Is Local Lekker when buying a new car?

General
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What do you consider when looking for a new vehicle? This is where I have to be very honest and say I probably know more about how an F1 car works than my own Yaris… And it looks like the time is coming for the Yaris to go into retirement.

@SharpSchutters ‘s article about Trump’s tariffs and the SA automotive sector got me thinking, should I be considering cars made in the country more highly? The same way other countries are doubling down on home products to give US tariffs the middle finger?

So far, my considerations are:

  1. Safety
  2. Size and ground clearance
  3. Fuel consumption and eco-friendliness
  4. Brand loyalty (what can I say… I was raised to be a Toyota lover)
  5. The Fun Stuff (tech, audio, colours etc.)

So should I add manufactured location to this list and support local? Or doesn’t that matter in the grand scheme of things?

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I would say yes, but then I would be a fat hypocrite because my last vehicle purchase was Chinese - the deal was incredible. To be fair, I feel that some local manufacturers are using the tariffs as cloud cover for a China import response.

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Are you happy with your purchase? I have been nervous of the new Chinese brands just because they are so new. With the Toyotas, VWs, Mercs (in my dreams) etc., they are very established here for services, accessing parts etc.

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I have a Chery and it came with a R60k upfront discount and a 5-year service plan. My bank balance is very happy with this purchase

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I am a Peugeot loyalist simply for aesthetics’ sake, but i have pretty much decided i will never buy a car again, unless i win the lotto and can buy an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint in good nick.

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You’re gonna have to define “good nick” because I have never known of an Alfa to be less than a couple hundred kilometres from an expensive repair.

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It doesnt need to run for me to look at it :smiley:

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Just bought a chinese car… when local brands can offer 7 years / 200,000km please let me know. Otherwise my patriotism is limited…

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My dad was a lifer at Ford Motor Company, pretty much developed the Ranger production line, so imagine the internal conflict when seeing the BYD Shark in the metal… That bakkie is super sexy and comes with mega aftersales add-ons. But with a sticker price of R1mil, my patriotism is still partially intact - at least until i win the powerball

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Is your car a tool or an ‘ego extension’ plaything? For me, it’s a tool. So Automatic vs. Manual then budget… and then chat to your mechanic. He’ll probably say “stick with Japanese.”
ncap is worth reviewing.
I went through this exercise a few years back and settled on an automatic Mazda2 hazumi. It’s been a happy little purchase.

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I added my criteria of “Being an affordable electric vehicle”. I used to own a Ford Ecosport. I now own a BYD Dolphin. I love my Dolphin, it is an improvement in safety, comfort, features and yes - even quality over what I had. :slightly_smiling_face:

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