Golf 7 coming to South Africa

The new Volkswagen Golf 7 is coming to South Africa! Received with mixed feelings in the country, many people feel that it is "more of the same", while others are desperately looking forward to its arrival. The VW Golf is somewhat of an icon in South Africa, so regardless of the hot and cold initial reactions, I am certain that the product will be another hit for the German manufacturer.

Full article: The new VW Golf now in South Africa

Cars.co.za launches awesome new car website

Cars.co.za has released a new state of the art website for the South African car buying and selling community.

"Our goal was to keep the site as simple as possible for users to use, while adding new functionality and aesthetics" said a Cars.co.za spokesperson. The site combines colour and white space effectively to create a very clean look.

New website functionality

• New car section 
• Advanced new wishlist
• Enhanced "Browse used cars" functionality
• Social media integration 
• Car information articles

Raising the bar for Car websites

Cars.co.za believe that they have taken a huge leap forward, and that the new Cars website will set the standard for the motoring industry in South Africa. 

What do you think of the new site? http://www.cars.co.za

Over 17500 used cars for sale

South African used car advertising portal Cars.co.za has reached another vehicle stock milestone. The website, which services clients from all over South Africa, has now got over 17 500 used cars for sale listed on it. This means more choice for car buyers, and variety comes with its own host of advantages - getting the exact car what you want, negotiating power on car prices, ability to get a car closer to your home town - though sometimes secondary in their benefits ... every little bit helps.

If you are looking for a used car in South Africa, take a little gander at www.cars.co.za

Collection options to avoid drinking and driving

South African drivers are often left with a very serious dilemma... How to get home after having a few drinks. With even stricter laws being enforced to keep our roads safe, having even a couple of drinks could result in large fines or even jail time. While this hard stance is very necessary from a safety point, it does throw a potential dampener on the festive season, as a spontaneous drink or two is out of the question... or is it?
With the advent of designated driver collection / taxi / chauffeur services, South Africans and their cars can now be collected from just about anywhere in the country after having a few too many. This solves the riddle of getting both yourself and your vehicle home safely after a night out. To find out more about these drunk driver collection services, visit Cars.co.za's article post : Designated driver services in SA. The article fully discusses the procedures, costs and benefits of such services, as well as providing a lost of some of the major chauffeur services available in South Africa.
With options like this available, there really is no excuse left to drink and drive. Lets make South Africa's roads safer!

Looking for a car dealership in your area?

Finding the right dealership to buy your car from is important. As a consumer, you want to feel that your best interests are being looked after when it comes to price, quality and service.

Some users prefer to use our simple search facility to shortlist potential vehicles, contact the dealership though the Cars.co.za website and then visit the physical dealer stand for viewing. Others prefer to deal with a single car dealer. By visiting our car dealers page, you may browse thousands of car dealerships nationwide, and view the stock of all participating dealers who advertise on Cars.co.za.Cars.co.za has hundreds of dealer partners from across South Africa. These dealers make up the bulk of the used car stock which is advertised daily on the Cars.co.za website.

Viewing car dealer stock online is a great way to not only find your car, buy also key negotiating information such as competitive prices, other dealership offerings etc.

How to save money instantly with car refinancing

Car financing is a common enough practice in South Africa, where car buyers obtain a loan to purchase their car and pay the lender back over a period of time. The monthly installments are usually fixed, with a slight increase every year. This enables the buyer to get the car immediately and pay it off over a predetermined budget period.

Car refinancing (car financing's lesser know sibling), enables buyers to obtain a second loan after a period of time to pay off the balance of the initial loan. This leaves room for renegotiation of interest rates and usually a reduction in monthly loan installments.
Why is this so beneficial?
The major benefit is that by refinancing your loan, you are able to increase your monthly expendable income overnight, which, in times of financial difficulty can be a prayer answered.

Cars.co.za has compiled a comprehensive article on car refinancing, highlighting the advantages of refinancing, disadvantages of refinancing, requirements for refinancing and examples of how car refinancing can save you money.

Follow this link to view our article on: Car refinancing and see how you too can save money overnight on your car finance, then simply complete our car finance form to get a quote from our independent car finance provider.

December new car specials launched

With Christmas around the corner, shopping becomes the order of the day. Cars.co.za, together with our dealer partners, has launched our new car specials for December to help you get that new car you have always wanted.
This month's specials include:

• Buy a 2011 Volkswagen Polo 1.5 Comfortline for the price of a 1.4
• Get an Opel Astra 1.4 Turbo plus from only R 3 779 per month
• Drive a Citroen DS3 150 Turbo high pressure sport from R 261 900 incl VAT
• Buy the new Suzuki Kuzashi from only R 295 000
• Drive a 2010 Toyota Corolla 1.6 Professional from only R 3 865 per month

Plus, there are still a few days left to cash in on our November car specials. There is no time to lose! Start the festive season with a bang and treat yourself to your dream car at a great price!

Should I buy my new car from a dealership or a private seller?

Information is power, especially when making a major purchase like a new car.

