Both manufacturers attract a lot of, in many ways, prejudiced criticism from those who are sold on other makes. The DAF and Iveco 7.5 tonners are very similar, sharing basically the same driveline components so faults found on one are similar to the other. IIRC the one difference is that the Iveco Tector- branded version of the same DAF Paccar- branded ■■■■■■■ engine is that the Tector does not use EGR. The difference mainly being in the manufacturer’s cabs, software, wiring and installation. Both though as makes have gained a reputation for electrical issues, but then other more ‘popular’ makes also have issues, it is just they are not talked about so much - it might spoil the image.
You appear to be looking for a high-end spec vehicle, so make sure that your money is spent on the vehicle and not concentrated on Dobbin’s accommodation and fancy paintwork. This particularly applies to Euro VI vehicles, they can be expensive to maintain and accurate diagnosis of fault is key. I cannot stress too highly NOT to build the bodywork over the top of the cab, the vehicle has been designed for the cab to tilt for maintenance. If you ignore this it will bite you hard in the wallet. You will be assured by the bodybuilder that they can accommodate the need to tilt with their design. It will leak and it will rattle and it will still end up costing you more for maintenance. A significant factor to be aware of is that any vehicle does not like long periods of disuse and your application by definition encouages just that.
As with all commercial vehicle purchases the local dealer support can make all the difference between having a good experience with a slightly poorer vehicle and a bad experience with a better one. You will probably do well to start by having a look around the main dealers’ forecourts to see what they have on sale and who operated it before. Avoid tipper chassis.
You need to plan what you want bodywise before you look for a chassis so that you buy the correct wheelbase and know how much the body plus contents is going to weigh. A long wheelbase Iveco with a curtainside body with an internal length of 7 metres is going to weigh just under 5000kg . Iveco or DAF spec sheets will give you bare chassis weights for every wheelbase offered, but read the small print regarding how much fuel etc is carried. Also worth considering is that the shorter the wheelbase, the worse the ride quality. Air suspension will definitely improve this but you will have to look harder to find your vehicle. You will have to look even harder to find a vehicle with a genuine automatic transmission (epicyclic gearbox). You will find one with an Automated gearbox. ie a manual gearbox with automated gearchanging, but expect this to be more troublesome than a standard manual gearbox. It will also give a more jerky ride although even a manual 'box will require care with clutch control to ensure truly smooth progress and seemless gearchanges.
Not much said about comparing? no, much the same in my opinion but I know more long-term Iveco users than I do DAF ones.
The link may be useful but I can’t find one for Iveco.