July - August Van Buying Guide

My Car Check top tips for UK used LCV buyers in July and August 2015, including van of the month:Ford Transit Connect Sport

• Market slows down as we enter the holiday season

• Abundance of stock in the small van sector

• Never pay cash, trust your gut feeling and check before you buy

"The Ford Transit Connect Sport even looks good stood still, and there aren't many vans you can say that about."-David Hill

My Car Check- the UK's No.1 consumer vehicle data provider - has saved many a van buyer from making an expensive mistake. In these monthly bulletins its light commercial vehicle (LCV) experts reveal significant trends in the UK market andchoose a ‘van of the month'.

My Car Check's LCV expert, David Hill, said:"This month's star buy would be a Ford Transit Connect Sport edition, if you can find one. Made in limited numbers, they have all the bits, including alloy wheels. They even look good stood still and there aren't many vans you can say that about. Used prices hold up well as they're always in demand, so you should get a decent return when you come to sell it. As always, check to make sure the one you're looking at is what it claims to be, especially when buying privately."

As to market trends, Hill said: "As we enter the holiday season, we expect the market to slow down. The good news is that the market has a healthy supply of stock. The bad news is that it is very repetitive.

"In the small van sector, there's a wide choice of Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa. Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo are both around in volume, with more to come. The same can be said of Volkswagen Caddy, with a massive influx of blue 69ps models. These are holding firm on price at the moment, mainly because of the specification, but as the volume comes the values will inevitably fall.

"There is plenty of choice in the panel van sector. As ever, the VW Transporter is often top of the shopping list, but be careful when looking at basic specification 84 or 102bhp models with no extras, values are slipping on these variants, but not generally on 140 Highline models. It is a similar story for Ford Transit with Limited or Trend editions storming away and traders traveling miles to try and buy them.

"Larger panel vans in retail or trade condition are still hard to come by. The few that are about sell quickly. Vehicles that require some body work or mechanical attention are harder to sell as the trade want them to be cheaper to compensate for the spend.

"For chassis cab variants it is more about the body work than the badge. Tippers have to be clean with no tarmac or concrete in the rear. Double cabs have to have the rear seats. Drop sides are not even mileage sensitive as long as they are tidy, and it is the same for Luton variants. This is all because demand outstrips supply.

"The 4x4 market is as quiet as usual in July, but the second half of the year will be all about the new model pick-ups coming to market. The new offerings from Mitsubishi, Ford, and Nissan should really shake up the market."

My Car Check's parent company, CDL Vehicle Information Services, performs over a million look-ups a day for companies including AutoExpress, CompareTheMarket, Confused.com, Go-Compare, Moneysupermarket, Swiftcover, Tesco Compare and WhatCar?.

It uses up-to-the-minute data from the police, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and all major finance houses, including Lloyds TSB and Santander.

To help UK consumers make the right choice, My Car Check can confirm in seconds whether your potential pride and joy has ever been scrapped, stolen or written-off, has any money owing on it, has had a plate or colour change and much more.

Know what you're getting into: My Car Check