December 9, 2025 • 18 mins
Relebogile Mabotja speaks with Ernest North the Co-founder of Naked Insurance, to unpack why December is often one of the best times of the year to buy a car and why it is not the right moment for everyone. Ernest breaks down the pros and cons of a year-end purchase, from dealer incentives and January pricing to interest-rate movements and upcoming model releases.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Seven o two in the Car feature. Time for the
Car feature on seven oh two afternoons, it's nineteen minutes
two three o'clock and we will be taking your calls
around the conversation about whether or not you should be
driving into twenty twenty six with a new set of wheels.
I'm sure there are many people are like, oh my gosh,
(00:23):
this is something I would love to do. A double
one double A three oh seven oh two. And the
WhatsApp line oh seven two seven oh two one seven two.
And we are joined in this conversation by the co
founder of Naked Earnest North Earnest, how are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
It's a good afternoon, and it's nice to be chatting.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
To you again and to you and I'm busy thinking
and fantasizing about the possibilities of new wheels in twenty
twenty six. Wouldn't that be such a nice way to
start the year.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, I think the reason we're having this converse fation
is twofold. I think I should stop by saying that
the first interesting thing is that our data shows historically
that people are very very likely towards the end of
December and the start of January to buy new cause.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
There's lots of reasons for it. There's lots of pros
and cons. But I think it's very interestingly that historically
South Africans have used this time quite a lot to
buy cause and so I think we should talk about
why that is. Yeah, I think it's an interesting conversation.
Is because interest rates are down a little bit now.
I'm not a predictor of the future. I don't know
(01:40):
exactly what interest rates will do next year, although some
people do predict that they are going to go down
a little bit. But of course, the fact that interest
rates are a little bit lower now than they were
a year ago, and the fuel price is a little
bit lower, maybe a new care is if.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
More affordable than it was a year ago.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
If you're or salary went up by more than inflation,
or even you got inflation, then a car is a
little bit more affordable now than it was a year ago.
So I think it's interesting how many South Africans are
considering buying a car this time of the year.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I would assume, Ernest, that one of the reasons is
that some people get bonuses this time of the year
and they might now have a bit more liquidity to
be putting a deposit and getting something maybe schef that's
one of the reasons.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yes, I do think that's a very good observation. I
think it's a possibility. The one piece of advice I
would give people is to remember that the new year
often brings uncertainty and all sorts of changes with it.
So whether there's a different school uniform for the school
your kid is attending, or some other unpredictability, don't use
(02:53):
all of your twelfth or thirteenth check that you've received
if you were one of the lucky few, don't use
all of it on a card de posit now because
the new year requires you to have a little bit
of a buffer in the bank. But I think the
interesting thing that is probably one of the benefits of
buying a car now that we are seeing that is
definitely the case, is the possibility of.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Getting a better deal now than you.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Were at the rest of the year, and specifically if
you're negotiating very effectively. Lots of dealers have a target
that they have to meet very often by the sixteenth
of this December or the twenty third of December, and
they want to sell a certain number of cars and
if you walk in there and you tell them lessen,
(03:39):
maybe if you can cut five or ten thousand rand
off it, or maybe you can do the licensing for free,
or you can add in an extra pair of tires
or something like that. I think you can.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
You can get a better deal now.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And it shows in the fact that people are ensuring
their cars or buying their or that are slightly lower
value this time of the year compared to what the
car is actually worse.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Ooh ooh.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And I mean, can we just touch a little bit
on the parts about you know, you've you've mentioned the
little carrots that will be thrown in for people to
be keen on, you know, driving a car. I distinctly
remember that my previous car was on discount by tween
(04:32):
t K and that was the deciding factor. And I'm
those people who drive the cars until they die, and
I looked that was the thing that made me say, okay, cool,
I will take it. Because of this, I'm how big
of a of a of a factor do you think
it plays on decision makers when people say minus five thousand,
(04:54):
minus twenty thousand, because some cars are so expensive that
that figure almost feels insignific.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, And especially if you're financing a call and and
you're paying, you're going to be paying off this call
for the next five years, and you're going to be
paying a monthly installment of six thousand rand or something
like that. All of a suddenly, if they drop the
sales price by five thousand rand, that means your installment
is going to drop by eight rand. So it's actually
(05:22):
for many people it doesn't feel that. What I want
to remind you is every bit of saving is important,
and and and saving that eighty rand or two hundred
rand a month is does make a difference in the
long term if you if you look at it over
five years, it's significantly less interest that you're going to pay.
