It looks as though Mercedes-Benz is targeting the younger driver with plenty of money with their South African car models. Following on from the A-class hatchback and the CLS four-door coupé, the new CLA class combines elements of both.

The CLA range uses the same chassis and mechanicals as the A-class, but is inspired by the design and lines of the CLS range to give a vehicle aimed directly at the younger executive.

Externally, the typically flowing coupé roof lines, coupled with high belt lines, give a streamlined, futuristic appearance designed to appeal to the sporty driver, while the interior enhances that impression. Starting with the sports seats, the instrument cluster with its impression of an airplane cockpit, through to the three-spoke steering wheel and the silver dials with red needles, the CLA interior screams luxury and performance.

There are four models available in South Africa, starting with the entry level CLA 180, with a four-cylinder, 1595 cc petrol engine coupled to either a six-speed manual transmission or a 7G-DCT automatic transmission system. This model has a top speed of 210 km/h and can reach 100 km/h in just 9.3 seconds from a standing start.

Next up the line is the CLA 200, which has the same engine and gearbox options, but has enhanced performance with a top speed of 230 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. Handling is also tweaked on the CLA 200, compared with the CLA 180, with the former having spring strut and wishbone suspension at the front and wishbone and control arm suspension on the rear, while the CLA 180 has spring strut and transverse link front and control arm and trailing arm at the rear.

The only diesel option in the CLA range is the CLA 220 CDI, fitted with a 2143 cc diesel power plant and the 7G-DCT automatic transmission. Despite these, the CLA 220 CDI still manages a top speed of 230 km/h and 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 8.2 seconds.

Top of the range is the permanent all-wheel drive CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC model. Fitted with a 1991 cc, four cylinder, turbo-charged petrol engine and the 7G-DCT automatic transmission, this beast reaches 100 km/h in a stunning 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h. The interior is enhanced with contrasting red stitching on the sports seats and a futuristic centre console to bring an F1 feel to everyday motoring.

So, if you’re an up and coming young executive with a longing for the sporty feel of a coupé, you could do far worse than try one of the new CLA class Mercedes-Benz models. You’re sure to create an impression when you drive any one of these!

Fuel consumption figures are calculated in a laboratory, under carefully controlled conditions that are very different to the prevailing conditions of driving. When the kilometre per litre ratio is tested in the laboratory, nothing is left to chance. Carmakers have perfected the art of lowering fuel use (and thus carbon emissions too) by resorting to the measures that include: tyres with extra traction; very smooth driving surfaces; taping over door cracks and grills to prevent wind resistance; switching off additional features such as air conditioning; driving the vehicle in high temperatures; and so on.

An international report puts the discrepancy between lab and real fuel consumption at about 25%. Some reviews published in car magazines say that the rule of thumb is to add 10% to the manufacturer’s figures for petrol engines and 20% for hybrids.

Since fuel consumption depends on numerous factors, ranging from climatic conditions and the condition of the car to loads carried and driving styles, there will always be some discrepancy; the worrying trend is that the discrepancy between the lab and real life fuel consumption is becoming bigger as years go by, not smaller.

So, if you are in the market for a new car, don’t go only by what the manufacturers say about the kilometres per litre ratio; rather, read the reviews and listen to word-of-mouth. By the way, if you happen to hear that some cars use less fuel than the manufactures claim they do – don’t write off such testimony as a fairy tale; this has been known to happen in real life.

Further reading:

The 10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars in South Africa

15 Ways to Save on Petrol

That’s according to the data collected by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) for the period from January to November 2012.

During that time, South Africans bought 405,349 brand-new vehicles. The most popular car brands were:

• Toyota, with 112,215 units sold. Toyota’s best selling vehicle was Toyota Hilux, which has sold more than 31,687 units between January and November 2012.
• Volkswagen, with 100,533 
units sold. The best-seller for this brand was Polo Vivo (being the winner, it deserves a repeat linked mention). With 32,726 units sold between January and November 2012, this was the number one selling model of any brand.
• General Motors South Africa (GMSA), with 64,859
units sold.
GMSA’s best selling model for 2012 was a Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Utility to be precise, which sold a total of 17,927 units between January and November 2012.

