With a budget range of 600 - 700k, I have been advised to go for a neat naija used car of a newer model rather than a foreign used older model, on the grounds that a 16yr old toks, for example, is more likely to give more problems than a ride 3 to 4 yrs younger but naija used.

Pls I need further advice and guildance regarding this.
Thanks

Majority of naija used cars are scrabs . Is better to add some money and buy good foriegn used car. Naija used may look clean but had hidden faults which will endlessly drain your pocket. I am writting with experience and i have vowed never to buy naija used again.

In d same dilemma. Will appreciate more responses

Except the person's itenary is within ikeja, oregun, opebi, omole, v.i, lekki etc and has a WELL ESTABLISHED maintenance culture, verifiable by an independent mechanic then u can go for it. I use myself as an e.g, if i decide to trade my corolla (wch i myt not ) whoever would use it, would think its BRAND NEW!

CHIMCO: Majority of naija used cars are scrabs . Is better to add some money and buy good foriegn used car. Naija used may look clean but had hidden faults which will endlessly drain your pocket. I am writting with experience and i have vowed never to buy naija used again.

thanks, i appreciate.

eminemkayc: Except the person's itenary is within ikeja, oregun, opebi, omole, v.i, lekki etc and has a WELL ESTABLISHED maintenance culture, verifiable by an independent mechanic then u can go for it. I use myself as an e.g, if i decide to trade my corolla (wch i myt not ) whoever would use it, would think its BRAND NEW!

lol, i wan buy the corolla


on a serious note, do Nigerians even keep verifiable maintenance records? Thanks though

people sell their cars for various reasons and not necessarily because the car has hidden scary faults. While it is true that some nigerian used cars may actually be faulty and that's why the owner is selling, bear in mind that a number of foreign used vehicles also have serious faults which you may not know of until you buy them. @OP there many folks who are good at maintaining their vehicles and so if you are looking to buy a nigerian used car, please feel free but ensure you go with a very good and trustworthy mechanic preferably with an obd scanner while going to inspect the vehicle. All the best.

So many factors are involved in buying Nigerian used car. Most importantly, reason for sale, the maintenance history and condition of the car involved. Honesty of the vendor on current status of the car matters as well. I bought a 1999 Camry and maintained it well and replaced all faulty parts from time to time. About 5 people fought to buy it. i sold the car for #600k just two weeks ago after 2 and a half year of use. Unfortunately, very few Nigerians do take well care of themselves never to talk of cars.
Best of luck. Be it tokunbo or Nigerian used cars.

Some Niger used cars are good and even better than tokunbo. All my former Niger used cars are better than toks. I always take my time while shopping for cars locally. No regrets so far. My next cars will be Niger used. I bought 99 Camry toks @ 900 and spent over 200k on it withintwo months and later sold it 800k after 6 months. I later got 01 camry @ 750, on which i have not spent 10K for almost a year fuelling apart.
If u go toks, keep @ least 100k for Tyre.Reg.Battery etc

My guy, 600k will buy you a very clean and sound tokunbo Golf 3, Audi 80 Tiger Face, Nissan Almera, Honda halla (now old anyway), 1996 Nissan Primera etc while 700k will buy you a very clean tokunbo1997 Nissan Primera, Rover 600, Honda Bullet, Honda Bulldog/Academy etc. All these are very good, moderate and economical cars if you can get a very good tokunbo. If you have between 600-700k, why not go for a very clean tokunbo of any of the above and use it with peace of mind instead of a naija used or misused car that has a 90% chance of giving you troubles, or better still, look for more money to buy a bigger car if you dont like any of the above. 90% of Naija used cars being put for sale have one hidden problem which the owner/seller will not disclose. I once bought a used car from a Medical Doctor (so called) in Lagos for 500k, I paid the mechanics who helped. me inspect it 5k, two mechanics cerified the car ok, I got the car to Akure only for the hidden problems to begin to surface. I spent fortunes trying to fix it, I later got to know through a doctor friend who knows the seller that the car was actually giving him problem. I later sold the car for 250k after telling the buyer all the problems I noticed on the car. Buying a naija used car is a game of probability which you have only a 10% chance of winning. Buy a tokunbo with what you have and have peace of mind, cheers!

azat: With a budget range of 600 - 700k, I have been advised to go for a neat naija used car of a newer model rather than a foreign used older model, on the grounds that a 16yr old toks, for example, is more likely to give more problems than a ride 3 to 4 yrs younger but naija used.

