BUYING ON A BUDGET
The South African motorist spends between R80 to R150 000 on a car if one looks at the monthly new car sales figures as published in TOPCAR magazine.
While brands such as Hyundai and Kia do not report monthly figures, these two brands are selling significant numbers which can bee seen by the number of cars on our roads.
Currently the top ten selling vehicles in the above mentioned price bracket are
VW POLO VIV0
VW POLO
Ford Figo
Chev Spark
Nissan Micra
Toyota Yaris
Chev Aveo
Fiat Punto
Toyota Aygo
Tata Indica Vista
Both Hyundai and Kia would have models in the top ten giving some thought as to how much market share Toyota and VW have lost to the Korean powerhouse.
Indian brand TATA has made litle impact on the budget car segment and so it is with the Chinese brands of which only Chana reports monthly sales figures and more recently GWM. Other Chinese brands such as the recently re-launched Geely, Chery and Zotye offer budget vehicles, however quality, safety, reliabity and resale value remain major issues before I can recomend these vehicles with confidence. As for Proton well I have yet to see a Saga on the road let alone read a test about one.
Here is the full range of cars for sale in South Africa at under R150 000
Chery QQ
Chery J1
Chev Spark Lite
Chev Spark
Chev Aceo
Citroen C1
Daihatsu Charade
Daihatsu Sirion
Fiat Punto
Fiat Panda
Fiat 500
Ford Figo
Geely LC
Geely Mk2
Geely MK
GWM Florid
GWM CB150
Hyundai Atos
Hyundai i10
Hyundai Getz
Hyundai Accent
Kia Picanto
Nissan Micra
Peogeot 107
Peugeot 207
Proton Saga
Renault Sandero
Renault Logan
Renault Twingo
Suzuki Alto
Tata Indica
Tata Indica Vista
Toyota Aygo
Toyota Yaris
VW POLO Vivo
VW Polo
Zotye Nomad
So what would I spend my money on? Well here are my top 5 choices
Fiat 500
Fiat Panda
VW Polo
Hyundai i10
Hyundai Accent
When buying on a budget look for quality, reliabity and safety. I cannot recommend any of the Chinese, Malaysian or Indian brands. Put your money somewhere worthwhile and you will have a satisfying ownership experience.