Nigeria, being the most populous country on the continent, with a population of over 170 million people, is a major business hub for corporations all over the world. Especially, popular automotive brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Ford, etc., are already establishing their assembly plants in Nigeria, just in order to meet up with the high demands for vehicles by Nigerians ( courtesy of the National Automotive Policy put in place by former President Jonathan’s administration).

With the harsh economic realities facing Nigeria right now, one would have thought that the rate of vehicle purchases would drop. But if you've being observant, the same Nigerians that would say there isn't money, are the same ones busy buying exotic cars. Well, I don't care whether its a new or used one.
The most important thing is, Nigerians are still buying cars daily.
This has come with its attendant problems also, ranging from increased emissions levels, accidents, high maintenance costs, and unscheduled breakdown.
I don't think anyone would be happy, going for an OWANBE party, and suddenly the car he/she bought for 3-5million naira breaks down on the road, just because of the insincerity of car dealers, and the REFUSAL of car buyers to hire the services if a professional to carry out proper inspections on the car.

The following factors would help you make informed decision(s) before buying any car of your choice.

1. DETERMINE THE BRAND YOU WANT Research on more than one brand of car. This would widen your choice options.
All vehicles employ the same dynamics in their operations, but not all brands are reliable, depending on the purpose to which that vehicle is being considered for purchase.
Reliable brands can be determined for instance, by you establishing some set of benchmarks like reliability, durability, and maintenance costs, etc., and measuring it up with your preferred brand, and getting feedbacks from friends, families, vehicle operators on your street, etc. It is better to spend a week or a day researching on your preferred brand, than spending a whole life time regretting why you bought the vehicle you bought.

2. WHY DO YOU NEED A CAR?
When the purpose of a thing is not known, the purpose of its application is defeated. Don’t just buy a car because your friend has bought one, or because you have won a jackpot. If you can’t answer why you need a car right now, then you just don’t need any either. Your ability to answer this question, would help you decide if the car you are considering would be a 4cylinder, 6 cylinder, or a 12cylinder engine; or an SUV, a mini SUV, or a truck, for private (family, or office use) or commercial (transportation, or otherwise) purpose.

3. MAINTENANCE COST.
You could determine the average maintenance cost of owning your particular choice brand of car by personally carrying out price investigations of basic parts such as oil filters, fuel filters, engine and transmission or gear fluids, brake pads, etc., if you would be the one to carry out basic maintenance yourself. But if you are not dexterous with tools, simply ask your potential mechanic for the cost of labour for repairs such as oil change, brake pad replacement, and compare the cost to see how much you might be spending in the future.
Another way you could get this feedback is to request for such information from an operator of the particular brand of your choice.

4. AVAILABILITY OF SPARE PARTS.
Are the parts for the vehicle you want to purchase readily available in the market? What sources are these parts coming from? Are they genuine as the parts sellers claim? All these information can be obtained online, by contacting the company’s website of the brand, and inputting the cars information, such as year and model, including part numbers of the potential parts. If the particular vehicle parts are not available or have only few suppliers, that’s a signal to you that you have to be prepared to spend a whole lot more on replacement parts, or face the risks associated with substandard parts. Always go for vehicles whose parts are readily available in the open market. But ensure it is genuine. A lot of Nigerians have spent a fortune maintaining supposedly new cars, just because those vehicles were introduced newly in to the market at cheaper rates by start-up companies in Asia.

5. FINANCIAL CAPABILITY
Can you afford financially to buy a car? Would the purchase affect your savings?
If your answer is in the affirmative, you are not ready to own a car yet. Just be patient.
Owning a car is not just a luxury, but it carries with it financial responsibility also. Just like when a man marries a wife, he bears all the responsibility of catering for the wife and the children. There are no excuses for irresponsibility here.
Have you ever wondered why people buy cars, and yet can’t maintain them, but later sell them? Emmmm, keep the answer to the question to yourself o! I would not want to spark off angry reactions here, please.

5. TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW.
Are there mechanics that can handle the maintenance of that vehicle?
This, you can know by conducting research online of reputable companies, and requesting for referrals from owners of similar brands of cars.
Do not permit any mechanic/technician carry out any repairs on your potential car, if you are not comfortable with their capabilities.

