Huge car supersites have brought supermarket practices to car buying in the UK where a vast selection of piled high ­ sold cheap' vehicles represents massive savings on UK list prices. And now vans and pick-ups are being sold in the same way. Because they are bought in bulk at hefty discounts from the continent, it can prove cheaper to buy from a supersite in the UK than venture abroad yourself. The two biggest car supermarkets in the UK are Motorpoint (Derby): 0870 1213140 (www.motorpoint.co.uk ) and Trade Sales of Slough 0870 127 3763 (www.trade-sales.co.uk). They both boast considerable stocks of popular vans and pick-ups on sale, with some even already registered and ready to drive away. If this is the case, that could be useful for those who need a vehicle in a hurry ­ except that it is technically second-hand because the dealer had to register it in its own name and this can affect future resale values (but not by much). The only real downside to buying a new van in this way from a supersite is that you have minimal choice when it comes to ordering specific options and accessories. Also, you'll miss out on the longer and more expansive 36 month warranties which come as standard on the majority of vans these days, although you can independently purchase a separate guarantee to provide the same aftercare if you prefer. In the great majority of cases, an imported van will be identical to the official' UK model, although certain slight trim variations may creep in. However, while this can cause resale troubles with cars, it's less of a problem with a commercial vehicle that works hard for a living and where the resale value is not so important. A supersite can't match main dealer back up and it's likely the part-exchange allowance won't be as generous. If this is important to you, then think again. However, if you like the idea of saving a basketful of money, then visiting a local supermarket could provide the answer. If nothing else, it's worth a browse just to see what's on offer. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}