(05:44):
So definitely negotiate, and now is the time of the
year where you are in a better position probably than
many other times of the year to negotiate on the
on the on the value of the car. It's also
very interesting one if you're buying mostly that is for
secondhand cause the other interesting benefit is if you're buying a.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Brand new car, then now is the time.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Where you can actually insist on the twenty twenty six model.
So either in the cases where they are launching an
actual new model that looks slightly different, then I would
recommend that you wait for that actual model that looks
slightly different. But for most cars, they don't have a model.
It looks different every year. It's just the year in
(06:30):
which you register that care. So in that case, if
you buy the car now, you can ask that they
only go and register the car in the first week
of January, and so effectively then you are driving a
twenty twenty six model, which means that two or three
years later, when you try to sell it again, you
will be able to get a better price for it.
(06:51):
So if you're buying a new car, it's important to
try and delay that registration a little bit. You have
thirty days in total, so it's not again the law,
but if you can then go and register it as
a twenty six model.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
And why is that detail so important?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, so when you are there's a standard price for
what any given care from any given year is worth.
So if you ask me now, what is the value
of a twenty twenty three polo versus what is the
value of a twenty twenty two Polo, I can tell
you this one is x ran more than that one.
(07:32):
And so if you are able to register your care
as a twenty twenty six model, it means that the
value that you are insured for if that call were
to be stolen or written off is higher. So that
means you will get a bigger payout when in the
case of insurance. But hopefully that's not necessary. Hopefully you
not in any accidents, and you drive a car for
three or four years and then you sell it, and
(07:55):
then at that point you will be getting a better
price for it if it is a twenty twenty six
model opposed to a twenty twenty five model.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Okay, And I think that that helps quite a bit
in terms of that. Would you encourage a person to
possibly consider a slightly older model or the pre facelift
to sweeten the deal or get a better deal.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
It's such a good question because as South Africans, we
get so emotional about cause we are all hyped up
about the newest model and how fancy it looks and
what people will think of me, and we tend unfortunately
as South Africans, the data shows we we tend to
(08:41):
spend more money than we.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Are supposed to on cars.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
We drive cars that are a little bit too expensive
for what we can actually afford. So I very very
strongly encourage someone to consider a car that is safe
and reliable and it's good value for money.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
But buying a car that.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Is too or three or four years old really really
gives in most cases significantly better value than buying a
car that is brand new or only a year old.
So it is definitely the case. There was a little
bit there was a little bit of time off the
COVID where many secondhand priced cars were sort of inflated
(09:23):
a lot and it was hard to get good deals.
We're definitely in a time now where if you do
your your research well and if you shop around for
a good deal, buying.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
A three or a five or five, three or four
or five year old car.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Can give you lots of good value for money, and
I would recommend people go for that. Of course, the
one thing that comes with that, the one warning, is
go through the effort of getting an independent reviewer. So
somebody like a like go to a DECRA or an
AA or one of your local mechanics, go through the
(10:01):
effort of taking the car they're getting independent assessment. It's
a couple of hundred rands get get them to take
a look at the car for a couple of hours,
just check that there's nothing dodgy. It makes your life
significantly easier. But assuming you go through that process, and
assuming you check the paperwork well, you check the service
(10:22):
history well, and your confident that you that you've done
your research to find the best possible deal, it really
is a good time of year to buy a secondhand call.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So let me then ask Ernest, because you touched on
something quite important about just check what are the red
flags that you'd say people maybe should look out for
if we know that dealers are are also trying to
push for annual targets to be hit.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yes, I think the I think the I think of course,
the first thing you you should look out for is
or the or the first red flag is it car
where all the paperwork is not in order, if you
don't have the if you don't have the full service history,
and you don't have a confirmation that that the that
the licensing is up to date, and very importantly, if
(11:16):
you can't check the green vehicle registration document, then there
should be a red that that should be a red
flat view. By the way, we've had a couple of
cases where people bought cars, and then down the line
they realized that those cars were in fact stolen before
and they didn't they didn't buy it from a credible source.
