Sometime ago, a nler blew a whistle on new cars being sold in nigeria without airbags, ostensibly to make them cheaper. has anyone investigated?

Am I revealing too much? I've posted twice but none is here. At first I was told am banned due to autospam whatever! Then unbanned few hours later. I then posted the same long explanation but still didn't see it here! I wonder why?

I know by now I must be sounding like a broken record. But let me say it again: an insurance company will not declare a vehicle as salvage because of a mere broken bumper. To the nake.d eye, the Pathfinder you pictured above has only a broken front bumper. But there must be other damages that caused the insurance company to declare it a salvage if that's what it is.Remember once an insurance company declares a vehicle as salvage, they must give the insured enough money to buy a similar vehicle. So for instance if you crash your 2007 Camry and your insurance company deems it a salvage, they will give you money to buy another 2007 Camry at the going market rate. They will then take possession of the crashed Camry and sell it at a salvage auction. So it is not a decision they make lightly.

Bros you're not only sounding like a broken record but like broken one under water! I seriously don't want to comment on this topic again but you kept saying all kind of things that you have no clue or idea about at all. You obviously don't know about salvage cars and you don't know anything not even one about insurance. Like I said before insurance is too complicated and someone like you can not get sh.it out of them. Why do you think people contact lawyers when they want to file insurance claim? You don't think they know the damage to their car? why do you think lawyers start writing you once you're involved in an accident? why does the car rental have like 3-4 types of insurance to offer when you lease their car? have you heard of bumper to bumper insurance? third party insurance? or full coverage insurance? Do you even know that if you rent a car with a major credit card that you really don't need insurance because whatever you buy with that card is automatically insured? I can go on and on till tomorrow.
I don't see how you think you can or know the answers to 400 questions about used or salvage cars! they're used and anything is possible! they can come worst than you're saying or 10 times better! An insurance company can write off a $30,000 car just for a broken headlight! Yes they can. They will not only give you a $30K check but they will also lease another car for like a week for you before you buy another car! why do you think people try to take advantage of insurance company? haven't you heard of insurance fraud? what do you think it is? Personally I've been paying over $300 every month for my insurance for the past 6yrs ($125 from 2000 to 2006) and i have never made any claims! now do the math, how much have they made off me alone? Insurance company don't lose/pay money unless something bad happen and when that happen people want all they can get! I have bought an insurance salvage car without a single dent and all the car needed was an ignition key. You can have your insurance payoff your car just for a broken bumper or headlight if you have full coverage but the catch is, the same insurance will put accident in your driving record and your monthly insurance can go from $70 a month to $190 for the next only God know how long. That's one of the reason why some people don't file insurance claim. They will scare you with all that disadvantages especially the raise in your premium, the point in your drivers licence for 4yrs in my own state and the accident on your driving record for 5yrs in my state. Finally they might offer you $1,500 to $2,000 to fix the car but still turn around and increase your insurance by lets say $30-$50 a month or even drop you completely. men i don taya

prince_onx:

. . . .I then posted the same long explanation but still didn't see it here! I wonder why?

You should try to write in paragraphs. The spambot is now considering your posts as spam because they are too long. Though your last post did not appear here, it is available for everybody to read by simply clicking on your user name and then clicking on "Show the last posts of this person."

I urge everybody to go ahead and read it, at least for it's entertainment value. Here's a sample quote from the missing post:

An insurance company can write off a $30,000 car just for a broken headlight! Yes they can. They will not only give you a $30K check but they will also lease another car for like a week for you before you buy another car!

Can anybody say with a straight face that this is not hilarious?

^^
they can also write off a $10,000 car simply because of a $1,500 repaire, pay the owner off for the car ($10k) and still take it to the auction and still get $8k easily from that same car because the damage is not much. So just because they wrote off a $10k car and name it salvage does not mean you'll get it cheap or for nothing. And this is also the same car you've been paying $200 every month for the past 2-3yrs on insurance. Now do the maths! They can never lose!

