Using Mathematics to Help Buy a Car in the South African Context (Part 2)
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In the previous post (link to part 1) I discussed the basic mathematical ideas to have in mind when thinking about purchasing a car. I had decided I would look at cars in the range of 80 - 100 000 rand and I wanted to buy a used car because of the better value offered. The videos in post 1, suggest cars around the range of 2 - 4 years old, as they offer the best trade off between future maintenance costs and depreciation on the purchase price after you have bought it. I agree with the facts laid out and will probably look for something in the 3 to 4 year old range. However I still need to check to see if the same patterns on maintenance costs and depreciation are also true in the South African context.
This points to our next step in our search. How do we get accurate information relevant to the SA context to see if these ideas mentioned are true and so allow me to get closer to my ultimate goal, buying a car. I am going to start with an internet search to find that information and try to do my best to identify honest and reliable information providers.
Internet Search for Information:
Internet Search for Information:
Generally Useful Sites for Cars:
Gumtree
Gumtree
Cars.co.za
Autotrader
The authoritative independent body that makes this sort of information available seems to be the Kinsey report and is now co branded with the AA a specifically South African source. This is good for making the information relevant to our unique context and these well known parties seem suitably trustworthy to me.
I am also going to look at Gumtree which is an online site with a live marketplace and history of car sales prices. In order to make my time on Gumtree more relevant I am going to narrow it down to cars close to my price range. I have decided I will up my price range to 80 000 - 135 00 as I am willing to spend a bit more now to try and get a safer and nicer car.
Gumtree Car Information Search - Models identified
Gumtree Car Information Search - Models identified
1) Kia Picanto
2) Renault Stepway
3) Polo Vivo
4) Hyundai i10
5) Chevrolet Spark
After going to Gumtree, I was excited to find a wonderful built in tool that shows past histories of prices and gives a wonderful visual summary of the relevant data. I took a few screenshots and saved that information below. However I have provided the links for all the cars I am considering. There really is a wealth of free information provided and I would highly suggest looking through all of it!
Kia Picanto - link to Gumtree summary
VW Polo Vivo - link to Gumtree summary
Hyundai i10 - link to Gumtree summary
Chevrolet Spark - link to Gumtree summary
Okay thats a lot of information to process. Next time I will analyse the data for both resale and maintenance costs to see if the patterns described in post one videos seem to hold true in SA. I will also then start looking to confirm what car I really want to buy.
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