We see this trend every year, as it’s simply when vans are upgraded in anticipation of one of the busiest periods in the year for deliveries. A courier doesn’t want to struggle with an unreliable van, especially as the weather gets colder.

There are four models in particular that we sell a lot of at this time of year. The first is the Ford Transit Jumbo, then there’s the Iveco long wheel base high roof Jumbo as well. The Mercedes Sprinter Long wheel base high roof van is a perennial favourite and the Volkswagen Crafter long wheel base high roof van is a popular one for couriers too. All of these makes of vans can handle a lot of deliveries, are fuel efficient and reliable workhorses too. So if you’re going to be on the road a lot in the lead up to the end of December (see, we didn’t say it again!) get in touch so we can help you get the best value large used van for your needs.

The Nissan Navara is proving to be popular and also the Toyota HiLux. The popular 4x4s are definitely at the higher end of the market. They’re luxury models with sat nav, leather seats and other luxury features as standard. One of the main reasons they’re so popular is because they’re convenient family vehicles as well as work horses. They can carry a family of five in considerable comfort as well as shifting heavy loads and dealing with difficult terrain and weather.

We’d like to add that demand for these 4×4 vans is only going to increase over the coming months, so we advise anyone thinking about buying a used 4×4 to do so before the first snowy weather, and you might save yourself some money as the prices will only go up too. The best place to look is http://www.anchor4x4.co.uk/ or give us a call on 0118 9710 230.

The demand for used vans has been incredibly high, and in all honestly it’s quite a relief to have an extra sales executive to help us meet that demand! Michael has many years experience in motor industry, and recently transferred from Snows Motor Group.

We work very hard here at Anchor Vans, but there’s a great atmosphere and we have a good laugh too. We’re sure that Michael will soon feel right at home, and will get to know our regular customers well.

Now, three years later, those vans which would normally have been bought new that year simply haven’t trickled into the used van market. The impact can be seen in prices of used vans which are going back up due to the shortage not being able to easily meet the demand for 3 year old commercial vehicles.

Many people have seen the long-term effects of the credit crunch, this is just the way it’s impacted upon the used van industry. All we can promise is that we’ll continue to work hard to find the best quality used vans and make them available to you at the best possible prices, just as we always have.

Lending the Quicklight team a minibus for their 3 Peaks Challenge is our way of helping them to raise as much money as possible, by removing the cost of hiring a minibus which is critical for the challenge. The 3 Peaks Challenge is to climb Ben Nevis In Scotland (1344m), Scafell Pike in England (978m), and Mount Snowdon in Wales (1085m) – all within one 24 hour period.

The climbers use the minibus trips between each peak to rest and catch up on some sleep, so we made sure we gave them the 12 seater Ford transit also known here as “the Cadillac of minibuses” so they are as comfortable as possible.

The Pilgrims Hospices have been providing care and support free of charge to people with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers for over two decades and is dependent on charitable donations. If you would like to support the Quicklight team, donations can be made here: http://www.justgiving.com/teams/quicklightclimbers.

Having a dedicated and well-organised parts room on site was the next logical step. It means that vehicle servicing can be turned around even faster as we don’t have to wait for any parts to be ordered in, and it makes the entire servicing arm of Anchor Vans more efficient. So if you need a Ford-approved service for your car or van, you know where to come!

So why are used VW Transporter vans in particular so popular with the surfing community and festival goers? Well, they’re reliable vehicles and can easily be adapted for purpose. For example, we can fit racks for surfboards in the back and there’s still loads of room left for all the other gear too. There are other adaptations too for the really serious surfers. You can find out more at www.surfwheels.com by the way.

And as for festival goers and VW camper vans, there’s the reliability again and also the fact that they are more comfortable than a tent without the cost of a B&B. The only thing we don’t offer, is the more creative spray paint designs we’ve seen at various festivals. That’s definitely something for the owners to do themselves!

