How much SUV can I buy for R9 000 a month?

By Stuart Johnston

A repayment budget of R9 000 a month will gain you entry to an enticing area of the new  SUV market in South Africa. For comparative purposes, AutoTrader’s standard repayment template for this sort of purchasing advice article assumes a 10 per cent deposit on the purchase price, a repayment period of 60 months, and an interest rate on the financed amount of 12 percent.

Blue-chip customers will be able to negotiate an interest rate  closer to the current prime interest rate of 10 per cent  (some clients with high salaries and spotless credit records can even secure an interest rate of slightly below prime) but for most buyers, a rate of 12 per cent interest on the financed amount is par for the course.

The purchase price limit using  this method is R445 000

We used WesBank’s repayment calculator (easily available on-line) to work out the ceiling purchase price for SUVs. Using our standard repayment parameters ( as detailed above), the ceiling price for a repayment of 9 000 a month is a list price of just under  R445 000. The 10 per cent deposit works out at just under R44 700.

You are into the volume area of the SUV market at R9 000 a month

The R9 000 monthly  repayment puts you into the high sales volume area of the SUV market. We are talking about a choice of some 75 individual models, starting at the lower end of the price scale (where your deposit and repayments would be significantly lower) at around the R350 000 mark and extending up to R445 000.

This price segment is peppered with virtually all the proven brands in both SUV and Cross-Over models, as well as some relative newcomers well worth a look because of  good spec . “Un-Fortuner-ately”, the payment cut-off puts SA’s most popular SUV, the Toyota Fortuner, just out of reach at a monthly repayment of around R9 500 a month.

Consider the used model option

Of course,  there is always the option of buying a used model with attendant  price benefits, and  this is where AutoTrader plays  such a huge role in South African mobility.  We suggest that once you have made your choice on a new model, you key in those model details on our used car search engine, where currently over 70 000 used cars are listed!

Do you want a four-wheel-drive off-roader or a  “soft-roader”?

In this market, there are options for choosing four-wheel-drive versions or two-wheel-drive versions of the same model.  Decide what you want, and then what you realistically need, because obviously the four-wheel-drive kit adds a significant price premium. Even if you don’t plan on regular bundu bashing,  if you do a lot of fast dirt road travelling, four-wheel-drive adds  significant stability (and safety) to your trip to that far-flung game farm, or similar venue. It should also be noted that on very wet tar roads, particularly at higher speeds on the freeway, all-wheel-drive is much more stable under braking. Check which models in our choice list have all-wheel-drive.

Well worth checking out

The following is a list of SUVs and Cross-Overs that are definitely worth a second or third look at that R9 000 a month budget:

Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GLX Auto                               R348 900

Haval H6 2.0 T Luxury                                          R359 900

Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 GL                                         R364 995

Ford Kuga 1.5T Ambiente                                  R368 800

Nissan X-Trail 2.0 Vista                                        R371 500

Toyota RAV4 2.0 GX                                              R378 200

Hyundai  Tucson 2.0 Premium                       R379 900

Mazda CX5 2.0 Active                                          R382 700

Kia Sportage 2.0 Ignite Auto                            R390 995

Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Trendline         R403 900

Nissan X-Trail 2.5 4X4 Acenta                         R429 900

Subaru Forester 2.5 X                                          R435 000

Jeep Renegade 1.4 L T Limited                        R437 900