DP's van - AIBU?

[KinkyAfro]

DP used to have his own business for which he bought a six-seater Ford transit van, he folded the business earlier this year and got a 'cards in' job with a company, massive van included.

The original van is sat on our driveway right in front of the living room window which faces out onto the street. My car is parked next to it (wide drive but not a long drive). I can no longer see out of the window which really pisses me off, I just like to be able to see out of the window, like the daylight coming in blah blah. Also because the new van has to be parked across the front of the drive, this means there's a lot of faffing about moving cars around if I need to leave before him.

I've suggested a number of times that he might want to sell the old van, it's in great condition, full service history which is important but he seems to think he'll only get £500 or so for it. A quick glance through some van websites looks like he could get up to £4k for it! I had another chat with him last night and he said that he wants to keep the van for if he ever wants to set up his own business again in a few years time!

AIBU to want the fucking thing moved off the drive and not want to have to stare at the back end of it for the next fucking few years?

[IceCreamBandit]

Keeping it there is costing you money and the van will be deteriorating as it's sat, not being used. Have you shown him the adverts? Does he know why you want it gone?

If he really does want to keep it, then can you find somewhere else for it to be parked? There's a place local to me does caravan storage but will let you park SORN'ed vehicles too for a small weekly fee.

[MelanieCheeks]

Webuyanycar is the best way to gauge the value.

[Leelu6]

YANBU. Set him a deadline...tell him the van needs to be sold by the end of 2015 or you will sell it yourself!

Natural light is a human right, I am sure.

[fuffapster]

YANBU. If it's just sitting there it's costing money (assuming it has road tax and insurance), and slowly losing value.
But the underlying issue is probably that he wants to feel like he can go back to being more independent as he was with his business.
My shot in the dark guess is that he was not so happy with moving to a salaried job, and getting rid of the van would be the final nail.
Maybe talk about selling the van and putting the money in some savings towards a future possible business? Or something to address the underlying issue?

[Seeyounearertime]

Would switching its place with your car help?

[tootiredtoknow]

Webuyanycar is the best way to gauge the value.

Don't be ridiculous. Just a quick check of one my vehicles says its worth 27k . You can't buy the same car anywhere for less than 32k.

Never sell your car to this kind of company. They're no better than pay day loan companies who take advantage of people who know no better.

[specialsubject]

webuyanycar tells you nothing for older vehicles, for which they pay sod all.

but vehicles need to be used, and of course it is costing money sat there. Leave it 'a few years' and it is definitely scrap, knackered tyres and wrecked engine.

the UK is full of second-hand vehicles and there is no need to keep unused ones.

[KinkyAfro]

The van is only 3 years old so it's totally worth selling. I have told him what he could possibly get for it and I just the 'setting up a business' line constantly. I've told him how pissed off I am looking at it but he refuses to park it elsewhere.

Moving my car onto the drive won't help as we are in and out at different times e.g. I put my car on the drive and he might be doing a late one and not get home until 2/3 in the morning. I then have to fanny about moving cars/vans about so I can go to work

[KinkyAfro]

He's totally happy about moving to a salaried job fuff, he hated having the business, he was so fed up, grumpy and very, very moany. He's very happy where he is, a few of his friends work there too.

This is only thing we really argue about but I guess there's not a lot I can do if he won't shift it. He's knows it's losing money

[fuffapster]

OK well I don't blame you for being annoyed about it.
Maybe developing the angle about what could be done with the money, rather than what is being lost (i.e. the van).
Hope it works out

[pootlebug]

Could you suggest things you could do with the money? Either:

• Save it, so that IF at some point he sets up on his own again, he has a good start towards buying a 2nd hand van; or
  
• Something that you need that the funds could be spent on.
  
  So focus on the positives, rather than the negative iyswim.

[honeysucklejasmine]

My friend has this. Her DH has four cars. He cycles to work most days. All four are taxed and insured. He refuses to see them as a waste of money, it drives her barmy. (Especially as he says they "can't afford" to have kids yet.)

Our advice to her when she told us about it was to tot up the value of each car and how much it costs to tax, insure and run each one, and present him with the total he has spent over the last few years. I imagine it would horrify him. People never notice when they are spending a little here, a little there, but a stark "here's the total you wasted" usually does the job.

I'd do the same for dp. Large vans are not cheap to tax or insure, let alone the value of it.

[NicoleWatterson]

Unless there's something specific about this van for work. If it's only 3 years old it will lose huge amounts of money keeping it on the drive ' in case'
Flog it, bank the money for another 'in case' van. Of course it will be worth more than £500 and he knows it.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Couldn't he sell it then keep the money to buy a secondhand van of the same year if he needs one again. I presume given the new rulings you have to insure and tax the vehicle even if it just sits on your drive way so is costing you hundreds per year.

Although he likes his job does the van represent an escape route back into self employment, has he actually come to terms with the fact he now goes to work as opposed to the freedom self employment gave him. The fact the van is there is almost like a comforter that he has another opportunity at his fingertips if things get too much at work, rather than having to go and buy another van which will take time.

Don't know if I have explained what I am trying to say clearly and you get where I am coming from.

[TyrannosaurusBex]

If he can pick up one like it for £500, why doesn't he do that when he needs it? Vehicles don't improve with sitting around for years.

[wowfudge]

Oliversmum - what are these new rulings? I could use this as a lever to get DP to shift his unused car off our drive.

[NicoleWatterson]

It needs to be continually taxed or SORNd. If it's SORNd it doesn't need to be insured
www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/uninsured-vehicles

You'd be silly to effectively leave a pile of cash out there uninsured though (you can get 'laid up' insurance though)

[wowfudge]

Darn - Nicole that was just what I thought the situation is. Hmm.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Sorry I thought you did have to insure it even though you didn't take it on the road.

I still think your dp is using it as a comfort blanket. Does he have any tendencies to hoard or has he just fixated on the van

[magoria]

Melanie wasnt saying sell through webuyanycar just to use the to gauge the value quickly and easily.

This will show how much it is really worth to sell.

[TiggyD]

If a 3 year old van is worth £4000 he should sell it and keep the money in a high interest account, and in 3 years he'll be able to buy a 3 year old van for the equivalent of £4000.

If he keeps it on the drive in 3 years time he will have a £1000 6 year old van that he's spent £2000 insuring for the last 3 years.

He's an idiot.

[Stinkilinky]

My DP gets attached to his vans. Maybe your DP is the same.

Current van costs a fortune to lease each month which we can't really afford now I'm a SAHM. When I suggested getting something cheaper he said he loved it and it was his "pal"

[sharonthewaspandthewineywall]

Autotrader give you a proper valuation. WEbuyanycar is a god damn rip off

[SistersOfPercy]

You can't gauge anything from webuyanycar their valuations are wildly inaccurate at best and for a van, a commercial vehicle, I suspect they couldn't come close.
Added to that they will email you for the next six months.

[Busyworkingmum71]

I agree with pootlebug - focus on the positive. Sell the van and put the money in a high interest account so he still has the buying potential. Leave the van on the drive and it will depreciate in value, rapidly. It's like opening your window every day and chucking a few fivers out.

If it's sorn and kept off the road you don't have to insure it. But leaving a £4k van on your drive permanently is just asking for it to be nicked. You'd be mad not to insure it at least for theft/damage.