Dear Nairalanders,

This is just to serve as an eye opener for intending buyers of Naija used cars, especially a first time car owner.

We are in a very difficult time and having been able to raise some funds to buy a car is no small feat. Hence, i want to urge us to be very vigilant and make a thorough examination of the car before buying. Run once you see ANY red flag, except of course you have some extra funds set aside to fix/replace whatever you deem fit.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH A NAIJA USED CAR IN 2022

I sold off my car (bought foreign used) and decided to opt for Naija used car, when i discovered the prices of cars started skyrocketing. Eventually i got this naija used car, i had concluded on changing the engine which i thought was the max stress the car could give me. Little did i know i was just starting.

I like my car being in pristine condition (interior and exterior) and going down the memory lane this morning. I just discovered i have spent quite some money and time putting the car in it's current shape. Here are the list if things I've done:

1. Changed the engine
2. Changed all the engine mounts
3. Changed steering rack (i changed the oil after purchase and the rack failed immediately)
4. Changed the power steering pump (Did this myself)
5. AC needed flush, so i eventually changed compressor, condenser and txv (Did this myself)
6. Changed the serpentine belt
7. Serviced the transmission (Did this myself)
8. Changed the rims and tyres back to specifications
9. Reinstalled the thermostat and reverted back to factory settings (did this myself)
10. Changed the headlights and fog lights bulbs (got philips led of factory spec). The fog lights were badly damaged by out-of-spec halogen bulbs
11. Changed fuel tank cover
12. Reinstalled the trunk net
13. Fixed the healiner myself
14. Did the windows tint myself
15. Painted the car
16. And several other minor things in the interior and some I can't recall at the moment.

Bottom line, pls be very cary when buying a naija used car. Many of the above expenses, i wasn't prepared for at all. Thank God i love fixing things in my car myself. I didn't get all of the fix done in a short period.

BE SAFE OUT THERE, FRIENDS

Pardon my lengthy post.

How many Nigerians can afford even a Naija used RX 350 2016 now? Not to mention a foreign used.
The love for decades old corollas and their popularity has everything to do with their affordability, When you drive thrity miles and see lots of 2003-2010 Toyota Corollas one would think it's because Nigerians love corollas 😂 but what happened to the 2018 and up corollas or Camry's 🤔.
I have seen a few things to believe the difference between a foreign used car and Naija is just that there's higher Chances the foreign used car was properly maintained, those folks need maintenance records to claim warranties.
There are Nigerians who take care of their cars, it's up to the buyer to to do proper examination of the vehicle, look at who is selling, and go with a trusted mechanic, scan and scan.
These examinations can only do so much, things can still be missed, let us all just manage these old cars and vote the right leaders, so Nigerians can also begin to enjoy what these foreigners enjoy, car loans, mortgage, there's nothing wrong and big about using a 2024 car in 2024, it's just the state of the country, a vehicle shouldn't be a symbol of success like it is in our poverty ridden societies, until this day comes, do as much examination as you can when buying a used car, foreign or Nigerian, used na still used, a lot could have gone wrong with a car made just 6 years ago, a 6 year old car in Nigeria is still seen as latest lol, quite understandable tho, many of these foreign used cars have even gone through two or more users before they were shipped to Nigeria, the dumping ground, na better government be our issue jare, no be all this stress on car wey don waka the world, even the Tokunbo engine sef na junkyard product, wetin dem scavenge, who dey ask for maintenance record of Tokunbo engine wey e won buy lol, but we all agree say na person dey use that same engine before, maybe even persons 😂.
One day Nigeria will be great, hardwork will pay, our people will really live, we will not have ridiculous car dreams, and our mechanics and electricians will have lots of newly bought cars to work on.

hollas2jnr:
Dear Nairalanders,

This is just to serve as an eye opener for intending buyers of Naija used cars, especially a first time car owner.

We are in a very difficult time and having been able to raise some funds to buy a car is no small feat. Hence, i want to urge us to be very vigilant and make a thorough examination of the car before buying. Run once you see ANY red flag, except of course you have some extra funds set aside to fix/replace whatever you deem fit.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH A NAIJA USED CAR IN 2022

I sold off my car (bought foreign used) and decided to opt for Naija used car, when i discovered the prices of cars started skyrocketing. Eventually i got this naija used car, i had concluded on changing the engine which i thought was the max stress the car could give me. Little did i know i was just starting.

