mehn, Go 4 a brand new if uv really got the money. As for a toyota camry 03 vs optra,they are in diffrent categories. but if ur saying a brand new vs tokunbo ,u really have to do your homework well coz its not all toyotacars that were able to meet the hype they were about,you know that in nigeria because of the availability of parts the sales of some cars tend to tilt towards the parts.take 4 instance,there was a time when it was peugot cars,it was a crime not to have 1,there was a time it was V-boot e-200,220,300, remember them,even 190e(which is one of mercs worst car) but over time things have changed,some of this cars were sucess because if they break down we can fix it but does that really transends to it being the best cars?well it could be as of then but as of now when parts are available for almost any car,i think ur options cant fail u. sorry to disapoint tokunbor users but new cars are offering better packages now as it is, check hyundai out,thers no way on earth u can compare a 2008 sonata to a tokunbo 2002 camry, no way.check the specs out n ul c its not possible.

Let us keep all discussion within topic PLEASE!!!

Sojioguns
kindly post ur views and if uve gat norrin, take a siddon look approach or even 'blank' the thread if people are straying from the topic.

Na you start the thread? allow people express whatever they wanna say. The last time i checked, im on NL. Not on ur blog!!!
wetin sef?

Spiked
'sup. just kiddin

It all depends of tastes and preferences.

Personally I do not like the 03 Camry because it looks 'funny' to me.But at the same time I cannot use my money to by the Chevy in question not matter how brand new.

Please, permit me to digress. I cannot even use my money to buy a brand new corolla because it is small.I am expecting an 05 4runner of 20k miles from the states cos I prefer that to a brand new corolla.Now that is personal simply because of the size of the corolla ( the new camry is more like it for me,see?)

But for real, if I am to advice, better to go for an 03 camry than the Chevy in question, except you are living outside lagos, say in Abuja or Kaduna then you can go for the chevy.

I DEY SIDON LOOK OH! SIDON LOOK! SIDON LOOK! lol! I just thought the original poster needed help making up his mind. Anyway, by now, it is pretty clear that about 65% of the posters that stayed within topic prefer the 03 camry to the chevy. Now time for the poster to talk.

Another point, a 2003 camry can never cost you 2.3m. Tops, u'd pay like 1.5 - 1.6m for it. . . leaving u with like 800k in ur balance sheet!!!

sojioguns:

Let us keep all discussion within topic PLEASE!!!

Shuo? Why are you shouting na?

Tk, nothing do you jare. How far?

Soji, eat that.

Sojioguns
LOL!! u be character

nyways. as for the topic, i cant buy a 2003 car and a Chevy? NEVER!

now, Freezy just told us if u go for Camry2003, u'll have a balance of 800k, guy, thats a good bargain o but if ure hell bent on spending the whole 2.3m, why not forget about Chevy and get Elantra.
I think u can get the least engine (AT) of elantra for 2.4m
how about that?

Pls, does anyone know how much the new Skoda Octavia go for?
isnt that a german car? for those saying korean cars are not good. maybe the guy can look at that

abi na Chevy u like?

Spiked
im good my sister. Soji is a soldier o, he'll e-beat u oo
Lol!

Skodas aren't German oh! they are Czech. They are equally very good cars. I think the base octavia with Manual tranny goes for about 1.8m

sojioguns:

Skodas aren't German oh! they are Czech. They are equally very good cars. I think the base octavia with Manual tranny goes for about 1.8m

you are kidding me!!

SKODA'S are bloody waste of time, technology and useless!!!

Czech cars
This is the first time im hearing that. Its good, the reason im on NL is to learn from people.

But, i tot they were bought over by Volks.

Soji just said its a good car while Mr. Crackles feels its a waste of time, money n technology. abeg who can give more insight

Poster
u havent said anything about ur choice between Chevy n 03 camry. meanwhile, ur location reads Abu Dhabi. Do they drive tokunbo cars in UAE too? LOL

Hi folks,

It was great reading the many and divergent contributions from you guys. It really inspired my decision. I mainly considered the opinions of the people with personal experiences in driving/owning a new car; remember who feels it knows it. Often times we act on hear say in things we have little experience in. As I write this, I have paid N2.3m for a new Automatic Chevrolet Optra which is yet to be delivered due to its high demand. I can only hope to get value for my money; what else can a man do but hope for da best. I appreciate every contribution even as I wish Nairalanders all da best.

