Age and Depreciation
Alright, let’s talk about your van—specifically, why it’s worth less than a warm pint on a hot
day. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been dragging you through the grubby underbelly of
valuing a broken van, and now we’re zooming in on the factors that turn your once-proud
workhorse into a financial millstone. First up: **age**. It’s not just a number; it’s a value
assassin, creeping up on your van like a tax bill you forgot to pay. If you think your rusting
heap is still worth what it was a decade ago, I’ve got a bridge to sell you—and it’s in better
nick than your van.
Age is the grim reaper of the automotive world, and vans get it worse than most. Cars
might get pampered, polished, and parked in garages like precious pets, but vans?
They’re the workhorses—hauled through mud, stuffed with tools, and left to rot in laybys
while their owners scoff a bacon sarnie. They don’t age gracefully like a fine Scotch or one
of those irritatingly youthful Hollywood stars. No, vans age like a pair of cheap jeans—
faded, frayed, and falling apart at the seams. The moment you drove it off the forecourt,
depreciation kicked in faster than a V8 on full chat, slashing its value with every passing
year.
Let’s break it down. A brand-new van might cost you twenty grand—shiny, eager, and
ready to tackle the world. Give it five years, and it’s worth half that, even if you’ve treated it
like royalty. Ten years? You’re looking at a couple of grand, tops—assuming it still runs,
which yours probably doesn’t. Fifteen years? It’s barely worth the rust holding it together.
Depreciation isn’t linear either—it’s a cliff edge. The first few years are brutal, stripping
away value like a buzzsaw through balsa wood, then it slows down as the van limps into
pensioner territory. By the time it’s old enough to vote, it’s more likely to be a garden shed
than a vehicle.
Why does this happen? Simple: nobody wants an old van. Newer models have better tech
—satnavs, fuel efficiency, seats that don’t feel like medieval torture devices. An old van’s a
liability—creaky, thirsty, and prone to breakdowns that’ll cost more than a night out with
James May. Parts get scarce, repairs get pricey, and buyers vanish faster than my
patience at a vegan barbecue. Sure, there’s the odd classic—a vintage VW camper might
hold its own—but let’s be real: your knackered old Transit isn’t a collector’s item. It’s a
relic, and not the cool kind.
Here’s the kicker, though: age doesn’t mean worthless—not to us at *webuybrokenvans*.
While the market might turn its nose up at your 15-year-old rust bucket, we see potential.
Maybe it’s scrap, maybe it’s parts, maybe it’s a fixer-upper for some lunatic with a wrench
and a dream. Point is, we don’t care how old it is—we’ll buy it anyway. Our valuation
factors in the years, sure, but we don’t punish you for them like some stingy dealer trying
to haggle you down to a fiver. We’ve got the knack for spotting value in the wrinkles, and
we’ve got the cash to back it up.
Think about it: every year your van sits there, gathering dust and spiderwebs, it’s losing
more value than my credibility after that Prius review. Why let it rot when you can turn it
into money? Get online, punch in your reg, and let us give you a number that’ll make
sense of this depreciation nightmare. It’s not going to be a fortune—don’t kid yourself—but
it’ll be fair, and it’ll be quick. Your van’s not getting younger, and neither are you—so why
wait?
Age might be a thief, but we’re the ones who’ll steal it back and hand you some dosh
instead. Don’t let depreciation win—get a valuation and cash in before your van’s old
enough to claim a pension. It’s the smart move, and trust me, I don’t say that often.