So why are used VW Transporter vans in particular so popular with the surfing community and festival goers? Well, they’re reliable vehicles and can easily be adapted for purpose. For example, we can fit racks for surfboards in the back and there’s still loads of room left for all the other gear too. There are other adaptations too for the really serious surfers. You can find out more at www.surfwheels.com by the way.

And as for festival goers and VW camper vans, there’s the reliability again and also the fact that they are more comfortable than a tent without the cost of a B&B. The only thing we don’t offer, is the more creative spray paint designs we’ve seen at various festivals. That’s definitely something for the owners to do themselves!

We sell a wide range of new and used commercial vehicles, and have seen a steady increase in the amount of van finance requests since the economy started its recovery, even though it’s still very tough out there. We provide our van finance packages through Carlisle Finance who are well respected in the vehicle financing industry and a company we’ve worked with for many years.

We take this commitment very seriously, the reason being that we sell a large proportion of our used vans to small business owners who depend on a commercial vehicle for their livelihood. Not only is the van financing critical for them to get their businesses off the ground, it’s critical for the economy, because if these small businesses can’t exist, they can’t contribute and continue to strengthen this fragile economic recovery.

If you need a used van for your business but are uncertain about costs, come and talk to us about van finance as an option to get your business off the ground.

We’re concerned that quite a few of our customers could be caught out by the LEZ changes as many drive into London every day for their work. The daily charge for the extended range of vehicles covered by the LEZ to be driven into the zone will be £200, and the fine is £1000 if unreported, so it makes sense to plan ahead now.

Larger vans are going to be included from January 2012, those that are 1.205 tonnes unladen, to 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight and which were registered before January 2002. So we’re talking about used Mercedes Sprinter vans and used Ford Transit vans, very commonly used by small business owners.

We’re urging anyone who has a larger used van that fits this description to buy a replacement now, as the demand for newer vans and LPG vans is only going to go up the closer we get to January 2012. And when demand goes up, so do the prices, so it could save you money to act now.

We’re delighted to report that we are recruiting again. The vehicle servicing here at the A4 Bath road site has become so popular, and our van sales department is so busy, we need two new members of staff. We’re looking for a new sales person, someone with experience in the motor sales trade would be ideal. We also need a Ford-approved servicing technician, as the vehicle servicing and testing side of the business is more popular than ever.

We’re proud to be able to make such a positive contribution to our local economy, and in line with that, we like to employ people from the local area. When it comes to the benefits of working at Anchor Vans, we pay very competitive salaries, provide our staff with a company vehicle and provide excellent opportunities for development. We’re looking for the kind of people who like to be part of a busy environment, and people who are happy to work hard and be rewarded for their efforts. If that sounds like you, get in touch!

http://www.anchorvans.co.uk

We knew we’d all been working hard, but didn’t realise we’d broken our monthly sales record since we started trading over twenty years ago by selling 185 new and used vans in March 2011 alone!

So why have sales of used vans been so high recently?

There’s always a flurry of commercial vehicle sales towards the end of the tax year, but still, that alone doesn’t account for these figures. We think it’s actually a combination of factors; one is that small businesses which are dependent on commercial vehicles are coming to us because they know we offer great value and great service. Secondly, we’ve been working incredibly hard to expand our range of used vans and thirdly, we’ve done all we can to make sure people can find us when they are looking for a van, regardless of where they live.

So it’s cheers all round here at Anchor Vans, and maybe a drop of champagne too…

van (n) The foremost part of a company of people moving or preparing to move forward.

@anchorvans
www.facebook.com/anchorvans

One of the advantages of having a family run business with staff who have worked here for years is that our local customers get to know us, and meet the people who service and prepare their vans in person. Our staff take a great deal of pride in their work, and our customers appreciate the care that we take with their commercial vehicles. However, ordering a used van from a website with national coverage, and to-the-door home delivery, that sense of the personal touch can be lost.

