Van Auctions in Sydney NSW

If you want to buy a commercial van for your small business, this article is for you. We’ll take a deep dive into the how and where of buying commercial vehicles at an auction in Sydney. First, let’s look at where to find sales and then consider the pros and cons versus buying at a dealer, plus, some tips for buying at an auction if that’s the route you choose.

Where to search for commercial vans at auction?

Pickles and Manheim are the largest automotive auctioneers in the country with branches nationwide. They handle most, but not all, of the government and corporate vehicles. Slattery Auctions handles a lot of vehicles from small and large businesses and often features a lot of commercial vehicles. Grays is the popular online auction site and they also occasionally feature vans that may come from a variety of different sales be that ex-dealer, government, estate sales, and business closures.

• Pickles – live and simulcast auctions of 30-50 vans per week in NSW
• Manhiem – have weekly live and simulcast auctions of about 40 vans per week
• Grays – often have between 6-15 vans for sale in NSW at any given time
• Slattery – often have between 5-10 commercial vans for auction every week in NSW

Other regular auctions in NSW include Lloyds and CarBids. If you know exactly which model you want to buy, try our search engine.

Where do the commercial vehicles at auction come from?

At Pickles and Manhiem they are generally ex-lease and ex-government vehicles. The vehicles were generally used by larger well-known businesses or government departments and serviced by the manufacturer dealer. Vehicles from lease companies can have anywhere from 20,000 to 400,000km and may have been used as service vehicles, but mostly as delivery vans carrying anything from boxes of files to parcels and produce.

Other sales, may feature vans that are dealer trade-ins and are vehicles that the dealer did not want to sell on their used car lot, so, they require a little more investigation. Generally, manufacturer dealers are not interested in vehicles with over 50,000km while used car dealers generally shy away from commercial vehicles at around 200,000km, both clearing unwanted vehicles via auction.

In either case, we strongly recommend inspecting the vehicle in person.

Inspecting a van at auction

I worked at a Ford dealer for several years and can tell you that commercial vans have very diverse lives, some hard, some quite easy. Service vans for mining companies had a hard life in tough conditions, urban delivery vans often had accident damage and suffered with high wear due to the nature of city driving, while the vans operating long-distance courier services seemed to last forever.

By inspecting the van in person you can you can usually determine where and how it was used previously, simply by the amount of wear and tear seen in the cargo floor, via the service books, or signage on the vehicle. You can also evaluate, visually at least, the mechanical condition with your own eyes.

Just like any other vehicle you need to inspect for extra costs you going to have in getting the vehicle on the road, these include

• Tyre condition – also check for unusual wear patterns on the front tyres which may indicate alignment issues.
• Windscreen condition – scratches and cracks won’t pass a vehicle inspection (roadworthy) and the front glass in some vehicles can be costly
• Engine Oil leaks – lifting the engine cover on a van may or may not be allowed at the auction room, ask first if needed, but it is pretty easy to look underneath. Vehicles have probably been washed but usually not very well, you should be able to spot the build-up of scum from oil leaks and any fresh oil being bad signs. Oil leaks on vans are usually an expensive fix. A pencil torch is a very useful thing to carry.
• Ancillary Oil leaks – look for oil leaks around the air conditioner compressor and hoses, and also the power steering pump. Problems here can easily be in the $500-1000 range.
• Transmission oil leaks, again, look for scum build-up and any signs of red/maroon colored fresh oil, oil dripping between the engine and trans is an expensive repair.
• Underbody damage, van drivers are usually time-pressured and often make mistakes e.g. wrong turns, jumping curbs, etc., check for any serious damage particularly under the front end and behind the bumper where you find the radiator, condenser, engine sump, and front crossmember.
• Accident damage is common, be sure that there are no major structural repairs.

With this first-hand knowledge, you can bid accordingly, or maybe not bid at all.

Along with the needed repairs you noted during the inspection; a new battery, brakes, oil change, air filter, fan belts, timing belt, and tune-up, should all be built into your final cost which could range from $500-1000.

Makes of Van Models

The most common van models sold in Australia are those in the 2500-3500kg GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) category of which the Toyota Hiace is far and away the best seller. Its sales are almost treble over its nearest rivals, the LDV G10, Ford Transit, and the Hyundai Staria Load.

This makes the Toyota Hiace the standout in the used marketplace simply due to the volume of them for sale, the low cost and good availability of parts, and the ease with which to find competent mechanics able to carry out repairs.

Other models with especially low sales volumes can become problematic as they can be difficult and expensive to find parts for, and difficult to find mechanics with good knowledge of carrying out repairs.

In the under 2500kg GVM category, popular models include the Volkswagen Caddy and the Peugeot Partner.

Comparing Models

If you are purchasing your first van you’ll want to note the array of model variants and consider how you’ll be using your van.

For example;

The Ford Transit has 12 different model variants including standard roof and high roof, rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive, single rear wheel, and dual rear wheels. All of these options provide differing load-carrying capacities and abilities.

Volkswagon has four model types with three of those offering multiple variants including medium wheelbase, long wheelbase, standard roof, high roof, and super roof with overhang.

Toyota is a little simpler with only two variants, the short and long wheelbase.

The point here is to know which variant is suitable for your needs considering the a) load size capacity, b) the load carrying capacity, and c) whether you need a high roof for accepting taller loads, or, to be able to stand up within the cargo area.

If you are purchasing a van for conversion into a camper then the high-roof, single-wheel, long-wheelbase is a good option.

Buying at an Auction vs Buying from a Used Car Dealer

Buying from a trustworthy used car dealer has its benefits, usually, the dealer has sorted out any issues, serviced the vehicle, and prepared it for roadworthy. They also provide a warranty and in some cases offer extended warranty plans via third-party services. Used car warranty in NSW is 3 months or 5000 km (whichever comes first). It should be noted that used car dealers are not obliged to provide a statuary warranty on vehicles with over 160,000km.

Compare that to buying at auction. You cannot test drive a vehicle from auction, and if there are any major issues, there is no warranty offered. Also, you will need to service the vehicle, resolve any issues, and get a roadworthy certificate.

While some vehicles at auction may still have dealer warranties, most are well outside the three-year 160,000km warranties offered by manufacturers. You’ll also need to be mindful of bidding fees which are usually a fixed fee plus a percentage of the final sale cost, plus transport costs.

So, why buy from an auction? If you are confident in your knowledge of the vehicle, your ability to inspect the vehicle, plus, handling all the issues yourself, then, there could be substantial savings on offer.

In either case, we urge you to do a lot of research before purchasing. Especially if you are buying a high-km vehicle. In such a case online forums featuring commentary from current owners can help identify issues that particular models have as they age. I cannot emphasize this enough, as some vans can have quite expensive repair costs and the issues are often well known. Simply search the model name and year and add “faults”, it can be a bit of a rabbit hole in some cases but it’s much better knowledge to have before buying rather than after.

Search for Your Van

If you know exactly which model you want to buy, try our search engine. It indexes all the major auction sites mentioned and in one place you can easily find the model you seek.