wesley80: What a senseless and uncouth fellow you are. If you disagree with him why not just say so like a decent human? why ask him to "shut up" for being patriotic and putting across his view?

pneumaticos: Koke i gues ur foolishnes has just begun

Emperoh: This knotty issue again!
But it will keep popping up, since people are not yet so informed as to what to do and where to look for what you want.
But i will, to the best of my ability, address this issue as i understand it.

Most people who will say Cotonou is better are those whose businesses are serviced from that end.
Hence, they might not reveal all the attendant factors to you. But it is always better to be in the right light and present issues as they are.
It is just like me telling you that direct import from Yankee is your best bet since that is where i feed from.
But the final decision lies with the buyer. What we owe them as dealers, is to present them with the true and exact picture.
I feel more satisfied laying my chips on the table and the buyer walking away cos it doesn't favour him, than carry the burden of
managing series of lies that you have told all in a big to win the business.

I will summarise what these two purchase avenues offer you.
Cotonou gives you an array of options to choose from. From the clean title to the downright ridiculous lemons, they all have it all.
The market is a case of shine your eyes and shine it well because once your money enters their hands, that is the end of it. If the car is sound, your luck
if it is not sound, na you sabi. All i know is that you have paid and there is no going back.
The Cotonou auto mart is very very large! Almost the size of Festac in Lagos. U will need the services of a motor bike to able to criss cross
its length and breadth. As big as it is, so are the choices you have. But like the proverbial lizards that are on their belly, you can never differentiate the one with belly ache.

On the cost aspect, Cotonou is only cheaper than Lagos because, they will NEVER pay a duty on the import. That is to say, they smuggle in the cars,
then go and conjure some customs documents for you at a cheap fee.
Reason: the moment duty is paid on it, the price is no better than the direct American imports found in Lagos. This is why, some of them run into trouble or why some of the dealers going through that route can be insincere. But be mindful that there are sincere and honest ones as well. But do not expect that duty is paid on any vehicle brought in from Cotonou, unless you are willing to pay the price as stated. Even in cases like this, they still pocket the money. So shine your eyes.
Advantages:
Wide array of choices to buy from
Often times cheap and reasonable prices
A good dealer will help you get a good deal and nice, neat car.

Disadvantages
Poor customer service. The moment you pay, that is the end of it. No refund of money.
No customs duty is paid on the unit making your car susceptible to being impounded by Customs
Insincere middlemen can ruin your transaction or sell you a bad car.
Smuggling will mean that there is no fixed arrival time for your car
Logistics can be very cumbersome and risky atimes.
It's a risky journey up until your car lands. But MOST dealers who know their onions scale through almost every time.

Verdict: If you can stand the troubles, go with a dealer who knows the business well and is open, straight forward and honest and i assure you, you will have a nice shopping experience. Above all, pray to pay for the right car.

Berger
In all honesty, Berger can be a nightmare and a wonderful experience as well.
But one thing to look out for is the fact that most Berger dealers source their cars from Cotonou
While a good number of others are accidented cars from USA or Europe. It is a large market but i reckon it is also an expensive place to buy a car from.
They had a reputation of stocking stolen cars and i wouldn't know if this is still the case. Their sales people can sell you a lemon as brand new so watch out.
Personally, i will only buy at Berger as a last resort. Other car lots in Lagos offer much better options. But one major advantage of Berger is that most high end cars are decent buys. Where you have issues is when buying low end cars. Touts can also be a nightmare there so beware.

Advantages
Gives you the luxury of pay and drive off. No awaiting arrivals and endless stories
High end cars are pretty much ok to buy there.
A wide array of options to choose from though not as big as Cotonou
Strategic location makes it easier to locate and assess.

Disadvantages
Touts can be a nightmare.
If you can find your way around Cotonou, why go to Berger? Most of them source their cars from Cotonou
A bad reputation of stolen cars and other auto vending vices
The most expensive auto centre known to me. This is in the sense that they can sell you a lemon at the price of a clean, decent, accident free vehicle.
Insincerity of sellers abound.
Almost no refund when you have paid.

Verdict
Only go to Berger on two grounds. When you have searched and can't find the car in other auto outlets and
if you have a trusted ally in Berger. That's the only way to avoid the sharks there.