That’s why we’ve put up profiles of each of our staff, detailing what they do at each stage of the van prepping process. This means that customers as far away as Scotland can see the person who has serviced the vehicle, knows their name and a bit about what they are like.

It’s our hope this will make the service more personal, even though someone buying a used van through usedvans4sale.com hasn’t needed to leave their chair to ‘meet’ the people involved. It’s a little bit closer to the best of both worlds at least!

There are a lot of small businesses out there which have minimal budgets at start-up, and for many a commercial vehicle is a critical purchase. Anchor Trade Centre has been established as a specialised business separate to Anchor Vans, in order to cater specifically for these small businesses which need a cheap used van to get their company going.

After all, for certain small businesses, trade cannot begin – and money can’t be earned – until a commercial vehicle has been bought. For example, a painter / decorator needs a way to get all of the tools and materials to site, or a courier needs transportation for deliveries. Anchor Trade Centre offers a wide range of cheap used vans, some are used vans with no VAT for example, to help these small businesses get started. Whilst there may be higher running costs later as the used vans at the budget end of the market tend to be older, at least the business can start trading as soon as possible.

We knew we’d all been working hard, but didn’t realise we’d broken our monthly sales record since we started trading over twenty years ago by selling 185 new and used vans in March 2011 alone!

So why have sales of used vans been so high recently?

There’s always a flurry of commercial vehicle sales towards the end of the tax year, but still, that alone doesn’t account for these figures. We think it’s actually a combination of factors; one is that small businesses which are dependent on commercial vehicles are coming to us because they know we offer great value and great service. Secondly, we’ve been working incredibly hard to expand our range of used vans and thirdly, we’ve done all we can to make sure people can find us when they are looking for a van, regardless of where they live.

So it’s cheers all round here at Anchor Vans, and maybe a drop of champagne too…

St Michael’s Hospice provides care for patients with incurable and chronic illnesses and their families, both in the hospice and the local community. They provide all their services free of charge and depend on charitable donations, so we aimed to raise as much as we can!

We do several charity events a year and make frequent donations to local charities to help our community, but this one is close to our hearts. One of our members of staff has a close friend being cared for by St Michael’s Hospice and so we know just how important their work is.

We’ve spent the last two years working hard on a wide range of micro sites designed to help you find the particular van you’re looking for as quickly as possible, whether it’s a VW Transporter van kitted out for surfing or a used van made by a particular manufacturer such as Mercedes or Vauxhall. However, we’re aware that lots of people look for used vans based on local availability, rather than a specific model.

That’s where www.usedvans4sale.com comes in. The site makes it easy to find a local van, and we deliver for free. After all, what can be more local than your own front door?! You don’t even need to leave your armchair (or even change out of your pyjamas) to buy a great quality used van from us, and you’re protected by the same cast iron guarantee as the other sites: a no risk money back promise on delivery.

With the economy still struggling, we’re anticipating more demand than ever, as clubs and organisations have tended to stay in the UK for their holidays since the credit crunch, and need minibuses to facilitate group trips. Spring always brings an increase in minibus sales as it’s also the end of the financial year and companies with savvy accountants are advised to invest in assets now so that they don’t have to dip into next year’s profits.

This is why we’ve been working hard to build up an excellent stock of used minibuses ready for spring, and with our dedicated micro site at www.anchorbus.co.uk, it’s easier than ever for you to find the used minibus you need at the right price.

It seems that people have rested up over the Christmas break, had a think about their business and made key vehicle buying decisions, as we’ve been busier than ever.

In fact, the only change we’ve noticed is that more people are asking about VAT free vans. It seems it’s on their radar more than ever, probably because we’ve been working hard on that front. It’s not surprising; those vans are twenty per cent cheaper and that’s a critical saving for small businesses below the VAT threshold.

If you’re looking for a VAT free van by the way, pop over to www.vatfreevans.co.uk and give us a call!