@
Like in other developed countries, there are internally generated Toks in UAE. Though they can pass as new, people do not take pride in buying them. because of this, used vehicles are cheapest in UAE but it has a long route to Naija

Funseeka:

Hi folks,

It was great reading the many and divergent contributions from you guys. It really inspired my decision. I mainly considered the opinions of the people with personal experiences in driving/owning a new car; remember who feels it knows it. Often times we act on hear say in things we have little experience in. As I write this, I have paid N2.3m for a new Automatic Chevrolet Optra which is yet to be delivered due to its high demand. I can only hope to get value for my money; what else can a man do but hope for da best. I appreciate every contribution even as I wish Nairalanders all da best.

@Funseeka
That was an excellent decision, and it is one you will not regret. You could have gotten the Hyundai Elantra for the same money though, and i think that's a far better car. But i am thankful you didn't fall prey to the misguided advice to buy a used Camry. used cars are such false economy that i cannot believe people still consider them at all. Rather than buy a used car, i'd use the money to buy vicks lemon plus. that would probably be more beneficial to me.

as an aside, i've always wondered why someone would be selling a 2007/2008 model car as tokunbo. Surely, there cannot be any good reason for this, other than there is something wrong with the car. Please, those who know, enlighten me.

New cars are better than used cars no matter the makes involved. My opinion.

Funseeka:

Hi folks,

It was great reading the many and divergent contributions from you guys. It really inspired my decision. I mainly considered the opinions of the people with personal experiences in driving/owning a new car; remember who feels it knows it. Often times we act on hear say in things we have little experience in. As I write this, I have paid N2.3m for a new Automatic Chevrolet Optra which is yet to be delivered due to its high demand. I can only hope to get value for my money; what else can a man do but hope for da best. I appreciate every contribution even as I wish Nairalanders all da best.

@
Like in other developed countries, there are internally generated Toks in UAE. Though they can pass as new, people do not take pride in buying them. because of this, used vehicles are cheapest in UAE but it has a long route to Naija

Well, I am happy you yielded to advice from some of us that you should buy a brand new car. Thatz the best jare my broda. You have just been delivered from Tokunbo's syndrome. I dont understand why I would spend over 1.5M on a used car no matter the make and where itz coming from. Itz crazy esp when brand new cars are now relatively affordable esp for the middle-class. The logic is this, if you can afford to buy a used car for 1.5M cash, then u can as well afford to buy either a brand new toyota yaris or honda city which goes for 2.6M and ask your bank to finance the difference.
Unless you do close your eyes, but i can see brand new cars everywhere these days!

Abeg, you can't compare 2003 Camry with all these new "plastic" cars o! That car is a "never-say-die". You probably won't be able to re-sell the Chevrolet, and you'll probably still be paying for it 4 years later, even after the nonsense has stopped working,

Hmmm. . . Word!

@ Noah69, have you ever owned a Chevy before?
Though these new cars are not strong, its generic.
The Toyotas, Hondas are also made with these "plastic" bodies.
I saw an okada hit an '06 Toyota Corolla and you'd think it was an SUV that hit it.
The whole fender was changed!!!

This is a matter of choice. He may choose to buy the Chevy, use it for 3 years,
when the warranty expires, he sells of and buys anoda car. Not everyone wants to drive a car for btw 5-10 years.
I have never driven any tokunbo or more than a year b4 selling.

If you have anything against a certain brand, that doesn't make it junk. At least you don't have any proof, whatsoever!

One man's meat is another man's poison!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why are we still on this thread? The original poster has already bought his Optra. We should be asking if he is enjoying his new toy.

na wao ooo how will you compare a chevrolet product with kia and daewoo nigeria open your eyes. chevrolet is an american spec and americans believe in quality control so optra is the best option i have a brother that has used it for 4 yrs,its just that we believe in tokunbo a lot

I have a chevy optra and i must say that i regret ever buying the car. In fairness, this has nothing to do with the car or it's performance, but more about their after sales service bondage! They have 2 service centers: one in VI and Amuwo odofin. When you want to service ur car from 20,00KM upwards, you have to compulsorily go to amuwo odofin. And guess how long a simple routine service can take? as much as six hours! Most times the servicing is not even properly done, hence you have go back for rectification. (This has happened to me 3 times out of 5 servicing!) How about warranty? They claim to give 2 years or 50,000Km warranty (the lowest among all other brands), just try to claim your warranty and they'll give you all the reasons and excuses in the world. The long and short of it is that I can never prefer a 2003 car (whatever brand) to a brand new car (whatever the brand), but i'll chose wisely next time! Think toyota will be more like it.