(11:37):
So the way to check that your car isn't solar
is to make sure that you open the bonnet, check
on the actual engine that the VIN number, it's like
a long number, that's that's actually inscribed on the on
the engine itself. It can't be changed that that matches
the VIN number on the green registration certificate. So I
(11:58):
think the first thing is make sure that if any
of the paperwork is not up to order, I would
walk away from that deal. And then and then and
then the next thing is if the if a person
can't answer the question relating to accident history, I always
insist that I always advise people to insist that the
(12:18):
dealer must tell them in writing that they had confirmation
that this accident that this guy has not been an accident,
was in an accident and not.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Prepared by a reputable insurer. It creates lots of nonsense
down the road.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
These are things that Wendy Nola loves to hear, because
if they can't confirm that in writing, them already you
will be suspicious, not necessarily that they did something funny,
but maybe they themselves didn't do the relevant due diligence exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
And and luckily we live in an age where we're
getting that information and connecting to the right databases and
doing those checks either that it's not stolen through the
through the case of the police check or an e
natus check, and then there's other other databases that allows
you to check for accident history.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
It is easy to do, but.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Sometimes they either or lazy and they choose not to
do that, or they're trying to hide something. And I
think then then then you should be careful. Of course,
the bigger the dealership is that you're dealing with, the
less likely you are to be dealing with one of.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
These sort of questionable acts.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
So I think I think there is there is definitely
value in some cases buying from a private individual is
a good idea because you can get a good deal.
But there is the flip side of the argument that
buying from a big, reputable dealer means that you have
a greater degree of confidence that these checks have been
done in a sound manner.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
All Right, we've got a numb a caller on the line,
Is it you from indel Ahmad? Apologies? The spelling was
not matching something that I was familiar with. The wanted
to triple Jake, got to meet you, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
That guy is not talking the truth about the number
that can be changed on the engine, because what they
do they file it off. I even's thought. Guys do that.
And a guy that that printed the odd they've got
like stems and you printed on a on a on
(14:32):
a coal on a you printed a factory number on
their way way way way way, your your your your
one number is it's stemped also its stems like what
the numbers are stem on the block?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So are you are you talking much about the illegal
activity that's being done.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yes, That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Mmm.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
And they'll file it off. They file it off nicely.
It's why you go then, uh, that guy you print
that a number that out of the threat to be
even Wow.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And I'm not sure if you're aware of this.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, absolutely, it's a very good it's a very good point.
And it's and it's certainly something that like when we
evaluate claims, obviously we've got people that are experts at
checking the authenticity of these numbers. I think I think
in most cases there is some evidence that is that
is quite that is probably seeable to the.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
To the everyday person's eye.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
If you can see that this this number has been
tampered with, I mean, if in doubt, if you look
at it and it looks funny at all, I think
I think it's a good recommendation that that this is
always a risk because someone is tampered with it. If
it if it looks as though it's been tampered with
it all, or it looks as though that number which
is on there might have been put there afterwards or something. Rather,
(15:58):
get rather get an expert to take an independent look
at it, because it is he is correct that there
is definitely a risk of fraudulent activity there, and we
have seen evidence that people fighting those those band numbers.
It's it's not super easy to do, but it is
it definitely has been done.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
All right, We've got a voice note on seven two
seven two one seven o two.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Hello, this is coverer from Pretoria. Like your guest is
indicated that must make sure that everything is in or
like paperwork. One thing that people mustn't under mine is
something like well you are told something will will come later,
for example, where you are told that your spare key
(16:45):
will be available later, don't accept that it must be
available immediately when collecting their vehicle.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Oh that's a big one, Anderson. I know Wendy has
chatted about it as well. Now, consumer, it's feature around
the fact that you need to get everything at the time,
because to get it after the fact there's going to
be a problem.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Absolutely, and especially once you've made payment, and certainly if
you've made payment in full, then you can't expect that
person to be to work with you at all or
to be helpful after all. So I definitely wouldn't make
full payment. In fact, I would probably until I've seen
both ears and I've seen the original green vehicle registration document,
(17:33):
I wouldn't make any payment at all, not even a deposit.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And I think that that is some solid advice there.
As strict as it sounds, it is going to be
such a massive problem after the fact. Ernest North, co
founder of Naked, thank you so so much for chatting
to us about whether or not you should be getting
a new set of wheels and driving to twenty twenty
six with them, And of course, as you said, do
(17:57):
your research, ask for the paperwork, and it can take
so much off of the price of a car if
you're willing to go second hand.
