Pls help me make an informed decision. Why should I wait for two month waiting for a preorder from america when I can get it cheaper from cotonue in less than 3days or is it not cheaper? Pls note I intend paying my custom duty wether cotonue or tincan. Pls let's compare the prices.       Toyota highlander 2008.   Nissan pathfinder 2005. Toyota Rav 4 2007. 2008/09 pilot.  Delers in both cotonue and preorder section quote your genuine landing cost to lagos pls with genuine custom papers as I intend following you to custom office if itis cotonue to ensure the papers are genuine

Hi,

The issue that you raised is an age old question. which one comes first? the chicken or the egg. In my opinion, THERE IS NO WAY COTONOU CARS CAN BE CHEAPER WITHOUT CUTTING CORNERS!

Let me explain:

If the car you are buying from cotonue is an american spec. Let say it was bought in New York. The dealer in NY does not care where its shipping to. Iraq? Libya? Egypt? Nigeria? etc. He will sell for what he wants to sell for.

Shipping from NY to either Cotonue or Lagos cost about the same price. Upon getting to Cotonue, you will clear customs and if you intend to pay full customs duty in Nigeria, it will amount to about the same. Nigeria customs will value the car as a 2008 Highlander regardless of where its coming from.

So you will end up paying 2 duties.

In my opinion, the only way(s) it can be cheaper are:

The car is salvaged
Customs duty were not fully paid.
Mileage is rolled back.
Or all/any combination of above.

Why should you pre-order if you can?

You can actually see the car before it ships. You can confirm mileage, history etc before you buy it.

You actually get what you paid for.

Waiting 6-8 weeks pales in comparison to anything if you get the right car which is problem free.

Thanks for reading.

Regards

Thanks so much. I am a newbie in the auto world so regardless of how age_long the question might be it is very relevant to me. Can somebody that knows more about the cotonue side also let us hear their own side of the story. Maybe clearing in cotonue is free such that we will only pay custom duty at the nigerian border. There must be an explanation. The highest quote I got from cotonue for 05 pathfinder is 2.3 paper inclusive while preorder's least price is 3million. All these vehicles can't be salvaged. There must be an explanation somwhere

How can clearing in cotonue be free?

all the customs and all just working for nothing?

Clearing a 2005 Pathfinder in Lagos will be about 350k

Minus that from the N2.3 quote you get. That leaves N1.95

Roughly $12,000 to buy, ship, clear and make profit on the 2005.

The seller will make profit. So as the agent buying for you.

Somebody WILL cut corners somewhere. You guess who!

Check the internet and see how much a 2005 Pathfinder goes for.

Even the base ones with good mileage.

Don't even get started on leather, DVD, Navigation, 4X4

Good luck!

Na wah oh! The fact that all those dealers from cotonue axis are keeping quiet suggest that kunle and inspired are right. Yet many of them promised me genuine papers at ridiculous prices. Does that mean they were planning to get me fake papers?

fake papers all the way!

you might as well import the car yourself straight to Nigeria and be rest assured.

if you are caught with a 2005 pathy without customs paper,

na you go pay the officer's child school fees

if you will be driving locally (i don't know your area) you MIGHT be lucky not to encounter customs for about 2 years which might put you in a safe zone but at the same time, customs are encroaching farther and farther inland these days.

One day be one day,

Imagine that your vehicle was seized last friday and you can even begin the process of retrieving it until wed!

You were dislodged on your way from mosque with wifey and pikins!!!

Your iyawo to tell you all the stories your papa and mama never tell you since you were born

What is the exchange rate of cefa to dollars ? Maybe that's where the advantage come from? Naira to dollar is nothing to write home about and that may make the pre order to be expensive. If cefa to dollar is cheap that may make the cotonue option a viable option. Imagine if the dollar to naira is 100naira most of us will still be able to save about 500K on a 2million naira vehicle. Maybe that's the secret I'm just guessing

Kunle-A:

if you will be driving locally (i don't know your area) you MIGHT be lucky not to encounter customs for about 2 years which might put you in a safe zone but at the same time, customs are encroaching farther and farther inland these days.

One day be one day,

Imagine that your vehicle was seized last friday and you can even begin the process of retrieving it until wed!

You were dislodged on your way from mosque with wifey and pikins!!!

Your iyawo to tell you all the stories your papa and mama never tell you since you were born

true talk bro. wen katakata bust, na dat day iyawo go remind you say na N30 you pay for bride price So guys don't think cheap when buying cars