Pre-owned “4x4s” under R50,000 – What’s on offer

The South African pre-owned vehicle market is littered with sub-R50,000 “4x4s” – offering plenty of chances to get into the off-roading game for cheap.

While some examples look like they’re ready to tackle the great outdoors immediately, others might be better suited as project cars that will only serve your needs after many hours of TLC.

What’s on offer

If you don’t want to spend more than R50,000 on a vehicle with four-wheel drive, you will find models from the 1990s and early 2000s to fit your budget.

A 2007 Tata Safari is the youngest vehicle we found under R50,000 that still looked like it would be able to drive off the showroom floor.

Most of the models also feature naturally-aspirated, petrol engines. We only found two decent diesel-powered options for sale, with both these being turbocharged.

It is advised to tread with caution when browsing for vehicles at this price, as the chances of buying a broken vehicle are quite high.

However, if you are knowledgeable in car repairs and on the more adventurous side, you might spot a great bargain.

We list a variety of four-wheel-drive vehicles found for under R50,000 on the pre-owned market, below.

2002 Land Rover Discovery V8 XS – R30,900

• Mileage – 276,000km
• Engine – 4.0-litre, V8, petrol

2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.5 V6 5-Door – R37,900

• Mileage – 231,000km
• Engine – 2.5-litre, V6, petrol

2003 Land Rover Freelander 2.0 TD4 5-Door – R42,900

• Mileage – 241,000km
• Engine – 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel

2007 Tata Safari 2.2 Dicor 4×4 GLX – R45,900

• Mileage – 120,000km
• Engine – 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, petrol

1992 Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8 – R49,900

• Mileage -252,000km
• Engine – 2.8-litre, four-cylinder, petrol

2001 Nissan Terrano II 2.7TDi 3-door – R49,900

• Mileage – 250,000km
• Engine – 2.7-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland – R49,900

• Mileage – 206,000km
• Engine – 4.7-litre, V8, petrol

2004 Subaru Outback 3.0R AWD Auto – R49,900

• Mileage – 262,000km
• Engine – 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, petrol

2006 Subaru Forester 2.5 XS Auto – R49,900

• Mileage – 234,000km
• Engine – 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, petrol

1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L Country – R49,990

• Mileage – 297,000km
• Engine – 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, petrol