Low mileage for cars and SUVs.

I'm a custom licensed agent and I also help buy vehicles from cotonou,also clear them through customs with valid duty papers but as smooth as this job may seem,mileage seems to be something agents,dealers and importers haven't been able to agree on.

Mileage is measured by the odometer has miles/kilometers but in this illustration I'll be using km as examples,then I'll later explain with miles. I'll also be using a frequently asked question I treated in one of my post as an example.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Q : HOW DO CALCULATE MILEAGE FOR VEHICLES AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IF MILEAGE HAS BEEN ROLLED BACK?

A : Mileage has always caused serious issues between importers,agents,car dealers and end users. Many end users have been hoodwinked into believing that only vehicles with low mileages can perform and at the end of everything,the purchased vehicles with the assumed low mileages break down and the become daily visitors to the mechanic.

Whenever you're checking out vehicles,there's an assumed we use for detecting the actual mileage of vehicles and it's 15,000 for cars and 25,000 for SUVs.

For example - If a car was manufactured in 2001,it's calculated as 2015 - 2001 = 14,then when you multiply 15,000km to the 14 year gap,it becomes 15,000*14=210,000km.

This means that when you're buying a car manufactured in 2001,the least mileage to expect will be around 170,000km and for an heavy user,it'll will be 230,000km. So if a 2001 model car has 75,000 mileage,the buyer should run a comprehensive VIN check before purchase and the same calculation is also applicable to SUVs too.

For american cars with miles,all you need to do is ask the dealer/check the odometer to see if it's measured in miles and multiply the mileage with 0.62 and you'll get the mileage in kilometers. What it means is that if you're buying a vehicle and suggest to a dealer that you don't need a car with 75,000Km and he later sells the car with 46,000miles without telling you it's in miles,you've been scammed into buying the same mileage you wanted to avoid.

Quoting ubiquitousade on Nairaland, "It amuses me when some buyers expect a 13 years old car to have a mileage lower than 120,000km. Its an anomaly that needs to be corrected.

In 2013 I saw a Camry 2007 Nigerian used with less than 60k mileage a guy wants to sell. That is the level some peeps can descend to in order to make a sale".I've even seen where customers will ask for cars manufactured in 1999 with 30,000 mileage.

MILEAGE DOESN'T MAKE A GOOD VEHICLE,IT ALL DEPENDS ON USAGE AND TITLE DEED,I've seen cars with 230,000miles and they're still performing better than some cars with 60,000 miles. Customers have been so fixated with the idea of low mileage that they tend to overlook other issues when it comes to purchasing vehicles.

BEWARE,THAT LOW MILEAGE YOU'RE SEEKING FOR MIGHT HAVE BEEN ROLLED BACK AND YOU'LL END UP WITH A FAULTY VEHICLE WITH LOW MILEAGE.

We hope we've been able to settle the issue of mileage once again and this post is the opinion of the O.P,if you've a contrary opinion,feel free to drop your comments,thanks.

Thanks and have nice day.

@opp, U have really done justice and enlightened the teeming prospective car owner with this post
Its truly amazing when people want to buy a vehicle and complain of the mileage too high.

I run a diagnosis workshop where a client bought a SUV lexus RX300 2001yr model with 75,000 miles reading on the ODO and was bragging that the vehicle was really used. On checking the timing belt cover, the label on the cover shows that the timing belt was changed in 2008 with about 189,000 miles on the tag.

He knew nothing about that and has been visiting the workshop for one problem or the other and never admit that the vehicle has been fully used before it was sold.

tyoseni:
@opp, U have really done justice and enlightened the teeming prospective car owner with this post
Its truly amazing when people want to buy a vehicle and complain of the mileage too high.

I run a diagnosis workshop where a client bought a SUV lexus RX300 2001yr model with 75,000 miles reading on the ODO and was bragging that the vehicle was really used. On checking the timing belt cover, the label on the cover shows that the timing belt was changed in 2008 with about 189,000 miles on the tag.

He knew nothing about that and has been visiting the workshop for one problem or the other and never admit that the vehicle has been fully used before it was sold.

That's what we've been telling customers but they prefer to buy faulty vehicles with low mileage,not knowing that most of these mileages are rolled back.Imagine a client calling for a 05 camry with 40,000miles and by the time you start explaining that it's not possible,they believe you don't know what you're doing.

@OP, what is the logic behind your 15K/yr for sedan, and 25K/yr for SUV?

And for everybody's information, 98% of Cotonou vehicles suffer odometer rollback. I have even very recently, discovered something shocking!

