THE CALENDAR IS TICKING DOWN
As monthly sales fall, deals are getting tastier
Aperfect storm is brewing for new-car bargains as we near the end of the year. Sales have fallen for five months in a row, dealers are overstocked and, because it takes months to cancel factory orders, there are still shiploads heading our way.
This month’s deals aren’t the best we’ve ever seen — but there are still plenty of worthwhile bargains with decent savings if you need a new car by the end of the month.
SMALL CARS
The cheap seats still have a lot to offer: pay $17,490 drive-away for a Toyota Yaris or Kia Rio hatch.
The Toyota wins on resale value but the Kia has an industry-leading seven-year warranty and a couple of convenience features the Yaris lacks, such as Apple Car Play/Android Auto.
Up in size but still below $20,000, there are the Hyundai Elantra sedan auto at $19,990 drive-away (once a $1000 discount is applied) or the Kia Cerato auto hatch at the same price. Both are in run-out.
Discounts on the Mazda3 bring the Neo Sport with auto to $23,490 drive-away — if the car you want is in stock, press the dealer for further savings. The sporty can be had for $27,990 with auto, or less than a base Corolla hatch.
The Hyundai i30 Go with auto is down to $22,490 drive-away with a $500 discount.
Holden dealers still have a ready supply of Astra R+ (with safety pack) at $21,990 driveaway with auto.
SUVs
The Holden Trax city SUV is great buying at $23,990 drive-away with auto, although it insists on premium unleaded.
The Hyundai Kona Go is online for $25,990 drive-away, minus another $500 factory bonus. Shop around and you might find a dealer who bought a job lot last month who is prepared to limbo even lower than this.
The Hyundai Tucson retains its $27,990 drive-away deal but the Holden Equinox LS with auto is worth a look at $29,990 drive-away.
It’s not often a new model is launched at a sharp price but the Holden Acadia LT sevenseater is a bargain buy at $42,990 drive-away. It undercuts the base model of the top-seller in the class, the Toyota Kluger GX, at $43,990 drive-away.
Want to go off-road? Holden Trailblazer starts from a super-low $45,990 drive-away but if you’re serious the Toyota Prado GXL auto is hard to beat at $65,990 drive-away.
UTES
With a new Triton around the corner, Mitsubishi continues to hit new lows with the best-priced ute among the mainstream brands. The Triton GLX dual-cab 4WD manual can be had for $32,990 drive-away — and a $2000 cashback deal takes that down to just $30,990.
Market leader Toyota is also selling HiLux SR5 facelifted models for $54,990 drive-away with auto. Dealers have done the pre-facelift SR5s for $50,990 drive-away with auto. No wonder rivals can’t land a punch.
Also worth a look: the Holden Colorado LTZ dual-cab is a decent buy at $51,990 driveaway with auto.
The VW Amarok Core TDV6 has finally landed, with a sharp $51,990 drive-away price.
Amid hard-to-chart pricing strategy, Nissan has the Navara ST-X dual-cab auto for $52,490 drive-away with zero finance; conditions apply.