Know any new car bargains?

Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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When I think of new car bargains, all my references are from five years ago. Cars like the new Kia Rio (for R140 000), the new Hyundai Accent sedan (for R160 000) and even the new Polo GTI DSG (for only R270 000).

No matter how hard I think about the latest cars on sale now, I can't think of a single new car that feels like a real bargain (value for money - not just cheap and cheerful).

Have you seen any?
 
Foxhound5366 said:
I hadn't been expecting that, lol. Do you own one? Is it reliable, and what's the quality like?
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Wow. That price is actually amazing for such a large car. The fuel consumption seems high but wonder why this car isn't so popular in SA
 
Foxhound5366 said:
I hadn't been expecting that, lol. Do you own one? Is it reliable, and what's the quality like?
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No, but I am thinking hard of buying one, I am still doing my homework. It looks good on paper and also has a 4 star Euroncap rating, one of the few Chinese cars to undergo one I think, reliability, parts and after sales service are still unknown quantities at this point, as soon as get some info on that, i'll be able to make an informed decision.
 
You know, it speaks volumes that there is only one suggestion of a bargain car so far these days, and that is a Geely.

It makes you wonder, when did the car manufacturing industry get so disconnected from consumer affordability that the quality manufacturers cannot deliver a single bargain anymore?

I feel their pain, caught between salaries that don't match inflation (i.e. people are getting poorer every year) and the increasing costs of potential customers demanding the latest safety and luxury conveniences (and then not buying anyway) but still ... no matter what you're selling, if you let yourself get painted into a corner where you can't deliver bargains anymore, then there's some serious introspection needed.
 
thechamp said:
No, but I am thinking hard of buying one, I am still doing my homework. It looks good on paper and also has a 4 star Euroncap rating, one of the few Chinese cars to undergo one I think, reliability, parts and after sales service are still unknown quantities at this point, as soon as get some info on that, i'll be able to make an informed decision.
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I know someone who has one. It's actually not bad, but it's definitely not quick. Hasn't given any trouble (not sure of the mileage but she's had it for a few years already). If you're looking for a car that's big and comfortable and cheap, have a look at it. I drove it for a weekend when my car broke down a while back, and was pleasantly surprised - it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd assumed it would be :)
 
Colin62 said:
I know someone who has one. It's actually not bad, but it's definitely not quick. Hasn't given any trouble (not sure of the mileage but she's had it for a few years already). If you're looking for a car that's big and comfortable and cheap, have a look at it. I drove it for a weekend when my car broke down a while back, and was pleasantly surprised - it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd assumed it would be :)
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No dealerships in Durban is worrying closest seems to be Ricard's Bay
 
Always thought that the Mahindra XUV 500 was quite a good value proposition....
 
Foxhound5366 said:
You know, it speaks volumes that there is only one suggestion of a bargain car so far these days, and that is a Geely.

It makes you wonder, when did the car manufacturing industry get so disconnected from consumer affordability that the quality manufacturers cannot deliver a single bargain anymore?

I feel their pain, caught between salaries that don't match inflation (i.e. people are getting poorer every year) and the increasing costs of potential customers demanding the latest safety and luxury conveniences (and then not buying anyway) but still ... no matter what you're selling, if you let yourself get painted into a corner where you can't deliver bargains anymore, then there's some serious introspection needed.
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You could also see it as competition increasing to such a point that it's almost impossible to uncut competitors and offer that "bargain".
 
Chevron said:
You could also see it as competition increasing to such a point that it's almost impossible to uncut competitors and offer that "bargain".
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Nothing is impossible. If your business model isn't permitting you to innovate and offer genuine value, then the entire business model needs to change.

Back in the day the Kia Rio was a great value hatchback in an era where all its competitors cost R20 000 more. Sadly, the exchange rate has now inversed that success, and Kias are now all R20 000 more expensive.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Nothing is impossible. If your business model isn't permitting you to innovate and offer genuine value, then the entire business model needs to change.
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You sound like some motivational speaker trying to hype up a seminar, and that statement is about as close to reality as a flying pig.
 
Colin62 said:
You sound like some motivational speaker trying to hype up a seminar, and that statement is about as close to reality as a flying pig.
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And you sound about as narrow-minded and backward as ... yourself. Pigs fly all the time, but they're not made to do so by people like you.

The thing is, in any industry the business has to respond to the market. We're well beyond the phase of industrialisation that just manufactured widgets and hoped to sell them.

A bakery that's unaffordable doesn't complain about the cost of ingredients and the high taxes: it changes its business model (different products, cheaper rent, area with more foot traffic etc) until it can offer prices that are affordable. It does that, or it goes out of business.

Although dealerships are indeed going out of business, the root of the affordability crisis lies higher up the chain. For now the lack of affordability is masked by the egos of South Africans and their willingness to bankrupt themselves through debt, but we're already seeing the steady decline in sales as that trend maxes out.

Do we sit back and wring our hands powerlessly at how impossible it is to get decent profits, or do we just tell the motor industry that the status quo is unacceptable and they need to change?
 
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Colin62 said:
I know someone who has one. It's actually not bad, but it's definitely not quick. Hasn't given any trouble (not sure of the mileage but she's had it for a few years already). If you're looking for a car that's big and comfortable and cheap, have a look at it. I drove it for a weekend when my car broke down a while back, and was pleasantly surprised - it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd assumed it would be :)
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Are you still driving the CX3? What's your opinion now that you've driven it for some time?
 
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