You get what you pay for. So if you fork out for a Rolls-Royce Phantom, you get a mobile mansion. Or if you drop the GDP of a small European country on a Bugatti Veyron, you're guaranteed a 736kW engine and top speed of over 400km/h.

Pay under R70k for a new car and you'll get a little less... Behold South Africa's five cheapest cars.

CHERY QQ3 0.8 TE
Price: R65 900
Engine: 800cc, 38kW, 70Nm
Top speed: 138km/h
Warranty: 100 000km, three years
Fuel Consumption: 7.78 litres per 100km

Small dimensions, small engine, small price — SA's cheapest new car nevertheless has big backing. First brought over the Great Wall by McCarthy in May 2008, the cute-looking newcomer has since set a 48-hour endurance record. But it's more suited to inner-city driving than long distance cruising — the "ride is a bit wallowy and the wind from an oncoming truck makes for a turbulent ride", we reckoned at the launch.

Blame the 812cc engine — although the fuel consumption figures mean fewer trips to the pump, and you're unlikely to be busted for excessive speeding. Still, watch out for the "sloppy gear-linkage and inconsistent clutch feel" we reported last year.

HAFEI LOBO COMFORT 1.1i FIVE-DOOR
Price: R69 900
Engine: 1100cc, 48kW, 88Nm
Top speed: 140km/h
Warranty: 60 000km, two years
Fuel Consumption: 6.3 litres per 100km

China's not exactly generous with information. Nor is Hafei. An unknown quantity from the East, all we really know about the company is that its principles are "the customer is supreme, quality first and seeking excellence". Naming their cars is a good place to start: Lobo means "treasure on the road".

Styled by someone (an intern?) at Italian design house Pininfarina — Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Maserati Quattroporte, Hyundai Matrix... — the five-door hatchback features modcons like radio/tape (with speakers), power steering, aircon, and cupholders.

But how will it fare in the long-run? In the grand tradition of Mao, nobody really knows...

CHEVROLET SPARK 0.8 FIVE-DOOR
Price: R75 230
Engine: 800cc, 38kW, 69Nm
Top speed: 138km/h
Warranty: 100 000km, three years
Fuel Consumption: 8.3 litres per 100km

What's in a name? Quite a lot it turns out. By simply slapping a Chevrolet bowtie on the grille and a new name on the back, GM transforms the Daewoo Matiz from South Korean wannabe to true-blue American legend. Well, superficially at least.

This is no Yank Tank by any stretch of the imagination. An A to B car that's more about convenience than comfort, this city runabout is designed for places with plenty of traffic and very little space. Like Jo'burg.

» On page 2: more on the Spark, Chana Benni and Citi Golf