News 105

Cheap cars are a relative term. What is affordable to my neighbour, an Arabian oil prince, could possibly be unrealistic to me. So, cheap cars need to be put into perspective to make any genuine sense. To the standard South African family, a low priced vehicle could indicate any motor vehicle significantly less costly than a new luxury German four door with a star on its bonnet. This means the term “cheap car” means an inexpensive car for the purpose and financial means of the person looking at such vehicle. Cheap cars could hence be seen as either a pre-owned car much less expensive than its new derivative, or alternatively a new motor vehicle of a smallish design without any stars beautifying its hood.

In the context of Africa, especially sub Saharan Africa, cheap cars will mean different things to a great many individuals than it would to their wealthier counter parts elsewhere in the world, who may acknowledge the above definition. To these people who would mostly be rural dwellers and often be subsistence farmers, an inexpensive car would mean an inexpensive car with great reliability and which would run on the smell of an oil rag. The vehicle would also need to be multi-purpose and drivers friendly. So, what might these cheap cars look like and would be their objective? To answer this one would want to look at the environment the car would be employed in as well as the application areas of such a car. Let’s consider a subsistence farmer in the Transkei area, who for several years worked on the mines and saved some cash to go “farming”. Although he might have a bit of money to buy seed etc. and also have a few oxen he could in span to plough with, he has no means to transport production goods, nor any transportation to sell his produce at any reasonable market. He additionally has no means to reach his local medical center 80 kilometer away on a dirt road or visit his children in Umtata.

This means the man’s requirement of a cheap car, might look something like: A durable vehicle, with a load area on the top, preferably a dish like device, able to carry some 301 kilo’s. A great suspension system to handle the roads, very good brakes, a smallish motor which is effortlessly and economically maintainable, light on gas , roomy inside and without having any splendid luxuries like radios, air-conditioning and leather seats (a real pig may from time to time share the seating, after all). The car, nevertheless, would need to have front lights and windscreen wipers. The petrol tank will have to be substantial enough to carry enough petrol as the nearest filling station is 80 kilo’s away, but he should be able to service the car himself. Overall the requirement would thus be a basic, strong and easy to run vehicle, not something to boast with at church or the local headman’s indaba. The Pricewell not more than 10-15 cows worth when new

Well now – how does your expectations of cheap cars compare with that of our Transkei companion?