One of the things we did not bring back to Nigeria with us was a car. There was just nowhere to fit it even if we had stood it on it's head. So we had to buy one here. My cousin recommended a dealer (D1) who proceeded to deliver a fleet of different models for our consideration. My father in- law also recommended a dealer (D2) from whom he had purchased various cars over the past 15 years.
Once we had settled on a car - with the dealer recommended by my cousin, my father in law insisted that we must at least visit the other dealer for comparison and we did so. It was a most impressive showroom and as a matter of fact there were several of them - all impressive.
We decided to go for a test drive in one of their cars which apparently was the same year as the model and year we had settled on. On first inspection it was clear that there were differences between the two cars even though it was claimed that both were of the same year. I then decided to do something I am not sure a lot of people are aware of. I decided to check the VIN on both cars.
The VIN or Vehicle Identification Number can be found in several places on a car -on a plaque under the windscreen and on labels on the driver side door and in the engine bay. Once you plug this number into google it will direct you to a variety of sites where you can get the history of the car. Some of these will give you basic information for free and ask you to pay for the full history of the car including if it is registered as stolen, damaged, write off etc. Some even have maintenance details of the car and details of the previous owners.
A cursory check on the two cars on our list revealed one (from D2) to be a 1999 model and the other (from D1)to be the 2002-3 model as claimed. A call back to the dealer who had advertised the 1999 car as 2002 elicited a surprised response and a promise to get to the bottom of this "mystery".
Yesterday my father in law rang me in a panic. He had just bought a car from this dealer (D1)and suspected that all was not well - hmm. It turns out that exactly the same thing had happened. He had been told the car he was buying was 2002-3 when in fact it was a 1999 model!! He is returning the car today.
You have been warned.
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5 comments:
Buying cars in Gidi is a minefield,
When buying an almost new car, it may well be stolen, (you find this out of course when you need a part and you ring the dealer in Europe/USA, they always ask for the chassis number when you want parts)
If a well used Tokunbo (sic) then it may well have been written off at some point in time.
Of course the option of buying a car in America and shipping yourself also is fraught with problems, all of the above + customs, shipping wahala, still personal import is my preferred option if the budget is above $20k, especially cause you can buy the car directly from a main dealer, my BiL's car had a recall and the dealer sent him a letter in Lagos, and actually paid to dispatch the part once the old part was sent back, but it's a slow process so if you need a car immediately you are forced to deal with Naija car dealers.
It's really a case of being very careful and understanding exactly what you are looking at and for, VIN checks are cool, if buying a American market/spec car then use http://www.carfax.com/ not sure what to use for Mainland European cars (HPI in the UK) but I’m sure an equivalent service exists.
Caveat emptor is always applicable when dealing with car salesman the world over
By the way what happened to Uganda gist?
na wah
dishonesty sha
Thanks for the information. Really useful to know.
Goodluck
Good point Babatunde. I've always told people.If you're not buying a brand new car in naija, buy your used care from Europe/USA yourself. That's what I do sha. 'cos most dealers go to car auctions and buy insurance write-offs etc repair and sell in naija.
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