Kinsey Report Confirms a Hyundai Purchase to Be a Smart Buy
What makes a car affordable? For most new vehicle buyers the price tag plays the most important role. However, keeping it on the road could often have a bigger impact on your budget. The annual Kinsey Report has been addressing this very issue for over 20 years, comparing the prices of vehicle parts to help both the public and fleet operators make informed decisions when buying new vehicles. Year-on-year, Hyundai has had excellent results in this survey, proving the brand to offer true value-for-money products.
Durban-based motor parts specialist, Malcolm Kinsey has been investigating and publishing his findings on the cost of vehicle components since 1990. His survey reports have served as both a yardstick for those looking to buy and a regulator for the industry itself as it would almost certainly expose any over-inflated parts pricing.
Having evolved over the years to ensure that it would compare ‘apples with apples’ this year’s Kinsey Report is said to be the most comprehensive yet, comparing 64 vehicles in 8 categories. Hyundai has again scored well in many of these segments with the Sonata taking the top spot in the Auto Executives category. In second place in the Super Mini segment was the Hyundai i20 and moving into the 3rd spot was the Hyundai i10 in the City Car category with South Africa’s Car of the Year, the Hyundai Elantra also moving into 3rd place in the Family Favourites segment.
The Kinsey Report provides pricing results for three parts categories namely service parts, repair parts and crash parts. If a new vehicle is sold with a service plan, the cost of service parts won’t affect the buyer right away while a maintenance plan would also cover the cost of repair parts for an indicated term or distance travelled. Though adequate vehicle insurance will cover the replacement of expensive crash parts, it could result in an earlier write-off point for your car and will most certainly affect your pocket with either a higher monthly premium or excess payment charge. It’s important to take note that the use of inexpensive non-branded parts could save you money but possibly invalidate the warranty of seemingly unconnected parts.
Bottom line, it pays to do your homework before making a new vehicle purchase. Hyundai has been offering class-leading warranties and service plans for many years, which have provided owners with added peace of mind and also supported the brand’s quality promise. Add this to the 2012 Kinsey Report results and you can rest assured that buying a Hyundai vehicle is a safe bet as its maintenance will be as affordable as its price tag.