Of the 85,000-plus pre-owned listings on AutoTrader, the country’s biggest used-car platform, the cheapest one is currently a 2006 Tata Indica 1.4 LSi with 155,765km on the clock that is selling for a measly, relatively speaking, sum of R12,900.
This means the average South African who had a mean nominal take-home pay in March of R15,321 can afford to buy the hatchback with one paycheck.
The Tata entered the country in 2005 and the LSi was positioned as one above the entry-level model back in its heyday. Considering this particular unit is up for sale by WeBuyCars, it probably won’t be available for much longer.
What you get for R12,900
The Indica LSi’s main features are summed up by a trip computer, manual aircon, rear windscreen defogger, vanity mirrors on the sunshades, a digital clock on the dash, two speakers, and a radio with USB, Aux, and SD card inputs.
It also comes with a 60:40 split rear bench which takes the boot capacity from 220 litres to a maximum of 610 litres, as well as cloth seats in a colourful camo pattern, although they’re not in as pristine of a condition on this example after 17 years in service anymore.
Potential shoppers should know that the Tata doesn’t provide many of the life-saving equipment that most new cars have today such as airbags or ABS. In its defence, it does offer child safety locks on the rear doors and an immobiliser for a semblance of theft protection.
This specific Indica on sale also has a domestic light switch glued to the dash just below the rev counter, which performs an unidentifiable task.
The compact Indica sources its power from a 1.4-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol motor which in 2006 generated 55kW and 110Nm, working with a five-speed manual gearbox that turns the front wheels.
The car’s official top speed is measured at 155km/h and it clears the 100km/h barrier in 12.8 seconds flat out. Average fuel usage comes in at 7.4l/100km, which with the 37-litre tank works out to around 500km of range per refill.
According to the listing, the model in question does not have a service history, its check engine light is illuminated, and the motor is prone to overheating, so it’s unlikely that it will perform to the same extent as it did when it was new.
The ball joints on the front axle are also loose, the control arm bushes are broken, the bellhousing cover is missing, and there is an “atypical noise” on the steering assembly, so it’s probably not going to handle as well as it did back in the day, either.
The exterior has seen a few better days, too, the imperfections including waterlogged lights, a missing rear wiper, dents and broken body panels, chipped and scratched paint, and visibly repainted components.
Keyword: Cheapest car on AutoTrader – What you get for R12,900