Should you buy new or should you splash your cash on the used market instead? It’s a question many consumers ask themselves when shopping around for a vehicle.
There are, of course, strong arguments to be made for either approach (something we won’t go into here), but the majority of you have likely already made up your minds.
Still, we thought it would be interesting to select a new vehicle, look at its basic price and have a dig around Gumtree to see what sort of second-hand options there are for the same money (like we did with the Ford Focus RS).
In this case, the vehicle in question is the flagship model in the new Kia Sportage range: the 1,6 GT Line AWD 7DCT, which employs a turbo-petrol mill worth 130 kW and 265 N.m, sending its oomph to all four corners via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The price new? R599 995…
A little time on Gumtree unearthed these five used alternatives with similar price-tags (click the vehicle name to view the listing in question). The first four boast seven seats, all-wheel drive and turbo-diesel hearts (as opposed to the five seats on offer in the smaller Sportage, which in this case is powered by a petrol unit), while the final vehicle offers some serious petrol-flavoured performance.
Of course, there are plenty more options on the used market (and we’ve no doubt you’ll point out other vehicles that appeal to you), but we found these three particularly interesting propositions.
2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE SD4
This particular derivative may have been discontinued, but its 2,2-litre turbo-diesel heart is still worth 140 kW and a significant 420 N.m, sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Land Rover says it will sip at 6,3 L/100 km, and sprint from standstill to three figures in 8,9 seconds. With 40 000 km on the clock, this example has the balance of its 100 000 km maintenance plan, which expires in mid-2020.
2015 Ford Everest 3,2 4WD Limited
The range-topping Everest (which currently goes for around R700 000) employs Ford’s 3,2-litre five-cylinder oil-burner, which means maximum outputs of 147 kW and 470 N.m. A six-speed automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive and locking rear differential come standard. This 2015 model has the balance of its five-year/100 000 km service plan (it currently has around 9 000 km on the clock).
2016 Hyundai Sante Fe 2,2 CRDi 4WD Elite
New, this flagship Hyundai goes for close to R740 000, but this second-hand example (with just 6 000 km under its belt) offers quite a saving. The 2,2-litre turbo-diesel engine is worth 145 kW and 436 N.m, with power sent to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. Much of the five-year/90 000 km service plan remains in place, too.
2016 Kia Sorento 2,2 CRDi AWD SX
Interestingly, certain Kia dealers appear to be discounting a handful of their seven-seater Sorento models at the moment. Indeed, this example – which shares its powertrain with the Sante Fe above – is brand new and thus represents a saving of some R100 000. And the warranty stretches for five years or an unlimited number of kilometres, while a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan is also standard.
We thought we’d throw this final example in as a bit of a joker, since it’s somewhat smaller than the other vehicles on the list, but offers proper performance (and a lovely five-cylinder soundtrack, to boot). Yes, this version of the RS Q3 uses a turbo-petrol five-pot worth 228 kW and 420 N.m (the latest model ups those figures to 250 kW and 450 N.m), with power directed to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The sprint to 100 km/h? A little over five seconds…
So, just one question remains: if it were your money, would you buy a new Kia Sportage or one of these? Or, indeed, something else?
