Is it not possible to just go to cotounou my self,pick a car of my choice,pay all the
nesessary customs dues and drive home my car

I am saying this because I have had a very bitter experience with these cotounou car dealers
and I know of too many poeple that has gone through same.Those people are the most dishonest
people in the whole world

So guys, do you think it is possible to do that.The dealers will definately tell you it is not
possible and all sorts

What do you think

tundysho: Is it not possible to just go to cotounou my self,pick a car of my choice,pay all the
nesessary customs dues and drive home my car

I am saying this because I have had a very bitter experience with these cotounou car dealers
and I know of too many poeple that has gone through same.Those people are the most dishonest
people in the whole world

So guys, do you think it is possible to do that.The dealers will definately tell you it is not
possible and all sorts

What do you think

I have been thinking the same thing.

Ikenna

It is 10000000% possible. I went there myself last december in company of my broda who is an SSS officer. And the reason my broda followed me was because he wanted to get a car too. D dealers who sells car there are honest n they will help u clear d car there at cotonou port. The reason why u need d dealer there is because of language barrier, french is there official language. After clearing the car, there are escorts on ground who will help u move it to Nigeria border (Pastoral park) where u will process the custom paper. Most of the car sellers in cotonou will link u with the a custom officer at the border who will help u process the paper within 24 hrs. Cotonou port (Irtris n the rest) open from Monday to Friday, no saturday n sunday business. Escorts move majorly on Tuesday n Thursday.
But there are still some tins u must knw b4 u can go there.
Less I forget, crossing d border is as easy as ABC.

Thank you very much for allaying my fears. I'm still planning to in there in company of a dealer. But with all you wrote, I think I can go there myself, pick my car and pay for it then drive it home.

tundesto: Thank you very much for allaying my fears. I'm still planning to in there in company of a dealer. But with all you wrote, I think I can go there myself, pick my car and pay for it then drive it home.

If d dealer is trustworthy, u may ask him to go wit provided u wil act as d Actor n dont allow d dealer to decide for you. D dealer following u shud act as an adviser or companion. But if d dealer isn't so, it is beta u go with just a friend cos two are always beta than one in decision making. Over there the car sellers will tell u d condition of most of their cars may be it is salvage, accidented or perfectly okay meaning dat d price will vary. For example over there, prices of d same car model, year, same engine varies i.e. A car seller may ve five golf 3 cars (with same specification n engine, interior n exterior almost d same) in stock n yet there prices will vary ranging from 1 million cefa to 1.4 million cefa. Reason is dat they will tell u d condition of each car but a typical Nigeria dealer for example will sell dat 1 million cfa car for 1.4 million cfa not telling the 'but' of d car.

In a nutshell, d dealers over there on average are still honest than our dealers but some Nigeria dealers too are honest only dat the majority dishonest ve discredited d few honest here.

The Gospel truth in terms of cost is dat the cost of buying a car frm Cotonou provided u need genuine clearing document (original custom paper n not tru 'flying' is almost the same with buying ur car in Lagos. For example buying a very good Golf 3 in cotonou with all genuine papers will cost u btw 600k and 650k while it is d same here in Lagos, even u can get 4 550k in Lag.

But the advantage is dat most good cotonou cars are better n reliable than Lagos cars n d reason is dat our dealers are not faithful. An almost dead car or repaired accidented car can be sold for u in Lagos as a good car. But over there u will pick from thousands of cars cos the market is too big dat u can't go round in 72 hrs (3 days). And most dealers not all will tell u d condition of each car inwhich d money u ve will speak n be d determining factor.

In conclusion the best thing is to pray to God or Allah to guide ur step in making decisions in life and in selection too. This type of prayer is applicable here too.

Advocate

Well, there are more details that you need to know before going over there to buy. One thing to note is that it that up to 3 working days to clear a car and it's moved to the border, so you cannot just pay and move it immediately. You may need an expert advise to chose a car cos there are dubious dealer that will sell you cars that have problems at a cheaper price and won't tell you the fault. and ofcourse you should know how to bargain in french. if you can scale through this first ordeal before dealing with nigerian customs. then you are good to go

diehard: Well, there are more details that you need to know before going over there to buy. One thing to note is that it that up to 3 working days to clear a car and it's moved to the border, so you cannot just pay and move it immediately. You may need an expert advise to chose a car cos there are dubious dealer that will sell you cars that have problems at a cheaper price and won't tell you the fault. and ofcourse you should know how to bargain in french. if you can scale through this first ordeal before dealing with nigerian customs. then you are good to go

u are right my broda but it is not necessary u understand or speak french cos most of d dealers assisting d Lebanese dealers speaks English n even some speak Yoruba.

You can go yourself.

My first car was a bad buy using a Nigerian Cotonou dealer who was even a pastor. Anyway, my God dealt with him in His own way and he is paying the price today even though I have since moved on. Never trust these people. Scumbags!

Advocate sam: The Gospel truth in terms of cost is dat the cost of buying a car frm Cotonou provided u need genuine clearing document (original custom paper n not tru 'flying' is almost the same with buying ur car in Lagos. For example buying a very good Golf 3 in cotonou with all genuine papers will cost u btw 600k and 650k while it is d same here in Lagos, even u can get 4 550k in Lag.

But the advantage is dat most good cotonou cars are better n reliable than Lagos cars n d reason is dat our dealers are not faithful. An almost dead car or repaired accidented car can be sold for u in Lagos as a good car. But over there u will pick from thousands of cars cos the market is too big dat u can't go round in 72 hrs (3 days). And most dealers not all will tell u d condition of each car inwhich d money u ve will speak n be d determining factor.

