WeBuyCars goes from hero to zero

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WeBuyCars goes from hero to zero

South Africa's premier used vehicle dealer, WeBuyCars, has shed R8.07 billion in market capitalisation in 2026 amid shrinking margins, lower operating profit, and a significant cash decline.
 
Signs of trouble at the company emerged in the second half of 2025, when aggressively priced Chinese cars began to erode demand for its secondhand stock from established brands.
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As people realise what the chinese is actually selling, people will start to stop buying it or will buy less of it. People must be crazy to buy chery cars
 
"feature-packed models that offer similar build quality at lower prices"

Yeah sure as any new car is feature packed however as a recent trip to a panelbeater with a friend to check on progress of a Beetle he is restoring painted a different picture. The panelbeater had 4 various Chinese brand SUV's in their shop standing for weeks and one for 3 months already waiting for replacement parts. I asked the foremen guy what he thought of them, he said as far as being modern and well constructed they are on par but body panels are thinner and the metal stretches and tears way easier than traditional brands and seems to be prone to surface rust. Plastics used are also sub par which points to heavy use of recycled plastic. Suspension components/cross members etc seem to be made with thinner than usual steel and probably within a ball hair of passing quality control and nothing more. His words, not mine.
 
ThinkCentre said:
As people realise what the chinese is actually selling, people will start to stop buying it or will buy less of it. People must be crazy to buy chery cars
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I have Haval H6 with 84000 km on the clock and I have not had any problems. This narrative of crap Chinese cars is baseless.

My next car will also be Chinese.
 
bokka1 said:
I have Haval H6 with 84000 km on the clock and I have not had any problems. This narrative of crap Chinese cars is baseless.

My next car will also be Chinese.
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Some of the cars are definately crap. Look at the rear axles falling off which they have finally recalled. I wonder how they are going to fix that one.

China as a whole though is more capable than anywhere else in the world. Just look at how China has developed in the last 20 years in advanced industries. No one can compete. It is a matter of time before they are right up there and I think some of them are already there.

They just really need to sort out the local parts issue. Their reputation is still shaky and it's not helping.
 
ThinkCentre said:
As people realise what the chinese is actually selling, people will start to stop buying it or will buy less of it. People must be crazy to buy chery cars
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^^^
Here's a perfect example of the old deluded mentality that used to be iniquitous in SA and is now starting to change, hence we're seeing it in the numbers. This type of idiotic allegiance and blanket views about brands and their products is the type of thing you engage in when times are good. Times are not good anymore.
 
Corelli said:
Once the Chinese cars has completely taken over, there will be price hikes.
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The spoils go to those who win the war.
I have f*kol sympathy for the old guard.
Let them raise their prices then, we'll deal with it when we get there.
 
Brawler said:
Some of the cars are definately crap. Look at the rear axles falling off which they have finally recalled. I wonder how they are going to fix that one.


They just really need to sort out the local parts issue. Their reputation is still shaky and it's not helping.
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IMG_1492.jpeg
Rolf:ROFL:This is far from over. Seems like reports claim they have hidden other recalls and silently fix them.
 
The 2nd hand market is crashing as the old hyper inflated cars are no longer desired. The Chinese cars showed us what we can actually get for the price.
 
Brawler said:
Some of the cars are definately crap. Look at the rear axles falling off which they have finally recalled. I wonder how they are going to fix that one.
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If that's the determination then ford is crap too for spontaneously combusting.

You look hard enough, every manufacturer has issues.

Land Cruiser Fire Risk (2024–2027). Over 105,000 Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser Hybrid SUVs were recalled due to a plastic retaining clip on a fuel line near the tank. The clip can detach and cause a fuel leak, creating a severe fire hazard
 
acidrain said:
If that's the determination then ford is crap too for spontaneously combusting.

You look hard enough, every manufacturer has issues.

Land Cruiser Fire Risk (2024–2027). Over 105,000 Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser Hybrid SUVs were recalled due to a plastic retaining clip on a fuel line near the tank. The clip can detach and cause a fuel leak, creating a severe fire hazard
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Pfft, just a plastic retaining clip...

Toyota South Africa Motors has confirmed to Cars.co.za that its recently announced safety recall campaign for certain Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and Lexus LX600 models (which use the internally designated “V35A” motor) will include a full engine replacement.
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acidrain said:
If that's the determination then ford is crap too for spontaneously combusting.

You look hard enough, every manufacturer has issues.

Land Cruiser Fire Risk (2024–2027). Over 105,000 Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser Hybrid SUVs were recalled due to a plastic retaining clip on a fuel line near the tank. The clip can detach and cause a fuel leak, creating a severe fire hazard
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Agree every manufacturer has issues but you can't compare them to the rear axle falling off while driving down the road...
 
The reality like it or not is that the buying public can no longer afford to spend large amounts of money on cars, add the price of secondhand cars in this country and buying a brand-new car already knowing its price depreciates the second it leaves the showroom floor is the obvious choice. Where it comes to quality control, it is lacking in every single manufacturer, with the equation being simple, how many cars have to be faulty before we have to do something about it, and how many faults does it take before it affects our reputation. Today they sell the cars and worry about faults when someone complains.
 
RaptorSA said:
^^^
Here's a perfect example of the old deluded mentality that used to be iniquitous in SA and is now starting to change, hence we're seeing it in the numbers. This type of idiotic allegiance and blanket views about brands and their products is the type of thing you engage in when times are good. Times are not good anymore.
Click to expand...

If you read the complete article, you will notice there is welding issues with the cars. Suspension issues!
 
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cars are overpriced in this country, firstly the markups on locally made models are pure extortion, from a captive market
then imported NEW cars are expensive due to all the taxes, even the Chinese stupid U v's
used JDM cars are illegal officially, and unofficially a Pain in the A$$ to deal with,

so were left with what? webuycars, that at least tells you what your in for, can do the sums on repairs/fixes,
I mean would you rather buy off Gumtree/Facebook marketplace/uncles yard around the corner?

used car sales has always been a slimy and dodgy affair in SA
, I'm Surprised more politicians didn't start their careers selling used cars

although its a cycle, times are tough near the end of the year, Christmas bonus time comes around things can change.
 
ThinkCentre said:

If you read the complete article, you will notice there is welding issues with the cars. Suspension issues!
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Aah yes, that phase where we chery pick (pun intended) issues and recalls from a manufacturer to get to our conclusion.

www.ewn.co.za

More than 50 vehicle recalls in SA this year, but where are the Chinese brands?

Wendy Knowler investigates why the Chinese carmakers flooding the local market are largely absent from the NCC's safety recall notices, and the answer is troubling.
www.ewn.co.za
 
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