Get the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Be Realistic
Be Afraid. Very Afraid.
Check Dealer's Temperament
Check Length of Membership
What Should I Pay For My Car?
Leave Feedback
Get The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): "Don’t run the risk of buying a used car with costly hidden problems. Get a detailed vehicle history report...".
Source: Carfax.com.
A VIN
is a 17 digit vehicle identifier made up of numbers and letters. It is
like a vehicle's genetic code. Before buying a car, ensure that you get
the VIN from the dealer. Once you get that, have it checked by one of the
VIN checkers on Nairaland. There are about 5 or 6 VIN checkers available
at any given time.
Nairaland does not require sellers of
cars used in Nigeria to provide the VINs. But even if you are buying a car
used in Nigeria, request the VIN from the seller. A VIN report can save
you a lot of trouble by providing you with a detailed history of the car
you are about to purchase.
Check your VIN
here (conditions apply)
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Be Realistic:
It is no secret that a good number of vehicles imported into Nigeria are
salvaged vehicles. In the US, this usually means that they were involved
in an accident and then repaired to the satisfaction of an American Motor
Vehicle Department.
So when a Carfax report indicates that a
vehicle has a Salvage title, do not be scared. However, you should inspect
the vehicle with a qualified mechanic and determine the source of impact.
If the damage was light and did not affect the engine, then all may be
well. But if it was a frontal impact, the engine may be seriously
affected.
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Be Afraid. Very
Afraid: If Carfax or Autocheck reports that a vehicle has a SCRAPPED/DESTROYED
title or CERTIFICATE OF DESTRUCTION, then be
extremely careful. In the US, such vehicles are meant for spare parts and
are not allowed to be driven on the roads.
When buying such a car in the US, most
dealers will warn you that it cannot be driven and must be towed. Granted
that America is far more advanced than Nigeria, but if they decide that a
vehicle is entirely not road-worthy, there may be a good reason for that
(or may be not). Sadly such cars are imported into Nigeria without any
sort of restriction.
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Check Dealer's Temperament:
Nairaland is an interactive website. Dealers frequently exchange messages
with customers and other users. Once you see the car you like, click on
the dealer's name (at the top left corner of the car ad). That will take
you to the dealer's profile page. Then scroll down to "Additional
Information". Under "Additional Information", click on
"Show the last posts of this person".
That will show you all the posts from the
dealer since he/she became a member of Nairaland. Read through some of the
posts to get an idea of how the dealer responds to inquiries and how he
treats other users. If he/she is hostile or abusive, you may tell from
his/her previous posts.
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Check Length of
Membership: Most dealers on Nairaland are fairly new. The oldest
registration we found was dated 2006. Many registered in 2008 and others in
2009. One can reasonably assume that the older dealers may be more
reliable and knowledgeable in the car business.
Exercise caution when dealing with new
dealers. To find out when a dealer registered on Nairaland, Click on Browse
By Dealer and look under "Member Since" column.
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What Should I Pay
For My Car? Car prices on Nairaland are not fixed. The price of an
identical car may differ from one dealer to another by several thousands. Fortunately, most
dealers on Nairaland are eager to make a sale and will gladly give
substantial discounts if they notice you are a serious buyer.
However, you should watch out for cars
that priced too low. For instance, as of December 2009, a 2008 Honda
Accord was selling for 3.8 to 4.5 million Naira. If you find a dealer
offering one for 3 million Naira or thereabouts, exercise caution. It may
have been used in Nigeria. Generally salvaged vehicles and vehicles used in Nigeria are much cheaper
than clean, imported ones.
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Leave Feedback:
Unlike Ebay and other online sites, Nairaland does not have a formal
feedback system. So there is no way to judge a dealer's past performance.
However an informal feedback system do exist. In this case, buyers return
to Nairaland and narrate their buying experience with a particular
dealer.
An example can be seen from the popular
thread "Ayodeji1 Is A Great Guy-Delivered Honda Accord 2005 EOD
today". Here a buyer named K.M narrated his pleasant experience
with Ayodeji1. However, there are a lot of skeptics on Nairaland. Before
making such a claim, have the evidence to back it up. In fact, when K.M
posted his feedback, some Nairalanders doubted him until Ayodeji1 produced
evidence of the transaction.
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