Seven o two in the Car feature. Time for the
Car feature on seven oh two afternoons, it's nineteen minutes
two three o'clock and we will be taking your calls
around the conversation about whether or not you should be
driving into twenty twenty six with a new set of wheels.
I'm sure there are many people are like, oh my gosh,
(00:23):
this is something I would love to do. A double
one double A three oh seven oh two. And the
WhatsApp line oh seven two seven oh two one seven two.
And we are joined in this conversation by the co
founder of Naked Earnest North Earnest, how are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
It's a good afternoon, and it's nice to be chatting.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
To you again and to you and I'm busy thinking
and fantasizing about the possibilities of new wheels in twenty
twenty six. Wouldn't that be such a nice way to
start the year.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, I think the reason we're having this converse fation
is twofold. I think I should stop by saying that
the first interesting thing is that our data shows historically
that people are very very likely towards the end of
December and the start of January to buy new cause.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
There's lots of reasons for it. There's lots of pros
and cons. But I think it's very interestingly that historically
South Africans have used this time quite a lot to
buy cause and so I think we should talk about
why that is. Yeah, I think it's an interesting conversation.
Is because interest rates are down a little bit now.
I'm not a predictor of the future. I don't know
(01:40):
exactly what interest rates will do next year, although some
people do predict that they are going to go down
a little bit. But of course, the fact that interest
rates are a little bit lower now than they were
a year ago, and the fuel price is a little
bit lower, maybe a new care is if.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
More affordable than it was a year ago.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
If you're or salary went up by more than inflation,
or even you got inflation, then a car is a
little bit more affordable now than it was a year ago.
So I think it's interesting how many South Africans are
considering buying a car this time of the year.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I would assume, Ernest, that one of the reasons is
that some people get bonuses this time of the year
and they might now have a bit more liquidity to
be putting a deposit and getting something maybe schef that's
one of the reasons.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yes, I do think that's a very good observation. I
think it's a possibility. The one piece of advice I
would give people is to remember that the new year
often brings uncertainty and all sorts of changes with it.
So whether there's a different school uniform for the school
your kid is attending, or some other unpredictability, don't use
(02:53):
all of your twelfth or thirteenth check that you've received
if you were one of the lucky few, don't use
all of it on a card de posit now because
the new year requires you to have a little bit
of a buffer in the bank. But I think the
interesting thing that is probably one of the benefits of
buying a car now that we are seeing that is
definitely the case, is the possibility of.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Getting a better deal now than you.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Were at the rest of the year, and specifically if
you're negotiating very effectively. Lots of dealers have a target
that they have to meet very often by the sixteenth
of this December or the twenty third of December, and
they want to sell a certain number of cars and
if you walk in there and you tell them lessen,
(03:39):
maybe if you can cut five or ten thousand rand
off it, or maybe you can do the licensing for free,
or you can add in an extra pair of tires
or something like that. I think you can.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
You can get a better deal now.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And it shows in the fact that people are ensuring
their cars or buying their or that are slightly lower
value this time of the year compared to what the
car is actually worse.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Ooh ooh.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And I mean, can we just touch a little bit
on the parts about you know, you've you've mentioned the
little carrots that will be thrown in for people to
be keen on, you know, driving a car. I distinctly
remember that my previous car was on discount by tween
(04:32):
t K and that was the deciding factor. And I'm
those people who drive the cars until they die, and
I looked that was the thing that made me say, okay, cool,
I will take it. Because of this, I'm how big
of a of a of a factor do you think
it plays on decision makers when people say minus five thousand,
(04:54):
minus twenty thousand, because some cars are so expensive that
that figure almost feels insignific.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, And especially if you're financing a call and and
you're paying, you're going to be paying off this call
for the next five years, and you're going to be
paying a monthly installment of six thousand rand or something
like that. All of a suddenly, if they drop the
sales price by five thousand rand, that means your installment
is going to drop by eight rand. So it's actually
(05:22):
for many people it doesn't feel that. What I want
to remind you is every bit of saving is important,
and and and saving that eighty rand or two hundred
rand a month is does make a difference in the
long term if you if you look at it over
five years, it's significantly less interest that you're going to pay.
