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Driving Long Distance, Let’s Travel Botswana!
If you’re planning on driving long distance in Botswana, Suzuki Gaborone has put together some tips we feel are useful to assist you on your journey.
Arrive alive. Below, these tips were made to assist you to avoid getting caught in possibly dangerous situations.
Check Your Car:
The first & most important step is to ensure your car is ready to hit the road. Driving long distance through Botswana will require you to check your tyres, engine oil & water, windscreen wipers etc before taking off. The easiest way to do so is to contact your dealership or local AA office (if you belong to AA) & arrange a pre-holiday check. This will ensure your vehicle is in top condition for your upcoming journey.
Get Cleaning:
Part of your pre-trip checklist should include a good cleaning of your vehicle. Throw out any random papers or trash that might be cluttering the inside of your car & give it a good outside wash too. It will make for a much more comfortable journey if your car is in a clean condition.
Pack Properly:
If you’re used to a slightly larger vehicle, or it’s your first long-distance road trip, try to be organised about what & how you pack. Smaller vehicles like the Suzuki Swift & Celerio have ample storage space, but you want to make sure that the items you need on the road are easily accessible. It will become incredibly frustrating if you have to unpack the entire car each time you need something.
It’s a great idea to make a list of essentials vs non-essentials before you start packing for your trip. Tempted to take as much as possible with us, we forget we don’t always need so much stuff. Are you really going to need that floating pool flamingo on a hiking trip? Once you’ve scaled down the list, pack the car according to what needs to be accessible while on the road. You’ll most likely be surprised by how much space you really have, & can then throw in the flamingo just fin case there’s a natural pool on your hike.
Packing your car to the rafters will have an effect on your fuel consumption. Keeping your fuel consumption to a minimum is an added incentive to leave unnecessary items behind. Make sure you budget for the extra weight.
Safety First:
Perhaps the most important part of any road trip, no matter how long, is safety. Check that your spare tyre is in good shape (this should be part of the pre-trip check mentioned in the first paragraph) & make sure you have these safety essentials on-hand:
Are you planning on driving long distance in Botswana? Want more safety tips for your upcoming drive? Our team are happy to help, contact us and we’ll call you right back.
A warning triangle should you need to pull over to the side.
A charged cell phone in case of emergency (it’s amazing how quickly we forget to charge a phone when on holiday, especially if you’re using it to play your road-trip playlist).
Emergency contact details: towing / insurance.
First-aid kit: make sure you’ve got the basics from antiseptic wipes to anti-allergy medication.
Ensuring you don’t fall asleep behind the wheel, a ‘buddy system’ should be set in place. By either swapping drivers as often as possible, if possible. Or by planning your stops in advance.
The final tip: enjoy your journey! If you’re organised and everything you need is within easy reach, a decent road trip is one of the best ways to really enjoy your car & appreciate all the features you don’t get to use on your chaotic morning trips to school or work.
The Vehicle Loan Finance Calculator calculates the type of repayment required, at the frequency requested, in respect of the loan parameters entered, namely amount, term and interest rate. The Product selected determines the default interest rate for personal loan product. The Vehicle Finance Calculator also calculates the time saved to pay off the loan and the amount of interest saved based on an additional input from the customer. This is if repayments are increased by the entered amount of extra contribution per repayment period. This feature is only enabled for the products that support an extra repayment. The calculations are done at the repayment frequency entered, in respect of the original loan parameters entered, namely amount, annual interest rate and term in years.
Calculator Assumptions
Length of Month
All months are assumed to be of equal length. In reality, many loans accrue on a daily basis leading to a varying number of days interest dependent on the number of days in the particular month.
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One year is assumed to contain exactly 52 weeks or 26 fortnights. This implicitly assumes that a year has 364 days rather than the actual 365 or 366.
Rounding of Amount of Each Repayment
In practice, repayments are rounded to at least the nearer cent. However the calculator uses the unrounded repayment to derive the amount of interest payable at points along the graph and in total over the full term of the loan. This assumption allows for a smooth graph and equal repayment amounts. Note that the final repayment after the increase in repayment amount.
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The time saved is presented as a number of years and months, fortnights or weeks, based on the repayment frequency selected. It assumes the potential partial last repayment when calculating the savings.
Amount of Interest Saved
This amount can only be approximated from the amount of time saved and based on the original loan details.
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The results from this calculator should be used as an indication only. Results do not represent either quotes or pre-qualifications for the product. Individual institutions apply different formulas. Information such as interest rates quoted and default figures used in the assumptions are subject to change.
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**Note: For exceeding 120 no. of payments, a group of 12 payments will be combined into a single payment number for better chart visibility.
The repayment amount shown using this calculator is an estimate, based on information you have provided. It is provided for illustrative purposes only and actual repayment amounts may vary. To find out actual repayment amounts, contact us. This calculation does not constitute a quote, loan approval, agreement or advice by Suzuki Gaborone. It does not take into account your personal or financial circumstances.