In 2009, there were 162 cars per 1000 of people in South Africa. If you are aching to join their ranks but do not have funds for a new vehicle, follow the links provided in this post to find last year’s most popular brands and models among the (mostly) second-hand cars offered on bidorbuy.

Don’t get excited.

As far as we know, it’s not available in South Africa yet.

Actually, it’s not available yet, period.

The Lamborghini Urus is a SUV super vehicle unveiled on 22 April at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show. If it ever goes into production, it will have a 600 horsepower engine, all-wheel-drive, carbon-fibre interior, paddle-shifting technology, four seats, and – as it that was not enough! – a generous luggage compartment too.

All of the above translates into the newest luxury model that tries to marry the sports and the family features in one vehicle. Before Lamborghini, Ferrari and Tesla did something similar: the former with a four-wheel-drive four-seater, appropriately named Ferrari Four, and the latter with the Tesla Model X electric SUV.

In line with trends dictated by the spread of eco-awareness and the rise of fuel prices, the latest addition to the Lamborghini family of cars would burn less fuel (which equals less carbon dioxide emissions) for the same performance. Though it is almost five metres long and two metres wide, the Urus is built from lightweight materials. Hence its light touch as far as petrol goes.

Now, for the prize question number one: which company owns Lamborghini?

And the prize question number two: what in the world is Urus?

To start from the end, Urus, also known as Aurochs, is one of the large, wild ancestors of domestic cattle. That is to say, Lamborghini is sticking with bulls as imagery for its vehicles.

As for the owner of Lamborghini, it is, of course, that maker of cars for the masses, Volkswagen.

As for the prizes… the biggest prize is having learned something extremely useful, right? Plus, for your eyes only, here are the images of the formidable three:

Lamborghini Urus

Ferrari Four

Tesla Model X

On the other hand, if you’d rather look at what you can afford, head for the bidorbuy car section.

The rise in the price of petrol, the etolling, the pot holes…  It’s tough being a driver in South Africa these days.

There was once a motorist who envied pedestrians as he drove past them. That was because his was an old, fourth or fifth-hand vehicle (all he could afford at the time), prone to frequent breakdowns.

You may be driving a perfectly good second-hand car, or even a new one. Even so, the dark clouds that have gathered over the heads of South African motorists are probably enough to send you driving mad.

Worst news first.

From today, the price of petrol is going up by 71 cents in Gauteng (66 cents in coastal areas). Alas, that makes us feel nostalgic for the good old days of October 2011, when petrol pumps started displaying prices of above R10 / litre for the first time in the history of SA motoring…

And in less than thirty days Gauteng drivers will have the dubious privilege of driving under the dreaded etoll gates whenever they dip their toes (pardon, wheels) onto one of the highways that transverse the province. It is estimated that the privilege will cost an average private user of highways R300-R350 a month.

Gauteng motorists are protesting, loudly too. That may not save them from paying up, but it may have had a positive effect elsewhere: the media recently reported that Cape Town has shelved its own, similar etoll plans.

As an aside, have you noticed that roadside hawkers are now waving some red things at you as you wait at a robot? That’s because traffic officers have started checking boots and are fining R500 everyone who does not have a red triangle there.

So, if you find yourself envying pedestrians while you drive through back streets, carefully avoiding ever-bigger pot holes and trying to remember when was the last time you saw a red triangle in your boot, you may be tempted to sell your car and acquire a bike. Or a bicycle.

On the other hand, if you are like most of us and can’t do without a car (due to under-developed calf muscles, or perhaps to the lack of public transport), you might be thinking right now about upgrading your vehicle to something decently second-hand that’s easy on petrol.

In either case, the bidorbuy car section will welcome you.

Before you proceed, we suggest that you read up on some basic safety tips governing online (and offline) private car sales, whether you happen to be a buyer or a seller.

A great majority of them are listed in the classified format. That means that the prospective buyer contacts the seller, and the deal is concluded off the site. Some sellers prefer to put their cars on auction, usually with a minimum bid amount, although every now and then a brave seller will put his or her vehicle on a R1 auction, without reserve. (Look out for the bidorbuy Thursday R1 car auctions: one such auction is scheduled for 13 January and involves a 2005 Mercedes Benz.)