If you care much about the odometer reading of any vehicle you are purchasing from there, ENSURE you run it through VIN check! Now I know why their vehicles seem cheaper.

saintjoel:
Low mileage for cars and SUVs.

I'm a custom licensed agent and I also help buy vehicles from cotonou,also clear them through customs with valid duty papers but as smooth as this job may seem,mileage seems to be something agents,dealers and importers haven't been able to agree on.

Mileage is measured by the odometer has miles/kilometers but in this illustration I'll be using km as examples,then I'll later explain with miles. I'll also be using a frequently asked question I treated in one of my post as an example.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Q : HOW DO CALCULATE MILEAGE FOR VEHICLES AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IF MILEAGE HAS BEEN ROLLED BACK?

A : Mileage has always caused serious issues between importers,agents,car dealers and end users. Many end users have been hoodwinked into believing that only vehicles with low mileages can perform and at the end of everything,the purchased vehicles with the assumed low mileages break down and the become daily visitors to the mechanic.

Whenever you're checking out vehicles,there's an assumed we use for detecting the actual mileage of vehicles and it's 15,000 for cars and 25,000 for SUVs.

For example - If a car was manufactured in 2001,it's calculated as 2015 - 2001 = 14,then when you multiply 15,000km to the 14 year gap,it becomes 15,000*14=210,000km.

This means that when you're buying a car manufactured in 2001,the least mileage to expect will be around 170,000km and for an heavy user,it'll will be 230,000km. So if a 2001 model car has 75,000 mileage,the buyer should run a comprehensive VIN check before purchase and the same calculation is also applicable to SUVs too.

For american cars with miles,all you need to do is ask the dealer/check the odometer to see if it's measured in miles and multiply the mileage with 0.62 and you'll get the mileage in kilometers. What it means is that if you're buying a vehicle and suggest to a dealer that you don't need a car with 75,000Km and he later sells the car with 46,000miles without telling you it's in miles,you've been scammed into buying the same mileage you wanted to avoid.

Quoting ubiquitousade on Nairaland, "It amuses me when some buyers expect a 13 years old car to have a mileage lower than 120,000km. Its an anomaly that needs to be corrected.

In 2013 I saw a Camry 2007 Nigerian used with less than 60k mileage a guy wants to sell. That is the level some peeps can descend to in order to make a sale".I've even seen where customers will ask for cars manufactured in 1999 with 30,000 mileage.

MILEAGE DOESN'T MAKE A GOOD VEHICLE,IT ALL DEPENDS ON USAGE AND TITLE DEED,I've seen cars with 230,000miles and they're still performing better than some cars with 60,000 miles. Customers have been so fixated with the idea of low mileage that they tend to overlook other issues when it comes to purchasing vehicles.

BEWARE,THAT LOW MILEAGE YOU'RE SEEKING FOR MIGHT HAVE BEEN ROLLED BACK AND YOU'LL END UP WITH A FAULTY VEHICLE WITH LOW MILEAGE.

We hope we've been able to settle the issue of mileage once again and this post is the opinion of the O.P,if you've a contrary opinion,feel free to drop your comments,thanks.

Thanks and have nice day.

I think with this calculation you will get it wholly wrong, you can get teh actual mileage from the chassis number check on line, when you do your annual maintenance,the milage is recorded so there you have it also you can get it from reading the brain Box(ECU)

Kashif:
@OP, what is the logic behind your 15K/yr for sedan, and 25K/yr for SUV?

And for everybody's information, 98% of Cotonou vehicles suffer odometer rollback. I have even very recently, discovered something shocking!

If you care much about the odometer reading of any vehicle you are purchasing from there, ENSURE you run it through VIN check! Now I know why their vehicles seem cheaper.

What web have used is just an assumed mileage and it can be used if you dont have access to internet or when youre in hasté.I dont know what youve against cotonou cars but your theory is wrong and false,just bought a 2012 camry and even INZE of nairaland confirmed The mileage,it was the original mileage,so i dont know where you got your info from and this topic isnt even about purchase from cotonou but about mileage checks,so please dont derail our discussion,tanks.

erico2k2:

I think with this calculation you will get it wholly wrong, you can get teh actual mileage from the chassis number check on line, when you do your annual maintenance,the milage is recorded so there you have it also you can get it from reading the brain Box(ECU)

Like i stated sir,this is just an assumed calculation and it can be used when you dont have access to internet,can you explain how mileage can be checked from the ECU but please take note that we are discussing about first purchase when the car is still with the dealer and not annual service,i'll want readers to learn from your experience.

saintjoel:
Low mileage for cars and SUVs.
I'm a custom licensed agent and I also help buy vehicles from cotonou,also clear them through customs with valid duty papers but as smooth as this job may seem,mileage seems to be something.......

