Sandero's ideal deal

The Sandero is going for a song

THE end-of-the-quarter sales always see very good specials, but this week none of them beats McCarthy Renault’s offer on the Sandero.

It is not just Wheels that rates the Sandero — this hatch also tops Car magazine’s list of best-budget buys.

Pietermaritzburg’s McCarthy Renault is offering two options, zero or 10% deposit.

In today’s tough times, most people would want to go for the zero deposit, and they stand to pay R1 945 a month for the car.

Add fuel and insurance costs, and a person can realistically budget to drive a brand new Sandero
Expression for R2 700 a month, including all the safety and ergonomic features for which Renault is famous.

The 10% option reduces this payment to R1 715 a month.

The Sandero is the only vehicle in this class with an electronic stability programme and anti-skid regulation. The brakes come with electronic brake assist as well as electronic brake distribution, meaning you won’t slide when the summer rains wet the roads.

Wheels is against popular sentiment when it comes to airbags, preferring to de-activate them, but many people believe an explosive device close to their faces is a good thing, and for them the Renault Sandero has an airbag each for the driver and front seat passenger.

We have sung the praises of the hatch’s road clearance, but it bears repeating here. The Sandero rides 164 mm high, which means it is made for rural dirt roads and in the city it just eats steep driveways and speed bumps.

There is a condition — you have to finance the deal through McCarthy and Renault Finance, but at 10,5% interest on both offers, few banks are likely to beat their finance offer for new buyers.

But petrolheads beware, if you are looking for a bargain Sandero you may be seduced instead by either of two even more tempting offers on Pietermaritzburg Renault’s floor, in the form of two 162 kW 2,0 Clio GT, both going for R360 k. This is about R40 k less than last month’s list price.

Taxi drivers also score

A second good deal is bubbling up at CMH dealers, where the Maxus vans seem to be going for about R20 k less than what they werelisted for at the start of the year.

Wheels has also sung the praises of this Chinese van in the past.

For starters, the 2,5 turbo diesel produces an excellent 330 Nm from just over 1 800 rpm and while the vans won’t race with the Sprinters and Dailies, it will save you quite a bit on the retail price.

CMH also carries a large parts inventory for the Maxus alongside good warrantees; hence Wheels can recommend to any taxi operator or family man to go and kick the wheels of the 16-seater taxi or nine-seater luxury shuttle.

Datcentre in Pietermaritzburg is offering their 16-seat Maxus diesel taxi for R310 k. For comparison, the market-leading Toyota Ses’fikile retails its 2,4 D4-D for R356 k. The luxury nine-seat Maxus corporate tourer is going for just shy of R390 k, ideal for corporates and shuttles.

But the real special is the big bakkie version of the van, which is selling for R289 k. For people who need to carry large-volume, heavy loads, the only other value offering that can compete is Mahindra’s Scorpio pick-up single cab, which is listed for just shy of R170 k.

Note, the prices quoted above are while stocks last, and the rand’s weakening will not see them repeated.