At the time of writing this post, the 10 most numerous car makes listed on bidorbuy were:

• Volkswagen (with 3910 vehicles)
• Toyota (2903)
• BMW (2503)
• Chevrolet (2076)
• Mercedes-Benz (1976)
• Opel (1528)
• Audi (1459)
• Ford (1373)
• Nissan (1345)
• Hyundai (960)

Quantity-wise, the least represented were: GoNow (with 9 vehicles), Saab (7), Bentley (5), CAM (5), Lotus (5), Maserati (5), Soyat (5), Rover (4), Foton (2), Lada (2), and, with one each, Daewoo, Daimler, Hafei, Meiya, Rolls Royce and Triumph. Some of those names are legends of the motoring world; others you may never heard of before.

Plus, there were 94 vehicles in other makes, among them a 2006 Corvette C6 6.0 Cabriolet priced at R1,250,000. Thanks to bidorbuy’s nifty repayment estimate functionality, you will immediately know that you’d need to fork out about R25,597 over 60 months for this beauty, clad in becoming red.

On the other hand, your budget may call for a car under R50,000, with the monthly repayments in the region of R1000.

Whichever car you are looking for, you are practically guaranteed to find it on bidorbuy.

If you baulk at browsing about seven hundred pages (give or take a few) for the car of your dreams, you can make use of the search functionality, located on the right hand side of the car category page. This allows you to look for a specific make of a car, in a specific location, within specific price range.

And if that is not enough, you may head for the advanced search option to specify your other requirements, for example distance travelled or type of seller (private or dealer). You can further fine-tune your search by entering corresponding keywords (for example, automatic, or cabriolet).

When looking for your next car, remember to give some thought to the insurance matters. bidorbuy makes this easy for you. Go to the Get affordable insurance page if you want to receive nine competitive quotes, or just to read advice from the experts on how to get the best insurance deal.

Buying a car is an expensive undertaking. Always exercise due caution when going about it. Proceed with the purchase only after inspecting the vehicle and confirming that the seller is the rightful owner. Read the bidorbuy article Beware of car scams to learn how to avoid possible pitfalls and ensure that your car buying experience on bidorbuy is a satisfying one.

Hot items are the ones that have at least two bids on auctions, two purchases on buy now or two responses on classifieds.

For an item to be rated “red hot”, the magic number is four: four bids, four purchases or four responses.

Economists say that the vehicle sales in South Africa are on an upward trend, which is one of the first signs that economy is recovering. Judging by the interest of buyers for cars on bidorbuy, the economists are right. There are few other items as hot as the cars are on the site nowadays. For example:

This Audi A6 started its journey with the opening bid of R55,000. Two bidders later, the current bid stands at R56,500.00, but the car is still waiting for its reserve price to be met before it changes owners. In this round, the bidders have got until tomorrow to act, for the auction closes on 10 March. (A hint: on bidorbuy, reserve price can be no more than 20 percent higher than the publicly stated price; now it’s up to you to do your maths).

The three “hot” BMWs pictured below are as different as they get. The 2001 BMW moved to R36,000 from the starting R30,000 with the help of four bidders. Greater things may lie in store for it, for the auction closes on 24 March. Its cousin, the 1996 BMW takes the final bow on the bidorbuy stage on 25 March and so far managed to accumulate seven bidders and the current highest bid of R21,550. Another BMW, a Z4 Roadster, climbed from the opening R145,000 to R147,000 with offers placed by two bidders. It’s still got a couple of days to tantalise the visitors with its beauty.

Judging from the single photo provided , the 1973 Buick is much loved and cuddled by its present owners. It appeared on bidorbuy on 20 February and will go to its new owner after the close of the auction on 11 March. So far, nine bidders have pushed its price to R28,500.00. The seller says that “she” needs TLC and a good home. This spec may make you sit up and pay attention: “the boot is big enough for double bed ( 4 persons )”.

The Triumph GT 6 is receiving a lot of attention: 21 bidders are fighting for it. Consequently, the current highest bid of R35,500.00 might be a bit of a disappointment, especially since the indicative market price is stated at R80,000. And the auction closes tomorrow… The seller says that the car is in Gr8 Condition, which in normal speak translates as “great condition”.