In conclusion the best thing is to pray to God or Allah to guide ur step in making decisions in life and in selection too. This type of prayer is applicable here too.

Advocate

Sir, can I have your mobile number? It seems you are versed in the Cotonou deals. Or you can text me. I am planning to go get a ride there in April.

Nice one guys am also tinking of going there my self pls ∂σ u v an idea of hw much it cost ̥†̥σ clear the car frm our own border? Cause some of dis dealers after sending money ̥†̥σ dem u hear dem asking Ƒσя extra 50k Ƒσя duty fee is dat wat it cost ̥†̥σ clear the car ? And sincerely r cars relatively cheaper in cotonu? Compared ̥†̥σ naija ?

Advocate sam: The Gospel truth in terms of cost is dat the cost of buying a car frm Cotonou provided u need genuine clearing document (original custom paper n not tru 'flying' is almost the same with buying ur car in Lagos. For example buying a very good Golf 3 in cotonou with all genuine papers will cost u btw 600k and 650k while it is d same here in Lagos, even u can get 4 550k in Lag.

But the advantage is dat most good cotonou cars are better n reliable than Lagos cars n d reason is dat our dealers are not faithful. An almost dead car or repaired accidented car can be sold for u in Lagos as a good car. But over there u will pick from thousands of cars cos the market is too big dat u can't go round in 72 hrs (3 days). And most dealers not all will tell u d condition of each car inwhich d money u ve will speak n be d determining factor.

In conclusion the best thing is to pray to God or Allah to guide ur step in making decisions in life and in selection too. This type of prayer is applicable here too.

Advocate

@yemosla, read d above n dis wil answer ur question.

ISSUES WHICH MAY AFFECT YOU WHEN YOU BUY FROM COTONOU.

1.GREED- This comes into play when a customer wants a next to free car in a place where nothing comes for free,the I need a camry 2001 model for 650K types.

These are the people agents love luring into Cotonou so that they can they can be exploited.All they need to hear is that they can get a 2007 model for 300,000naira in cotonou and they rush into the market ony to discover they've been tricked into showing up.

Note the pix shown below,it shows a line in a park called FIFA,just a line out of 5-6 lines in this particular park filled with numerous car dealers in their little offices and we have almost 6-8 parks in cotonou,all you need to do is walk in and bargain also note the bikes,they're used as transport within the parks cos they're so large,if any agent tells you he knows a last price it's a lie cos how can someone know the mind of every car dealer in cotonou,all he can know fropm experience is the asking price and even if customer A buys for 800K,800K won't be applicable to Mr B cos bargaining power isn't the same.

2.RESEARCH- Like we've always stated always know what you want,how to get it and how much you can get it.

When you want to buy a car,make sure you make checks about the cars you need,Nairaland is a very good example of a site where you can get info on prices and car performances. We even have cases where customers pay transport fare for agents to check car prices for them in cotonou and even send money for deposits just because they know what they want,not the "I want to know the VIN history or low mileage types",we're talking about people who know what a good car is all about.
It's not always about bringing cash along on your first day,we even have cases where customers widow-shop for a day or two before buying a car in cotonou and pay for the services of their agent to check cars with them. You need to look beyond VIN reports and mileages,if the cars were so perfect,the previous owner who used them abroad will not sell them,that's why you're permitted to bring a mechanic and also test drive the cars. Make research on how to check used cars etc.

3. SINCERITY- This is when you as a potential customer lie to your agent that you can get a car for an amount you know you can't get it in Lagos,all your agent needs to do if he's the fraudulent type is also agree with you and start telling you stories you aso want to hear. He/She is confident that once you come and you become stuck,more cash will roll in. Always be sincere with your agent,if possible let him know your budget and listen to his advice cos he/she has experience. Although you need to be cautious but at least believe your agent to a certain level when he/she tells you what you can obtain in the market.

4. SMUGGLING- When you/agent decides to go into smuggling,it degrades your car's value.
Why pay money to someone who'll drive your car along bush parts when you can easily pay your custom duty and drive out of the border with ease even without your agent driving your car. Don't always believe any agent who tells you customers aren't permitted to drive from the border,as long as you have your papers with you,you as the customer can drive from the border,so if your agent suddenly tells you it's going to take weeks before he/she delivers your car,then you definitely know it's been smuggled. When you pay 100K to smuggle your car across the border when you can pay custom duty for the same car,a lot of questions ought to be asked.

The summary of all these is that the onus falls on you as the customer when you're planning to purchase a car from cotonou.
https://www.nairaland.com/1245239/cheaper-cars-available-cotonou

The difference between getting a car from Cotonou on your own and getting it through a dealer is 50K - 100K plus stress. The choice is yours.

In 2002, I Asked my cousin to buy a Carina 2 and he did that but sold the car to make more gain. Again in 2006, I gave him money to buy a Camry but he ended up buying a Mazda 626, 'that is the car everyone in Lagos is now using' was his reply. In 2007 I gave money to a friend also a car dealer to buy a 1998 corolla but he bought a 1996 model and changed the label to 1998 but I fought and collected my money back. The same friend bought a car for my father-in-law and also the son and there was so much issues. In all these, I have learnt never to deposit money for a car but simply pay for a car once it is available. Simply make people aware that you need a car and you will be surprised the number of car that will be brought to you. One thing you may never know is that most people have cars that they are struggling to sell and it's been difficult. They may readily give it out at a cheap price just to use money for other things. For example a friend of my handed a Honda accord 2003 America spec to me but I found it difficult selling it and since returned the car and right now he is ready to sell at just the landing cost. SIMPLY LOOK AROUND AND PAY FOR A GOOD RIDE THAT IS WITHIN YOUR REACH AND HAVE A PEACE OF MIND.