Frequently asked questions - buying a car

  A minimum holding deposit of R 5 000 is payable to reserve a vehicle. The deposit is non-refundable but can be transferred to another vehicle.

It goes without saying that the reliability of a vehicle may be affected if a vehicle hasn’t undergone the proper maintenance services and that you should verify and fully understand a vehicle’s service history before deciding on a vehicle.

At The Car Company we believe in full transparency when marketing our vehicles. Please confirm the vehicle’s service history before buying a vehicle.

  Finance is only available on finance house criteria.General guidelines for vehicles available on finance:

• Vehicles not older than 7 years
• Mileage not over 150 000 km
• Vehicles with at least 6 months manufacturer’s warranty or service plan remaining. If not, we will only finance the vehicle with the purchase of a new warranty.

If you are buying the vehicle in your own name and you are a South African citizen,a Juristic entity (Company, Trust or Closed Corporation)  find the required paperwork and other requirements on our website or complete an online finance application.. You can email your application to info@thecarcompany.co.za. 

 The final interest rate on your car loan will be dependent on the specific bank you apply with, the cost of the vehicle, the instalment period, the deposit you pay etc. Therefore, the interest rate on your car loan cannot be pre-determined. 

An estimated instalment amount is listed on all our finance-able vehicles on our website. There is also an instalment calculator that can be used to calculate your estimated monthly instalment payment.. 

Depending on the finance process as well as provided that we have your vehicle on our showroom you can be the happy driver of your new vehicle within 2 days depending on the speed of the finance house.

  It is best to download the finance documentation and submit same to ensure accurate details however please feel free to contact our finance experts anytime to assist you with your query.

 Yes, at The Car Company you can buy any of our pre-owned cars on finance.   Should the finance house not qualify you for Vehiicle Financing you can obtain credit with a personal loan.  If You can apply online, by clicking “Apply for finance” with the vehicle you are interested in. After following all the required steps, one of our finance representatives will be in contact with you shortly. 

 At The Car Company, there are thousands of vehicles for sale, ranging from nearly new, with very low kilometres to well used cars with substantial kilometres and wear, needing reconditioning, mechanical checks, servicing and repair.The Car Company return policy therefore differentiates between lower kilometre “Retail Vehicles” (*), well used “Limited Liability” (**) and “Auction” (***) vehicles.Please refer to The Car Company Return Policy for the guidelines governing the return of vehicles to The Car Company
 

The Car Company believes in a full transparency approach when marketing vehicles on our website.

The Dekra condition report provides an independent evaluation of our vehicles.

Aspects covered by the Dekra condition report:

• Brake test.
• Tyre specifications and      measurements.
• Diagnostic report highlighting      error codes.
• Shock absorber test, and
• Photos of the undercarriage and      body of the vehicle, highlighting aspects which might require repair or maintenance.

It is important to note that The Car Company has not repaired possible required repair or maintenance highlighted in the report. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions when evaluating the vehicle.

Can I trust the condition report? Who is Dekra?

Dekra is an international company with branches in 19 countries worldwide. Dekra provides an independent condition report for our vehicles, which can be used to evaluate vehicles. Visit www.dekraauto.co.za for more information 

The service history of a car consists of any maintenance work done on a vehicle, regardless of the frequency, difficulty, or cost. Perhaps the most common maintenance performed on a vehicle is to regularly change the oil. Other typically quick and common forms of maintenance are the replacement of cabin and engine air filters, windshield wipers, and batteries. These are all typically quick, easy ways to maintain a vehicle.

Some more forms of maintenance which should not be neglected include changing spark plugs. If the spark plugs are covered in a build-up or simply worn out, the engine will not operate efficiently. This means extra fuel costs, and can lead to a breakdown in the future. It’s also important to ensure the tires are balanced and rotated. Having the car properly aligned also prevents the need to replace all four tires at once (which can be very expensive) due to uneven wear.

But there are some records in the service history of a car which are more important to look out for. For example, many vehicles require that the timing belt be changed every 100,000-120,000 kilometres. This service can be expensive and failing to perform it can result in the belt snapping. When a timing or serpentine belt fails, your car will break down and there is a risk that other important parts will be damaged due to this failure. A snapped timing belt can also lead to an engine replacement being necessary, which increases the costs of repair significantly. Without having the service history of a car, it’s very difficult to know if and when this maintenance has been performed.

(The status of all our vehicles’ service history records is displayed in the Vehicle details section on our website. In addition to the service history, the Condition report offers used car buyers a lot more useful information.)