Are you an experienced mechanic?
Our vehicle servicing department has recently expanded and we need the best mechanics in Berkshire!

If you like the sound of any of those roles, and are looking for work in an expanding business with a busy and friendly environment, you know where to find us!

We are looking for a 7^th sales executive so if you are experienced in this field and are looking for a new challenge please call and ask for Simon who would love to have a chat with you.

Our Ford-approved servicing has been so successful that we needed to increase our capacity, and there has been increasing demand for our valeting department too, so we had the new building added to the Anchor business park. It’s enabled us to expand our servicing department too, as they’ve taken over the space that the valeting department used to use, meaning that we have more ramps and can also offer new services to our customers.

Thanks to the additional space, we now repair chipped windscreens, interior trims, bumpers, scratches to bodywork and the servicing department has also branched into tyre repair and replacement. That means you can get practically everything you need in one place, without having to worry about finding other reliable repairers for different jobs.

And the valeting department is absolutely thrilled with the new facilities, everything is brand new and the heating is fantastic, something much appreciated at the moment. Funnily enough, we were visited by some prestige car dealership owners a few days ago and they were stunned by the new facilities, so now our staff can boast that they have better facilities than prestige car valeters. It’s the little things, isn’t it?

That’s why so many people are opting for our new and used 4×4 vehicles. It’s not only to cope with this season’s snow; there’s talk of a mini ice age that means we’ll being seeing winters like this for the next few years. When your business depends on being able to get about whatever the weather, a 4×4 is the clever choice.

It’s not just the fact that 4x4s can drive in snow that brings most other vehicles to a stop. The top spec 4x4s are luxurious vehicles, with heated seats (which are the best thing since sliced bread on these bitterly cold mornings) and all the mod cons such as Bluetooth sat nav to name but one. They double up beautifully as family vehicles at the weekend after a week of being the most reliable workhorses you could hope for.

So if you’re fretting about the snow, consider making your next commercial vehicle a 4×4 – you can check out the amazing range on our dedicated 4×4 vans micro site at www.anchor4x4.co.uk. You’ll find all makes and models on there, including the bestseller of the season; the Nissan Navara.

Well, we’ve just launched another addition to our website stable; www.usedvans4sale.com and this one is geared around helping van buyers to find great value new and used vans for sale in their local area – primarily geographically based searching rather than van make and model searching.

Of course, it’s easy to narrow down the van make and model you’re looking for, we’ve just made it easier for you to find the vans you want in your local area, and then, even better, we deliver your chosen van to your front door with our unequivocal money back guarantee.

Now you can’t get more local than your own front door!

So check out www.usedvans4sale.com and find the van you need in your local area. The internet… marvellous, isn’t it?

We’re committed to giving our customers great vans at great prices, and that’s why we’re putting out the word now, so you have a chance to bring your van buying plans forwards to beat the VAT increase.

But that’s not all we’ve been doing; we’ve been scouring the country for used vans which have already had the VAT paid on them so we can pass on that saving to you. The VAT free vans listed on our dedicated micro site www.vatfreevans.co.uk are already 17.5% cheaper than any other vans available, and when the VAT rate is increased in the New Year, they’ll be 20% cheaper! But just in case your dream van isn’t amongst the VAT free listings, go and take a look www.anchorvans.co.uk so you can make the most of your chance to save some money.

We’re particularly proud of this milestone because we work so hard to provide the very best service and this demonstrates that we’re giving used van buyers exactly what they want; great service and high quality used vans at reasonable prices.

We get a lot of repeat custom; our “unequivocal money back guarantee on delivery” promise gives used van buyers the confidence to buy from us again and again and of course we’ve won the prestigious Van Retailer of the Year award two years in a row.

That award, plus the fact that low interest rates are enabling us to provide exceptional rates for van financing have also contributed to these amazing sales figures.