6. GET A PROFESSIONAL PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS REPORT.
Before buying a fairly used car anywhere, do not just trust the dealership’s salesperson’s verbal report about the car. Ask for a third party preliminary inspections report about the state of the car. This report would contain details of the car's past, and present state, and also reveal to you if the dealer has being covering up some issues about the car.
Such kinds of information can be gotten from CARFAX, and other online car check companies, on payment of a little fee.
CARFAX would reveal if the car, through the vehicle's VIN( vehicle identification number), if the car is STOLEN, FLOODED(Mind you, there are lots of flooded cars being exported to Nigeria, and Africa in general), ACCIDENTAL, etc. Such info from CARFAX may not provide you with the present state of the car.
There are companies whose jobs solely is to carry out preliminary inspections of your dream car(s), before buying.
Many Nigerians have bought flooded and junked vehicles from auto dealers in Nigeria whose true states were concealed.

Get professional uncompromising automotive engineers to execute such tasks for you.
Do not engage a roadside mechanic to inspect a car worth millions of naira. Doing that, would be at your own risks.
NB: New vehicles do not need a pre-purchase inspections. You'll begin to encounter issues related to depreciation of the vehicle, as the year goes by.
If you choose to implement a replacement maintenance strategy, you could sell off the car, immediately you notice problems begins to set in.

WHAT CAR DEALERS WON'T TELL YOU
Car dealers, or anyone looking to sale their car, would never disclose to you, whether the vehicle has being involved in an accident; if it was stolen; if major mechanical/electrical work has being carried out, or if the car still has issues with it.
Some of them won't allow you do a test drive. They might be gracious to allow a 80km/hr drive. That isn't enough to test a car.

I am very sorry, if you're a car dealer, I'm kind of like revealing what your colleagues do.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT THIS?
Saving your had earn cash is the strategy here.
This few tips would save you head ACH in the future, and financial losses.
Please, what I'm about to share here is a dip secret. Don't tell them I told you all these o!
OK. Here we go:
**Tell the car dealer NOT START the engine of the car, until you're around.

REASON: Most dealers, because of the problems some of the cars they sale to the public are faulty, and not WHAT they CLAIM, they tend to start the engine before you arrive at their car stand. This is done more especially, if its a second, third, and even fourth handed vehicle. Take for instance, If a car's engine internal components, such as valve seals are WEAK. Normally, one of the symptoms displayed when the vehicle is started early in the mornings is that you'll have BLUE SMOKE exiting from the exhaust tail pipe.
Now. If the dealer knows that you're coming when the engine is cold, and hasn't being warmed, he knows, you'll complain, and probably not buy the car. So, he "loses", and you're saved financially. But if it's otherwise, he smiles to the bank, while you become a regular " patient" of the hospital(workshop) doctor(mechanic).

**Ask to see the original or photocopied copy of the car papers. In some cases, vehicles imported into the country, has a maintenance history from the original owner of the car.
If the car imported into the country has some issues with it, the importer, or some rather, would conceal such important documents, and tell you, there wasn't anything of such accompanying the vehicle to the country.
Make sure all the custom papers are valid. You won't want to be entangled into a legal quagmire someday.

REASON: You've got lots of car's with tempered papers around.
Be security conscious though.

**Get a third party pre-purchase inspections of the car before buying. Some dealers wouldn't want you to have the car inspected by a professional. They would rather mouth wash you, with words like, CLEAN RIDE; BUY AND RIDE, and so on. Don't just "innocently believe I. their salesmanship. Ask them you'll want to get your own professional mechanic to check it out for you.
You can get services like that, from reputable companies, and individuals who're car savvy.
ATTENTION: Be very cautious when you'd hired the services of a professional mechanic to inspect a car, you intend to put in perhaps millions of naira in.
This is a secret I'm revealing to you right now.
Don't tell them o! Some of the dealers would want to INFLUENCE your mechanic to give a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH on the car, even though the mechanic knows that the car you'll buying, is an ORANGE.
Stuffs like these happens, when the dealer promises the mechanic some financial kickbacks after the purchase. You have to be on your guard and even watch.
Employ your PSYCHOLOGICAL skills, if you've got one, during the inspections. Eye contacts and body language reveals a lot.
These guys take advantage of you, the buyer, because they know you're desperate about buying a car.

