[dazmond]

My van(connect L2 240 limited)is  going for £38k including VAT in 2026 for a brand new one!

Even if I keep my van for another 6 years(it's 9 years old at present with 30k on the clock)I'll have paid around £28k for mine as im paying a reduced rate of £60 a month rental and lex autolease reduce ESV by £114 a month every month until I decide to get rid so it'll be worth virtually nothing in 6 years time!😄

It works out at around £156 per month spread out over 15 years. Not the cheapest way to run a van but easily affordable and 100% tax deductible.

[deeege]

What was the list price of your van  when you bought it 9 years ago Daz? That’s a hell of a lot of wasted money on interest you’ve paid there. Far far more cost effective way of owning a new van than the route that you have taken.

[dd]

New pre reg citroen berlingo diesel lwb £18k plus VAT

[zesty]

Madness to buy a new van, get a pre reg or ex demo and save ££££.

You’ve ended up paying a fortune for your little connect daz!

[dazmond]

New pre reg citroen berlingo diesel lwb £18k plus VAT

No heated drivers seat in a Citroën...😄

[dazmond]

What was the list price of your van  when you bought it 9 years ago Daz? That’s a hell of a lot of wasted money on interest you’ve paid there. Far far more cost effective way of owning a new van than the route that you have taken.

No idea but leasing suited me at the time. Still does for easy accounting

[dazmond]

Having a decent van is the number one requirement for WFP cleaning IMO and the largest outlay is your van. If you don't want to spend a huge chunk all at once then leasing for a small rental amount every month that's 100% tax deductable is ok. Its easily affordable for most businesses.

I just see it as a legitimate business expense every month now.

[KS Cleaning]

Having a decent van is the number one requirement for WFP cleaning IMO and the largest outlay is your van. If you don't want to spend a huge chunk all at once then leasing for a small rental amount every month that's 100% tax deductable is ok. Its easily affordable for most businesses.

I just see it as a legitimate business expense every month now.

You sound like a salesman’s dream Daz😆

[Stoots]

I went full circle and im back at old vans.

Only vehicle ive ever bought new, paid 24k plus vat in 2022 so 29k.

Was paying 450 a month ish plus 100 month ins then the tax. also it only did 23mpg

sold for 13k in 2025

the vat was lost as soon as i bought it as im not vat reg so total i lost in 3 years was 16k

16k! in 3 years what a mad decision it was to buy new, never again.

I now have a 2016 peugeot partner for 3k paid cash and last year bought my old renault trafic back off the lad who i sold it to for £350 quid, i did loads of work on it so it cost me about a grand all in.

So now i have a van that does 40 mpg cost 400 quid a year to insure and no 450 quid a month payment im way over 500 quid a month better off plus i have a spare.

The only requirement i have for a van is air con, to me thats a non negotiable apart from that i really dont care anymore its just a mode of transport.

[deeege]

Having a decent van is the number one requirement for WFP cleaning IMO and the largest outlay is your van. If you don't want to spend a huge chunk all at once then leasing for a small rental amount every month that's 100% tax deductable is ok. Its easily affordable for most businesses.

I just see it as a legitimate business expense every month now.

I was telling you this for years Daz when you were driving old bangers. “No need for a new van, sod paying for a lease, I only do 50 miles a week yada yada”, you said this for years, until you finally  got a new van and it was suddenly the best thing you ever did. 

I prefer to buy a low mileage year old van, let someone else take the hit on the depreciation but still have all the benefits of the new van.

[dd]

I went full circle and im back at old vans.

Only vehicle ive ever bought new, paid 24k plus vat in 2022 so 29k.

Was paying 450 a month ish plus 100 month ins then the tax. also it only did 23mpg

sold for 13k in 2025

the vat was lost as soon as i bought it as im not vat reg so total i lost in 3 years was 16k

16k! in 3 years what a mad decision it was to buy new, never again.

I now have a 2016 peugeot partner for 3k paid cash and last year bought my old renault trafic back off the lad who i sold it to for £350 quid, i did loads of work on it so it cost me about a grand all in.

So now i have a van that does 40 mpg cost 400 quid a year to insure and no 450 quid a month payment im way over 500 quid a month better off plus i have a spare.

The only requirement i have for a van is air con, to me thats a non negotiable apart from that i really dont care anymore its just a mode of transport.

Mistake you made was buying the wrong van, not buying a new van. I bought my Dispatch new 20 years for £11,500 incl VAT.
In the 20 years I have owned it has never let me down
Main expenses was clutch at 113k and 2 timing belt changes.