The next article in the car buyers guide series has been released. This article covers the topic of whether to buy your next car from a car dealer or from a private seller. While the answer is purely subjective, the article discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of each form of purchase with the aim to helping each user make the right choice for themselves when buying a car. Though a lot of the main reasoning is well documented and well know, there are a couple of intricacies discussed, which are often overlooked by the hurried buyer.

To read the full article comparing buying a car from a dealer and a private individual in South Africa, follow this link to Cars.co.za : Should I buy my car from a dealer or private seller

Should I buy or lease my car?

We have recently launched a new article into our car buyers guide. This article, the first in the car buyers guide section, tackles the question of whether to buy or lease your next car.

The decision to buy or lease has many financial repercussions and is pivotal in determining where to look for you new car. Buying is a fairly common transaction in our South African society, but leasing is a term which is often misunderstood. To make this decision less daunting, the article defines both terms and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each form of purchasing.

If you are in the market for a car, are likely to be in the near future, or know of anyone who is looking to purchase a new vehicle, this article is definitely the first place to start.

Link to the full article buying vs leasing article : Buying vs Leasing a carLink to the Car buyers guide : The Car Buyers Guide

Car buyers guide launched

Buying a car inherently comes with many difficult decisions. Wrong decisions could result in the wrong purchase, and with cars being such a indispensable and yes, expensive, commodity, a wrong purchase is just not an option.

Cars.co.za has begun creating a car buyers guide which will take the consumer through the intricacies of the car buying process, with the goal of aiding our users find the right car. This 15 step process will enable users to make more confident buys, which should in turn result in better pricing. Once the buying process, or part thereof, has been successfully completed by the user, they will be able to use our online facility to find the car which matches their new-found criteria, making Cars.co.za a one stop portal for all your car buying news.

Educating the our users is very important, and we hope that this will be the first step in providing valuable guides to South Africans.

Cars.co.za breaks the 17000 barrier

Cars.co.za has worked tirelessly over the past few months to ensure that our South African users now have even more choice when shopping for cars online than ever before. This hard work has resulted in CARS crashing through not only the 15,000 vehicle mark, but both the 16,000 and 17,000 vehicle stock marks as well. With a current number of 17,216 active cars for sale, there is definitely a car for everyone on the website.

This, however, is not the end of the line, as we continue to endeavour to acquire new stock daily in a quest to become the single most comprehensive car advertising website in the country. Look out 100,000 ... here we come!

There are also a number of other user enhancements planned in the near future, so stay tuned... you don't want to miss it.

Cars.co.za selected as one of South Africa's top 20 E-Commerce websites

Years of hard work has been rewarded for the Cars.co.za as we have been named as one of South Africa's top 20 E-commerce websites in the Jump Shopping 2011 South African E-commerce awards. Cars.co.za was also the only car focused portal to make the finals, a great achievement for us going forward. We are proud to have been voted by the public, who have justified all the extra attention paid to improving both user friendliness and customer service. Thanks to all who voted for us.

The finalists will now compete head to head for the top honours in the awards and the winners will be announced in November 2011. Lets hold thumbs that Cars.co.za can continue our strong run.

New car specials launched

Cars.co.za has taken a giant leap forward in our quest to help users find the best deals on their dream cars with our recently launched new car specials section. Some users prefer buying new cars over used cars and with these vehicle specials, the option now becomes a lot more attractive.

The new car specials section will be updated regularly with the hottest new car deals from around South Africa and will enable users to get that new car at the best possible price. The obligation free enquiry process is as simple as ever and users can expect the same high quality service from Cars.co.za that has always been our goal.

So whether you are interested in new cars or used cars for sale... Cars.co.za is the place to begin your search.

Cars.co.za nominated for E-Commerce awards

Cars.co.za has been nominated as one of South Africa's top websites in the 2011 South African E-commerce awards.
The annual event, hosted by Jump Shopping, allows the South African public to vote on their favourite E-commerce websites.
This is the second year in which Cars.co.za will compete in the awards and we are excited that with all the hard work done in the last 12 months, the public will back us and help us take honours in this prestigious event.
To Vote for Cars.co.za in awards, simply visit Jump Shopping and click on the large "Vote Now" button. Feel free to like / tweet the page as this will also help other users to become aware of their ability to cast their vote in the initial phase of voting.
Here's to hoping we get a good response!

South African motoring news

There is no shortage of resources when it comes to car news in South Africa. There are many car magazines, online car websites, virtual magazines who all offer similar things. With the advent of social media, portals like facebook and twitter are also fantastic resources for keeping one's finger on the pulse of the motoring industry. In fact, there is almost too much news readily available. Filtering through the mass of articles is the tricky bit.

Cars.co.za has paid special focus to our motoring news section, where we aim to post only the most relevant car news to our South African audience. We also strive to be first to print (or in our case, web) with these articles, so that you are always in the loop. We have also embraced the social media platforms that our audience so loves, and use both facebook and twitter to keep you up to date on the latest developements within cars.co.za and the car industry.