(05:44):
So definitely negotiate, and now is the time of the
year where you are in a better position probably than
many other times of the year to negotiate on the
on the on the value of the car. It's also
very interesting one if you're buying mostly that is for
secondhand cause the other interesting benefit is if you're buying a.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Brand new car, then now is the time.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Where you can actually insist on the twenty twenty six model.
So either in the cases where they are launching an
actual new model that looks slightly different, then I would
recommend that you wait for that actual model that looks
slightly different. But for most cars, they don't have a model.
It looks different every year. It's just the year in
(06:30):
which you register that care. So in that case, if
you buy the car now, you can ask that they
only go and register the car in the first week
of January, and so effectively then you are driving a
twenty twenty six model, which means that two or three
years later, when you try to sell it again, you
will be able to get a better price for it.
(06:51):
So if you're buying a new car, it's important to
try and delay that registration a little bit. You have
thirty days in total, so it's not again the law,
but if you can then go and register it as
a twenty six model.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
And why is that detail so important?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, so when you are there's a standard price for
what any given care from any given year is worth.
So if you ask me now, what is the value
of a twenty twenty three polo versus what is the
value of a twenty twenty two Polo, I can tell
you this one is x ran more than that one.
(07:32):
And so if you are able to register your care
as a twenty twenty six model, it means that the
value that you are insured for if that call were
to be stolen or written off is higher. So that
means you will get a bigger payout when in the
case of insurance. But hopefully that's not necessary. Hopefully you
not in any accidents, and you drive a car for
three or four years and then you sell it, and
(07:55):
then at that point you will be getting a better
price for it if it is a twenty twenty six
model opposed to a twenty twenty five model.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Okay, And I think that that helps quite a bit
in terms of that. Would you encourage a person to
possibly consider a slightly older model or the pre facelift
to sweeten the deal or get a better deal.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
It's such a good question because as South Africans, we
get so emotional about cause we are all hyped up
about the newest model and how fancy it looks and
what people will think of me, and we tend unfortunately
as South Africans, the data shows we we tend to
(08:41):
spend more money than we.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Are supposed to on cars.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
We drive cars that are a little bit too expensive
for what we can actually afford. So I very very
strongly encourage someone to consider a car that is safe
and reliable and it's good value for money.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
But buying a car that.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Is too or three or four years old really really
gives in most cases significantly better value than buying a
car that is brand new or only a year old.
So it is definitely the case. There was a little
bit there was a little bit of time off the
COVID where many secondhand priced cars were sort of inflated
(09:23):
a lot and it was hard to get good deals.
We're definitely in a time now where if you do
your your research well and if you shop around for
a good deal, buying.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
A three or a five or five, three or four
or five year old car.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Can give you lots of good value for money, and
I would recommend people go for that. Of course, the
one thing that comes with that, the one warning, is
go through the effort of getting an independent reviewer. So
somebody like a like go to a DECRA or an
AA or one of your local mechanics, go through the
(10:01):
effort of taking the car they're getting independent assessment. It's
a couple of hundred rands get get them to take
a look at the car for a couple of hours,
just check that there's nothing dodgy. It makes your life
significantly easier. But assuming you go through that process, and
assuming you check the paperwork well, you check the service
(10:22):
history well, and your confident that you that you've done
your research to find the best possible deal, it really
is a good time of year to buy a secondhand call.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So let me then ask Ernest, because you touched on
something quite important about just check what are the red
flags that you'd say people maybe should look out for
if we know that dealers are are also trying to
push for annual targets to be hit.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yes, I think the I think the I think of course,
the first thing you you should look out for is
or the or the first red flag is it car
where all the paperwork is not in order, if you
don't have the if you don't have the full service history,
and you don't have a confirmation that that the that
the licensing is up to date, and very importantly, if
(11:16):
you can't check the green vehicle registration document, then there
should be a red that that should be a red
flat view. By the way, we've had a couple of
cases where people bought cars, and then down the line
they realized that those cars were in fact stolen before
and they didn't they didn't buy it from a credible source.
