A friend who is planning to buy a vehicle for his personal use asked for my opinion whether to buy it in the US and have it sent down here or source for it locally. He’s planning to buy a mid range suv( venza/ Highlander/ Lexus Rx 350) which are readily available here.
I am of the opinion that he should just get it in naija but some of our colleagues feel otherwise.
Left to me, He would only need to verify the documents and the history of the car before buying it and that’s it. The argument was that dealers in naija make huge profit on these cars so he would get it at a cheaper price abroad.
So I want to seek the opinion of experts here. Does it worth the stress?
I’ve imported a car for personal use before and I could say that there was no much difference in the total cost as people think so I advised him based on my own experience.

I dont see any reason to buy abroad..... if you can find an honest local dealer

EJIOGBENIMI:
A friend who is planning to buy a vehicle for his personal use asked for my opinion whether to buy it in the US and have it sent down here or source for it locally. He’s planning to buy a mid range suv( venza/ Highlander/ Lexus Rx 350) which are readily available here.
I am of the opinion that he should just get it in naija but some of our colleagues feel otherwise.
Left to me, He would only need to verify the documents and the history of the car before buying it and that’s it. The argument was that dealers in naija make huge profit on these cars so he would get it at a cheaper price abroad.
So I want to seek the opinion of experts here. Does it worth the stress?
I’ve imported a car for personal use before and I could say that there was no much difference in the total cost as people think so I advised him based on my own experience.

If he decides to import one, he might end up spending the same amount he would have spent buying it here. That's if he doesn't spend more.

Those vehicles (highlander, venza and 350) are everywhere, he'll get a good deal if he's patient enough.

For someone who wants to buy an Infiniti, Audi, Bmw and even Acura, I'll understand the need to pre-order but for Honda/Toyota/Lexus and even Benz, there's no point.

Preator:
I dont see any reason to buy abroad..... if you can find an honest local dealer

My opinion too.

rationalmind:


If he decides to import one, he might end up spending the same amount he would have spent buying it here. That's if he doesn't spend more.

Those vehicles (highlander, venza and 350) are everywhere, he'll get a good deal if he's patient enough.

For someone who wants to buy an Infiniti, Audi, Bmw and even Acura, I'll understand the need to pre-order but for Honda/Toyota/Lexus and even Benz, there's no point.

Thank you. For knowledge sake, can you give reason for the bold?

EJIOGBENIMI:

My opinion too.


Thank you. For knowledge sake, can you give reason for the bold?

There's a very limited pool to choose from. Chances of getting a good one is significantly lower.

To further buttress my point, there are over 12,000 Lexus ads on Jiji. Infiniti on the other hand has 536 ads