“How Broke Was My Father?”: SA Gagged by Price of Cars During the Late ’90s in Viral TikTok Video

• South Africans were stunned by the prices of cars in the late '90s after one TikTokker shared an old flyer
• Some youngsters questioned why their parents are still not car owners even though they were affordable 
• The post went viral with South Africans resharing it over a thousand times generating almost a million views 

South Africans were amazed to learn just how affordable cars were back in the day before the horrendous inflation.

Most youngsters were perplexed by how their parents never got to own a car when they were affordable in the 90s.

SA gagged by price of cars post-apartheid

Times change and so does the value of money. Back in the day, one would travel, buy food and maybe a clothing item for just R10.

Today R10 barely gets you a loaf of bread or a jar of milk. South Africans were wowed by a car dealership’s flyer from the late 90s. A minibus taxi was only R5.1K while a Cressida was R5.9K.

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Today, one can get a decent car for over R100K and a little extra for insurance. The difference made South African youngsters question how broke their parents were that they couldn’t save up for a car.

See the TikTok post below:

How the rand lost its value 

According to an article by Business Tech, the rand has been taking a beating due to ongoing and heightened load shedding, the country’s greylist status, and uncertainty about economic and political policy. The South African currency hit a new all-time low against the dollar last week – surpassing R19 to the US dollar – following allegations that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia.

Mzansi reacts to low car prices in the late '90s

Social media users were amazed by the low prices and commented:

@Mamo wondered:

“Kanti, how broke was my father?”

@Peaches said:

“My late granny used to walk around very proud that her lobola was R75.”

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@Jay MDS wrote:

“My dad was earning R4 500 in 1993 only to find out he only chopped his money.”

@Tebogo Madubanya pointed out:

“That taxi still ranks in Sandton.”

@MR BAVARIAN excitedly said:

“I would have 50 cars.”

@Sebopela Katlego Luciah wished to have those car prices in 2025:

“We need those prices back.”

@TM AUTO WORKS explained why some people could not buy cars:

“Back then I think they were paid  R50 or R30.”

@Colin Bailey356shared how much they earned in the 90s:

“In 1990 my monthly salary was R380.”

@Jennelle Dawn Naidoo cried:

“These amounts are our monthly instalments.”

@tebo8504 explained to Mzansi:

“As much as they were cheap, on others they were very expensive.”

3 More car-related stories by Briefly News

• South Africans were stunned by a chap who made an easy sale settling a deal of R39K on a Audi A3 valued at half a million.
• Mzansi women thirsted over a chap who drove a beastly Audi valued at over half a million in Umhlanga Rocks, KZN.
• South Africans comforted a Zulu gent who felt embarrassed about driving a beat-up car to work while his colleagues drove flashy cars.

Source: Briefly News