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Crunch sets new trends

THE return-or-keep-the-car debacle that hit Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele recently had me in chuckles.

THE return-or-keep-the-car debacle that hit Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele recently had me in chuckles.

It would have been a win-win situation for all and his spin-doctor sadly missed an opportunity to score points by mentioning to all who insisted he gently push the car's steering wheel-mounted gear lever onto "R" and reverse it back to those generous people that the R1million spent would go a long way in helping the company buy more material to build more cars and thus secure a job or 10.

That's how I would do it. Away from the rich and famous, this past week also brought pleasantness.

Talk that dealers are feeling a slight surge in business has many of them returning to good moods and if there has been a good omen to get dealers to apply lateral ways to achieve sales, it has been the economic crunch. Many simply had to throw a keen eye at places that they'd generally not bothered about, which then brings me to this question.

When the storm is over, will they recoil back into comfort-land? Only time will tell, but for now the best sight of the week came courtesy of a motorcycle service centre strategically placed at a busy intersection. Not at one of the prime CBDs, but in a squatter-camp.

Calls by economy experts for the government to focus on small businesses could not have come at a better time.

Now, believe it or not, the winter season is truly the best time to enjoy a convertible and those who have set their sights on the new BMW Z4 are best advised to buy early.

Remember that the tide is not out yet and expect new car prices to keep soaring in the coming months still.

Bargains are still out there to be had and buyers looking for pre-owned vehicles are encouraged to be vigorous.

Also, there seems to be plenty offers for no deposit on many new cars. But you need to be very confident of your future before you jump into one of these deals.

Speaking of, Sowetan readers who are certain that they will have a ballooned figure after 72 months and residing in Durban should see the Audi Centre on Somtseu Road. They have A4 1,8T derivatives on such a plan.

While still on the Banana City, a few weeks ago our man Bruce Fraser juggled a brace of Porsche cars and a vote.

The company's newest dealer in Umhlanga has some delectable pre-owned models on offer and the company mentioned a full-on, pre-owned assault with the possibility of walking away with a mint condition, pre-owned Porsche sports car at very good rates.

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