[dazmond]

Having a decent van is the number one requirement for WFP cleaning IMO and the largest outlay is your van. If you don't want to spend a huge chunk all at once then leasing for a small rental amount every month that's 100% tax deductable is ok. Its easily affordable for most businesses.

I just see it as a legitimate business expense every month now.

I was telling you this for years Daz when you were driving old bangers. “No need for a new van, sod paying for a lease, I only do 50 miles a week yada yada”, you said this for years, until you finally  got a new van and it was suddenly the best thing you ever did. 

I prefer to buy a low mileage year old van, let someone else take the hit on the depreciation but still have all the benefits of the new van.

I'm allowed to change my mind.....

I spent a few years with old vans when I switched to wfp but then realised that I had to swap systems  over every couple of years (when they finally gave up the ghost)which is a real pain.

I also wanted a diesel heater after faffing about with cheap(and dangerous!) gas shower units so it's not worth installing one in anything other than a brand new van IMO.

I ve got my dream van and system and I still love it 9 years on. I will get the timing belt and water pump changed next year.

[martinw]

This thread makes me wonder if any of you with a leased van actually have written permission to modify it to bolt on tanks. Last time I checked in 2021, ten leasing companies had refused to provide it. I ended up buying pre-reg, as it was working out cheaper overall over five years.

[dazmond]

This thread makes me wonder if any of you with a leased van actually have written permission to modify it to bolt on tanks. Last time I checked in 2021, ten leasing companies had refused to provide it. I ended up buying pre-reg, as it was working out cheaper overall over five years.

Mine is a business finance lease. You can do what you want to it if your running it for 15 years!

[Stoots]

Most people will.buy a new van because of reliability.

But thats not really the case. The newer vans euro 6 have a lot of issues with dpfs. Theres the wet belt issues with ford's the chain issues with the Peugeots etc. When a newer van goes wrong its having to deal with warranty and a dealer and if you are just outside that and your engine blows it can be 5 grand or whatever.

Even if an older van costs you more in replaced wear an tear items like suspension, brakes etc and maybe a clutch and a starter and bits here and there it will always work out better than the massive depreciation you pay on a new van.

If the new van depreciates 15k over 5 years (it will be more)  thats 3k a year that has to go wrong with the older van. Ive had about 10 or 15 vans and never had anything like that, you could replace the entire engine and gearbox every year for that and still beat the depreciation.

Depends though, I cant remember last time I went to a garage ive done clutches, injectors, cambelts and all the usual servicing stuff on my driveway. Only time I go to a garage is mot time.

[zesty]

That’s why the way forward is an ev van for window cleaning Adam, no maintenance.

I’m a massive petrol head, but and electric van makes complete sense for our type of business.

[dazmond]

Most people will.buy a new van because of reliability.

But thats not really the case. The newer vans euro 6 have a lot of issues with dpfs. Theres the wet belt issues with ford's the chain issues with the Peugeots etc. When a newer van goes wrong its having to deal with warranty and a dealer and if you are just outside that and your engine blows it can be 5 grand or whatever.

Even if an older van costs you more in replaced wear an tear items like suspension, brakes etc and maybe a clutch and a starter and bits here and there it will always work out better than the massive depreciation you pay on a new van.

If the new van depreciates 15k over 5 years (it will be more)  thats 3k a year that has to go wrong with the older van. Ive had about 10 or 15 vans and never had anything like that, you could replace the entire engine and gearbox every year for that and still beat the depreciation.

Depends though, I cant remember last time I went to a garage ive done clutches, injectors, cambelts and all the usual servicing stuff on my driveway. Only time I go to a garage is mot time.

Ive never had a single issue with my DPF in 9 years.

Serviced every year and a few tyres and brake pads front and back. That's it.

I wouldn't want to be messing about changing vans and systems every few years esp using a diesel heater.

Once every 15 years is fine. I'll change mine when im 60 for another brand new van and system and that should see me out to 74 then I might retire fully by then. Who knows?😄

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

That’s why the way forward is an ev van for window cleaning Adam, no maintenance.

I’m a massive petrol head, but and electric van makes complete sense for our type of business.

I tend to agree with this now, particularly because Euro 6 has ruined the reliability of diesel vans! The reality is, it's the end user (us) who pays for all the issues. Even with a manufacturer warranty you could (and probably would) still end up losing money with the time it would take the main dealer to fix your issue. Our local main dealer are booked 2 to 3 months in advance!!
I'm sticking with my 2011 scudo for now, no dpf, no adblue. Cost me 5.5k over 6 years ago!