Every time I drive or go out for a run, I make observations that leave me feeling uneasy, and with no desire to have more than what I deem is the minimum...
1. I have a family
2. Cars are expensive - you know there's a problem when you have to play around with finance terms to be able to afford it. And then get told what's the maximum mileage you can drive per month if you "want to maintain its value"
3. High running costs per kilometre. Petrol, service, wear and tear, etc
4. The return on investment is contentious at best. Compare the 'return on investment' from a R2m, R500k, R200k, R100k vehicle, doing the same distance between point A and B? Non-financial benefits are contentious, very contentious....
5. Insurance is expensive - After all, it is a business; they have to make profit at the end of the day.
6. National speed limit is 120km. Not much you can do with all that power and not able to make use of it.
7. Worse if you do have a tracker, which is mandatory with many insurance companies if your car's value is over R500 000. Those devices have a dual role as a big brother. You're under 24 hour surveillance. That information can be used as part of an investigation of a claim
8. Should you decide to test the car's limits, worry more about your insurance declining your claim, should you get into an accident, than getting a ticket for exceeding the speed limit.
9. Research has shown that SA has the worst drivers in the world. Sharing the road with these drivers doesn't inspire confidence.
10. According to reported statistics, 60 to 70% of all vehicles on the road are uninsured. You know the saying "you driver other people's cars as well", that means it's not just about you, but should something go wrong, you are disproportionately responsible for placing yourself back in the same position as before, even when it was not your fault.
11. Accidents and claiming from insurance is such a major inconvenience. More expensive cars are an even bigger headache.
12. I've seen policy Ts & Cs where the 3rd party benefit is only activated (paid out) if the order is made in a South African court. A clever trick by insurance companies. It goes beyond the simple "who was at fault" approach
13. I've had a few accidents where I was either rear-ended or the vehicle was hit while stationary. It's not nice having to chase up someone to make sure they take responsibility for their actions. Having a more expensive vehicle would just make the process more painful.
14. Last week, a friend had a driver reversing into her parked vehicle. U N P R O V O K E D !!!
15. It's even more painful if the driver at fault is uninsured and unemployed. It's hard to get a lot from someone who has nothing or very little to lose.
16. Work from home rules don't justify having a car, let alone a dream car. E-hailing works just fine, and much cheaper. Let someone else take that risk.
17. Crime statistics scare me
18. The state of our roads and infrastructure is shocking, not conducive for that dream car
19. Robots and stop signs are going missing, and just about every car approaching affected intersections looks more ready to drive straight through the intersection, than they are ready to stop and treat the intersection as a 4 way stop.
20. There are more social ills that can be addressed for the monthly instalment or running costs of that dream car. If R2 can add hope, and R20 can feed someone for a week, do the maths....
As they say, never say never, but right now, I can't see it happening. I'll stick to paying for track days to get that speed and adrenalin rush! Happy holidays!
This post was originally published on 1 December 2021
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