Atolani11:
Well written.
My budget now is 3.7M
I want to buy a Toyota sienna 2nd generation.
Can that budget buy a good one?
I use a Toyota matrix 2007 currently that i intend to give to my wife.
I want to buy a sienna because of the possibility of future use for business in carrying things.

What are the other considerations for that budget.
I don't want a car with problem at all.
Or shld i just scale done to a Toyota camry big daddy?
The matrix has been going for 2years now..the highest i av done is change tyres and bushing...despite being a naija used car

NifemiKolade:
Omoh this is well detailed piece. It is just saddening how almost ‘useless’ the naira is right now. Few months ago 4m is a lot of money but not anymore 😢. I intend to get a Toyota Camry (muscle)2008. Do you know any trustworthy dealer/mechanic that can be of help?

AutoJando:


To be honest, your ₦3.7m budget is already a good figure for a Nigerian Used 2007 sienna in decent condition. In fact, you may get one for 3.3-3.5isshh, then you keep the balance for contingency expenses.

The only caveat here is that the 2006-2007 Sienna upwards comes with a slightly bigger engine(2GR-FE 3.5L) compared to the 2003-2005 that comes with 3MZ-FE 3.3L engine. Both are solid Toyota V6 engines but I'd pick the 3MZ over the 2GR for these reasons:

1. The early generations of this 2GR engine is notorious for front timing cover oil leak and and cold start rattling sound. Regardless of the oil grade you use, regardless of how religious you are with oil change, this will happen at one point or the other in the lifetime of this engine. Using the right oil and doing early maintenance will delay this problem but it will happen. And when it does, the whole engine has the come down to replace the camshaft phasors. This problem was completely solved in the third generation 2GR starting from 2013.

2. The 3MZ engine is much less complicated and you don't need a special mechanic to be able to fix most of its problems. The only problem that it is notorious for is sludge build IF maintenance is not done regularly. It is also slightly more compact than the 2GR so there's more room for repair jobs in the engine bay.

If you notice, many of the long distance transporters use the 2003-2005 sienna instead of the 2006-2007(I know this because the headlights/tail lights are slightly different. The others that offer luxury travel use the 2009-2012 Sienna.

When picking one, just make sure it doesn't have history of being used for public transport. Look untouched engine, smooth selecting gear, straight body(even if there are minor dents and scratches that shouldn't be a problem), check for RUST, ensure that there's minimal electrical tampering and by God's grace, every other thing can be sorted out little by little until you don't have nothing serious to fix.

All the best!

Atolani11:
Thank you for the well detailed explanation.
I have also heard that the 3MZ engine doesn't cosume as much fuel as the 2GR...this is something said to be specific to Toyota sienna.
I guess 2004/2005 will be my best option

2shure:
Forget all these stories. Shey when u wan buy car from dealer. U can test drive and check some things like oil,lights,horn,mirror,engine bay,boot.headlights.radio..most toks care have one minor issue to the other.talkless of naija car. If u can't buy naija car.then skip it na by force.when I sold my previous car,a camry big daddy,it was sold under 1 week and the buyer did his checking and I told him why I was selling it.till tmrw he still calls to thank me and that he recently changed the coils ,plugs ,sensor and installed Catalyst.simple.

AutoJando:
Truth of the matter is that more Nigerian used cars are being recirculated among different users than ever before. The affordability of foreign used cars is at its all time low. From November 2023 till date, the prices of cars(naija & foreign used) have almost doubled.

Case in point: Honda Accord 2008 that I bought in September for just 1.8m, restored it and resolved to an end User for 2.6m in November is now worth at least 3.5m with abeg.

One of the most common reasons why people are buying Naija used cars is that they are extremely enticed by low price. Today, there a lot of distress sale cars out there that have actually distressed the owner from daily use. A good percentage of distress sale cars today are sold right after leaving a workshop or at the workshop itself. Dealers keep numbers of mechanics to be able to buy the so-called distress sale cars that they will manageably "repackage" and sell to you the unsuspecting innocent buyer.

Buying Naija used car is not a sin, but falling for the price/urgency trap is what lands many new car owners in an irredeemable mess.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind before buying a Naija used car;

1.Set a realistic budget.
What do I mean?
Okay, check it. Let's take a Lexus RX330 2006 as a sample space. Now, a Direct toks of this vehicle will be retailing for around ₦9-₦13m as at the time of typing this. If you are looking to buy a Naija used one, set your budget around 60-70% of the price for a Toks. If you do the math, that's roughly between ₦6-8m.
Around this price range, you will get a car with good history that the owner probably swapped with a dealer for a higher car like RX350 2010. The dealer might have valued the car at ₦4m and then the deficit was paid by the buyer. So if he sells between 6-8m, he will be very happy with his trade and be willing to go the extra mile to fix minor issues that the car came with. He might spend some money on it to restore the minor problems that will make the early days/weeks/months for the new owner to be problem free.

