Time to bargain
While it is true that monthly new-vehicle sales figures released by the National Automobile Association of South Africa (Naamsa) have shown surprising growth the past few months, a number of industry insiders have told CAR that this trend is partly due to industry practises that artificially inflate the numbers. Pre-registration of new cars is one such activity, but the one that may be beneficial to those shopping for a new car are the massive incentives currently offered in an extremely competitive market. This is good news for a new-car buyers.
We hear that, even at the popular R110 000 price level, big discounts are offered so, if youââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ûre heading out to a showroom today, donââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ût forget to haggle. Right now, you should not pay list price for most new vehicles. And, if youââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ûre shopping for a German medium-sized executive saloon, the discounts and deals are downright amazing.
But, the same insiders also predict that this buyerââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ûs market wonââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ût last for much longer as inflation starts to accelerate and the rand continues to be weak. Some predict price increases of up to 20 per cent during 2012.
With that in mind, consider our comprehensive new-model guide that starts on page 14. It details the many new models headed for our shores. A word of advice: as a new model approaches, the previous-generation offering will technically be on ââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Â¬ÃƒÂºrun-outââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ÿ, and you can use this information for haggling purposes as the dealer will be hard-pressed to sell an ââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Â¬ÃƒÂºoldââ€Å“öââ€Å“çââ€Å“ÿ new car when the new model is around the corner.
Also look out for our feature on 10 of the best-value cars on sale in South Africa right now (page 188), as well as our comparative test of three Korean-made entry-level offerings (page 46). The latter once again showed what a closely fought contest the budget segment is and why haggling is so important. In the end, the discount can be the deal-clincher or breaker. Drive as hard a bargain as you can.