My recent experience with Amdman.
I recently took possession of a car ordered through Amdman and want to relay my experience as a way of giving back to this forum. I hope it will assist in shedding light on how to engage with him and also in managing expectations while transacting business with him.
I placed an order with Amdman after following this forum almost daily for 6 months during which I reviewed comments and counter comments from people here and also from Amdman. I was compelled to place an order at the end of March because of the falling naira and an urgent need to replace Madam’s car, a Corolla, which one Kazeem nearly set fire to after connecting the battery wrongly leading to an explosion and acid burns on some plastic components in the engine bay. I experienced delays initially in receiving responses from him but because I knew I was working against time, I persisted in sending him messages and even called his mobile line a few times to let him know I was serious.
Eventually after a couple of near misses we settled on a vehicle which I hastily paid for because I was scared that the depreciation of the naira would make me pay more. I was surprised after some days that despite the rising dollar, he did not revise his invoice even when he was yet to purchase the car. Following the purchase and shipping, I was given a tracking number of the ship to know its location and when it would berth in Nigeria. I must say this should be considered a best practice because it meant I did not need to ask him anything regarding the ship’s location. The congestion at the ports appeared to delay the ship’s berthing and clearing and it took 6 weeks from the date designated for berthing on the shipping line’s site to the day it was removed from the port. I had been warned from reading a reviews here about the possibility of slight damage to the car during offloading and I communicated to Amdman. He assisted me get someone to oversee offloading and the same person drove it to my other home in Lagos before it was brought to me in Abuja where I live. A few things I must not fail to mention. Since I made my payment, there has been an official devaluation of the naira and also an upward review of the clearing rates. He did not ask for additional money. Another relates to the people who participated in getting the vehicle across to me. This included the gentleman who delivered the car to me in Abuja. I found that each person introduced to me by Amdman tried to act like him while engaging with me; professional and courteous.

The vehicle arrived 3 days ago and the owner is delighted with it. For me, this is the first time I have bought a car which will not cost me a lot of money to get it roadworthy. Do you know I received 3 keys with the car, a fully functional battery, branded Toyota floor mats and functional tires? I have always replaced tires, bought batteries, replaced expensive stolen or non functional parts including catalytic converters. My decision to patronize him was partly due to the negative encounters from car dealers or purchases over the years. This started from my first car, a BMW 3 series in 2002, which took 6 months and a police case before it was delivered by a runaway car dealer. Other cars delivered from Cotonou had parts of the car including the catalytic converter stolen or conditions of certain portions of the car concealed. My most recent car which happened to be my ninth, is a 4runner bought from a car mart in Abuja two years ago. It looked good at first but after replacing bearings, brake pads, tires, changing injectors and coils and later a blocked catalytic converter, I had a change of heart.
My advice for anyone who wishes to patronize Amdman is first be patient. You will need patience while communicating with him because you may not get responses immediately you send messages. This is partly because we are not in the same time zone and partly because, in my opinion, he is human. I did not expect him to sit by his phone waiting for me to send a message. He has said he prioritizes clients who have paid. This appears to be true. You also need patience while waiting up to 3 to 4 months for a vehicle to be bought, shipped and cleared.
Secondly, do not always expect the car to be exceedingly cheaper than that of the same model and year purchased in Nigeria and Cotonou. I have outlined my reasons for patronizing him above and I will pay the same price others pay here for patched up accidented vehicles and wait for a car for 3 or more months as long as it meets my standards. Especially if it is one which will be used in ferrying the more important members of my family.
Thirdly, you may still see some scratches on your car despite the care. It is not deliberate and may not even be due to negligence. The car may also come with evidence of wear and tear which is part of normal use
In closing, I want to thank all the members of this forum including critics and supporters of Amdman. Your lively discussions were instrumental in helping me form an opinion of who Amdman is and his business. They compelled him and other parties to describe him in a way that made it possible to know him. This would have not been possible if people did not raise objections to his work. I wish to call on others who recently received vehicles to share their experiences too. We should all support genuine businesses doing their best to make an honest buck in a hostile environment