I like my car being in pristine condition (interior and exterior) and going down the memory lane this morning. I just discovered i have spent quite some money and time putting the car in it's current shape. Here are the list if things I've done:

1. Changed the engine
2. Changed all the engine mounts
3. Changed steering rack (i changed the oil after purchase and the rack failed immediately)
4. Changed the power steering pump (Did this myself)
5. AC needed flush, so i eventually changed compressor, condenser and txv (Did this myself)
6. Changed the serpentine belt
7. Serviced the transmission (Did this myself)
8. Changed the rims and tyres back to specifications
9. Reinstalled the thermostat and reverted back to factory settings (did this myself)
10. Changed the headlights and fog lights bulbs (got philips led of factory spec). The fog lights were badly damaged by out-of-spec halogen bulbs
11. Changed fuel tank cover
12. Reinstalled the trunk net
13. Fixed the healiner myself
14. Did the windows tint myself
15. Painted the car
16. And several other minor things in the interior and some I can't recall at the moment.

Bottom line, pls be very cary when buying a naija used car. Many of the above expenses, i wasn't prepared for at all. Thank God i love fixing things in my car myself. I didn't get all of the fix done in a short period.

BE SAFE OUT THERE, FRIENDS

Pardon my lengthy post.

my dear you would still spend more. Car can be indulging if you are not careful

jesmond3945:
my dear you would still spend more. Car can be indulging if you are not careful

Yes i know it can be indulging and I'm okay with having to spend on issues arising from our bad roads and normal car maintenance.

I'm just trying to share my personal experience with getting a naija used car and their hidden/unforseen issues.

Having an extra budget for such issues is the key.

Babatundehy:
How many Nigerians can afford even a Naija used RX 350 2016 now? Not to mention a foreign used.
The love for decades old corollas and their popularity has everything to do with their affordability, When you drive thrity miles and see lots of 2003-2010 Toyota Corollas one would think it's because Nigerians love corollas 😂 but what happened to the 2018 and up corollas or Camry's 🤔.
I have seen a few things to believe the difference between a foreign used car and Naija is just that there's higher Chances the foreign used car was properly maintained, those folks need maintenance records to claim warranties.
There are Nigerians who take care of their cars, it's up to the buyer to to do proper examination of the vehicle, look at who is selling, and go with a trusted mechanic, scan and scan.
These examinations can only do so much, things can still be missed, let us all just manage these old cars and vote the right leaders, so Nigerians can also begin to enjoy what these foreigners enjoy, car loans, mortgage, there's nothing wrong and big about using a 2024 car in 2024, it's just the state of the country, a vehicle shouldn't be a symbol of success like it is in our poverty ridden societies, until this day comes, do as much examination as you can when buying a used car, foreign or Nigerian, used na still used, a lot could have gone wrong with a car made just 6 years ago, a 6 year old car in Nigeria is still seen as latest lol, quite understandable tho, many of these foreign used cars have even gone through two or more users before they were shipped to Nigeria, the dumping ground, na better government be our issue jare, no be all this stress on car wey don waka the world, even the Tokunbo engine sef na junkyard product, wetin dem scavenge, who dey ask for maintenance record of Tokunbo engine wey e won buy lol, but we all agree say na person dey use that same engine before, maybe even persons 😂.
One day Nigeria will be great, hardwork will pay, our people will really live, we will not have ridiculous car dreams, and our mechanics and electricians will have lots of newly bought cars to work on.

I actually went with a mechanic and and my obd2 scanner but i relied more on his words than myself and the scanner. He kept saying all the red flags i noticed are minor issues. Eventually, i made sure i never visited his workshop for any of the repairs.

hollas2jnr:

I actually went with a mechanic and and my obd2 scanner but i relied more on his words than myself and the scanner. He kept saying all the red flags i noticed are minor issues. Eventually, i made sure i never visited his workshop for any of the repairs.

i will never carry a mechanic or any one to inspect a car again. If you have driven a car for up to 3-4 years its an insult to carry road side mechanics to inspect a car.

Just buy odb2 scanner. Inspect the car very well. An abuse car is visibly from the engine bar. Exhuest tail pipes. Interior and exterior.

Listen to the engine sound at idle and when its fired. The smell from the tail pipe will tell if its steaming very well and still has catalyst.

Drive the car and the way gear engages should point alot of things to you.

Check under the hood for any fluid. Stering rake, engine plate and gearbox bottom.

When starting the car at cold start listen to the engine sound and also start at when it's already hot. Also Car should start at one kick.

Check the interior, dashboard and doors rollers. Any dent or faults cost money to fix so you have to consider all of that.

hollas2jnr:

I actually went with a mechanic and and my obd2 scanner but i relied more on his words than myself and the scanner. He kept saying all the red flags i noticed are minor issues. Eventually, i made sure i never visited his workshop for any of the repairs.