Out of those 20,000 vans, we’ve sold more used Ford vans than any other brand, and we’ve been so strong in that area that we branched into Ford-approved servicing provision to extend the value and service we can provide to our customers. We’ve also launched a micro site dedicated to used Ford vans at www.anchorford.co.uk for people looking specifically for used Ford vans, so if you’re looking for a high quality used Ford van pop over there and take a look.

So here’s to another fantastic 22 years – who knows how many used van sales we’ll be announcing by then!

We’re delighted to see that Volkswagen is getting the recognition it deserves by winning this award, they consistently manufacture vans of superlative quality and excellent reliability.

Whilst these are obviously qualities sought after in used VW vans, we’ve seen a particular sporting community single out Volkswagen Transporter vans as their preferred vehicle for surfing and snowboarding. They’re easy to adapt to carry surfboards, and are reliable enough to load up with a load of snowboarding gear and travel from resort to resort without breaking down. In fact, we have so many surfers coming to us for used Transporter vans that we made a special micro site dedicated to them: www.surfwheels.co.uk and it’s going down a storm.

There’s a clear correlation between the rise in popularity of surfing and snowboarding and the sales of used Volkswagen transporter vans – and we’ve not seen anything like that for any other model of used van. So congratulations to Volkswagen, keep up the good work!

Every year in the lead up to Christmas we see an increase in sales of used long wheel base vans used by couriers, it’s just started earlier than usual this year. Perhaps people are hoping for the sales to be more focused on this side of the New Year with the VAT rise coming in 2011, and so are moving stock and preparing for Christmas early. Whatever the reason, we’re certainly pleased it’s happening!

There are four used van models that tend to be used as courier vans. The first is the Ford Transit Jumbo, then there’s the Iveco long wheel base, high roof Jumbo. The Mercedes Sprinter long wheel base high roof van is a perennial favourite and the Volkswagen Crafter long wheel base high roof van is a popular one for couriers too.

These large vans can handle a lot of deliveries, are fuel efficient and reliable workhorses too. It’ll be interesting to see which one comes out as the favourite by the end of the season.

If you’re one of them, now is the time to replace your vehicle with an LPG van; we’re predicting a sharp rise in the price of LPG vans in 2011 as the new deadline approaches.

We’ve already sold a lot of LPG vans to people who need to go into the London Congestion Charge Zone. Aside from the obvious environmental benefits and cheaper fuel costs, our customers are saving up to almost £2000 a year by making that change. In fact, many of our van finance customers are effectively paying for the van with that saving.

So take a look at our LPG vans here and give us a call. And if you’ll need van financing, don’t worry, we can usually give a response in only 2 minutes!

It’s nearly home time so I’m off to enjoy the sunshine. Have a good weekend .

Louise

We’ve been selling new and used vans for over twenty years now, and the Ford Transit is a perennial best seller. In fact Ford vans so popular we launched a dedicated micro site to them at www.anchorford.co.uk and now we’re expanding our Ford-approved vehicle servicing facilities with a brand new building being built right now!

The popularity of the Ford Transit van isn’t because of nostalgia, far from it; there’s no getting away from the fact that they make exceptionally reliable commercial vehicles and come in such a wide range of spec and sizes that there is always the perfect van for the job. In fact, there are over 140 configurations of the current Transit van launched in 2006.

So let’s all raise a glass (or even just a mug of strong tea) to the Ford Transit van. Happy birthday, and many happy returns!

It is Vauxhall’s first van to implement a start/stop system with a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter).

The group most likely to make the biggest fuel savings through this system are inner city drivers, who are constantly at a standstill due to traffic. The new “green” system has seen the Corsavan be given a urban efficiency figure of 58.9mpg and 70.6mpg overall .Also CO₂ emissions are down to 105g/km.

The system is an extra £220 on top of the same model, without it.

We see average used vans price drop every year during the summer, and it’s no surprise as everyone is on holiday and simply don’t want to have to think about commercial vehicle purchases until they get back into the swing of things in September.

