Second-hand off-roader values set to nosedive

The value of second-hand 4x4s could collapse over the next two years as massive numbers of used vehicles swamp the market.

A leading fleet specialist says that sales of 4x4s have soared from around 43,000 five years ago to a predicted 81,000 this year.

Nigel Stead, the head of contract hire firm JCT600, warned: 'Sales are booming at the moment, but when these vehicles eventually flood on to the second-hand market, supply will far outstrip demand.

'The values are bound to nosedive then.'

His warning is echoed by the latest report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which says that sales of off-roaders will peak at around 300,000 units in 1997 and then level off, leaving a glut of vehicles on the market.

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