On a general note, buying a car is not an activity you can pull off from your desk especially if you are not so much into cars.
Extensive desk research should keep you informed on the various variables that affect the quality and price of car you buy.
If you can wait, look for a trusted dealer or ally to help you import your cars from USA or Europe or go to Ikorodu Road. Most dealers there still stock
decent, accident free cars but at a price that will sound almost ridiculous. But that's quality speaking.

Cars are not that cheap unless you are buying an 'accidented' or high mileage car.

God bless us all!

ashybabs: @ freddie yankee, inbox ur number to ashybabs2@yahoo.com
we cud do business, nd ur email to wud be fine

mtamu: @Femmy2010
Are you saying that most sellers at Berger buy from cotonou??
Any Lagos based sellers in the house lets hear what you have to say
@ larryshow4
Are you saying that berger has limted options for one to choose or am i getting you wrong?
I think we need comments from both berger sellers and others outside berger

Ndata: @Emperoh Is it possible after buying a vehicle in Cotonou to drive it yourself down to Naija and pay the custom duty by yourself at the border?

Emperoh: This knotty issue again!
But it will keep popping up, since people are not yet so informed as to what to do and where to look for what you want.
But i will, to the best of my ability, address this issue as i understand it.

Most people who will say Cotonou is better are those whose businesses are serviced from that end.
Hence, they might not reveal all the attendant factors to you. But it is always better to be in the right light and present issues as they are.
It is just like me telling you that direct import from Yankee is your best bet since that is where i feed from.
But the final decision lies with the buyer. What we owe them as dealers, is to present them with the true and exact picture.
I feel more satisfied laying my chips on the table and the buyer walking away cos it doesn't favour him, than carry the burden of
managing series of lies that you have told all in a big to win the business.

I will summarise what these two purchase avenues offer you.
Cotonou gives you an array of options to choose from. From the clean title to the downright ridiculous lemons, they all have it all.
The market is a case of shine your eyes and shine it well because once your money enters their hands, that is the end of it. If the car is sound, your luck
if it is not sound, na you sabi. All i know is that you have paid and there is no going back.
The Cotonou auto mart is very very large! Almost the size of Festac in Lagos. U will need the services of a motor bike to able to criss cross
its length and breadth. As big as it is, so are the choices you have. But like the proverbial lizards that are on their belly, you can never differentiate the one with belly ache.

On the cost aspect, Cotonou is only cheaper than Lagos because, they will NEVER pay a duty on the import. That is to say, they smuggle in the cars,
then go and conjure some customs documents for you at a cheap fee.
Reason: the moment duty is paid on it, the price is no better than the direct American imports found in Lagos. This is why, some of them run into trouble or why some of the dealers going through that route can be insincere. But be mindful that there are sincere and honest ones as well. But do not expect that duty is paid on any vehicle brought in from Cotonou, unless you are willing to pay the price as stated. Even in cases like this, they still pocket the money. So shine your eyes.
Advantages:
Wide array of choices to buy from
Often times cheap and reasonable prices
A good dealer will help you get a good deal and nice, neat car.

Disadvantages
Poor customer service. The moment you pay, that is the end of it. No refund of money.
No customs duty is paid on the unit making your car susceptible to being impounded by Customs
Insincere middlemen can ruin your transaction or sell you a bad car.
Smuggling will mean that there is no fixed arrival time for your car
Logistics can be very cumbersome and risky atimes.
It's a risky journey up until your car lands. But MOST dealers who know their onions scale through almost every time.

Verdict: If you can stand the troubles, go with a dealer who knows the business well and is open, straight forward and honest and i assure you, you will have a nice shopping experience. Above all, pray to pay for the right car.

Berger
In all honesty, Berger can be a nightmare and a wonderful experience as well.
But one thing to look out for is the fact that most Berger dealers source their cars from Cotonou
While a good number of others are accidented cars from USA or Europe. It is a large market but i reckon it is also an expensive place to buy a car from.
They had a reputation of stocking stolen cars and i wouldn't know if this is still the case. Their sales people can sell you a lemon as brand new so watch out.
Personally, i will only buy at Berger as a last resort. Other car lots in Lagos offer much better options. But one major advantage of Berger is that most high end cars are decent buys. Where you have issues is when buying low end cars. Touts can also be a nightmare there so beware.

