Van Leasing?

Author
Discussion

Martyn D

Original Poster:

424 posts

176 months

Wednesday 16th May 2012
quotequote all
Could do with a bit of help finding a good deal on Van leasing.....searching google seems there's dozens of them, anyone have any good recommendations for good deals they have got?

Thanks

cahami

1,248 posts

208 months

Wednesday 16th May 2012
quotequote all
Avoid a company called (high)costvans based in wales, Full of bullst and empty promises.

VinceFox

20,566 posts

174 months

Wednesday 16th May 2012
quotequote all
Vampire trouble eh?

leggly

1,801 posts

213 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
roflroflrofl


VinceFox said:
Vampire trouble eh?

powerstroke

10,283 posts

162 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
Martyn D said:
Could do with a bit of help finding a good deal on Van leasing.....searching google seems there's dozens of them, anyone have any good recommendations for good deals they have got?

Thanks
I would try shopping round main dealers, they often have offers and various HP/lease companys
on the books , be carefull and watch out for mileage and damage clauses if its contract hire or a deal where the van goes back at the end of the term,
make sure you are happy before you sign.....

eastlmark

1,656 posts

209 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
ditto above,
have contracted hired many vans over the years and the end of term inspection has been brief and most damage has been ignored (it is a commercial van after all) but the latest to go back (Renault Finance RFS) was subject to a CSI style inspection and I was landed with a £500 repair bill (admittedly probably less than if I had all the faults repaired localy) for things such as scratched door mirror covers and rear loading bumber. I think they treated the inspesction as a company car might have had at 3 years old yet this was a working van. Thing is these faults are not even likely to be repaired, the van will go straight to auction as is, its just a way of extracting some more £££ from you.
Over mileage charges vary enormously, had some in the past at 9 pence per mile but my newest contacts are at a more reasonalbe 2.2pence per mile. You do need to estimate your mileage correctly though to avoid a bill at the end or be paying too much by the month if you go in to high. Its hard to predict how the next 3 years or so will go in business and I usually always under do the mileage and take the hit at the end.
Would recommend you make sure the inside is ply lined as part of the deal, all those dents from inside will cost you a fortune otherwise.

Martyn D

Original Poster:

424 posts

176 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
Thanks everyone for help and advice.....still searching......my heads aches a bit!

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

188 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
I'd avoid Lex - we've gone back to buying on finance now as a result of dealing with them.

Flanders.

6,383 posts

210 months

Thursday 17th May 2012
quotequote all
We've got Northgate. Their great, any problems with the van and they will swap it straight away. Also don't mind damage to much.

stickybunn

3 posts

145 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
I used to work for one of the big leasing companies. Here's a quick 'Janet & John' on a few things which might help. Chargebacks at the end of a contract hire agreement are standard business practice and are part of the profit stream for a leasing company. The repairs aren't actually carried out, the vehicles just get sent straight to auction, but there is a menu of charges which are applied for certain things. The actual charges per item don't vary too much between companies they tend to use the same standard such as BVRLA. What varies is how rigourous they are in the inspection. In a double dip recession you would have to think that recharges might be a good way of making up profits so be careful if you have a vehicle going back. Check everything when you get a handback sheet and get some stuff smart repaired beforehand. A lot of people have been stung over the years with end of contract charges. Definitely agree with always getting a vehicle ply-lined. Madness not to. Less than £200 and most companies actually enhance the residual if you have ply. Whatever finance method always get ply.

Vans are difficult on contract hire. If you have a bigger fleet then it has efficiency and accounting benefits but with one van I would steer clear. HP or finance lease are the ways to go. Finance lease is a great product for vans. Unlike Hire Purchase you don't pay the VAT up front so better cashflow. You can also sell the van at the end and benefit from the profit unlike contract hire.

Be careful when googling van offers as there are a lot of non-franchised dealers advertising deals that don't exist just to get you to ring up. Main dealers are a good source of offers and they are generally consistent ones accross the country as they are standard by manufacturer. The downside is that they can only advise on one product so are understandably a bit biased. Leasing brokers can be useful as they have a network of contacts so can generally find the best offers and stock on a range of manufacturers. Think of them like old fashioned insurance brokers as they have access to all the leasing companies like Lex and ALD as well as ad hoc manufacturer deals and stock specials so they effectively shop around for you . Some have large discounts as they committed to volume with dealers or manufacturers.

One word of warning. Leasing companies and finance houses, including manufacturers, have tightened up on underwriting in the last few months so it is much more difficult to get credit. Make sure you have a look at your credit rating and get things tidied if you can beforehand. Eg get on electoral register etc

Word of mouth and recommendations are, as always, the best way. Hope this wasn't too long winded!

VX Foxy

3,962 posts

245 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
Great info sticky, thanks.

Martyn D

Original Poster:

424 posts

176 months

Friday 18th May 2012
quotequote all
Brilliant help there Sticky..... Thanks a lot