*** moderators: I still don't see or know why my last posts are not here!

Let me start by saying NOT ALL salvage cars are bad! It's possible to get a decent car at a decent price and still make a decent profit. However, some of the arguments being used here are in my judgement misinformed. I don't know it all and would never claim to but I've learnt a few things that have cost me thousands of dollars (cost of education I guess).
@ Kunle-A, a car with a $3k/$4k market value will not have $1k bumper. I have bought bumpers from dealerships and aftermarket and that ratio is incorrect. More like $250-$350.
@ prince_onx an insurance company WILL NOT salvage (salvage means its deemed a "total loss" a $10k because of a $1500 repair estimate. Because if they do they will not get $8k for it at the auction trust me. The value of a car is totally different whenever the title is salvaged so they can't get up to 80% of the street value. Keep in mind they pay the street value (fair market value) and dealers don't buy cars at the clear title auction at fair market value; they pay wholesale value so they can have room to resell and make a profit. Imagine what they'll pay at a salvage auction

This thread has deviated far from it's original intent. Let me try and stay on topic. The picture below is a classic example of a salvaged car with what seems like a minor structural damage. But when you look closer, you will notice that the two front airbags deployed on impact.

Now the cost of replacing the two airbags and bumper will most likely be greater than the current value of the car. So it will be cheaper for the insurance company to pay off the insured and sell the car at a salvage auction.

This is where the crux of this thread comes in. If the car is shipped to Nigeria, I'll be willing to bet my last dollar that the shipper will not replace those airbags. He will most likely fix the bumper and other cosmetic damages and sell it to an un-suspecting buyer without disclosing that it has no airbags.

One can come across a decent salvage once in a while but that's the exception, not the rule. If you wish to know what the majority of salvage vehicles look like, I invite you to visit www.iaai.com. They are the kings of salvage auction in the US and have thousands on sale with multiple pictures.

I know enough about body shops. I don't agree with all your info but point well taken , I think we've all made our inputs to this thread. Hopefully it'll benefit the masses. Good thread!

@Prince_onx

how can one reach you? really need to discuss something with you

@ BizBooks, Kunle-A and other top Nairalanders based in the US, is there any risk in buying at a dealers auction just like the problematic Insurers' auction. A cousin of mine i called in the US about buying of vehicles told me the difference.

dagboss:

@ BizBooks, Kunle-A and other top Nairalanders based in the US, is there any risk in buying at a dealers auction just like the problematic Insurers' auction. A cousin of mine i called in the US about buying of vehicles told me the difference.

Whatever you buy, just make sure it was inspected. You should be fine.

Thanks Mr Kunle-A for at least responding to my question like others did, but sha to our dear US based dealers on NL the Yorubas say 'omode gbon agba gbon ni a se da Ile-ife' most of us courtesy of NL auto section we know how to run carfax and we also know what we should avoid. Thanks

ebeano:

@Prince_onx

how can one reach you? really need to discuss something with you

I sent you a mail but you can feel free to discuss whatever you want here so that others can learn or share ideas too.

@prince_onx

I didnt see any mail from u. hope it was sent to dunamisfesure@yahoo.co.uk.

what i want to discuss with u is nothing but getting a car from the US. I wanted to buy a car here in Nigeria but as this thread has progressed thus far, bobs, fear grip me. this dude is way discouraged to buy it here.

Can we discuss further via email that is if u deal in cars. if u dont deal in cars, can u recommend someone trustworthy?

Thanks

dagboss:

@ BizBooks, Kunle-A and other top Nairalanders based in the US, is there any risk in buying at a dealers auction just like the problematic Insurers' auction. A cousin of mine i called in the US about buying of vehicles told me the difference.

Most dealer auctions usually have two categories of vehicles on sale. The first category is the "As Is" vehicles. If you buy a vehicle sold "as is" and the engine knocks the next minute, you are out of luck since you cannot complain to anybody. So if you are buying a car being sold "as is", bear in mind the risk is on you 100%. However, if a car is marked "as is", that does not automatically mean it is problematic. It usually means that the dealer does not know it's mechanical condition and thus is unable to give any guarantees.

The other category is what I will call "normal cars" for lack of a better phrase. If a car is not being sold "as is" then there is an assumption that it is in good condition. Some auctions will even provide a detailed report on the condition of the car. So if you buy such a car and it turns out not to be what the dealer said it is, you have the right to go to arbitration and seek a refund of all or part of your money. Arbitration is a sort of panel set up by auction companies for the settlement of disputes.

So in a nutshell, if you buy a vehicle "as is" it will not qualify for arbitration. But if you buy one with implied or expressed warranties, you have the choice of going to arbitration if something goes wrong. Note that going to arbitration does not mean you will be successful. You can go to arbitration and lose if your case is not solid.