Pls I need further advice and guildance regarding this.
Thanks

Almost all the responses so far are valid. Most Nigerians have poor maintenance culture not only about cars but virtually in all aspects of life. 80% of cars used in Nigeria are poorly maintained. Besides individuals' inability to properly maintain their vehicles, there is the syndrome of lack quality spare parts in the Nigerian market even the very established shops often do not sale genuine OEM. Another problem is unqualified auto mechanics. So the very few Nigerians who desire to keep their vehicles to the manufacturer's specification are hindered by the reasons advanced above.

Irrespective of the above, there are still some Nigerians who properly maintain their cars. I will advice the OP to buy a Nigerian used car only if he knows the history of the car in question, or the car has been certified by a competent auto garage not a road side mechanic. Most often, people do not reveal the real reason they are selling their vehicles. Only a few would.

On the other front, a well maintained older model car is more reliable than a poorly maintained newer model car. Be properly guided as to what you want. Don't let people tell you what they want. Buy a car within your budget & reach. More vital to buying a car is maintenance in the long run fueling inclusive. If I were you, I will go by the advise of wwwkaycom. You are gradually being drawn into the array of wrong belief among Nigerians about driving a millennium car. Even the older model cars in some cases are more rugged & easy to be diagnosed by some of these incompetent mechanics. Of what use is it to buy a car that would seat at the mechanic workshop for a long time.

Please be guided by your reason, budget and logic for wanting a car.

I hope this helps.

Going by my experience with a Nigerian used Audi 90 car I bought in 2010, I will advise you save money and get a good Tokunbo car. However, you might just be lucky to get a Nigerian used that was well maintained, but please be very careful if not you might end up regretting just like I did.

I have been using a Nigerian used Toyota Corola 2004 model (Mileage - 95,000) for about two months now and i have not noticed a whiff of any kind of fault. it runs so smoothly that even my friends were in doubt about its usage thinking it was a foreign used car. The only thing i had to fix was one of the power windows' engine, i also 'gased' the AC since it was not 100% effective. I tell you, this ride is good, i did not get it on the cheap though. So i guess my car does not fall victim of the probability associated with Nigerian used vehicles.

I'm using a Nigerian used 2002 Camry at the moment. When I bought it it was in quite good condition, and strangely enough, just like the previous poster it only required so called "gassing" of ac and fixing of power window motor and control switch, and then I changed all the tyres. Nothing else. Drives well, handles well. So far, so good.

@all, thank you so much. Your advices and experiences have been very useful.

Ops must b confused by now with all d above advice. Follow ur mind n b a man dude. Taking risk is part of life

Bought a naija used 06 corolla for almost six months now. I av only gased the a%c and changed the break disc, mind u the car came wit brand new tires. This baby drives sweet

This tread is from way back 2010 and I presume OP would have been changing cars but then I only wish to add few lines. If your budget is not yet good enough for a foreign used car(tokunbo) buy a Nigerian used Toyota corrolla, fixing it won't cost a fortune(personal experience).

I can never buy a naija used car that was bought as tokunbo no matter what, I can only buy one that was bought brand new tear rubber with one user from the original owner.

My brother inlaw bought a honda Accord DC from the owner who lives around his area then the toks was around 1.8 to 2.2 depending on trim he bought 1.2 from the owner and 3yrs plus the car is still running and strong and really clean too. If you are buying a car toks or Nigerian used have in mind it won't be trouble free some parts may need change soon but it shouldn't be the butchered cars that Naija mechos have remixed its default settings

What me I feel abt dis issue of Nija vs toks vehicle is dat it depends on d cars in question and also the user. Either Nija or toks, maintenance culture is d key.

insightful.

Please read this book. It's helpful in buying a used car. 07037532769(WhatsApp)

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Not all nigerian used car have issues. Like me now, I sold my 08 Chevrolet in good condition, I sold it not because of any problems but because i feel like changing my car.

My Honda was sold better than the way I bought it from Toukinbo When I bought the Tokunbo and drove it to Benin , I topped the oil but the engine I sold it with , I drove it to warri and back to Lagos , but there was no need to top the oil . The gear run better than I bought it from Tokunbo .

perryy:
My Honda was sold better than the way I bought it from Toukinbo When I bought the Tokunbo and drove it to Benin , I topped the oil but the engine I sold it with , I drove it to warri and back to Lagos , but there was no need to top the oil . The gear run better than I bought it from Tokunbo .

Did You change the gear? How did it improve?