I happen to read this forum a lot and follow quite a few postings. I am just amazed that everyone seems to be crazy over leather seats. But why?

Nigeria is a temperate country and considering the fact that leather need lots of care otherwise they crack and get really ugly. Many people dont seem to know what it takes to keep up a leather interior.

Even someone who has like 600k or less to spend on a ride wants "leather", "non-nigeria used", "clean body", "Low-mileage" "Lagos cleared""Clean Carfax", "factory a/c" blah, blah, blah

Keep in mind that between shipping (from the U.S at least) and clearing (Cotonou) close to 400k is gone. Is there a doctor in the house to inject a dose of reality into peoples?

It will be extremely tough [i][/i]to get a Lagos cleared car for less than 1mill. Not saying its impossible but , if we have to consider all the above criteria.

Could i be missing something?

I have wondered so much about this thing as well, and the one that surprises me more is the "factory fitted A/C" maybe they have some ojuelegba fitted ones sha, everyone wants this and they want that and yet, they dont wanna pay what is involved, some will wanna buy a ride that is 15 years old and yet want the mileage to be less than 50K Miles and still wanna pay just 800K naira and they want you to delive rto thier house.
Or once you leave your mail add here, they send u mail and just clog it with information and inquiries.

promise72:

I happen to read this forum a lot and follow quite a few postings. I am just amazed that everyone seems to be crazy over leather seats. But why?

so oyinbo wey dey use am and make am don dey stupid abi

promise72:



Nigeria is a temperate country and considering the fact that leather need lots of care otherwise they crack and get really ugly.

what about winter nko

@ $$rhino
you shld know there are a lot of dubious car dealers out there who wuld tell you A/C in a 15 yr old car is factory fitted but it is not true. no body
wuld want to buy such a car and start visiting the workshop. who no like better thing?? though all fingers are not equal but if wishes were horses,
men wuld ride

@ keba,

You seem to be all over the place with your response. There are actually cars from 1960's that have factory fitted  A/C, especially US cars. Thats not the issue.

My point is that Leather is a cosmetic issue. It has no bearing on the durability of the car. Does it look good? Absolutely. Is it compulsory? Nah!

Ppl sometimes ask for what they can't or don't want to pay for. That all im saying.

promise72:


Ppl sometimes ask for what they can't or don't want to pay for. That all I'm saying.

@ promise72, i come dey bow! i have been getting such as well. I just keep it honest! that's all you can do.

Personally, i have driven both types and the truth is leather is nice but then over time it doesn't look as great depending on the vehicle because some manufactures pay more than others for the quality of their leather.

@ the factory fitted A/C, i would have to agree with Promise72 again. Vehicles from countries were they have both winter and summer weather will most likely have an A/C in older cars. Europe only really worry about heat, therefore when older vehicles come in from that area, they fit it.

So if you have a "mile" major reading on your cluster then it could be factory fitter even if it is an old car. If it is from Europe i.e "Km" as the major reading on the cluster, depending on the age of the vehicle could be installed elsewhere.

wats up tri?

nothin much bro. i see its about 9pm in your area. i was wondering what people where still doing up. i don sleep too much my eyes dey wide open like: right now.

The whole leather thing beats me as well as personally i can't even stand it, It raises the price of a car by miles, cracks with age and mehn if you leave ur car parked in the sun for so long, You'll have an uncomfortable couple of minutes in your car before the A/C kicks in, and if you don't have A/C, God be with you.
I guess it's just down to status and personal preference, If you've got the money, please be my guest and leave the fabric seats for people like moi.

no big deal with leather seats to be honest!

promise72:


Nigeria is a temperate country and considering the fact that leather need lots of care otherwise they crack and get really ugly. Many people don't seem to know what it takes to keep up a leather interior.

Nigeria is a tropical country not temperate. We don't have winter, that is why we need guaranteed high performing air cooler [aka factory fitted].

People ask for car with leather seats because of some direct correlation between leather seat and availability of luxury options which come as standard with such trims. Of course I agree with you that such wish should be backed by ability and willingness to pay. That is called effective demand.

Do we have non-factory fitted aircon passed off as factory fitted? Are u kidding? Dealers (unscrupulous ones) buy value package trim vehicles and fit them with ac may be at Cotonou or oju or even etielegba and tell you they are Special Edition.

I have seen promise72 that don't seem to be all over the place with his response.
if you be cripple, me no dey like you ohh

klas:

Nigeria is a tropical country not temperate. We don't have winter, that is why we need guaranteed high performing air cooler [aka factory fitted].

People ask for car with leather seats because of some direct correlation between leather seat and availability of luxury options which come as standard with such trims. Of course I agree with you that such wish should be backed by ability and willingness to pay. That is called effective demand.

Do we have non-factory fitted aircon passed off as factory fitted? Are u kidding? Dealers (unscrupulous ones) buy value package trim vehicles and fit them with ac may be at Cotonou or oju or even etielegba and tell you they are Special Edition.

good talk.

