The usual summer lull has passed quickly this year, thanks to the wet weather and disappointing temperatures keeping buyers and vendors at work.

After a fortnight of calm, the halls are filling up again, with buyers vying for any stock they can get their hands on.

Late-year low mileage vehicles still remain in short supply and due to strong demand sale prices stay high.

The older end of the market is also buoyant. With stock plentiful, vehicles are being snapped up for £1,500 to £3,000.

Due to the current supply and demand situation, buyers have opened up their approaches, widening their nets to include more generic stock to fill their sites.

This is pushing prices up in all areas of the market.

Specifically, car-derived vans are attracting much attention and in turn, strong prices.

A Vauxhall Astra LS 1.7CDTi 04/54 plate made £375 above book price, selling at £3,400.

Surprisingly, the only van that is out of step in this sector is the Renault Kangoo – they are being bought for £100 to £200 below book value.

Good condition, low mileage small panel vans are in high demand.

Manheim Gloucester saw a batch of Silver 04/04 plate Nissan Primastars with air-con and mileage between 50,000 and 80,000 attract five or six bidders on each van.

A 78,000-mile Primastar sold for £5,975 – £1,325 above book price and a 55,000- mile van made £1,450 above book price.

Manheim Coventry recently sold the first used Volkswagen Transporter Sportline.

Manheim believes the Sportline, the latest model in the popular Transporter range, is set to take off as the new ‘one vehicle fits all’ solution for small business users who want a vehicle that fulfils day-to-day business needs and is smart enough to double up as family or leisure transport at the weekend.

The Sportline, with its distinctive styling, chrome rails and high spec cabin, is destined to spearhead a new trend in ‘business and pleasure’ commercial vehicles.

Large panel vans 3-0 tonnes plus are plentiful, although the high mileage, scruffy vehicles struggle to sell. Luckily for buyers, their favourite, the Ford Transit, is in good supply, and even a very high mileage van in good condition can reach its book price, as Manheim saw recently when a 117,000-mile Ford Transit 330 LWB medium roof 125bhp 04/53 plate sold for £4,550.

The tipper/dropside sector is still brisk, with most examples finding a home. Even a recent batch of below average condition Vauxhall Movano dropsides were bought for conversion into single car transporters.