As a novice to online vehicle sales. What are the necessary steps to take before or when purchasing a vehicle from an online dealer?
More precisely, in the aspect of condition of use of the vehicle, previous ownership and security.

#Thefearofstolenvehicle

As much as any purchase is first considered online, it should always be completed offline and in person/through a proxy with access to the vehicle.

For any vehicle (Tokunbo primarily, and to some extent, Nigerian used), the following would help when considering purchase:

- History before importation to Nigeria(Past condition)

- History in Nigeria(Present condition)

History before importation to Nigeria:

The most effective way to know the history of any vehicle is through a vehicle history report, especially for cars from US/Canada, and some countries in Europe.
All you need to do is to get the VIN or Chassis Number of the car and forward to a History Report platform for NMVTIS, AutoCheck or CarFax Vehicle History Reports.
CarGuideNG provides that service.
It's quick and requires relatively minor fees compared to the expensive repairs and heartache it would save you from.

History in Nigeria(Present condition):

For a Tokunbo vehicle:

- Verify appropriate Import Customs duty payment.
When you have access to the original customs documents of the vehicle, contact a licensed agent, or go to any Nigerian Customs Service formation to confirm appropriate customs duty was paid and that the customs documents are authentic, you would have to send some details from the customs document like the C Number.

- Pre-Purchase Inspection.
This is a critical step in addition to the above mentioned.
Always enlist the services of a professional to inspect any vehicle you're considering for purchase. Also endeavour to pick the right professional for the job.
For example, it would be better to have a VW Passat inspected by a specialist in European, rather than Japanese/Asian vehicles, as much as it is possible.
It may also be better to have the inspection done by someone with no direct connection to you, we have had cases where the client had their mechanics encourage purchase of vehicles with obvious faults knowing they would be the benefactor from future repairs.

There are an additional number of steps to take for the past condition for Nigerian used vehicles.

Other tips:
The history report can be a pointer to the true Nigerian or import history.
For example, a lot of AutoCheck or CarFax reports end with:

Vehicle exported from A and imported to B, alongside a date of export.

Where A may be
Newark New Jersey, Baltimore, Halifax Canada, etc

And B may be
Benin(Cotonou) or Nigeria(Lagos)

This is actually quite helpful, because a vehicle with the date of export to Nigeria in May 2014 may likely not be a Tokunbo vehicle, and if such is offered as Tokunbo in 2018, one should be cautious.

Also, if B is Benin, and date of export to Nigeria was May 2018, the vehicle may have been imported through Cotonou, which may require caution because the FG has outlawed such routes of importation.

For a first time/novice or even experienced car buyer these tips, while not exhaustive, would go a long way to ensure a good purchase is made

Hmmmm


Be sure u wudnt get it d exact time u need it

Check for VIN



Meanwhile, esteemed first bank customers, y'all can now perform wonderful transactions on the first mobile app, please click the link on my signature for more details on how to register, thanks .

Do you know that in Nigeria, the political leaders of the igbo aren't igbo?

They are, in no particular order
1. Saraki
2. Femi Fani Kayode
3. Atiku
4. Day one
5. Reno


Na joke I dey o

thanks for the info...we never plan to buy motor yet...

Hmmm

Check below

n

Clean and affordable toyota Camry 2009 for sale here

https://www.nairaland.com/4679278/clean-toyota-camry-sale-affordable

Lol

Good

Why is nobody talking about Nigerian mothers locked up in Owerri? President Buhari, please have mercy oooo, for the sake of unity, kindly release them and give them final warning. The Hausas should also join us to plead for the Igbos on this please, we can insult ourselves on social media for the fun of it but should know when to stand for each other in times of need. Nigerian mothers please be strong, help is coming! God Bless Nigeria!

Aderewah:
Do you know that in Nigeria, the political leaders of the igbo aren't igbo?

They are, in no particular order
1. Saraki
2. Femi Fani Kayode
3. Atiku
4. Day one
5. Reno


Na joke I dey o

Put ur right hand on ur head and repeat after me:
"I need sense"
say it again and again !

Buy from a reliable site. And make sure you don't pay before physically verifying it. And ensure all papers are correct. Pay through the bank please so as to have a fallback option in case there's issue with the merchandise. And do the verification in public. Sign an agreement.

Shine your eyes. Buying a car with a ridiculous price is at your own risk.

Read my siggy

Tips when buying a car online;

-Avoid buying a car the plate number is covered. Reason is if it's a stolen car the owner can easily dictate it, so most criminals cover the plate numbers and post it online.

- Try buying a car that has Original custom duty papers. Cars with this, r likely not stolen. As no one drives around with his or her original custom duty papers.

- make sure u verify the number plates of the car on the road safety site i.e if it's new plates https://nvis.frsc.gov.ng/NumberPlateVerification.aspx there too many fakes plate numbers.

- Avoid buying idle vehicles, buy vehicles that are mobile and used as day to day cars. Vehicle that is idle is likely to have an issue dats y the owner ain't using it.

- Go with a vehicle inspection officer or mechanic, proper checks helps u validate the price and gives you power to negotiate.

- confirm all original documents and tell the seller to show you a form of identification that he owns e.g original driven licence or any Govt ID card.

