Car parts comparison
For most of us, when we buy a car, we look with our heart – sort of fall in love. Then we look at the purchase price to see if we can afford it. Nothing kills off love as much as not being able to afford the first date. Eventually, we settle for a car we can afford and convince ourselves that this is actually our true love. Okay, some just put the key in and vroom off, but you get the drift.
The thing is, as with any long term relationship, there are costs down the line. If you are planning a relationship with a car, you could do well to think of this when you next buy a new one. Thanks to our friends at the Automobile Association and their wonderfully comprehensive list of spare parts prices, you can get a handle on what your car should cost you over time.
Unless you are super brand loyal, you will tend to look at a range of similar cars. The AA has cleverly created 11 categories, ranging from Entry Level and Budget to LCV Double Cab and Electric. They did not include all vehicles in every class, as this would have made their report clumsy and too difficult to use. Instead, they selected the most popular vehicles in each class, and they tried to keep the vehicle price range as tight as possible.
One area where you cannot predict the cost over the lifetime is fuel, as that can and does vary a lot. You can find out what your car’s mileage is, but even that will vary depending on how you drive and how well you maintain your car.
Car parts will go up with inflation and the currency exchange rate, but the ratio between different models should remain quite steady. You will get the same basket of parts for each vehicle, divided into Service Parts (filters, plugs, brake pads etc.), Maintenance parts (timing chain, chocks, etc.) and body repair parts (everything from the bonnet to the rear light assembly).
Let’s look at the very popular range of Budget Cars, here represented by the Citroen C3 1.2 Feel, Ford Figo 1.5 Titanium, Mahindra XUV300 1.2, Nissan Magnite 1.0 Acenta, Suzuki Brezza 1.5GL A/T and the VW Polo Vivo 1.6 Highline.
In maintenance parts, the Ford is cheapest at R3 347.78 with the Nissan close at R3 692.41. The Mahindra is the most expensive at R8 916.17, followed by the Citroen at R6 948.88.
There is a big jump in Maintenance Parts, with the Ford coming in at R8 699, followed by the Nissan and Polo at R12k plus change. The Mahindra is over R21k, while the Citroen is just under R21k.
The list of Body Repair Parts is slightly strange because you won’t decide to crash only your LH Front Fender as that is what you can afford. And if you needed to replace all the parts on this list, the insurance will write off your car instead. Still, it is interesting to look at what all the Body Repair Parts will total for each of the vehicles on our list.
Not surprisingly, the Ford comes in lowest at R41 207, followed by the Polo at R65k. The Nissan is the most expensive at R93k, with the Citroen, Mahindra and Suzuki all in the R80-somethings range.
The last list is nice to know, but service and maintenance parts lists can help you make a sensible decision when you buy your next car, especially if you have to consider the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty and service plan.
