kindly correct me if I'm wrong;

Most cars purchased from Cotonou have their catalyst removed or stolen as the case may be. Initially I thought it is synonymous to mid-range cars. I bought a 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid last year and the catalyst wasn't there. this year also my uncle bought a 2011 Toyota venza, and it was the same experience which brings me to the conclusion that Cars from Cotonou are always tampered with.

In terms of cost, you get to save 100k or slightly more when compared to Naija price but sometimes the money made/saved becomes irrelevant should in case vital components have been removed from the car and a replacement is required.

I've heard people complained about a component or two being removed or absent from their cotonou car.

Lest i forget, the toyota camry i mentioned earlier had it hybrid battery messed up and it was well managed/staged as perfect while we tested it at cotonou. The car started shutting down on the first day it got to naija, only for us to discover the hybrid battery was bad. We ended up replacing the battery pack for 600k.

I am not trying to spoil anyone's business as there are many dealers here who buys from cotonou, this is a personal experience and it seems many have also experienced it. my experience last year and that of my uncle recently could not have been a coincidence. My uncle's venza couldnt muster enough acceleration, so the muffler/exhaust pipe was checked and we discovered the catalyst had been removed but a net like material stuffed in there as replacement.

pls share your thoughts/similar experience if any

Why leave all the trust worthy car dealers in Nigeria and go to Cotonou, appreciate your own.

Hybrid is supposed to shut down its engine while driving at intervals and run on batteries only

Thanks for this info.....i had created a topic few weeks ago looking for dealers in cotonu.....in search of cheaper cars n better cars. #BuyNaijaBuildNaija

ozone0801:
kindly correct me if I'm wrong;

Most cars purchased from Cotonou have their catalyst removed or stolen as the case may be. Initially I thought it is synonymous to mid-range cars. I bought a 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid last year and the catalyst wasn't there. this year also my uncle bought a 2011 Toyota venza, and it was the same experience which brings me to the conclusion that Cars from Cotonou are always tampered with.

In terms of cost, you get to save 100k or slightly more when compared to Naija price but sometimes the money made/saved becomes irrelevant should in case vital components have been removed from the car and a replacement is required.

I've heard people complained about a component or two being removed or absent from their cotonou car.

Lest i forget, the toyota camry i mentioned earlier had it hybrid battery messed up and it was well managed/staged as perfect while we tested it at cotonou. The car started shutting down on the first day it got to naija, only for us to discover the hybrid battery was bad. We ended up replacing the battery pack for 600k.

I am not trying to spoil anyone's business as there are many dealers here who buys from cotonou, this is a personal experience and it seems many have also experienced it. my experience last year and that of my uncle recently could not have been a coincidence. My uncle's venza couldnt muster enough acceleration, so the muffler/exhaust pipe was checked and we discovered the catalyst had been removed but a net like material stuffed in there as replacement.

pls share your thoughts/similar experience if any

Hello Ozone0801,

Your observations are very valid. Some of these items are tampered with intentionally while some are damaged when transporting the car from Cotonou to Lagos as most drivers make several detours to avoid the Custom officials.

Another downside is you may not be able to drive the car with absolute confidence especially when traveling interstate (many Cotonou cars have been seized). Many cars sold in Cotonou and Most cars sold in Nigeria are accidented especially the ones imported from USA. Therefore, we prefer to buy our cars on auction directly from the USA in order to ensure our cars have zero or minimal dent.

You can check you Facebook page - AUTOJOSH.COM to see some of these cars. Always endeavor to do a VIN check no matter how good a car seems.


Website: www.autojosh.com, Twitter: @AutoJoshNG, Facebook: Autojoshng and Instagram: autojoshng