That was how you introduced your thread so, that caught my attention first. Buying one car with the correct odometer reading out of a hundred does not cut it, or does it? 98% of Cotonou car dealers (not agents) are criminals!

BTW, you have still not told us why you do 15k/yr and 25k/yr for sedans and SUVs respectively.

Sorry if I missed your intended point.

Kashif:


That was how you introduced your thread so, that caught my attention first. Buying one car with the correct odometer reading out of a hundred does not cut it, or does it? 98% of Cotonou car dealers (not agents) are criminals!

BTW, you have still not told us why you do 15k/yr and 25k/yr for sedans and SUVs respectively.

Sorry if I missed your intended point.

You must have mixed with the bad eggs amongst them.

saintjoel:
. That was how you introduced your thread so, that caught my attention first. Buying one car with the correct odometer reading out of a hundred does not cut it, or does it? 98% of Cotonou car dealers (not agents) are criminals!

You must have mixed with the bad eggs amongst them.

BTW, you have still not told us why you do 15k/yr and 25k/yr for sedans and SUVs respectively.

Sorry if I missed your intended point.

Why should you add the bolded above in my post when I never typed that?? This shows you are indeed the bad egg.

Admin, this dude deserves a ban!

Kashif:


Why should you add the bolded above in my post when I never typed that?? This shows you are indeed the bad egg.

Admin, this dude deserves a ban!

In your haste to rubbish this thread,you forgot to see that it was a mistake cis I was using a mobile phone to type and I didn't see the latter part of the post and why're you calling for my ban....

Op could have a point. 15000km/year roughly translates to 42 km per day and that is very reasonable. It is funny seeing a niqqa with a 2001 car bragging that his mileage is 51000. So the original owner just use am for decoration abi?

erico2k2:

I think with this calculation you will get it wholly wrong, you can get teh actual mileage from the chassis number check on line, when you do your annual maintenance,the milage is recorded so there you have it also you can get it from reading the brain Box(ECU)

Pls explain the bolded for the benefit of everyone

Kashif:


@OP, what is the logic behind your 15K/yr for sedan, and 25K/yr for SUV?

And for everybody's information, 98% of Cotonou vehicles suffer odometer rollback. I have even very recently, discovered something shocking!

If you care much about the odometer reading of any vehicle you are purchasing from there, ENSURE you run it through VIN check! Now I know why their vehicles seem cheaper.

pls how did you arrive at that 98% estimation?
then what did you discover that is shocking about the cotonou market? I'll suggest you create a thread for it.

To the Topic: thanks saintjoel for heeding to my request to create a thread.

ubiquitousade:



Pls explain the bolded for the benefit of everyone




pls how did you arrive at that 98% estimation?
then what did you discover that is shocking about the cotonou market? I'll suggest you create a thread for it.

To the Topic: thanks saintjoel for heeding to my request to create a thread.

You're welcome sir.

saintjoel:

In your haste to rubbish this thread,you forgot to see that it was a mistake cis I was using a mobile phone to type and I didn't see the latter part of the post and why're you calling for my ban....

Always check your posts after clicking on the 'submit' button.

ubiquitousade:



pls how did you arrive at that 98% estimation?
then what did you discover that is shocking about the cotonou market? I'll suggest you create a thread for it.

To the Topic: thanks saintjoel for heeding to my request to create a thread.

I had created a thread in auto section last year. If the moderator would move it here, I would gladly share my experiences. https://www.nairaland.com/1799354/cotonou-car-import-not-say

Kashif:


I had created a thread in auto section last year. If the moderator would move it here, I would gladly share my experiences. https://www.nairaland.com/1799354/cotonou-car-import-not-say

And to you,what you actually created made sense,abi?

saintjoel:


Like i stated sir,this is just an assumed calculation and it can be used when you dont have access to internet,can you explain how mileage can be checked from the ECU but please take note that we are discussing about first purchase when the car is still with the dealer and not annual service,i'll want readers to learn from your experience.

yeh but do U think anybody woulld be in a hast to hand i er N1m if they have the option of Vin check? It takea less than 2 hrs to check the Vin on Naira land for free.Im assuming phones work where these vehicles are parked.So I dont see any xcuse Y I cant run a Vin check or cant wait for 4 brs for the VIN check to come bck

ubiquitousade:



Pls explain the bolded for the benefit of everyone




pls how did you arrive at that 98% estimation?
then what did you discover that is shocking about the cotonou market? I'll suggest you create a thread for it.

