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DAF Used Trucks
"We've got what you're looking for”
How do you sell a truck painted bright pink? Or a basic truck with zero optional extras? Or a truck with a unique chassis configuration? There are plenty of used trucks in Europe waiting for new owners and many of them are a far cry from the conventional type of vehicle. Marty van den Dungen, Sales Director DAF Used Trucks, explains how he and his organisation manage to find new buyers for their ‘unique trucks’.
All over Europe there are used trucks waiting for a new owner to come along. Sometimes they are put on the market by independent sellers who specialise in a specific type of truck. But they are usually found at dealers or at sales outlets set up by truck manufacturers themselves. DAF Trucks also has four specialised DAF Used Truck Centers at locations in Europe where relatively new used trucks from the DAF stable wait for a new home. The DAF service locations also offer a wide range of used trucks.
Unique specimens
Most of the trucks don’t have to wait too long. A well-maintained tractor or rigid truckthat is only a few years old usually finds a new owner pretty quickly. “The newest generations of trucks always sell very easily because of their excellent comfort and low fuel consumption. At least, almost always. Some of the trucks that arrive here are unique specimens, to put it mildly,” says Van den Dungen with a laugh.
Increased residual value
The majority of DAF Used Trucks’ vehicles are 4x2 tractors with a Super Space Cab. These are the more ‘regular’ trucks that are often sold even before the engine has had the chance to cool down. Both their configuration and colour suit the tastes of most buyers – particularly when they have ‘German specs’, as Van den Dungen puts it himself: “Lots of leather, a Comfort bed, skylights, side skirts, DAF’s big fridge and an engine brake. Kit it out with a new wrap or company logo and a truck like that will be as good as new and last for years. If you want to increase the residual value of your truck, the trick is to choose all the right optional extras when you are buying it new.”
Marty van den Dungen
Sales Director DAF Used Trucks
“We have developed a search engine that displays the current inventory at all DAF Used Trucks Centers and a steadily increasing number of dealers. All over Europe,” says Marty van den Dungen. “A customer would have to be looking for something very unusual indeed for us not to be able to find what they want.”
Social Media
Sometimes, however, the trucks looking a for a new owner are not exactly what you would call regular. A good example is the fleet of pink DAF tractors that was recently traded in in France. “A series of trucks like that presents a real challenge because having to repaint all the cabins would obviously drive the price up. We decided instead to turn the situation to our advantage and zoom in on the truck’s specific colour,” explains the Sales Director at DAF Used Trucks. “We launched a Social Media campaign in which we highlighted the colour instead of trying to hide it. With the result that a large number of these trucks have since found a new home with lady truckers.”
Trucker magnets
What about cabins fitted out to suit a driver’s specific tastes? “Drivers who invest heavily in transforming their truck usually look after it very well. That’s why many of those trucks still look brand new and that makes selling them an awful lot easier. Features like a great audio system, block heater, roof aircon and atmospheric lighting are also real trucker magnets. In many cases they are even enough to compensate for a bright red interior or a rear wall that has been pimped to the nines.”
Tailor-made
So how does a transporter find their ideal ‘tailor-made’ truck? “We have developed a search engine that displays the current
inventory at all DAF Used Trucks Centers and a steadily increasing number of dealers. All over Europe,” says Marty van den Dungen. “A customer would have to be looking for something very unusual indeed for us not to be able to find what they want.”
Warranty
Van den Dungen continues: “When the ideal truck has been located via our DAF Used TruckLocator, the local dealer can have it transported to their premises, where it will be checked and given any maintenance it might require. And then the keys are all yours. Complete with the blanket warranty that DAF provides on all its relatively new used trucks and that applies throughout Europe. We even offer a full-year warranty on a DAF First Choice Truck when the vehicle is no more than five years old and has clocked up less than 600,000 kilometres.”
The opening underlines DAF’s ambition to achieve further growth in Europe not only with new trucks but with used models as well. Because a used DAF is often literally as good as new but still costs less than a DAF with zero kilometres on the clock.
The new centre is located just off the Prague Ring (D0, exit 19 to be precise) and has a constant inventory of over 200 relatively new used DAF trucks, each one carefully selected and delivered directly from DAF, PACCAR Financial and PacLease.