I understand you, but I will not blame your mechanic even as I don't know him, you see when it comes to used cars (foreign or Nigerian used), there's a part of proper examination by a mechanic who's got a scanner and knows his job and also the part of luck. No dealership gives warranty on used cars here in Naija, not to mention if you're buying from an individual, your scanner might not show you any dreaded codes before purchase and then weeks after you find yourself spending thousands on repairs.
Nigeria or wherever, people rarely sell their cars because it's in a perfect shape lol, many foreigners sell after having engine or transmission replaced (mostly junkyard type or remanufactured engines) and then sell it off, it is why the prices of used cars are way less than that of new, the car has been through a lot, how long it serves you often depends on how it was used by users before you, how deep your pocket is, your own maintenance, and the kind of mechanics you visit.
There's this popular Twitter mechanic called wanjohn, as good as I think he is, he bought a car for a client after waiting for months and checked a lot of cars, with his wealth of experience and use of scanner, he was satisfied with a toyota Camry, he bought the vehicle, drove from Lagos I think to osogbo, no issues discovered, then he needed to do some tune ups, after the tune ups, he gave the owner date of delivery, but he test drove for one last time, and problems started showing up, car started vibrating, refused to drive smoothly, he did everything he knew and threw lots of parts at it, even brought in electricians, he ended up replacing the engine out of his own pocket before car was fine again.
Go to car forums, most especially Reddit, Facebook too, then you see the major reason these Americans and Europeans sell their cars.
Even if cars are properly maintained, and "perfectly designed", they start wearing out the second they're driven off the lot, no matter the maintenance, a 15 year old car has sure been through a lot, needs parts replaced and tune ups, the way it is with all used cars.

You should forgive your mechanic, he might not have seen a reason to flee, I hope you eventually get to enjoy your car, having parts changed isn't what any car user can avoid, and I understand one who just bought a used car might get pissed at having to change parts within a short time, but we must understand that the car isn't new, it's a new car to the new owner, but it has been owned by one or many other persons, let's not forget this, and maybe this gets us to understand what "used" cars mean.

hollas2jnr:

I actually went with a mechanic and and my obd2 scanner but i relied more on his words than myself and the scanner. He kept saying all the red flags i noticed are minor issues. Eventually, i made sure i never visited his workshop for any of the repairs.

Na so me too follow mouth despite the fact i was with my obd2 scanner too😌😹😹
Eventually sold the dam vehicle after spending 1.2 on repairs and not still to a good state
Now car don turn silver and gold😹😹😹
I just da laugh as i da enter public tp😹😹😹

Truth of the matter is that more Nigerian used cars are being recirculated among different users than ever before. The affordability of foreign used cars is at its all time low. From November 2023 till date, the prices of cars(naija & foreign used) have almost doubled.

Case in point: Honda Accord 2008 that I bought in September for just 1.8m, restored it and resolved to an end User for 2.6m in November is now worth at least 3.5m with abeg.

One of the most common reasons why people are buying Naija used cars is that they are extremely enticed by low price. Today, there a lot of distress sale cars out there that have actually distressed the owner from daily use. A good percentage of distress sale cars today are sold right after leaving a workshop or at the workshop itself. Dealers keep numbers of mechanics to be able to buy the so-called distress sale cars that they will manageably "repackage" and sell to you the unsuspecting innocent buyer.

Buying Naija used car is not a sin, but falling for the price/urgency trap is what lands many new car owners in an irredeemable mess.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind before buying a Naija used car;

1.Set a realistic budget.
What do I mean?
Okay, check it. Let's take a Lexus RX330 2006 as a sample space. Now, a Direct toks of this vehicle will be retailing for around ₦9-₦13m as at the time of typing this. If you are looking to buy a Naija used one, set your budget around 60-70% of the price for a Toks. If you do the math, that's roughly between ₦6-8m.
Around this price range, you will get a car with good history that the owner probably swapped with a dealer for a higher car like RX350 2010. The dealer might have valued the car at ₦4m and then the deficit was paid by the buyer. So if he sells between 6-8m, he will be very happy with his trade and be willing to go the extra mile to fix minor issues that the car came with. He might spend some money on it to restore the minor problems that will make the early days/weeks/months for the new owner to be problem free.

2. Read/research about the common problems.

Every car you see on the road has common problems. These are problems that the car came with from the factory that you will definitely experience at one point of the car's lifetime. Some of those common problems were so severe or posted safety concerns that the Automakers actually issue a recall on the affected cars. For some, the problems were fixed during the recall process, for others, the cars have been shipped outside the recall coverge area/warranty period.
For example, 2008-2009 Toyota Camry Muscle/Spider/Voltron with 2AZ engine is known to have a factory detect of oil burning. I don't care which grade of oil you use, I don't care whether you bought it Toks, more than 70% of the Camry Muscle you see on Nigerian roads today with that 2AZ engine will have this problem. This problem is due a poor design in the engine oil control groove oil drain holes in the piston. The holes were so tiny that instead of oil that has been scraped by the oil rings to flow into the groove and squirt down the holes to return into the crank case, the oil actually makes its way upwards into the cumbustion chamber and gets burned. This problem is so serious that Toyota replaced the engine with 2AR engjne(aka "venza" engine) in 2010 model starting from late 2009.

