The best and worst cars for part prices in South Africa
Renowned motor journalist, Malcolm Kinsey, has released his Kinsey report for 2017 – detailing how much it costs to service and repair a car in South Africa.
Kinsey stated that the local motor industry is currently facing a “crisis” with manufacturers withdrawing from the country, old established brands no longer being imported and many dealer networks are negotiating for new vehicles to replace their old products.
“One of the early brands to exodus the country was Citroen. Peugeot SA decided to concentrate on the Peugeot range and stop importing the sister vehicles. Peugeot then acquired the Vauxhall and Opel brands from General Motors worldwide,” he writes.
“The shock waves had barely subsided by the time General Motors announced that they were withdrawing from South Africa – curtailing the importing of mainly Korean-assembled Chevrolet and closing down their manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth.”
He noted it was not all doom and gloom however, as none of these events will leave motorists in the lurch.
Below are the vehicles he and his team outlined as the best in their respective classes.
City Cars and Entry Level winner – Datsun GO
The Datsun Go was the overall winner in this category, after being voted best in all three sections – service, repair and crash parts.
Second spot goes to the Polo Vivo which boasts the lowest percentage of parts cost to price of vehicle and second lowest crash parts cost. Third is the Hyundai i10, which scored well on crash parts.
The Tata Bolt, which was included for the first time, fared well in the repair costs category (2nd) and service costs (3rd) but was knocked back by the price of the rear fender which includes the whole side of the vehicle from the front door.
Super Mini winner – VW Polo 1.2 TSi
Top spot goes to the VW Polo 1.2 TSi with both the most economical basket and best basket to purchase – a good indication of all round value for money.
It also scored first in repair and crash parts and second in service. Second overall goes to the Renault Sandero which scores well in all three sections.
Third is the Renault Clio which just edged out the Ford Fiesta 1.0T.
Family Favourites winner – Toyota Corolla
For the third straight year this category is won by Toyota Corolla – the 1.6 Quest just pipping the 1.6 Prestige by a few thousand on the overall parts basket and also the percentage value for money.
The Corolla Prestige in second place has the third least expensive service price and the second best crash parts prices.
Third is the Nissan Almera 1.5 with competitive prices in each section, while the VW Golf GTi, comparatively expensive as a package, scores well in repair parts – in second place.
Compact Crossovers winner – Mahindra KUV
The Mahindra KUV 100 was the winner in this category, followed in second place by the Peugeot 2008, ahead of the Ford Ecosport 1.0T.
The Mahindra is lowest in the both the service and repair section while the Peugeot was voted best in the crash parts section.
Crossovers winner – Toyota Fortuner
This category is again won by the Toyota Fortuner – convincingly in both least expensive parts basket and percentage calculation.
Second goes to the RAV 4 2.0 – up 7 places from last year, while the Ford Kuga 1.5T placed in third.
All three have the least pricey crash parts, and all three have managed to beat inflation with their overall baskets being lower than in 2016.
Executive Crossovers winner – Toyota Prado 3.0 VX
The Toyota Prado 3.0 VX was the winner in this category, followed by the Volvo S60 with good prices in service (1st), repair (2nd) and crash (2nd) parts.
The Range Rover Evoque holds on to the third place, while fourth is the Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD which is a welcome newcomer and has the third least expensive crash parts basket.
Double Cabs winner – Hilux 2.8 GD
Toyota adds another win with their Hilux 2.8 GD, clinching the prize for best basket price and affordability percentage.
Second is the Nissan Navara and third the Isuzu KB 300, all tried and tested favourites. The GWM Steed 6 placed in fourth with impressively low servicing parts costs.
Single Cabs winner – Nissan NP 200
A Nissan first and second, the NP 200 ( half tonne) and NP 300 (1 tonne) take honours here.
The NP200 features well in all departments, service, repair and crash parts. The larger NP300 is second in service parts and third for both repair and crash parts.
Toyota’s Hilux 2.4 scores third overall and best for crash parts pricing while the Mahindra Scorpio takes third place for service parts prices.
Volvo clinches first spot again with the S60 with the BMW 320i close behind.
The Jaguar XE comes an impressive third, not too far behind.
The Jaguar has four items – front and rear discs and the 2 shock absorbers which make its repair parts the most expensive, while the Mercedes C200 is second in servicing parts and best in repair parts.
You can view the full price break-down for the cars listed above on the Kinsey website.
Read: Here are the significant new electric-car models coming to market
Loading ...
