So you need a pick-up

In the southern hemisphere, it seems everyone wants a
pickup, only they call 'em bakkies.

IT may be because the Coriolis effect also spins the brains of people who transport stuff in the southern hemisphere, but from Indonesia through Thailand and Australia to Brazil and South Africa, we all love our bakkies.
North of the equator, however, transporters of light loads, from plumbers to veterinarians and wine farmers, all prefer a crewbus panelvan as the most sensible transport option for small business.
But like the sales staff at Fiat, Hyundai, VW and even the dormant Maxus, we have given up telling SA’s bakkie lovers why a van is always better than a bakkie. Instead, we now bow to populist demand to cut and slice the 27 workhorse bakkies out there to find the top five performers in price, power and bang for buck.

The five cheapest bakkies in SA

AT R115 900: (60 kW/102 Nm) For workhorse buyers who insist on new, nothing beats the Changan in South Africa. The 1,3 King Cab is better for bigger drivers, but Elvis Naidoo at Metro Cars in Pietermaritzburg reports none of the seven people who won Changans as prizes in the Unilever Competition have complained about a tight squeeze in the single cabs.

'The Changan is a little Chinese pit pony that lasts and lasts.

Naidoo points out the Changan bakkie is the old Chana with a new name, and adds that they use them as these little Chinese pit ponies at the Metro truck year, where they will yet outlast the trucks.

At R134 995: (74 kW/238 Nm) The Mahindra Bolero is South Africa’s second-most affordable bakkie, and for heavier loads, the one we recommend without reservation. But don’t take our word for it.

Ask the many farmers who thought these were so cheap they may as well buy one and drive it to death, something they are still trying. In fact, the only owner we know of that could kill a Bolero had chipped his to make 400 Nm, and then fell asleep at the wheel, driving into a large rock. Both driver and passenger escaped with only seat-belt bruising.

Then came:

R139 995 Foton Thunda 2,2 (76 kW/193 Nm)

R157 900 Nissan NP200 1,6i (64 kW/128 Nm)

R159 800 Chevrolet Utility 1,4 (68 kW/120 Nm)

The Tata Xenon in a role normally reserved for the Hilux.

The most bang for buck

BAKKIES excel in carrying tall loads, like a consignment of wooden giraffes. Business owners often worry about resale value and servicing costs, but to determine which bakkie would best suit the Wooden Giraffe Carving Co-op’s delivery needs, only one sum needs to be done — to establish the most torque for the least rands.

At R541/Nm, this bang for buck award currently goes with a nose to the Tata Xenon Fleetline. This entry-level, single cab Xenon sells for R162 495, and makes 85 kW and a respectable 300 Nm.

The Bolero (R567/Nm) is a whisker behind it on the spreadsheet, but that is just on paper. In the real world, dealers give good discounts on the Mahindra workhorse’s R134 995 price, especially as this ageing bakkie from India makes a relatively low 74 kW and 238 Nm.

The Mahindra Bolero just won't die.

Then came:

R701/Nm Mahindra Scorpio Pick-up 2,5 (74 kW/258 Nm)

R725/Nm Foton Thunda 2,2 V (76 kW/193 Nm)

R744/Nm JMC Boarding 2,8TD (84 kW/235 Nm)

The JMC Boarding

Best for pulling

SOUTH Africa has a billion-rand but hidden rural economy of sacrificial goats and cattle, which animals are transported to market every weekend.

For these transporters, the best and strongest trailer-pulling deal right now comes from Ford, which brand offers the first single cab with an automatic gearbox in South Africa. (See page 7 for more details on this bakkie.)

While twice as pricey as the Bolero at R311 900, Ford does sell each of the 385 Newton metres of torque from the Ranger 2,2 automatic for a very reasonable R810, ensuring a lot of bang to move the buck on the back. To boot, Ford also offers a reassuring number of dealers to support the buy in deep rural SA.

In second place is the badge-engineered Mazda BT-50, which offers 376 Nm at R317 000 from its 2,2 engine.

These two Ford-engined bakkies are closely followed by the Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Defender, both making 360 Nm.

Its all in the driving:
The Land Rover Defender pulls a stuck BT-50

But the Cruiser retails for a whopping R218 300 more than the Ranger while the Landy costs R231 500 more — this is incidentally, the price of a whole new Hilux 2,0.

The Nissan Patrol 3,0 makes 356 Nm, giving it the fifth strongest spot, but note, at a R376 900 price tag Wheels still has strong reservations about the lack of planning that went into the Patrol’s design.

Old bakkies don't all last.

Beware the wee hammer

THE cheapest bakkie is always going to be a used one, and many are drawn to deflated company bakkies at auctions. 

But unless you can swing a spanner, auctioned vehicles are rarely the bargain they seem, because auctioneers may legally sell voetstoots and unless you draw the seller’s attention to defects before the sale, they are not liable to fix any faults after the sale. 

On top of the final bidding price, you will also have to pay a handling or documentation fee of between R1 500 to R2 500; the auctioneer’s commission — which can vary from two percent to 10% — and finally 14% VAT.

These extras can quickly make your auction bargain more expensive than a used trade-in on a dealer’s floor.

Good when used: Oudtshoorn resident Gerhard du Toit bought this
Isuzu with 7 000 on the odo 20 years ago and went on to add
1,5 million km. He still uses the bakkie daily in his courier business.

What about used?

WHEN it comes to buying used bakkies, two brands stand out — Nissan and Isuzu.

When new, the single cab workhorses from these brands both languish in power and sales behind the Hilux and Ranger.

Fairly or not, fewer sales of new vehicles result in lower retail prices for what are — at the end of their days — still very good workhorse bakkies. The upshot of fewer sales, however, is less demand from car theft syndicates.

This may be why there seem to be so many more old Nissan and Isuzu bakkies on the road compared to old Hiluxes.

Just get a van already, especially when they
come this well packaged.

Which canopy to choose

Many ask which canopy to choose for their bakkie. We say if you have to fit a canopy over the load on a bakkie, you should really be looking at the many panelvans and small trucks on sale in SA, all of which come with an easy-to-load low floor, wide access doors and of course, a high factory-fitted roof to protect the load against thieves and weather.