2012 Toyota Auris

Toyota Auris

Toyota’s Auris never pretended to be anything it wasn’t—a compact hatch aimed at folks who wanted solid, no-fuss motoring rather than a badge war with the neighbours on a Sandton driveway. In its heyday, it took on the VW Golf 5, Honda Civic hatch, and Mazda 3, but always with a more honest approach: petrol engines only, manuals for the driver’s crowd, CVT for the city slog. That’s the point, because the Auris was never about showing off. If you’re scouring the classifieds, you’ll spot just three used examples right now, with sticker prices ranging from R139,900 to R199,995 and a median sitting at R179,500. You don’t get much choice—these are thin on the ground—so the condition of each car suddenly becomes the biggest factor, especially at those numbers. Those three cars actually map out the Auris line-up pretty well. The 1.3 X manual at R139,900 is your starter, the 1.6 XR CVT at R179,500 covers the middle, and the unicorn is the TRD-badged 1.6 at R199,995. All are from the 2011–2014 batch, all are running average mileages of 193,514 km, which isn’t wild for a Toyota of this vintage but it’s not a figure you can ignore. What pulled local buyers away from the Golf was Toyota’s knack for cheaper servicing and that you could find a dealer whether you were in Joburg or Upington. With no new Auris stock left, this is a used-only story, and with these mileages, a full service history isn’t just nice to have—it’s your only insurance before you sign on the dotted line.