I just want to thank all the contributors to this topic, I am sure we have all learnt a thing or two. The fact that the car is accidented does not mean that the car is not road worthy. From practical experience, I know of a friend who bought an accident car from US sometime in 2005, got it properly fixed and is still using it very well till date. I think what is important is making sure that the car has passed all necessary tests before putting it on the road.

BIZBOOK, YOU ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO PROVE MUCH OF WHAT YOU KNOW LITTLE ABOUT.

INSURANCE COMPANY CAN WRITE OFF ANY CAR INRESPECTIVE OF THE DAMAGE.

READ THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF @KUNLE AND @PRINCE ONX, YOU GET TO LEARN THINGS WHICH YOU DONT KNOW EXISTED RATHER THAN HAVING THESE OPINIONS WHICH YOU CAN HARDLY DEFEND.

FURTHERMORE, YOUR CARS YOU BUY AT THE AUCTION THAT ARE NOT ACCIDENT HAVE THE SAME RATIO OF HAVING AIRBAGS MALFUNCTIONS WITH A SALVAGE CAR WITH THE AIRBAGS INTACT.

YOUR ANALOGY CAN ONLY HOLD TRUE, TO A GREATER PERCENTAGE, IF THE CAR IN QUESTION HAS GONE THROUGH THE CERTIFYING TEST WHICH IS USUALLY 130 POINT TESTS.

AGAIN YOU ARE WRONG IN ASSUMING THAT MOST CAR BUYERS IN NAIGERIA DONT KNOW HOW TO CHECK FOR AIRBAGS.

NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM WILL SEE A CAR WITH BLOWN AIRBAGS AND WILL NOT ASK A QUESTION.

HOW ON EARTH WOULD YOU THINK PEOPLE BUY CARS WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE OBVIOUS. THAT BEATS ME. PLEASE, YOU NEED TO COME EXPERIENCE NAIJA CAR BUYERS AND INTERACT WITH THEM ONCE IN A WHILE.

I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED BUYERS WHENEVER I HAVE TIME TO SEAT WITH MY WORKERS WHO DO CAR SALES ON MY BEHALF IN NAIJA. BECOS I SPEND 6 MONTHS IN AND OUT OF THE COUNTRY, I CAN RIGHTLY TELL YOU THAT 9JA CAR BUYERS, ATLEAST MOST OF THEM, ARE WELL INFORMED ABOUT AIRBAGS. THEY WILL EVEN ASK IF IT HAS MULTIPLE AIRBAGS.

bfire:

AGAIN YOU ARE WRONG IN ASSUMING THAT MOST CAR BUYERS IN NAIGERIA DONT KNOW HOW TO CHECK FOR AIRBAGS.

NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM WILL SEE A CAR WITH BLOWN AIRBAGS AND WILL NOT ASK A QUESTION.

Are you kidding? Do you think a dealer selling a car with blown airbags will leave them hanging in the steering wheel for all to see?

I think we have all made our points. It's up to the reader to pick and choose what to believe. So I will leave it at that.

prince_onx:

An insurance company can write off a $30,000 car just for a broken headlight! Yes they can. They will not only give you a $30K check but they will also lease another car for like a week for you before you buy another car!

@bfire,

You asked me to read the contributions of Prince Onx and I did. The quote above is from him. Does that make any sense to you? I hope not.

@BizBooks - Thanks for this thread. It is very informative and I will send people here going forward to save me hours of 'motor-mouthing' to potential customers from Nig.

It is also quite interesting, "insurance company can write off a $30,000 car just for a broken headlight", hilarious.

You can't really blame the dealers in nigeria selling cars with no airbags, structural damage etc to people.

Majority of the customers in Nigeria are not willing to pay fair value for cars, so the only way to make it up is by cutting corners.

As an example - I got a call from a prospective buyer; who wanted to buy a 2008 Toyota Highlander, including shipping to Nigeria for $10k! I know right; laughable!

When I gave him a breakdown, he told me he saw a Tokunbo one in Lagos for about the same price! I simply rested my case.

We all should remember that safety is/should be the number one concern when buying any vehicle.

Most insurance companies will not even insure salvage title vehicles in the US, and the ones that do, will only offer liability/third party coverage.

TO SUMMARIZE IT ALL, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

Good luck!