Advantages
Gives you the luxury of pay and drive off. No awaiting arrivals and endless stories
High end cars are pretty much ok to buy there.
A wide array of options to choose from though not as big as Cotonou
Strategic location makes it easier to locate and assess.

Disadvantages
Touts can be a nightmare.
If you can find your way around Cotonou, why go to Berger? Most of them source their cars from Cotonou
A bad reputation of stolen cars and other auto vending vices
The most expensive auto centre known to me. This is in the sense that they can sell you a lemon at the price of a clean, decent, accident free vehicle.
Insincerity of sellers abound.
Almost no refund when you have paid.

Verdict
Only go to Berger on two grounds. When you have searched and can't find the car in other auto outlets and
if you have a trusted ally in Berger. That's the only way to avoid the sharks there.

On a general note, buying a car is not an activity you can pull off from your desk especially if you are not so much into cars.
Extensive desk research should keep you informed on the various variables that affect the quality and price of car you buy.
If you can wait, look for a trusted dealer or ally to help you import your cars from USA or Europe or go to Ikorodu Road. Most dealers there still stock
decent, accident free cars but at a price that will sound almost ridiculous. But that's quality speaking.

Cars are not that cheap unless you are buying an 'accidented' or high mileage car.

God bless us all!

ikakahu: people should stop telling lies in order to get customers/clients.It was all about about this 48 hrs(2 days) period of car delivery that made me venture into such a deal.After 1 wk and 2 days,I ve not yet got my delivery although the biz was not done with the poster but with another dealer who also promised that I will get the car under 48 hrs.My anger here is even if its going to take a month,tell your customer the truth.The most annoying part is that all the gist the guy told me about buying a car in cotonou were all false ranging from prizes to duration of delivery.When you get there,it ll be another story again.From stories to stories.You may even find out that you ve spent more what you would have bought the car in lagos although my main concern was to choose from varieties and not cost cos of my high taste(not by my making) BUT I MUST SAY THE TRUTH THAT I EVEN BOUGHT THE CAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT IN LAGOS.I ve vowed never to venture into such a deal again as next time I ve it in my to get another car,I will simply walk into car shop here in naija .Its only good for those that want to smuggle their cars to nigeria but if you want to pay full duty,my brother,my sister,buy it here in naija or even look for a reliable friend or relation that will buy it for you in U.S.
lest I forget,They told me that cotonou people don t work their cars,that they sell it as it comes but that's a clear lie which I confirmed by my self.They have workshops where they work accident cars and some of these workshops are even within the auto sales yard.I tell you,it was a bitter experience and a case of misinformation and I believe that most people must have experienced this as well.Even when I told two of my friends about this,they equally told me that they had such an ugly experience too,that if i had told them that I was going to cotonou to buy the car,that they would have discouraged me.I don t have time because of my busy schedule but I promised my self that I am going to put a write up as regards this.PLS IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD A DECENT DEAL IN COTONOU,COME AND SHARE IT HERE BUT IF YOU THAT YOU HAD AN UGLY ONE,ALSO EDUCATE OTHERS SO THAT THEY DON T MAKE MISTAKES.

One more important advice,never change a huge sum of amount when going.You can change like 20K so that when you ve have seen by yourself and confirmed that all they told you were lies,you can kindly come back to naija and chang your money to naira and you won t loose so much money.I was cajoled into changing over a million naira and when I saw the truth,I notice that changing the money back would result to more losses and what if being robbed on the way?So that was a serious challenge to me too as I had no option than to buy there.

I am not here to ridicule any body's bussiness but just the sincere truth and experience is what am sharing with you because if you are not well informed,you will be deformed and you know what that means.ALWAYS BE TRUTHFUL!!!

druid06: Let me give you my own point of view op since I'm into the business and I base in Cotonou. Generally speaking most people who sell at berger buy from Cotonou. I have one berger dealer who comes here and order close to 15-20 accident/flooded cars. He buys them very cheap. He flies them to Lagos ( Meaning he doesn't pay duty ) and when the cars gets to lagos he changes some essential parts of the cars like the doors and the damaged parts then he paints them, does a very neat job too. He then services the engine and make them a okay so unsuspecting customers wouldn't know they are buying damaged cars. Flooded cars are hard to notice to novice. He then does a fake duty and tells the customer the car is dutied and working in perfect condition. Most people get deceived by this because let's say the original cost of the car in Cotonou is 800K, he would make his own either a little higer like 810K or lower like 700K or 750K so people would think about the stress of going to Cotonou and buying that same car.