**Run a diagnostic scan on the car, and do a test drive beyond the car lot. This is where its going to be really hot for both of you guys. Some if them would never allow you drive the car out of the car lot. But hey, dealer, that's a used car you're selling. If it were to be new, I won't bother carrying out the test drive.
I know the concerns about security by car dealers. But common, people would be spending, maybe, their life savings in that stuff. So, if you've got security concerns, get two or more persons to go for the test drive, or the vehicle could be driven where you've security installations/infrastructure around.
On carrying out a general diagnostic scan on the car. I have for instance, carried out a general diagnostic scan on a corolla 2008, for a client, around Gbagada area, in Lagos state. The had lots of trouble codes, when it was scanned. Codes like camshaft position sensor "A" circuit out of range; random misfires;ABS, and VSC lights displaying on the dashboard. From the results of this Scan, I knew that for that camshaft issue, suspect areas could be the sensor wiring; sensor itself; camshafts actuator problems, etc. The FFD(Freeze frame data) was checked, and we discovered this fault always occurs, when the vehicle has being driven for more than 2hrs. This issue was raise with the car dealer, but he insisted the car was a NICE RIDE, and that those codes and lights on the DASH doesn't mean anything.
Never buy a car with CHRISTMAS lights on the dash. Get to know what the codes are. That way, you could bargain for a price reduction, if you are desperate to get that car. This way, its a win win for both seller and buyer.

****The pre-purchase inspections report I present to clients contains EVERY ASPECT of the CAR"****
BODY. Has it being painted, or accidental before?
ENGINE. Reveal mechanical and electrical issues.
TRANSMISSION. Had it being worked before, or has issues currently.
TEST DRIVES. This would reveal the operations of the engine, transmission, brakes and other salient issues.
INTERIORS. AC system working efficiency, stereos, etc.
Such reports are sent to your emails, even before you purchase the car. That way, you're better armed with evidence during your negotiations with the dealer. Isn't that great? You already have the Weapon to destroy all of their lethal defenses.

CONCLUSION
Nigerians like automobiles. They can spend a fortune, just buying exotic cars. But the problem has always been, HOW DO I GET THE BEST FROM THE DEALERSHIP?
Car dealers sweet mouth lots of people into buying cars, and at the end, the maintenance cost, outweighs the purchase cost of the car.
When planning to buy a car, do your research first. It doesn't cost you anything. Maybe, just cost you your time. But remember, it's worth it.
Go with a professional, uncompromising automotive engine to inspect the car of your choice.
In these times of technological advancement, don't just go with a mechanic whose got a scan tool in his hand. But go with someone, whose got an understanding of basic principles of automotive operations.
Don't go alone.

A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.


Regards,
IGONO JOSEPH OKEME

PS: Revving a car alone during inspections s does not show the car is in a state of good HEALTH. Other parameters abound too.
That's where I come in.

wow, this is an eye opener, especially for those who have no knowledge about cars.

@abdeiz. Gaskiya kam. You're right o! Lots of people carry their relatives, or friends to buy a car, just simply because the person has being driving cars fro years, or .....
A professional is quiet different from someone whose just got the experience driving cars, or stuffs like that.
I don't just get sometimes. Why would one want to spend huge fortunes taking risks, instead of maybe spending some bucks carrying out an inspections purchase?

Hope you're cool?

You know how we are being who we are, the type of maintenance culture we practice here is mostly corrective, many people lack foresight to take extra measures so that they can buy high quality and non defective vehicles.
Infact lack of awareness too is a factor, I always knew that the car dealers aren't to be trusted always but seeing your post about hiring a professional to check the vehicle amongst other things you pointed out is really an eye opener.

@abdeiz. Perfect comment by you. That's the kind of stuffs I do. Carry out pre-purchase inspections of a car for a potential buyer. We look at everything thing in a car. Including the electrical aspects, interiors, everything. We then email the report straight to you, so that you could make informed decisions before getting committed.

Ok.... What's ur contact?

Would like commend you on your nice write-up. Really an eye-opener.

I need info on these:

1. Can someone outside Lagos use your service to pre-check a vehicle before coming to pick it up if everything is ok? I will just give you the dealer contacts and inform them you are coming. You cross-check and get details to me. If positive, can come pick it up. Does your service work that way?

2. What can you advise on 2005 Lexus Gx 470 vs 2007/08 Lexus Rx350 being used as a second car?

Thanks.