Leather? I love leather. Why I really can't tell. Maybe it is just because it is more luxurious than velour upholstery and is an optional extra when buying a new car.
IT LOOKS AND FEELS BETTER!!!!!!!

`

keba:

so oyinbo wey dey use am and make am don dey stupid abi what about winter nko

You're missing the point - can you compare the climate in West Africa with Europe?
Leather in Europe will require a lot less care than the same used in Nigeria's blistering heat.

keba:

who no like better thing?? though all fingers are not equal but if wishes were horses,
men wuld ride

Yes, everyone likes the good things in life, but they should be willing to pay for the priviledge.
Some of the requirements I've seen folk post on here, for a given amount of money, are far from realistic.

Siena:

You're missing the point - can you compare the climate in West Africa wit Europe?
Leather in Europe will require a lot less care than the same used in Nigeria's blistering heat.

I guess Europe does not have the cold weather all year round so also do Nigeria
have the hot weather.

keba:

I guess Europe does not have the cold weather all year round so also do Nigeria
have the hot weather.

Buddy, you're still not getting it.

Nigeria's a hot country, period.

The UK's a cold country, period.

The short spell of rain Nigeria has doesn't alter the fact it's a hot country.
The short spell of sunny weather Britain has does not alter the fact it's a cold country.

A bit like if someone asked you:

"Is Nigeria a hot country"?

Then you answered:

"No, we have rain during the rainy season, so a mixture".

If that was an exam / interview scenario, you' d have failed.

@Klas and Keba

Nigeria is not as hot or even close as Texas. So, it doesn't require anything higher than SAE's minimum cooling requirements.

It depends, Nigeria especially the north has high temperatures even more than Texas but the humidity in Texas is higher.

`

@ Ivvie,
Who are u referring to? A lot of Nigerian consumers actually know what they want. I think a problem they are having is the lack of choices.

`

Ivvie:

Nigeria doesn't experience heat as much as Texas does. Nobody hears of Nigerians passing out in their own homes (how much more outside) because of heat. People die from heat as well. New Orleans isn't as bad but relatively hot.

Dont think so
in abuja on a hot day, it gets up to 42⁰ C (107.5⁰F)
In sokoto and Maidiguri states,its much hotter.Some people say it gets higher than
48⁰C (118⁰F)
How hot does it get in texas?

its not uncommon in certain parts of texas to be over 120 degrees. Easy. Some parts of California (which is not as hot as texas) can get that high on some days.

Ivvie:

I'm referring to those that don't ask why and what could be the consequence of the choice to be made. Very few in life pick up vehicle specification and understand what it offers before purchase. A better car would be a car with a sensual shell, leather, multimedia and horsepower.

It isn't derogatory. There is nothing wrong in being an average consumer. People tend to flow with a trend without knowing why. It's a marketing classification.

Yeah i totally agree with you; me myself i get somethangs and after a good retot; i ask myself ;is it any worth it!!

I don't think its too out of reality to demand for leather upholstery in Nigeria bound cars, its the consumer who wants his car to look more luxurious than any other model on the road. If you have a choice to go to a party with a fabric or leather 2003 Accord and you know you'll get more smiles, looks, and winks comming your way; leather will be a goood option when sopping for a car(anycar)

Having leather is a way of owning a luxurious cars like the Mercs, BMW etc without paying too much, but when people pay more for a used/new Accord or Camry than Acura or Lexus, that is ridiculous . The oncoming trend of navigation is disturbing .

On the A/C all 15yr old cars from the US should have a/c, unlike Europe where some accessories are optional(really don't know), most are standard in US
The Yorubas developed words for cars based on the option the car had i.e a saloon car that is in good condition is called 'oko ayokele' (sneaking quiet car) and the on with a/c is 'oko oloye' (car with cold)

In the US now the standard trend is push button start, remote start, onstar, integrated satellite radio receiver on all models i.e most models will start having one of these functions standard GM has onstar on all cars Ford Sync, Chrysler MyGig

The craze for these things will show up within the next 1-2 years, before it was taking 5 years,People wanted to buy babyboy accords 5 years after the first in '98, same as the current demand for Odyssey(they don't even know what it looks like know),Murano,FXs,Xterra. Soon it will be Pilot,Altima 2006+, Sonatas so says my crystalball

Why do I hate leather soooo baaaaaad !

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@poster I don't,hate it so much.

Hi

We are a manufacturer of automotive leather interiors for Nissan Toyota Volkswagen and various other brands in south africa.

Currently we can offer leather interiors for vehicles but the Nigerian vehicles differ to South African.

Yes we can manufacture for the various companies in Nigeria and export it from South Africa to Nigeria.

If there are any companies looking to fit leather interiors for new vehicles in Nigeria as an aftermarket option we can provide the seat covers and they can install in Nigeria.

therefore we are looking for companies in Nigeria whom are currently involved in this type of business.

You may view us on www.handelstreet.co.za

or on Facebook Handel Street Upholsterers or by email info@handelstreet.co.za