David Hill, LCV expert at MyCarCheck.com, said that the December marketplace was strong almost until the last day, with one auction house even having a sale on Christmas Eve to try and catch the last of the buyers.'
He added that January started slowly, with the bad weather persisting, but should gradually build up as the month progresses, commenting: ‘As such, we have made only slight adjustments to values for January. Early in the year there will be an influx of fresh stock that the trade will snap up for retail. As we edge towards the end of the first quarter we will be back to similar stock levels but still strong values, with anything a little different making all the money.
‘Small vans are good news as they are few and far between. Ford Fiesta is the most common and the trade is working out where to be with the new model. Any Fiesta Sport and Trend models will make ready to retail (RTR) values all day long.
‘Vauxhall Corsa is about with some blue ones finding homes with ease. However, Vauxhall Astra van is now starting to struggle for retail buyers – although looking a little dated, it represents good value for money. The 150bhp Sportive model is still very good news if you can find one.
‘There are quite a few Ford Transit Connect facelift models about and again, if clean and tidy, these make RTR values. Scruffy ones are where we have them at average values.
‘Ford Transit short wheelbase high roofs, again from a media company, are in demand, with values still strong. A bit of extra specification helps Volkswagen Transport to sell.
‘Larger vans are starting to thin out with Fiat Ducato long and high making as much as the Ford Transit equivalent. That is down to supply and demand. Iveco Daily 3950wb vans are popular if you can get a tidy one with sensible miles.
‘In terms of chassis cab derivatives, anything long wheelbase has the trade fighting to buy them. A 14ft drop side will have everybody’s attention when offered for sale and the same goes for Lutons.
‘The 4×4 sector is still stable and the inclement weather should gee this market up a little. Don’t expect great increases in values though as there’s plenty of stock to please everyone,’ he concluded.