Motoring25.01.2024

These cars sell for more second-hand than they do new

Some of the best-selling car models in South Africa are selling for more second-hand than off the showroom floor, a MyBroadband analysis has revealed.

We found that three of the top six best-selling cars in South Africa are selling for more than their retail prices on second-hand marketplaces, with some prices being inflated by over R20,000.

According to Naamsa’s latest new-vehicle sales data report, the best-selling cars in South Africa include the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Toyota Vitz, Volkswagen Polo Vivo, Toyota Corolla Cross, and Isuzu D-Max.

We used these vehicles for the comparison. We used the following criteria to ensure the comparison remained consistent:

Used car models must match the engine, transmission, drivetrain, and trim specifications; and,
Used car models must have at least 2,000km on the clock and must have been registered in 2023 at the latest.

Using the above criteria, we found the five most expensive options for each vehicle model on second-hand marketplaces like AutoTrader and Cars.co.za and calculated average pricing and mileage.

Our findings show that the Toyota Vitz XR 1.0 automatic offers the biggest return on investment.

Toyota is selling the Vitz for R214,900, while the top five most expensive options second-hand average R237,937 — just over R23,000 more than the manufacturer’s asking price.

All listings considered were for 2023 models, with the mileage across the five most expensive listings averaging R5,096km.

For many, bakkies are a part of life in South Africa, and some double-cab models like the Ford Ranger XLT Bi-Turbo are selling for inflated prices in second-hand marketplaces.

Pricing for the bakkie through Ford starts at R748,800. Our search found that the top five most expensive options averaged R771,599 — R22,799 more than the retail price.

However, it should be noted that these were low-mileage 2023 and 2024 models, averaging 7,110km on the clock.

The Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 XR Hybrid is also selling for more second-hand than the manufacturer asks for the vehicle, but only by a small margin.

This spec of the Corolla Cross starts at R527,200 new, and the top five most expensive second-hand options average R527,757 — just over R500 more than the retail price.

These only included 2023 models with very low kilometres, with average mileage across the listings being 3,800km.

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.6 Comfortline appears to hold its value pretty well. The manufacturer asks R311,300 for the new vehicle.

We found several second-hand models registered in 2023 and 2024 advertised at an average of around R310,000.

Those looking to buy a double-cab bakkie could score a good deal on the Isuzu D-Mac 3.0TD V-Cross, which costs R859,800 new.

The top five most expensive second-hand models averaged R818,938 and included options registered in 2023 and 2024, with an average mileage figure of 11,092km.

Pictures and pricing for the vehicles considered and a comparison with second-hand prices are listed below.