2. Read/research about the common problems.

Every car you see on the road has common problems. These are problems that the car came with from the factory that you will definitely experience at one point of the car's lifetime. Some of those common problems were so severe or posted safety concerns that the Automakers actually issue a recall on the affected cars. For some, the problems were fixed during the recall process, for others, the cars have been shipped outside the recall coverge area/warranty period.
For example, 2008-2009 Toyota Camry Muscle/Spider/Voltron with 2AZ engine is known to have a factory detect of oil burning. I don't care which grade of oil you use, I don't care whether you bought it Toks, more than 70% of the Camry Muscle you see on Nigerian roads today with that 2AZ engine will have this problem. This problem is due a poor design in the engine oil control groove oil drain holes in the piston. The holes were so tiny that instead of oil that has been scraped by the oil rings to flow into the groove and squirt down the holes to return into the crank case, the oil actually makes its way upwards into the cumbustion chamber and gets burned. This problem is so serious that Toyota replaced the engine with 2AR engjne(aka "venza" engine) in 2010 model starting from late 2009.

So if you read/researched about the car you are buying, you will find that you would already know what to look out for even before engaging a dealer to get you a car.

3. Find a trusted and educated mechanic.
To be frank, trusted mechanics are very difficult to find, so also are the educated ones. Many mechanics go rogue after spending some time in the auto repair industry due to low compensation for jobs. There are others that were trained to be crooks by their bosses. In fact, your so-called trusted mechanic can be compromised upon arrival at the point of inspection. The dealer will give him a covert casual signal and they will both connive to mislead you just because of extra 20k that he will be getting from the dealer. He will now later use your car to be solving his family problems little by little. An educated mechanic will probably know the root cause of most problems he fixes on cars, so if he's giving you green light to buy a car with a particular problem, he will tell you exactly how he will arrest the problem with the potential cost to be incurred.

So the thing is, before you set out, ask your trusted friends to connect you with a mechanic with the above qualities. You might be lucky to find one or two in your area.

4. Cut your coat smaller than your size.

This sounds counter intuitive but lemme explain real quick.
For perspective, I am fairly a well-to-do guy, I won't say I am currently wealthy but I solve all my financial problems myself and also render assistance to people in need when I can. I have a good business that generates sustainable income that can afford me to live a flamboyant lifestyle to drive a "BENZ" or a "BMW". When I decided that I needed a daily car, i bought a Direct Toks 2006 Toyota Corolla S. As at that time, i could afford to buy a fairly 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-350 or a Lexus ES350 2010, but no, i chose a direct Toks corolla which i bought for just 4.2m. This was Feb 2023. If had added just ₦1-2 to that amount, I could buy the Benz or the Lexus. I didn’t do that becasue I wanted a car that will serve me, not the one I will be serving. Lolz! I would have paid more money to inherit someone else's problem.

Till I sold the car this year Feb, I dont think I spent upto 200k in repairs money and the fuel economy also saved me a lot of unnecessary expenses when subsidy vamoosed. The biggest thing I replaced were full set of tyres (which i bought immediately after buying the car), front shocks, starter brush, fuel pump, brake pads..dazzool I can remember.

So the deal is, the car was like a toy that i can play with without fearing what next would break because no matter what, it will never take away 100k from my pocket for just 1 spare part. So that's that.


5. Prepare your mind for repairs/restoration.

Many are mad, few are roaming!
Many of the Nigerian used cars you see on the road have at least one type of sko-sko that is waiting to blow alarm. The best ones are the ones with minor cosmetic issues that you as an end user won't find appealing. Dents, scratches, unlapped bumper lines and so on might be hiding a car with pristine mechanical/electrical background. You won't know! Becasue it looks haggered and tattered, you will tell your dealer to just pass.
The rule of thumb here is, lets say your whole budget is ₦10m for a naija used 2014 toyota Rav4. Look for a car around ₦9m-9.5m max. So that after you purchase and settle everyone involved, you will have money to buy tyres if they are worn out. You can change the oil to the recommended manufacturer spec which would prolong the engine life and give you a trouble-free experience from a mechanical standpoint. You might need to to drain all other fluids and use the OEM recommended ones just to fulfil all righteousness.

6. Pray to your Creator to guide you.

See ehh, even though this is the last tip, it is much more important than I can explain. Prayer will make the money you transferred for a potentially problematic car reverse even if you kept trying over and over. Prayer will make the dealer tell you that, my chairman, I no go lie, you no go enjoy this, increase your budget small make I give you that one. That prayer is what will touch the hearts of fellow human beings that you are relating with to AT LEAST treat you fairly. Make dem no go dey see you as one mugu.


So there you go, everywhere hot now, before you spend shingbai on top car mathias, you gas to use 99% intelligency...you hear me oo??


@Autojando

AutoJando:


Can't believe I skipped that important part in this our fuel crisis era. That's very correct.

Just be doing regular service and you'll absolutely be fine.

All the best!

#AutoJando

kingreign:


Stop pls, this isn't true. 2GR-FE consumes less fuel when compared to the 3MZ-FE.