if they say it has a full service history, you will need proof of this. 
d. Receipts for work completed: it’s good to see what work has been done to the car.