So if you read/researched about the car you are buying, you will find that you would already know what to look out for even before engaging a dealer to get you a car.

3. Find a trusted and educated mechanic.
To be frank, trusted mechanics are very difficult to find, so also are the educated ones. Many mechanics go rogue after spending some time in the auto repair industry due to low compensation for jobs. There are others that were trained to be crooks by their bosses. In fact, your so-called trusted mechanic can be compromised upon arrival at the point of inspection. The dealer will give him a covert casual signal and they will both connive to mislead you just because of extra 20k that he will be getting from the dealer. He will now later use your car to be solving his family problems little by little. An educated mechanic will probably know the root cause of most problems he fixes on cars, so if he's giving you green light to buy a car with a particular problem, he will tell you exactly how he will arrest the problem with the potential cost to be incurred.

So the thing is, before you set out, ask your trusted friends to connect you with a mechanic with the above qualities. You might be lucky to find one or two in your area.

4. Cut your coat smaller than your size.

This sounds counter intuitive but lemme explain real quick.
For perspective, I am fairly a well-to-do guy, I won't say I am currently wealthy but I solve all my financial problems myself and also render assistance to people in need when I can. I have a good business that generates sustainable income that can afford me to live a flamboyant lifestyle to drive a "BENZ" or a "BMW". When I decided that I needed a daily car, i bought a Direct Toks 2006 Toyota Corolla S. As at that time, i could afford to buy a fairly 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-350 or a Lexus ES350 2010, but no, i chose a direct Toks corolla which i bought for just 4.2m. This was Feb 2023. If had added just ₦1-2 to that amount, I could buy the Benz or the Lexus. I didn’t do that becasue I wanted a car that will serve me, not the one I will be serving. Lolz! I would have paid more money to inherit someone else's problem.

Till I sold the car this year Feb, I dont think I spent upto 200k in repairs money and the fuel economy also saved me a lot of unnecessary expenses when subsidy vamoosed. The biggest thing I replaced were full set of tyres (which i bought immediately after buying the car), front shocks, starter brush, fuel pump, brake pads..dazzool I can remember.

So the deal is, the car was like a toy that i can play with without fearing what next would break because no matter what, it will never take away 100k from my pocket for just 1 spare part. So that's that.


5. Prepare your mind for repairs/restoration.

Many are mad, few are roaming!
Many of the Nigerian used cars you see on the road have at least one type of sko-sko that is waiting to blow alarm. The best ones are the ones with minor cosmetic issues that you as an end user won't find appealing. Dents, scratches, unlapped bumper lines and so on might be hiding a car with pristine mechanical/electrical background. You won't know! Becasue it looks haggered and tattered, you will tell your dealer to just pass.
The rule of thumb here is, lets say your whole budget is ₦10m for a naija used 2014 toyota Rav4. Look for a car around ₦9m-9.5m max. So that after you purchase and settle everyone involved, you will have money to buy tyres if they are worn out. You can change the oil to the recommended manufacturer spec which would prolong the engine life and give you a trouble-free experience from a mechanical standpoint. You might need to to drain all other fluids and use the OEM recommended ones just to fulfil all righteousness.

6. Pray to your Creator to guide you.

See ehh, even though this is the last tip, it is much more important than I can explain. Prayer will make the money you transferred for a potentially problematic car reverse even if you kept trying over and over. Prayer will make the dealer tell you that, my chairman, I no go lie, you no go enjoy this, increase your budget small make I give you that one. That prayer is what will touch the hearts of fellow human beings that you are relating with to AT LEAST treat you fairly. Make dem no go dey see you as one mugu.


So there you go, everywhere hot now, before you spend shingbai on top car mathias, you gas to use 99% intelligency...you hear me oo??


@Autojando

Ewroghene1:

Na so me too follow mouth despite the fact i was with my obd2 scanner too😌😹😹
Eventually sold the dam vehicle after spending 1.2 on repairs and not still to a good state
Now car don turn silver and gold😹😹😹
I just da laugh as i da enter public tp😹😹😹

Oops. I'm sorry about your ordeal. I don't know how you ended up spending up to 1.2 without the being in s good state still. You could have changed the engine and transmission at once, after purchase, except there are other electrical issues. Prices of cars keeps soaring higher by the day.

Ewroghene1:

Na so me too follow mouth despite the fact i was with my obd2 scanner too😌😹😹
Eventually sold the dam vehicle after spending 1.2 on repairs and not still to a good state
Now car don turn silver and gold😹😹😹
I just da laugh as i da enter public tp😹😹😹

what could be the problem that you spent 1.2m.

You had bad mechanic

fineboynl:
what could be the problem that you spent 1.2m.

You had bad mechanic

Yea
Wicked one at that