With most new vehicles sold with either service or maintenance plans, cars aren’t bought for the economy of their parts. However, the second or third owner might not take parts prices lightly, which is where the annual Kinsey Report can be helpful.
Journalist Malcolm Kinsey has released the 2013 parts pricing report which compares a standard basket of service, repair and crash parts across various vehicle categories. This year’s report is the largest to date, covering 69 vehicles, with most of the extra models being found in the increasingly popular crossover category.
In the city car section, the Nissan Micra once again takes number one spot with a total basket price of R23 517, ahead of the Suzuki Alto and Tata Indica.
The Ford Figo, VW Polo Vivo and Renault Sandero, in that order, have the cheapest parts baskets in the entry-level category, although there’s very little difference between them.
FRENCH SURPRISE
In the super-mini class, the Peugeot 208 scoops the honours, giving lie to the popular belief that French cars are pricey to maintain. Its total basket cost of R52 247 is some R5 000 less than that of another unexpected contender, the Fiat Punto. In fact, this category has pretty much turned on its head with the first three places all being newcomers – third place going to the new Renault Clio 0.9 Turbo.
Nissan’s Tiida again takes the family class. With a basket total of R47 015 it has an advantage of some R20 000 on the second and third-placed Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, both at over R67 000.
The Toyota Avanza wins the compact crossover category. With a total parts basket of R60 762, it’s comfortably ahead of the Nissan Livina at R74 168 and the Suzuki SX4.
By far the largest class in the 2013 Kinsey Report is the crossover category for large SUVS, and here the Toyota Fortuner 3.0 D4D has the most affordable parts basket, ahead of the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai.
The double-cab bakkie winner is the Tata Xenon, heading the field at R47 823, and the GWM Steed following with a total parts basket of R53 909. Third, and by far the best-seller, is the Toyota Hilux at R71 866.
The cheapest parts basket in the executive class is the BMW 328i (R98 807), followed by the Audi A4 (R108 801) and Honda Accord (R118 183).
One final point: because the Competitions Board allows for only recommended retail prices, a dealership may mark up a product to whatever it feel the market will bear.
In his research Kinsey found that prices of an identical part can vary as much as 20 percent from dealer to dealer, so it’s worth your while to shop around. -Star Motoring
CLICK HERE for the full Kinsey Report