Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 prices have likely reached their lowest point and values could begin to rise next year, according to Steve Chadbourne, used truck sales manager at Mertrux.
Prices of the outgoing generation of Actros have tumbled due to a lack of demand in the export market resulting in an over-supply of units in the UK used market. The collapse of Gulliver’s Truck Hire also saw hundreds of fourth generation Actros flood the market.
“Axors are going fairly well because they’re pretty bullet proof, I’ve seen 13-plates going for £13,000 and they’re outstripping the Actros. The MP4 prices are coming down, and are now at a level where you’re almost at Renault and DAF prices,” Chadbourne explains.
“Part of the problem is that the export has dropped off, and you’re not getting the residual value. If you take an MP4 on a 13-plate with average mileage they’re selling at the auctions for about £9,000. The last MP3 I saw went for £21,000.”
As more African markets begin to tighten their import rules, exporting used trucks from the UK is becoming increasingly difficult, resulting in a saturation in the domestic market for certain products.
“Next year is the crux of seeing the MP4 returning on value as the MP3 becomes too old to go anywhere. Once they [MP4] start going, it will take a while as there’s a lot, but I think the prices will harden,” Chadbourne adds.”
“The market is in a cycle and now that the MP5 is out, you can probably add five years, taking you to 2024 when the MP5 will then be at export age. Then you might see the MP4 go [higher] again on prices because people won’t want to deal with the mirrorless systems and the technology of the MP5. Either way, there’s going to be a lull followed by a slow increase in prices for the next few years. In my mind, if you have an MP4 from 2016 onwards I think those are the vehicles that will be in a winning position.”
