[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Hi,
 Im just starting out as a window cleaner at the beginning of the year using wfp. I have a deposit paid on a 2009 Citroen Dispatch with 46,000 miles costing £123 per month over 4 years.
 Then a friend says im mad. Buy a new one as it will be best in the long run. It works out at £232 a month over 5 years for the same sort of van. I can buy a vivaro for the same price as well. It might be too big though. Im just worried as obviously it takes time to get customers.
 What would be your advice,
   Cheers,
      Steve

[PAUL ERITH]

I bought my first van out right for £3500 i think it was, some will say get new but when starting a new business you need all the cash you can get why waste money on a new van plus you will have the added stress of meeting the monthly payments.

Once you have built a good round and know the money is coming in then get a new van i'm looking at getting a new two man van at the end of 2013

Paul

[poleman]

Its what you can afford mate, no one is buying new which is making 2nd hand vans more expensive, new vehicle sales are down by 25% and main  dealers are getting desperate and there is some cracking deals on new out there, I picked up a new one this week and knocked him down by thousands 

[Halfadaylee]

If this is a new venture/industry to you, I would gauge the market first.
How you canvassed or got any customers yet, because you have now created your first expense. You can start wfp from your car with a backpack or trolley.

I do not mean to kick you in the nads, but would worry first on how your going to pay yourself and the bills before old or new vans.


Good luck though

[Lee GLS]

I've been wc'ing 8 years, I went WFP 3 years ago and bought a 7 year old transit connect with 100k for £2500. It has pass the mot every year, and I e only had to replace the starter moter in that time.

So what I am saying is buying new doesn't mean better. The cost of the van will be more, and the depreciation will be higher.

You will get people like me buying secondhand and get a good'n, but there will be bad ones too. But the same goes for new vans.

[andyM]

If you are concerned about the reliability of buying a second hand van you could consider getting breakdown cover and a decent mechanical warranty.

[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Hi,
 Yes its more to do with reliability. Sounds as if the used van would be more sensible. Its coming with a years warranty anyway. My friend was just saying by the time its paid off it will be worth nothing but if its looked after there should be a good few years in it.
   Cheers,
      Steve

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

When choosing a van or or any other ongoing expense I always look at what I have coming in each month to make sure that it can be covered easily. It really important to have a reliable vehicle for your work but only if you have the incoming to cover it.

Just a few points to consider and I don't want to sound like the forum miser but these are relevant to your situation.

A very high percentage of  window cleaners give up a few months after starting their business.

The current economic climate has seen a massive increase in the number of window cleaners therefor increasing the competition.

The economic downturn has caused some customers to drop their window cleaning service.

Back to the van, the dispatch van has proved very reliable and is well suited to window cleaning with a good payload and lowish roof for ladders. The vivaro is a better van to buy with a warranty as there have been some reported problems with them, the payload is similar to the dispatch depending on the model you buy but it has a lot more room inside, so it would be useful for add on services as well, but the higher roof is more difficult for ladders.

Simon

[Ian101]

Hi,
 Yes its more to do with reliability. Sounds as if the used van would be more sensible. Its coming with a years warranty anyway. My friend was just saying by the time its paid off it will be worth nothing but if its looked after there should be a good few years in it.
   Cheers,
      Steve

what does this mate do for a living ?

just do what you think is right

either way you need a van so go with your gut feeling IMHO

if you buy a goodun then you will save a packet ...... buy a wrongun and you will be skint.

maybe stick half of what your saving by buying used into an emergency "fix the van fund" and its there if u need it or a nice wedge in 4 years towards a new van 

[robbo333]

Just my opinion but never buy a new if you can help it. Same as a car really, VAT and depreciation will kill you in the long run. In the short term, you will end up with a reliable van due to the warranty. Excluding days' wages lost with it being off the road and no replacement. Having said that, there are some good new buys to be had because the market is so slow, but I would still prefer a two or three year old van. (mine is old before i get clobbered). If it were me, I would get the most reliable van I could and in my research it seems to be the Toyota Hiace. You can get a minter with no VAT for Eight K. Financially that's where I would be.

[Matt - aquatec]

Hey Steve,

Best advice to give is to keep your cost base to a minimum for as long as you can... But don't skimp on quality of equipment... Get the lightest poles u can etc...

Van wise, a new van isn't always the most reliable... Personally I went second hand and bought a good warranty from the likes of car care plan etc....

No right or wrong answer buddy.... Just watch those overheads...

Cheers

Matt

[Scrimble]

i'm buying a brand new van, getting a very very good deal on it with the standard manufacturers 3 year warrenty

[KS Cleaning]

For me it would be madness to buy a new van, until you have the workload to justify it

[Smudger]

I would buy a second had BUT tidy van - if it's in good nick and serviced then go for that ( 1500 to 2k will get you a great van )

you are just starting out and need to make sure to can make a living out of window cleaning and not tie up large amounts of money p/m paying off finance etc..  4 or 5 years is a hell of a long time to pay off a vehicle esp. if it becomes unsuitable
you may get a small van and outgrow it in a year and likewise get a big van and never fill it so your lugging around
a huge van, when a combo would be far better.

Darran

[Ian101]

I would buy a second had BUT tidy van - if it's in good nick and serviced then go for that ( 1500 to 2k will get you a great van )

you are just starting out and need to make sure to can make a living out of window cleaning and not tie up large amounts of money p/m paying off finance etc..  4 or 5 years is a hell of a long time to pay off a vehicle esp. if it becomes unsuitable
you may get a small van and outgrow it in a year and likewise get a big van and never fill it so your lugging around
a huge van, when a combo would be far better.

Darran

yup this is good advice ... I ran a Transit T260 for 2 years when a Combo ... which I have now ( was stop gap) would have been much better for the job.

[Scrimble]

get whatever you can afford, in my experience the older and more miles a van has the more you are going to spend maintaining it, once they get to a certain age everything starts failing,

some vans can be reliable and will give you years of service, others dont want to go to work and cost a fortune, its down to pot luck some times

you need to choose the right van for your business, dont buy a lwb high top transit if you only carry 350l of water and 2 poles, running costs are important too.

[robertphil]

vans has got much better in recent years . like cars have.  but who is going to be yur market? turn up on the council estates in a new van and you will get nowhere fast  as you will look too flash

[Johnny B]

I run a 1999 Fiesta van, which is all I need to carry my trad gear around.

It is very clean and tidy, and after sorting out a few problems caused by wear and tear, is now reliable as well.

I have a tendency to run my vehicles until they drop, and as this one is in such good nick, I intend to keep it for as long as it is most economical to do so.

If I were to give any advice here, it would be to check out the size of van you need, buy the best you can for the least you can, and look after it.

John
 

 

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

Could someone please put a link up to a good deal on a new van because I've never actually seen one!

Same with cars, there were better bargains & deals out there before this recession started!

All I see now are worse deals "dressed up" to "appear" better.

Take Vauxhall for example- 5 years 0% (but only offered @ FULL MRP) basic Astras used to be 10k, they're now closer to 15k! You can actually pay interest on a seperate loan & have a LOWER total amount payable if you go in with cash.

[robertphil]

www.vanman.co.uk           seems to do pretty good prices ,if you subscribe often has deals on cancelled orders and what nots