So if you are looking for news on your favourite car, the motoring industry as a whole or are just looking for something interesting to read today, visit our motoring news section on Cars.co.za today.

To keep updated with the latest news going forward, please use one of the following media:

• Subscribe to our motoring news RSS feed
• Join our facebook page
• Follow us on twitter

Cars.co.za car stock increased to over 15000!

Cars.co.za received a huge vehicle boost today, upping our cars for sale tally to a over 15 000! This is by far the most cars we have had listed on the website at any given time and is a momentous occasion in the websites history. With the 15000 mark being surpassed, South African buyers now have even more choice on Cars.co.za which is a step up in delivering our users the ultimate service offering. More vehicles = more choice for our shoppers!

This new stock, compiled from car dealerships across the country, comprises most of the major brands including South Africa's favourites Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW, Audi, Hyundai, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and many more.
We will continue to source more vehicles in the future with the aim to continually improve both the quantity and quality of vehicles listed on the website so that our users can be assured of the best car shopping experience.

Sell your car quickly with private online advertising

Selling cars privately has always been a bit of a grey area, especially in South Africa. There is potential for huge financial gains if done properly, but this is counteracted they inconvenience of it all, the inability to accurately price the car as well as the stigma created by stories of crime surrounding the private car transactions.
Weighing up these pros and cons, the individual must decide if the time and risk are worth the potential monetary reward. Some people will shake their heads and drive to the nearest dealership, taking the "safer" option, while others will decide on a price and begin the journey down the road of private vehicle sales.
So you have decided to begin the journey? We begin by analysing the pre-owned vehicle for sale. Here are some tips on how to sell car:

What is the vehicle worth?
The best way to determine the worth of a vehicle in the current South African market is to see what other sellers are selling their cars for. How do you do this? Simple, log onto a car sales website like http://www.cars.co.za and do a search for your car. Compare the specs and prices of each other returned vehicle results and logically position yourself in the market.
You may also wish to get some quotes from dealers on a trade in value of your car, this will probably be a little lower than its market value as the dealer will likely wish to sell this vehicle on.

What price should I sell my car for?
Now that you have an idea of what you second hand car is worth, you can price it according to how desperately you wish to sell. The lower your advertising price (below market value) the more likely your car will be sold quickly. If you have time on your side, you can always try and advertise it a little above market value to start with in a hope to get a sale. Should you not make the sale you can adjust the price accordingly.

Where should I advertise my car for sale?
Deciding to sell your used car is one thing, but you need to let the general public, and especially the car buying market that your car exists and is for sale! There are various ways to do this, but in this day and age none cheaper and easier than the internet. Cars.co.za offers private advertisers the ability to advertise their used cars to hundreds of thousands of car buyers each month for as little as R6 per day. That is cheaper than driving to a single dealership or show day!
With the right price and the right marketing, it shouldn't take long until you are receiving queries about your old car and are free to begin making queries about your future new car!

The most fuel efficient car in South Africa

With today's focus on being "green", the fuel consumption of cars has rapidly come into the spotlight. Where consumers previously wanted the biggest high performance engines, there now seems to have been a general shift towards smaller engines, and even hybrid cars, with a view to not only reduce petrol cost, but also to do a little extra towards saving our environment from the clutches of global warming.

South Africa, while a little off the initial pace, is slowly following suit and beginning to place more and more importance onto the fuel efficiency of cars when purchasing. A hot topic on the Cars.co.za forum, this article sheds a little more light onto what the most fuel efficient cars in South Africa are:

Most fuel efficient cars in South Africa

When first launched the Toyota Prius was considered by many to be the ultimate hybrid vehicle and the father of the modern day hybrid car. Will it still maintain the top spot in the fuel efficiency department going forward? In 2010 it certainly did!

4 Top car brands achieve their Millenium!

With the recent injection of used car stock onto Cars.co.za, many milestones have been achieved. Cars.co.za now has four brands with over 1000 vehicles listed for sale.

Without further ado, I give you our Millenium brands:

1. used Volkswagen (2108)
2. used Toyota (1183)
3. used Chevrolet (1110)
4. used BMW (1077)

Whilst VW, Toyota and BMW are generally recognised as top car brands in South Africa, it was somewhat of a surprise to see Chevrolet pipping BMW for the third spot. Chevrolet, a huge brand overseas, has been underrepresented in the South African market for sometime. The introduction of the Chevrolet spark coupled with an aggressive marketing campaign has done wonders to further the Chevrolet brand in South Africa.

BMW official vehicle sponsor to the boks

It's official! BMW are now the vehicle sponsor to the reigning IRB Rugby world champs, the South African Springboks!
The deal, concluded in May 2011, will see Springbok players sporting BMW cars whilst playing Test matches on South African soil. In return the players will don shorts bearing the BMW logo when on the field, starting with their Tri-nations clash with Australia in Syndey next month.
It's great to see one of the motoring giants getting behind the national rugby side as they prepare for their World Cup defense in New Zealand later this year.