Car Rental South Africa-Drive Africa
Drive Africa offers the best solution to long-term transport for visitors to South Africa in our Guaranteed Buy Back programme. The success of this programme is largely due to the difficulties associated with buying a pre-owned car privately in any foreign country, South Africa being no exception in this regard.
The procedure of making a used car purchase is fraught with many risks.
Although used cars are generally well priced, the many hidden costs accumulated tend to surface only after the deal is done. Many new owners of pre-owned cars realise afterwards that they should have dealt with someone who offers a guarantee. Any undisclosed problems can end up costing a great deal of money over and above the purchase price, with no recompense from the previous owner.
This is why the smarter option is to purchase a vehicle through Drive Africa. Our buy back guarantee means that you purchase a fully licensed, roadworthy, quality used vehicle from us. When you return home, we buy it back from you. No hassles, no catches – it’s really as simple as that!
However, if you do decide to purchase a car privately, we’d like to offer you some advice.
Take note of the following car buying tips and procedures:
Purchase
It is important to conclude a sales contract when buying a used car. Registration forms are available at the local traffic authorities. All used cars must pass a roadworthy test, which will cost about R 200.00.This test is best done at AA Test & Drive Centres, which are located around South Africa.
Payment
Normally you pay the purchase price cash or via bank transfer. It is important to keep the voucher. The voucher will allow you to transfer the money back to your account in your home country after you have sold the vehicle. Without this, you could have difficulty changing the South African Rands back into the currency of origin.
An international bank transfer takes approximately 4-6 days.
Registration
Within 21 days of signing the contract, the vehicle must be registered at the “Department of Licensing and Registration”.
For this you need the following documents:
- Change of Ownership / Sale of motor vehicle form
- Roadworthy Certificate
- Original Registration Certificate
- Bank Release Certificate
- Current License Disc
- Driver’s License
- Passport
- Traffic Register Number
- Address in South Africa
For the registration you should plan 2-3 days.
Insurance
South Africa has no compulsory cover for vehicle damage. This means that some 70% of drivers are uninsured. Against this background, and keeping in mind the fact that repairs are very expensive in SA, it is advisable to obtain fully comprehensive insurance cover, or at least cover for Balance of Third Party, Fire and Theft. This is almost impossible to do without a permanent address in SA or without a local bank account. Being young also counts against you.
More Information
Give yourself enough time to market and sell the vehicle before your departure. The less time you have to sell the car, the lower the price you will have to accept. If necessary, sell your vehicle to a local dealer, even if you get a price under the market value.
When selling to a private person, it makes sense to take someone with you for added security. Don’t let the buyer do a test drive on his own. Only accept cash, and be weary of cheques, as these are easily forged.
For driving to Kenya or Tanzania, you need a Carnet de Passage, obtainable at the AA. To get it you need 100% deposit of the vehicle cost. Does your holiday budget allow this?
Summary
Buying a car in South Africa is time consuming and may delay the start of your holiday. That is why Drive Africa offers buy back guarantee vehicles that are fully insured and roadworthy. Purchasing a buy back car from Drive Africa means no unnecessary paperwork, long queues or time wasted. It is clearly the intelligent choice.
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