Two people. Both earning R18 000 take-home.
Person A walks into a dealership. Gets approved for R4 500 a month. Drives home in a second-hand SUV feeling good.
Person B does the math first.
Here is the rule nobody teaches you.
Your total car costs should never exceed 20% of your net salary. Not just the instalment. Everything.
R18 000 × 20% = R3 600 a month.
Instalment: R2 200
Insurance: R750
Fuel: R650
Total: R3 600
At today's vehicle finance rate of roughly 12.25% over 60 months, R2 200 a month finances a car worth about R100 000. Add a R15 000 deposit and you reach R120 000 to R125 000.
In that range, your best options are used:
VW Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline (2018 to 2020). South Africa's best-selling used hatchback in 2025. Reliable, parts are everywhere, good resale value.
Toyota Etios 1.5 (2018 to 2021). Bulletproof engine, cheap to service, Toyota reliability at an affordable price.
Hyundai i20 (2017 to 2019).
Comfortable, good build quality, easy to insure.
None of these are flashy. But none of them will destroy your finances.
Person A is paying R4 500 a month and has R500 left over.
Person B is paying R2 200 and putting R1 000 into a TFSA every month.
Five years later, one has a paid-up car and a growing investment account. The other just finished paying for an asset that lost half its value.
The car you can afford on R18 000 is the one that does not stop you from becoming wealthy.
Just listened to former President Jacob Zuma's remarks at the memorial service of the late Lieutenant General (Retired) Jabulani Sydney Mbuli, and if I'm being honest, I'm seriously unimpressed and a bit frustrated with the people around him.
They are not doing him any favours by allowing him to speak off the cuff at occasions like these. In a political rally or party gathering, that style may have its place and people may even in a way find it charming. But there are certain platforms where he needs to come across as a former Head of State and elder statesman of the Republic.
I've said this before: why does a former President not have a properly structured post-presidency office with professional support staff, including a speechwriter? A former President speaking at high-profile public events without that level of support is a recipe for unnecessary own goals.
Whatever one's political views may be, President Zuma occupies a significant place in our country's history. Those closest to him have a responsibility to protect that legacy, not expose him to situations that undermine it. I genuinely hope the people around the old man do the right thing and put a professional structure around him. He deserves that, and so does the office he once held.
As an ex-masturbator, I’ll tell you the brutal truth most coaches won’t.
Quitting masturbation follows 7 stages,
Most men never make it past stage 3,
Stage 1: The Decision stage.......