Brian Joss – Only one in three South African vehicle owners takes great pride in their cars with most of us describing our vehicles as “nothing special”.
However, half of us agree that our cars do reflect our personality. A special survey of more than 20 000 Gumtree users has revealed these and other fascinating insights into what South Africans think about cars and how they buy them and use them.
Some of the key findings: 44% describe their vehicle as “nothing special”
while 32% say it is either their “pride and joy” or “a symbol of my achievement”; 49% agreed that their vehicle reflected their personality; top four factors in buying a vehicle are fuel efficiency, reliability, safety and price.
The main barrier to buying a vehicle is affordability – 78% of people who did not own a vehicle responded that they either could not afford one or were in the process of saving for one.
People who don’t own a car favoured VW & Toyota as the cars they would realistically choose to buy and BMW, Mercedes and Audi as the top brands they dream about buying.
“Environmentally friendly” was the most popular asset of a dream vehicle.
Five percent of people who don’t own a vehicle were either “too scared of driving” or had “no interest in getting a license” and only 5% of respondents were in any kind of lift club for school runs or work.