Well, we wanted to point this out as now is the chance for you to bag a real bargain. If you buy a used van in August, you’ll pay less than if you wait until September, when the demand shoots back up again, and the prices with it.

It couldn’t be easier too – you can find your ideal van on our website – so you could shop for your used van whilst you’re by the pool and it’s all risk free. We are so confident about the quality of our used vans that we offer a full money-back guarantee upon delivery, as well as servicing and warranty. So if you buy your used van whilst you’re on holiday, beating the crowds to the bargains, there’s nothing to worry about.

Take a look at the homepage and begin your search using our great new van criteria filters, find the perfect used van, order it, pour another cocktail and relax. See? Easy. And the wife and kiddies will never know you’ve been working…

For example, if you’re one of the many people hunting for an air conditioned used van now that summer has decided to get its act together in the UK again, you can see all of our used vans with air conditioning within two clicks from the main site homepage.

You can also narrow your search by whatever is a priority for you; perhaps you would only consider a used van with manual transmission, or you have a tight budget and want to search within a certain price range. You can also search by mileage, fuel type, colour and other features such as leather seats or electric windows.

What this all comes down to is making it as easy for you to find the van you’re looking for as quickly as possible with the minimum of fuss. Click on the big red button on our homepage to see for yourself!

Not VAT registered?? Why give it to the tax man when you can have it all yourself.

We sold 52 NO VAT vans in July saving our customers thousands of pounds.

We continue to seach the UK for bargains to pass onto our valued customers and currently have nearly 100 NO VAT vans in stock.  Why not come and take a look and save yourself money immediately!”

Louise

Louise

Yes I do still work for Anchor Vans those of you who were wondering why I haven’t posted a blog for such a long time. We are still very busy in the service department so it’s all work and no play! We have had another birth since I last blogged! Congratulations to Stan & Lisa on the birth of baby Joe. We have another new mechanic from Iveco this time; welcome Simon. The valeters building is now in progress so the yard is rather busy at the moment but there are still lots of new vehicles for you to see every week! Now for some sad news, our accounts manager is leaving us shortly and moving on to new pastures so we are looking for an experienced Sage accountant. If you are interested in the position please call and ask for Simon.

I’ll try not to leave it so long before the next blog. Take care.

Louise

Since we launched the Ford-approved servicing and repairs in 2009 it’s been a great success and the demand is such that we need to expand. Not only is that good for our customers – we’ll be able to handle an extra 45 hours of servicing time a day which means a speedy service – the expansion also means that we’ll need more Ford-approved service technicians, bringing more jobs for local people into the Reading area. Ultimately, our success is bringing skilled jobs into the local area, which is something we’re proud to be able to do for our community.

The building is going to take a few weeks (if any of you have ever had major building work done you’ll know why we’re not announcing a completion date yet!) but we’ll keep you posted. In the mean time everything else continues as normal, so if you’re in need of top quality Ford-approved servicing and repairs, you know where to come.

Charlie Joyce was six pounds, ten ounces at birth and mother and baby are doing well. Simon’s first son, Jack, was born two years ago in the same week that Anchor Vans received the Van Dealer of the Year award for the second year running.

Our family–run used van business was founded by Graham Joyce twenty years ago, with all company directors being close family. Two of Graham’s sons run the used van business with him, and there are hopes that the third generation of Joyce’s will grow up to join the business too.

Of course, we now have high hopes for both boys in the sales department but Simon says they’ll have to start by valeting used vans just like he did 18 years ago! Perhaps they’ll follow their Uncle Greg, Director of Servicing, into the servicing department. Only time will tell!

You can find the new site at www.vat-free-vans.co.uk and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes; knocking almost twenty percent of the price of a used van. These VAT free vans are ideal for sole traders and small businesses below the VAT threshold, and as a business owner has already paid the VAT on the vehicle, it means we can pass on that saving to you.