Click to see all cars available in Port Harcourt for sale https://www.nairaland.com/ojmaroni247

Benz C300 2009 for 2.9m

Lexus Rx350 2007 for 2.5m

Honda Accord 08 for 1.650m

Tokunbo 4tonnes Hyster Forklift for 4.7m

Trapnews:
Why is nobody talking about Nigerian mothers locked up in Owerri? President Buhari, please have mercy oooo, for the sake of unity, kindly release them and give them final warning. The Hausas should also join us to plead for the Igbos on this please, we can insult ourselves on social media for the fun of it but should know when to stand for each other in times of need. Nigerian mothers please be strong, help is coming! God Bless Nigeria!

Thanks for this bro!

Trapnews:
Why is nobody talking about Nigerian mothers locked up in Owerri? President Buhari, please have mercy oooo, for the sake of unity, kindly release them and give them final warning. The Hausas should also join us to plead for the Igbos on this please, we can insult ourselves on social media for the fun of it but should know when to stand for each other in times of need. Nigerian mothers please be strong, help is coming! God Bless Nigeria!

I luv u dear.

price says alot

secondly get a police report to cover your ass if it's eventually a stolen.

buy from a registered dealer or direct owner who is traceable

Bought my first car online via Inspired on nairaland here. Paid 100% before it was transported to my house by his driver. Car has been in excellent condition 5 years after. Was an easy and essentially risk-free decision then as Inspired Autos reputation was perfect at that time, before he started experiencing issues few years after. Many people I tell I bought the car online, paid 100% before delivery and have never met the seller up till now, don't believe. First thing about online deals is seller's reputation. If it's in doubt, never pay before delivery. There are very few with such reputation. Inspired was such then, untill allegations of fraud came in.

Trapnews:
Why is nobody talking about Nigerian mothers locked up in Owerri? President Buhari, please have mercy oooo, for the sake of unity, kindly release them and give them final warning. The Hausas should also join us to plead for the Igbos on this please, we can insult ourselves on social media for the fun of it but should know when to stand for each other in times of need. Nigerian mothers please be strong, help is coming! God Bless Nigeria!

keep It up dear!

Ok

buy belgium/toks only
buying naija used car
is like going to a police station.
u go spend money tire
nauja used cars are scams
and d bastards come to nairaland to sell a 6th hand car above the market value
imagine a bastard selling camry sport naija used for 2.7m
wen toks na 2.3m

dingbang:
Check for VIN

.

Highly necessary and important.

If you are importing a vehicle from Belgium specifically, and there is no VIN report on the car, how do you ensure it not a stolen vehicle and with clean title? How do you verify that the car is good, since all transactions are online?

CarGuideNG:
As much as any purchase is first considered online, it should always be completed offline and in person/through a proxy with access to the vehicle.

For any vehicle (Tokunbo primarily, and to some extent, Nigerian used), the following would help when considering purchase:

- History before importation to Nigeria(Past condition)

- History in Nigeria(Present condition)

History before importation to Nigeria:

The most effective way to know the history of any vehicle is through a vehicle history report, especially for cars from US/Canada, and some countries in Europe.
All you need to do is to get the VIN or Chassis Number of the car and forward to a History Report platform for NMVTIS, AutoCheck or CarFax Vehicle History Reports.
CarGuideNG provides that service.
It's quick and requires relatively minor fees compared to the expensive repairs and heartache it would save you from.

History in Nigeria(Present condition):

For a Tokunbo vehicle:

- Verify appropriate Import Customs duty payment.
When you have access to the original customs documents of the vehicle, contact a licensed agent, or go to any Nigerian Customs Service formation to confirm appropriate customs duty was paid and that the customs documents are authentic, you would have to send some details from the customs document like the C Number.

- Pre-Purchase Inspection.
This is a critical step in addition to the above mentioned.
Always enlist the services of a professional to inspect any vehicle you're considering for purchase. Also endeavour to pick the right professional for the job.
For example, it would be better to have a VW Passat inspected by a specialist in European, rather than Japanese/Asian vehicles, as much as it is possible.
It may also be better to have the inspection done by someone with no direct connection to you, we have had cases where the client had their mechanics encourage purchase of vehicles with obvious faults knowing they would be the benefactor from future repairs.

There are an additional number of steps to take for the past condition for Nigerian used vehicles.

Other tips:
The history report can be a pointer to the true Nigerian or import history.
For example, a lot of AutoCheck or CarFax reports end with:

Vehicle exported from A and imported to B, alongside a date of export.

Where A may be
Newark New Jersey, Baltimore, Halifax Canada, etc

And B may be
Benin(Cotonou) or Nigeria(Lagos)

This is actually quite helpful, because a vehicle with the date of export to Nigeria in May 2014 may likely not be a Tokunbo vehicle, and if such is offered as Tokunbo in 2018, one should be cautious.

Also, if B is Benin, and date of export to Nigeria was May 2018, the vehicle may have been imported through Cotonou, which may require caution because the FG has outlawed such routes of importation.

For a first time/novice or even experienced car buyer these tips, while not exhaustive, would go a long way to ensure a good purchase is made

So handy