If you want to get good tokunbo cars, I advice you to come to Cotonou yourself, view the exact specs you want and if it is to your taste and price range, get it. Berger's flooded with damamged vehicles.

thomasjohn:

@ Emperoh

thank you very much for all these, very insightful.
but pls i need further info.

i'm just so in luv with Peugeot 406 and wanted getting one, saw some here but almost all that i saw were converted from RHD to LHD, i have made up my mind not to buy a converted car no matter how gud it was done. The LHD i came across are not clean nd sound enough.
so i intend going to Cotonou soon but pls help me with answers to the following questions:
1. Is it possible for me to get a clean,sound LHD 406 EW10 engine over there?
2. What is the max age of cars to be imported into Naija, does a 2002 or 2003 406 fall withing the legal limit?
3. I intend to do everything the legal way and will not smuggle the car,but how do i ensure that the agent i'm using will not smuggle it?
4. How much will it cost me for custom duty of a 2002 or 2003 Peugeot 406 at the Nigerian border?

Pls i will be greatful if you provide me answers to the above questions and any further advise you can also offer.
thankx

Ndata: @Emperoh Is it possible after buying a vehicle in Cotonou to drive it yourself down to Naija and pay the custom duty by yourself at the border?

Emperoh:

Forgive me sir, but i am not so knowledgeable about Peugeot engines.
But i will address the issues to the best of my knowledge.

Q.1 = Yes, it is possible to get a LHD 406 with the engine specification at Cotonou. The market is very wide and vast. The RHDs you see are mostly imported from UK. Look for Peugeots 406 used in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Holland or Austria. These are countries where you have LHD cars and were the use is very decent. You will be asking me how you can identify them? Some will still have their plate numbers as was used in Europe on them. Look at it very well, it will give you a clue on how and where it was used. But like i warned earlier, do a PROPER inspection before parting with your money. Once your money or deposit enters their hands, that is the end of it. You take the car or forget the money.

Q.2 = Maximum age of cars to be imported to Nigeria legally is 15 years that is, 1997 till date are all legal. You can still bring in under-aged cars through the legal routes but bear in mind that for it to come through, you will have to declare it as a 15 - vehicle. That means you will be paying more excise duty on it instead of less. E.g; if you buy a 1993 Honda Accord, the only way you can clear it in Lagos is to declare it as a 98 or 99 Accord else, na seizure be that.

Q3. = This depends on the agent you use. I suggest Femy2010 but please do your due diligence on him and agree a commission with him instead of having him give u a lump price. This way, you are in control of what is being spent and what is going to who. If you can, go with him all through the way if you have the time. The process is; you pick your vehicle at Cotonou, you for the car and the union fees there, pull it to Seme. At Seme, the car goes to the export vehicle Seat of Cotonou gendarme. You clear with the Cotonou end and then it's take to the Nigerian end of Seme. It is at this point that flying starts. But legally, it's to be driven to the Nigerian Customs vehicle seat at Seme border from where all the duties are paid. Once you have done the legal thing, drive your car home with peace of mind.

Q4. = What i will give you is only a guess. I am not sure. Please ask. But i think it should be around N150-N180k. Discuss with who you are working with.

God luck with your search!!

I am very willing to attend to your questions

Birmingham: Attacks upon attacks. Buying of cars either in Cotonou or at Berger implies you want fairly/second car. Have you considered to buy cars from Coscharis Motors, Honda Place, Elizader, Briscoe and others? Let us go for quality than quantity.

thomasjohn:

you think its evry1 dat is a govt official like you?

JaaizTech:

I think the main challenge in buying from cotonou is actually getting the right custom papers without having your head shaved. And if you try to get the right custom papers at the border the customs will inflate it so high that the whole deal won't be worth it again. Bottom line, if Nigerian Customs were less corrupt, buying a car from cotonou may actually have been a fantastic deal. Car dealers mostly buy cheap cars they can fix in order to maximise profit, if you know a dealer that Imports directly, you have a better chance of getting a better car. All in all, your best bet is to search for the car you want and check out the VIN no.; after that go to carfax online to check out the history of the car.

alanbolo:

Joker of d day.... Yard sale ko, garage sales ni