So if you have a tight budget and are looking for a real bargain, check out www.vat-free-vans.co.uk and see how much you can save. You’ll see why we’ve been working so hard to source these VAT free used vans for you!

Must get back to work.

Louise

The MOT and servicing centre at Tadley has been a great success, and it was a natural progression for us to branch out into used cars considering all of the experience we have in selling used vehicles.

We are also offering a wide range of finance packages for used cars, making it easier for you to buy the used car of your choice. Why not have a look around the next time you’re at Sainsbury’s, or waiting for your MOT at our testing centre? The great customer service and commitment to providing high quality used vehicles at reasonable prices is being applied to our used car business, as has been enjoyed by our used van customers for over twenty years, so we know you won’t be disappointed.


Must go! Lots to do!

Louise

Back soon

Louise

The site is www.anchorvauxhall.co.uk and, just like our other micro sites, it’s perfect if you have a particular van in mind for your next purchase. You can pick the Vauxhall van model straight from the homepage, making it super quick for you to find the used Vauxhall van you need, and when the new Vivaro and Movano van models come out we’ll be stocking those too.

So if you’re looking for a new or used Vauxhall van, go to the new Anchor Vauxhall site. And don’t forget, if you need to sell your current van in order to do so, pop over to www.webuyanyvans.co.uk for a lightning fast quote via your mobile phone.

Just like all of our micro sites, the Anchor 4×4 site has been designed to take you straight to the used 4x4s you want to see straight from the home page. You can go directly to our used Ford Thunder 4×4 listings for example, or straight to the used Mitsubishi Warriors. And if you aren’t sure which make of used 4×4 truck you want, we’ve provided options to search by different vehicle spec levels such as single or double cab, leather seats, climate control and electric windows.

If you’re looking for a vehicle that can cope with big loads and driving wherever you need it to in the week, but something luxurious enough to take out the family at the weekend, then one of our used 4x4s should fit the bill. And with some seating up to 5 people, you can give your mates a lift too, so you know they’ll arrive at the job on time.

If you have a used van that fits the bill, all you need to do is go to www.webuyanyvans.co.uk and put in the registration number and mileage of your used van, along with your mobile phone number. We’ll text you back with a quote and details of how to get in touch if you want to go ahead with the sale. Easy as that!

So if you’re planning to upgrade an aging used van, there couldn’t be a better time. Get in touch with us through www.webuyanyvans.co.uk now!

Whilst the snow was just as inconvenient for us as it was for everyone else, it did have a silver lining in that the sales of our 4×4 vehicles went up. It seems that people realised that if they wanted to keep going whatever the weather, a 4×4 truck was the one to choose.

These days, 4x4s are luxurious vehicles, with leather seats, air conditioning, CD players and electric windows. They’re so comfortable in fact that after a hard week of work, owners are taking them home to use as family vehicles at the weekend, and when the double cab models can seat five, there’s room for everyone.

Who knows if all that extreme weather is behind us yet, but we do know that there are several new owners of 4×4 trucks who won’t be worried about it anymore!

Incidentally, we have a theory about the high demand for Mercedes vans, and it’s all to do with the recession. Over the last eighteen months a lot of people lost their jobs and found themselves looking for work in a market that wasn’t hiring. So with the true spirit of entrepreneurialism, they’ve been setting up on their own, as couriers and “Man with a  Van” service providers. The Mercedes van has legendary reliability, and so makes a natural choice for these kinds of businesses. And good luck to them too!

Well, fast-forward less than a year and we’re delighted to announce that we are expanding! The vehicle servicing provision has really taken off and we’re working at capacity, so the plan is to add 2 new bays and 5 vehicle servicing ramps as soon as possible.

That also means that we’re on the lookout for great ford-trained service technicians. We prefer to recruit from the local area, as we like to support our local community, so if you are a ford-approved mechanic in the Reading area, or know someone who is, get in touch!

Our website advert said it all and our customer bought the vehicle extremely happy not to be paying the VAT!