The only thing that the six cars pictured to the left have in common is that they all started from R1. The 1995 Mercedes has still got a long way to go before the auction closes on 25 March, but the listing already attracted 12 bidders. The highest bid now stands at R23,000.The 1999 Volvo has had ten bidders, with the top bid of R16,950 at the time of writing this blog.  Also from 1999 is the Ford Fiesta, with current bid of R13,750 and five bidders. The 2002 Picasso 1600 is currently at R32,051, after three bidders placed their bids.

The Tata Indica auction attracted ten bidders and managed to climb to R22,650, which is just under half of its indicative market price. (Do note this interchange in the Q&A Section: Q: Hi, why is the owner selling? A: Needs Money! Perhaps we are still not our of the woods economic situation wise – at least, not all of us!) The venerable 1985 Opel GL reached R3,020 after six bidders upped it opening R1 bid. The seller says the car is in running condition, so there could be more bids before the auction ends on 17 March.

Of course, the bravest car seller of them all is the seller of the 1996 BMW. He not only listed his vehicle with the opening bid of R1; he is also willing to list it for one single day. (That is why he gets his auction featured in the upper right hand corner of the bidorbuy home page.)

First, there is a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee on one-day, R1 auction which closes at midnight today.

Then there are a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6 and a 2006 VW Caddy Panel Van, with the opening bids of R77,000 and R60,000 respectively. These two repossessed cars (ah! such is life: one man’s misfortune is another man’s gain) are being auctioned off  by Standard Bank for the first time on bidorbuy. The auctions close tomorrow afternoon, and you may read more about them in the bidorbuy press release.

From left to right: Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Focus 1.6 and VW Caddy Panel Van

The auction opens at 9 a.m. and closes about 3 p.m. Bidding starts from R1 and there is no reserve. In other words, the seller has to let the car go to the highest bidder, whatever the amount happens to be.

Unlike an “ordinary” C200, the Mercedes on the bidorbuy auction is a “facelift” model. According to the experts, “facelift” version has only minor exterior changes, but boasts some interesting developments under the skin.

Here are some of the features that recommend the newest vehicle on a R1 auction on bidorbuy: automatic transmission, leather interior, aircon, sunroof, Xenon lights, PDC (park distance control), front light washer, power steering, central locking, electric windows, height adjustable steering wheel, ABS, sound system (CD front loader and radio), etc.

As for the mileage, the car has 125000 kilometres under the hood.

The seller who decided to put this 2004 Mercedes Benz C200 on the mercy of the market forces is not new to the bidorbuy R1 auctions. The same seller, MissSale, has already sold several second-hand high-value cars on one-day, one-rand no-reserve auctions: a Mercedes-Benz CLK320 cabriolet in November 2008, a Jaguar S-Type in February 2009 and, most recently, an Audi TT in April 2009.

Although MissSale has occasionally professed a less than complete satisfaction with the prices her cars achieved in the past (“frankly, I expected more”, was one of her comments), she is apparently happy to keep listing them on auctions starting from R1. It could be because she has the propensity for taking risks. It could also be because the Thursday R1 auctions, which are widely promoted on-site, attract a lot of attention from the bidders and usually achieve better prices than similar vehicles sold in “normal”, less risky circumstances.

Make a note to visit the R1 Mercedes Benz auction on bidorbuy on Thursday 9 April. Whether you come in the capacity of a bidder or of a curious onlooker, it will surely provide you with plenty of excitement.

Both cars will be auctioned in the R1, no-reserve format. The highest bidder will walk away with the merchandise, no matter what the amount may be. This kind of auction is doubtlessly a boon for the buyers. They get to set the rules of the game. They get to set the price by deciding how much they are prepared to pay for the item on auction. Plus, there is the thrill of the bidding and outbidding the competition.

And what is the attraction for the sellers? Well, the R1 no-reserve auctions traditionally attract a lot of interest among more than 330,000 members of the bidorbuy community. The result is – the final price that approaches the seller’s ideal price.

Therefore, if you are in the market for a car, hold off till Thursday this week or Thursday next week and get one of these two beauties, shown here back to back:

Citi Golf Chico 1.4 and Jaguar S-Type 4.0 V8