Car prices, fuel prices, toll roads - these are the big phrases on the hit list when motorists talk about the increasing cost of getting from A to B, and rightfully so.
But one factor that doesn't get as much of the limelight is parts pricing. Sure, many cars come with service plans these days, but for those owners planning to keep their cars beyond that and those buying used, parts pricing can certainly tighten or loosen that noose around the neck.
Thankfully there is one man who makes it his mission to keep car companies on their toes when it comes to parts pricing. Malcolm Kinsey is known for a lot more than just his colourful shoe laces - every year the charismatic Durbanite compiles a comprehensive parts pricing comparison and this year's list is bigger than ever, with 64 vehicles in eight categories.
Rather than relying on the manufacturers to provide parts prices, Kinsey contacted the dealer network for genuine parts only and 34 different parts were surveyed, everything from air and oil filters to spark plugs, brake pads, cam belts, clutch plates, flywheels, aircon compressors and even body parts like bonnets, bumpers, windscreens and doors.
The results are not always as clear-cut as we'd like, which is why Kinsey asks us to bear in mind that some parts are sold in bundles and some components have a longer lifespan than others.
Once all the prices were tallied up, Kinsey calculated a total basket price, which was then worked out as a percentage of the vehicle's list price in order to rank the vehicles.
KIA PERFORMED POORLY
Surprisingly the best percentage belongs to the Tata Xenon double cab with a parts basket costing 18.44 percent of the vehicle's price (although all the bakkies actually did quite well) and Tata's Indica was among the worst performers (50.16 percent). The worst performer overall was the Kia Rio 1.4 TEC at 52.67 percent and the Picanto wasn't far behind at 50.7 percent. In fact, Kia performed quite poorly across the board.
Also rather disappointing on the entry level front was the Toyota Etios (42 percent) and a previous high scorer, the Renault Sandero, at 41.17 percent.
Now let's take a look at the categories, where we'll list the cars, their parts basket prices and what percentage of the car's overall price it represents. (Click here to view the full table on Kinsey's website)
RESULTS: 2012 KINSEY REPORT
(Car - basket price - percentage of list price)
CITY CARS
Nissan Micra 1.2 Acenta - R32 094.33 - 24.15%
Suzuki Alto 1.0 GLX - R36 723.62 - 30.13%
Hyundai i10 1.25 GLS - R42 637.15 - 37.11
Chevrolet Spark 1.2 LS - R51 907.95 - 44.56%
Tata Indica 1.4 LSI - R51 162.60 - 50.16%
Kia Picanto 1.2 EX - R60 335.12 - 50.70%
ENTRY CARS
Ford Figo 1.4 Trend - R34 383.91 - 26.43%
VW Polo Vivo 1.4 5dr - R43 595.05 - 36.48%
Renault Sandero 1.4 - R45 241.50 - 41.17%
Toyota Etios 1.5 XS 5dr - R50 778.04 - 42.00%
SUPER MINIS
Citroen DS3 1.6 VTI 3dr - R49 589.37 - 22.92%
Ford Fiesta 1.4 Ambiente 5dr - R46 086.05 - 26.94%
VW Polo 1.4 Comfortline 5dr - R50 377.26 - 28.19%
Hyundai i20 1.6 GLS 5dr - R48 580.16 - 28.59%
Toyota Yaris 1.3 XS 5dr - R52 855.44 - 28.88%
Chevrolet Sonic 1.6 LS 5dr - R50 089.18 - 29.19%
Fiat Punto 1.4 Easy 5dr - R54 208.78 - 35.61%
Honda Jazz 1.5 Elegance - R75 944.04 - 37.99%
Renault Clio 1.6 Yahoo 5dr - R70 700.66 - R44.22%
Kia Rio 1.4 TEC 5dr - R90 586.75 - 52.67%
FAMILY FAVOURITES
Nissan Tiida 1.6 Visia + - R44 823.19 - 22.31%
Toyota Corolla 1.6 Advanced - R67 037.90 - 27.11%
Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS - R63 251.75 - 27.51%
Alfa Giulietta 1.4 Multiair - 82 255.58 - 27.62%
Peugeot 308 1.6 VTi Active - R69 239.46 - 29.86%
Ford Focus 1.6 Ambiente 5dr - R65 355.08 - 30.36%
VW Golf 1.4 TSI Comfortline - R81 458.14 - 31.70%
Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 LS 4dr - R71 218.92 - 31.88%
MG6 Luxury 1.8T Luxury 4dr - R83 429.47 - 34.78%
Kia Cerato sedan 1.6 EX - R73 588.26 - 38.92%
EXECUTIVE
Volvo S60 T5 Essential - R103 143.52 - 25.35%
Hyundai Sonata 2.4 Exec - R83 302.61 - 26.88%
Jaguar XF 3.0 Luxury - R149 745.12 - 26.89%
Audi A4 1.8T S Multi - R97 035.98 - 27.80%
Honda Accord 2.4 AT - R107 468.93 - 28.26%
Mazda6 2.5 Active AT - R91 103.03 - 28.98%
Mercedes-Benz C180 AT - R111 381.70 - 29.04%
Lexus IS 250 E Auto - R115 112.87 - 30.30%
BMW 320i Auto - R168 823.15 - 44.36%
Kia Optima 2.4 Auto - R141 248.58 - 46.16%
COMPACT CROSSOVER
Suzuki SX4 2.0 CVT - R57 468.12 - 23.86%
Nissan Grand Livina 1.6 - R55 519.33 - 27.08%
Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia - R76 587.93 - 29.02%
Toyota Avanza 1.5 SX - R53 488.47 - 30.17%
Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 GL - R101 289.03 - 36.19%
CROSSOVER
Toyota Fortuner 3.0 D-4D RB - R81 958.12 - 20.04%
Peugeot 3008 2.0 HDI Allure - R81 967.44 - 24.40%
Subaru Forester 2.5 X manual - R101 348 - 30.90%
VW Tiguan 1.4 TSI Blue 4x2 - R95 410 - 31.23%
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 SE 4x4 - R111 997.45 - 32.95%
Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT - R104 061.01 - 33.00%
Land Rover Freelander TD4 - R143 208.69 - 35.02%
Hyundai ix35 2.0 CRD GLS - R110 680.79 - 35.15%
Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi AWD - R122 019.83 - 36.64%
DOUBLE CABS
Tata Xenon 2.2 DLE 4x2 - R42 123.70 - 18.44%
Toyota Hilux 3.0 D-4D Raider - R70 594.10 - 18.56%
Mazda BT 50 3.0 CRDi SLE - R66 504.90 - 18.74%
Ford Ranger 2.2 TDCi HP XLS - R65 513.71 - 19.70%
Isuzu KB 300 D-TEC LX - R75 232.56 - 20.57%
GWM Steed 5 2.5 TCi - R46 743.46 - 20.96%
VW Amarok 2.0 BiTDi 4Mo - R95 445.96 - 22.76%
Nissan Navara 2.5 DCi LE - R95 875.84 - 24.77%
