Which Forklift Should You Choose: New or Used?

Choosing a new or used forklift is a question most customers would likely find themselves asking when looking to purchase a forklift. There are various arguments for each forklift as to which one a customer should choose. In this article, we will investigate what these arguments are to help you make a more informed choice on your next forklift purchase.

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New Forklifts

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Warranty​

All of our new forklifts come with up to 5 years warranty, depending on the customers preference. This provides a greater piece of mind for customers so that they can reduce risk on their purchase of a forklift.

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Factory condition

New forklifts have not had any wear or tear on them meaning they will be bought with a new paint job, new tyres, and everything in perfect running condition. They will look visually appearing, whilst also running as best as they will during their life time.

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New technology​

As technology evolves, so do our forklifts. All of our new forklifts come with the latest technological updates to improve their performance. These updates are put in place to make forklift usage smoother, so by purchasing a new forklift, customers are ensuring they have purchased an easy-to-use forklift.

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Easy Access to Parts

Parts for new forklifts are readily available as they are still being manufactured. Used forklifts, however, become harder to find parts for as years go on, due to various reasons with the main one usually being that the part isn’t manufactured anymore.

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Used Forklifts

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Affordability​

Traditionally used forklifts were well below the price of new forklifts. However, since the era of COVID, used forklift prices have been on the rise. Majority of used forklifts can still be purchased for a cheaper price but depending on the make and model, some can be just as expensive as a new forklift.

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Risk v Reward

Used forklifts have the disadvantage of numerous owners and operators with the vast majority of customers only doing the minimum maintenance during their period of ownership. When considering the option to purchase used forklifts, there is the unknown history of the forklift and you are relying on the dealer to present the forklift in the best condition possible. The risk v lower pricing is the issue worth consideration.

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Old Features

Whilst most updates are often for the better, some customers may prefer traditional features on a forklift. Used forklifts come with this benefit as they would have been made years before the new updates started being manufactured into modern forklifts.

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Warranty

There is no legal requirement for warranty to be offered on used machinery. Some dealers provide limited warranty support and some do not. It is worth having this discussion with your supplier to obtain some level of warranty support if possible.

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You should also be requesting a copy of the warranty document so you can prepare yourself with the information to make an informed decision. This way there is no feeling of being let down later in the event of a warranty claim.