To the Topic: thanks saintjoel for heeding to my request to create a thread.

To everyone.the Ecu aka brain Box stores the the Odometer reading o a pamanent base.This is how you get caught abroad if you roll bacl ur milage cos duri g MOT this figures are recorded on ir MOT certificate ie last milage reading B4 MOT check.so even though you want to roll ot back it wo t be significant and you coild be caught during ur MOT check.Its a criminal offence and can land U in Jail.If you change ur brain Bkx in the US you are required to tell them the correct milage and VIN for them to co figuure ur new ECU.

Tyche:
Op could have a point. 15000km/year roughly translates to 42 km per day and that is very reasonable. It is funny seeing a niqqa with a 2001 car bragging that his mileage is 51000. So the original owner just use am for decoration abi?

yes I agree .U could use that as a guide

erico2k2:

To everyone.the Ecu aka brain Box stores the the Odometer reading o a pamanent base.This is how you get caught abroad if you roll bacl ur milage cos duri g MOT this figures are recorded on ir MOT certificate ie last milage reading B4 MOT check.so even though you want to roll ot back it wo t be significant and you coild be caught during ur MOT check.Its a criminal offence and can land U in Jail.If you change ur brain Bkx in the US you are required to tell them the correct milage and VIN for them to co figuure ur new ECU.

How does that apply to new purchase?

Ops I totally agree with you. An agent bought me a rav4 2002 model with mileage of 85,000. When I run the VIN check, I discovered that the vehicle were even 1998 model with 215,000 mileage. All cotonu gurus are thieves.
My observations

needful:
Ops I totally agree with you. An agent bought me a rav4 2002 model with mileage of 85,000. When I run the VIN check, I discovered that the vehicle were even 1998 model with 215,000 mileage. All cotonu gurus are thieves.
My observations

thats my point.always check the VIn.it will cost you just few hrs.dont get bullied take ur time to check.if possible coppy VIN from 10 cars and do the check in one go.Onnhere its free

saintjoel:


How does that apply to new purchase?

Ir does cos at the point you want to buy.you can just copy the VIN n check at same time.do U have a problem qith that as an agent?

erico2k2:

Ir does cos at the point you want to buy.you can just copy the VIN n check at same time.do U have a problem qith that as an agent?

I don't have issues with a VIN check,what I've asked is how mileage can be checked from the ECU at the point of purchase?

needful:
Ops I totally agree with you. An agent bought me a rav4 2002 model with mileage of 85,000. When I run the VIN check, I discovered that the vehicle were even 1998 model with 215,000 mileage. All cotonu gurus are thieves.
My observations

You can't actually suggest that all cotonou agents are thieves cos I'm not one and I help buy from cotonou too.

The agent preyed on your gullibilty and you're also at fault cos how could you've believed an SUV manufactured in 2002 had 85K miles on it even to the extent of not running a VIN check before payment.H/she discovered you were part of the low mileage team even for 1988 cars and took advantage,you didn't even bother to go into cotonou to check your purchase,yet you're here saying all agents are thieves.

saintjoel:


I don't have issues with a VIN check,what I've asked is how mileage can be checked from the ECU at the point of purchase?

If you read what I wrote you will notice this ECU check is for garages or people with trade scanning tools, not the ordinary buyers, the VIN check however is the on the SPOT check for first time buyers, You get me?

erico2k2:

If you read what I wrote you will notice this ECU check is for garages or people with trade scanning tools, not the ordinary buyers, the VIN check however is the on the SPOT check for first time buyers, You get me?

YES.

saint joel i follow ur threads a lot on auto n cartalk and i must commend u.
I need ur help concerng a custom paper sum1 did for me. Am nt too convince.
pls can u help me check its authenticity
thanks

Kashif:


I had created a thread in auto section last year. If the moderator would move it here, I would gladly share my experiences. https://www.nairaland.com/1799354/cotonou-car-import-not-say

thanks you, i have made a comment in your thread so we dont derail this thread

Tyche:
Op could have a point. 15000km/year roughly translates to 42 km per day and that is very reasonable. It is funny seeing a niqqa with a 2001 car bragging that his mileage is 51000. So the original owner just use am for decoration abi?

you simplified it

ubiquitousade:


thanks you, i have made a comment in your thread so we dont derail this thread

Check the thread again.