@kennetwork.

Kenny!!!!. Thanks for the commendation. I'm just trying to make a stake difference from the crowd, as an automotive engineer.

1. Yes, my service(s) works the way you've asked. Have done several for clients , and have sent either a verbal, or a written report to them via email.

2. '05 GX470 VS 07/08 RX350

GX470:
If you've gone over the article I wrote about "considerations for buying a car, and what dealers won't tell you", you'll observe that asides some of the points I have explained in there, you've got know what you want to use that car for. Is it for the family's use; do you want roomy cars? Can you foot the maintenance bill?
The car is a V8 engine, 4.7L capacity. Has tremendous torque to it. Its the same engine type you've in a Toyota tundra, and even the Toyota 4Runners. Its reliable, and durable. But my concern is, asides WANTING TO USE IT AS A SECOND HAND, what else is LURKING in your mind about that car?
If you're insisting on this car, be sure the engine management parts of the car is intact. Thus I mean, no check lights responsible for fuel consumption issues, such as a P0300....random misfires, vacuum leaks. All these, would hamper on your fuel economy.

RX350:
Thus SUV is a V6 engine, with a 3.5L engine capacity. Its a more recent car, and the fuel savings is cool.
If you car about aesthetics, the interior design is fantastic. The design is an improvement from the rx300. A lot of modifications abound.
Both cars come with central navigation systems, with a rear camera for safety.
On both cars, both the front and rear seats presents enough leg room for passengers.
They've got enough cargo room. You can collapse the seats, to achieve this.
For the RX 350, in this economy hard times, and the removal of fuel subsidies, the car would be a better choice.

This is just a bit of the info I can present to you now.

PS: Both cars could be used for SECOND HAND CARS.
TELL ME WHAT YOU REALLY WANT. WOUKD BETTER ABLE TO ADVICE YOU.

Could you please contact me here:
oigonojoseph@yahoo.com
08066643532(you can also WhatsApp with the number).

OP after all these your sermon, will you also tell them to try and pay good prices for cars, you want to buy an 07 corolla for 800k and you're coming with your scanner and 'uncompromising mechanics' hopefully not to find any faults abi

I'm a dealer too and I'll tell you confidently that Nigerians buy bad cars mainly not cos they can't research, but mainly cos of their love for 'cheap' items, when I offer someone the same model devoid of issues what I'll hear is something like "is it not this same car that was offered to me at so so and so price, that one is even American spec, pls let's go and buy that one", months later you'll come back to say all car dealers are dishonest crooks with sweet mouth

Each to his own sha

Bros, you are very much on point. The truth is just that very few dealers are honest.

@kulee. You're a smart man o! How you faring?

@valarinz. I get what your concerns are. But I think it's better you present the clients with all the products and/or services you have. Its left for the clients to decide which they want. I think the problems with most dealers is, they just want to have their ROI fast. Just be fair and emphatic with them. When you explain things to them, they'll see you as someone not desperate for their money.

TRYGO:
@kulee. You're a smart man o! How you faring?

@valarinz. I get what your concerns are. But I think it's better you present the clients with all the products and/or services you have. Its left for the clients to decide which they want. I think the problems with most dealers is, they just want to have their ROI fast. Just be fair and emphatic with them. When you explain things to them, they'll see you as someone not desperate for their money.

If you read my quotes very well and slowly, you'll realize we're both saying the same thing here, difference being that I'm implying that the clients too don't like such honesty, they prefer those with the lies and sweet mouth, they'll buy 10 cars from those so called dishonest dealers(cos of their sweet mouth and constant persuasion ) before they'll even consider buying one car from the honest dealer

Also they love it cheap, how can a car without issues be cheaper than same car with issues(all other factors being equal)

Apportion some blame to the buyers too is my point

@valarinze. Apportioning blame? OK.
Fellow car buyers, before you buy a car anywhere, do your research well. If you want s great and nice car with more value, you've got to prepare for the bucks. But don't expect to get a completely nice ride for some few bucks.
Hehehe! Hope case closed now, Oga?

Please I need a little guidance.. What compact SUV would you recommend on a budget not above 2million..Tokumbo

@marv1: Here's the contact
Calls and/or WhatsApp: 08066643532 oigonojoseph@yahoo.com