BootsnAll Travel Community

Howdy.

My girlfriend and I are planning on heading to south africa in the not so distant future, and we want to save up a bunch of money to buy a car when we are there so we can drive to parks to camp, and just so we have more contol over where and when we go place! I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much we should look at spending for a decent car that hopefully wont break down on us. And also, what is the average cost of car insurance down there? And would there be any problems driving across borders? like Mozambique/Zimbabwe?

Thanks alot!!

Brad the Scientist

Ok so this will not be much help now but I am planning a similar trip and plan on doing the same thing next spring. I have a SA friend looking in to it and will get back to you when he gets back to me. But myguess is that that will be about 3-4 weeks...

the little research I have done so far says its about the same as here in the states for a used car... depending on the car $2000-$10,000US but again thats not much help... sorry

Hi There

Due to import restrictions and high duties, cars are very expensive here, especially compared to the USA.

You can get a banger that will get you around town for a few months and then sell again for the same price. That would set you back between R10k-R20K (SA Rands)

If you want to drive around the country (big country!) you would be looking in the region of R35K-R40k for a small economical car, or R50-R70 for a 4x4. Try to resist the temptation to buy a bigger car, as the petrol prices here are high and the distances large. A trip to Jo-burg from Cape Town in a 4x4 would set you back R2000 in fuel alone.
Cars I would recommend. Opel corsa utility with lockable canopy (very easy to sell), Any kind of VW Golf or small Toyota (conquest, Tazz)

Depending on your itinery, ideally you would buy the car in Jo-burg and then sell it in CT. Cars are much cheaper in Jo-Burg and have no rust. You could easily make a profit this way.

For some strange reason car insurance is not mandatory in SA, but for peace of mind short term insurance will cost between R200 and R600/month depending on your driving record,age,car and time period. you can google and get an online quote, quite quickly.

Have a look at the cars for sale on www.gumtree.co.za or if you buy through a dealer, you can quite safely knock R10K off the price if you offer cash and don't back down.

Cheers and good luck

Philip

Problem with cheapie cars is maintenance if they break down. Risky business! And trying to sell in a hurry to get your price back. You can get cheap rentals at roundabout cars - www.roundaboutcars.co.za. There are also some agencies in Cape Town that will sell you a car and agree to buy it back at a % of the price at the end of the deal. Can look it up for you if you are interested.

i dont know much about the situation with buying a car, but i leave for 3 months in pretoria tomorrow, and i'll need a car to get to where i'll be working. i looked into those things where you buy a car and they buy it back, and for 3 months it wasnt worth it. for about $350/month I get a compact from Avis, insured, which is the best deal i could get without buying a car, and considering the risk of having to fix a broken down car, etc, i think it's the best deal for me. the only complaint i have is a 100km/day limit, with 1 rand/km charge above that.

A good place to buy a cheap car is up in JHB - just remember that you are going to pay though to get around JHB to all the car places. For +- R30 000 I would get a second hand Golf 1 (Citi Golf). They are incredibly cheap to maintain.

The only drawback to buying a sedan for game parks is that you sit very low and often battle to see the animals over the long grass....

Insurance for a R 30 000 car registered in JHB +- R500 for comprehensive insurance or +- R200.00 for simple third party, fire and theft. Remember to bring a letter from your insurance if you have any 'no claims' bonuses back home.

Border posts are not a problem just make sure all you paperwork is in order and that you have a copy handy.

alternativeroute,

Do you know much about getting insurance for a 3-month period, that will be valid in neighboring countries such as mozambique and zimbabwe? We have bought a R53,000 vehicle and will probably just need 3rd party insurance.

Thanks,
Bob

Third party insurance is included with your license disk, and other insurance is not a legal requirement in SA! however most people take out at least "3rd party fire and theft"

Most insurance policies issued here are not valid in Mozambique (mine is though) I assume Zimbabwe will be in the same boat, especially at the moment I have never got short term insurance, but I think you may find it rather expensive.

Give me a shout if you like, when you get here and I can give you a hand.