(11:37):
So the way to check that your car isn't solar
is to make sure that you open the bonnet, check
on the actual engine that the VIN number, it's like
a long number, that's that's actually inscribed on the on
the engine itself. It can't be changed that that matches
the VIN number on the green registration certificate. So I
(11:58):
think the first thing is make sure that if any
of the paperwork is not up to order, I would
walk away from that deal. And then and then and
then the next thing is if the if a person
can't answer the question relating to accident history, I always
insist that I always advise people to insist that the
(12:18):
dealer must tell them in writing that they had confirmation
that this accident that this guy has not been an accident,
was in an accident and not.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Prepared by a reputable insurer. It creates lots of nonsense
down the road.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
These are things that Wendy Nola loves to hear, because
if they can't confirm that in writing, them already you
will be suspicious, not necessarily that they did something funny,
but maybe they themselves didn't do the relevant due diligence exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
And and luckily we live in an age where we're
getting that information and connecting to the right databases and
doing those checks either that it's not stolen through the
through the case of the police check or an e
natus check, and then there's other other databases that allows
you to check for accident history.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
It is easy to do, but.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Sometimes they either or lazy and they choose not to
do that, or they're trying to hide something. And I
think then then then you should be careful. Of course,
the bigger the dealership is that you're dealing with, the
less likely you are to be dealing with one of.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
These sort of questionable acts.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
So I think I think there is there is definitely
value in some cases buying from a private individual is
a good idea because you can get a good deal.
But there is the flip side of the argument that
buying from a big, reputable dealer means that you have
a greater degree of confidence that these checks have been
done in a sound manner.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
All Right, we've got a numb a caller on the line,
Is it you from indel Ahmad? Apologies? The spelling was
not matching something that I was familiar with. The wanted
to triple Jake, got to meet you, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
That guy is not talking the truth about the number
that can be changed on the engine, because what they
do they file it off. I even's thought. Guys do that.
And a guy that that printed the odd they've got
like stems and you printed on a on a on
(14:32):
a coal on a you printed a factory number on
their way way way way way, your your your your
one number is it's stemped also its stems like what
the numbers are stem on the block?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So are you are you talking much about the illegal
activity that's being done.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yes, That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Mmm.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
And they'll file it off. They file it off nicely.
It's why you go then, uh, that guy you print
that a number that out of the threat to be
even Wow.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And I'm not sure if you're aware of this.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, absolutely, it's a very good it's a very good point.
And it's and it's certainly something that like when we
evaluate claims, obviously we've got people that are experts at
checking the authenticity of these numbers. I think I think
in most cases there is some evidence that is that
is quite that is probably seeable to the.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
To the everyday person's eye.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
If you can see that this this number has been
tampered with, I mean, if in doubt, if you look
at it and it looks funny at all, I think
I think it's a good recommendation that that this is
always a risk because someone is tampered with it. If
it if it looks as though it's been tampered with
it all, or it looks as though that number which
is on there might have been put there afterwards or something. Rather,
(15:58):
get rather get an expert to take an independent look
at it, because it is he is correct that there
is definitely a risk of fraudulent activity there, and we
have seen evidence that people fighting those those band numbers.
It's it's not super easy to do, but it is
it definitely has been done.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
All right, We've got a voice note on seven two
seven two one seven o two.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Hello, this is coverer from Pretoria. Like your guest is
indicated that must make sure that everything is in or
like paperwork. One thing that people mustn't under mine is
something like well you are told something will will come later,
for example, where you are told that your spare key
(16:45):
will be available later, don't accept that it must be
available immediately when collecting their vehicle.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Oh that's a big one, Anderson. I know Wendy has
chatted about it as well. Now, consumer, it's feature around
the fact that you need to get everything at the time,
because to get it after the fact there's going to
be a problem.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Absolutely, and especially once you've made payment, and certainly if
you've made payment in full, then you can't expect that
person to be to work with you at all or
to be helpful after all. So I definitely wouldn't make
full payment. In fact, I would probably until I've seen
both ears and I've seen the original green vehicle registration document,
(17:33):
I wouldn't make any payment at all, not even a deposit.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And I think that that is some solid advice there.
As strict as it sounds, it is going to be
such a massive problem after the fact. Ernest North, co
founder of Naked, thank you so so much for chatting
to us about whether or not you should be getting
a new set of wheels and driving to twenty twenty
six with them, And of course, as you said, do
(17:57):
your research, ask for the paperwork, and it can take
so much off of the price of a car if
you're willing to go second hand.
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