This vehicle was sold at the weekend. Our customer was looking for a low mileage vehicle and spent time on the internet searching for a vehicle that fitted all his requirements. He saw this one advertised and as it had the lowest mileage around he came in and bought it asap.

We’re delighted to have the chance to support such a great charity with this donation, and we’re certain that the promise of winning this stonking Ford Ranger will add an edge to the competition. It’s such a versatile vehicle, being able to carry up to a tonne, but still nice enough to use with the family at the weekend too. 4×4 drivers were amongst the few who weren’t bothered by the recent snowy weather too, so we’re certain that the competition will be fierce on the 9th of March. Good luck to all the players!

These prices have been caused, in the main, by the recession. Companies that run large fleets of commercial vehicles haven’t replaced their vehicles for at least a year, and there have been fewer new van sales in the private individual sector too. So now we’re in a situation where there are simply fewer used vans around, in particular those that are around one year old.

That effect is going to persist for the next couple of years. The lack of used vans that are one year old will turn into a shortage of two year old vans next year, and so on. It will be interesting to see if the reported end to the recession will improve new van sales over the coming months, so that this shortage of used vans doesn’t continue for many more years. We’ll keep you posted.

Sold at the weekend to a customer looking for something different from the standard white van! He loved the silver colour and the gadgets on this top of the range vehicle.

This vehicle was sold at the weekend. Our customer was looking for a low mileage vehicle and spent time on the internet searching for a vehicle that fitted all his requirements. He saw this one advertised and as it had the lowest mileage around he came in and bought it asap.

This vehicle was only in stock a few days when our customer arrived and found it to be in prestige condition, the right size and within his budget – exactly what he was looking for.

This vehicle was sold to an existing customer who has bought six vans from us over the years.

Customer purchased this vehicle with no hesitation as he was saving money by paying NO VAT!

Our customer came to view another vehicle but, unfortunately, that had already been sold. This is never a problem as we have 300 vans in stock and after we’d discussed the customers requirements we found exactly the vehicle he was looking for. Its a very clean and tidy van finished in blue.

An existing customer saw this vehicle on our website and came into view. He bought it on the spot.

The customer liked the look of this van so the appearance and styling sold this vehicle.

This vehicle was also in prestige condition with extremely low mileage. Add the fact there was no VAT to pay and the customer was thrilled with his new van.

After listening to the customers requirements, which included the need to fit 8′ x 4′ sheets into the back, this was the perfect size. The van has very low mileage and is in excellant condition throughout and is exactly what the customer was looking for.

We have recruited a professional pianist to come into the workshop every Wednesday afternoon to play music for our vehicle servicing technicians as they work. Sound bizarre? A little, yes. Sound crazy? Well… it actually makes a lot of sense to us.

The workplace environment has a huge impact on staff morale, productivity and even rates of absence. Whilst Anchor Vans is a hard working but cheery place, we felt there was definitely a need for something special to carry our great service technicians through these dark winter months. Our Sales Director, Simon Joyce, temporarily brought a piano to the site to make some room at home, then he had this idea and the piano has been here ever since.

The technicians are enjoying it so much that we’re even thinking about having an open day one Wednesday afternoon so our vehicle servicing customers and the generally curious can come along and listen too. We’ll keep you posted!

This site will be very different from our used van micro sites. For starters, you’ll be able to book servicing slots easily through the site with the use of a quick and easy form, and your booking will always be confirmed by phone. But that’s not all…

We’re planning to set up some webcams in the vehicle servicing bays to provide live video streams to the site, meaning that you’ll be able to go and see how your car or used van service is progressing, in real time. It should demystify the work our ford-approved service technicians do too. We’ll let you know as soon as it has been launched.

Times are still tough for lots of our customers, so it makes sense to come and buy the used van they’ve had their eye on now, whilst there is a tasty tax exemption. Will we be seeing you too?