Nice thread

I don't know if i should include the dealer names here but i've got three different dealers who posted details of accidented cars as clean, a different car pic from the actual car.
A car that won't start (no battery in car) as mint tokunbo 100%.

Personally i don't even open any thread on any advert they post with any of the numerous usernames they have!

I went to check out one of these cars advertised yesterday. Pic posted made it a fantastic buy at the price offered. Poster had even done an analysis of the vehicle and I was like here we go.

But check out what I saw when I got there! I still cannot believe the interior was same as that posted cos the real thing was battered in many places. There was no battery in the vehicle and they had to borrow this battery to start it and then it couldnt even start. I was like mehn!!!

I think its just smart to go check out the car before parting with that cash. Pre-order or anything like that is not my thing.

@siena

got a friend who "pre-orderd" a RED 04 Accord but got a GREY 03 Nigerian used Accord instead. Dealer strippd off the plate number (no engravings on car so twas sortof easy) and sold car to him like it just arrived from the "states". Although we got a good discount on the car as we "eventually" found out + no major issues with the car till date even after over a year + car still looks and drives clean. My ONLY issue was that the thread was opened for the  pre-orderd RED Accord, when actually the buyer got a GREY "naija used" EOD 

Buyer beware, is the bottom line,
Unfortunately in my experience like all salesmen, car dealers lie, problem is that because it is such a major purchase it tends to be a major lie.

Even looking at pictures and reading the descriptions some of the lies are quite obvious. in fact there is one on the front page right now where car is described as supermint, complete with torn leather, worn steering wheel and broken lights.

basically comes down to if pre-ordering use a trusted dealer and cover yourself, escrow etc, as laid out in the sticky threads, if buying locally then prepare to burn petrol, if it's not as described walk away there are 1000's of cars out there.

Misleading is misleading whatever the cause, as I pointed out earlier this week by posting an advertisement up in the forum posters have to take responsibility, no excuses.

got a friend who "pre-orderd" a RED 04 Accord but got a GREY 03 Nigerian used Accord instead. Dealer strippd off the plate number (no engravings on car so twas sortof easy) and sold car to him like it just arrived from the "states". Although we got a good discount on the car as we "eventually" found out + no major issues with the car till date even after over a year + car still looks and drives clean. My ONLY issue was that the thread was opened for the  pre-orderd RED Accord, when actually the buyer got a GREY "naija used" EOD  Angry

If someone is selling you a tokunbo car ask for the import docs, and why didn't you just get your money back off him, or did you not have a signed agreement? If you accepted a different car at a different price however you have no cause to complain.

Example 1
Where is the car?
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-670751.0.html

Example 2
3 cars for sale but Where are the cars?
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-665758.0.html

Most buyers are estatic and impatient when making a purchase, most dealers play on that alot thus telling u exactly what u need to hear to earn your trust (and money). Most buyers are young novice, so arent knowledgeable enough to understand the consequences of not having signed docs in place. Most times, you go with a dealer through recommendation from a friend who prolly got a car off that particular dealer. At times, u go with the dealer with the most "competitive' price/terms/conditions. . . . . .to mention a few. BTW. . . "most" dealers dont "insist" on signing an agreement with you till you prolly insist. Then again consider a newbie in the auto dealership world, he'd definately make lil mistakes here and there and cut corners to break even

@mastro
As a typical example. . . . .After making part payment for a "pre-order" and somewhr along a line the dealer comes back (say after 2weeks fter payment) to say car has been sold to someone else but he's hunting down another car of similar specs on your behalf. The car in question is actually a Niaja used car (unknown to buyer) which he doesnt show u till roughly just about the same time the car would have landed (so u fink car was shippd). . . . .as a young dude in your mid 20s, would you blame buyer for accepting the deal @ a reduced price after realizing he's about to be sold a naija used car just b4 paying the balance? Bearing in mind that asking for a refund without any "documentary proof" might end up as a waste of time (& money). . . .

This is a nice thread.

It can be very difficult to make a decision about buying a car when when most of the things advertised may not be correct.

Honesty is in short supply. while I agree that its not good to reveal names, it would be nice if innocent people can be saved from becoming victims of these bad people. Even if you do not fall victim, the fact that you burn fuel and waste valuable man hours to see a peice of junk cannot be pleasant!

I would encourage guys to share their experiences on this thread to help others.

[size=13pt]In the Mean Time, I will Sticky this Thread on the Front Page to Gain Maximum Exposure So we can All Learn and Be better People.  [/size]

I actually think it is so unfair to the buyers.
I create time out of my busy day at work to go inspect a car with my auto mechanic only to hear excuses>> like the car audio system got bad yesterday so i changed it ( picture posted has a very nice looking one), i swear the ac was cooling very well when you called me for directions (this was probably 10mins earlier). Finally its obvious the interior of the car is not what you saw in the pic. Take the car for a test drive and the turning angle feels odd even for a novice like myself>>>>> i feel like posting the dealers name here cos i was so angry that day.

Another one says___oga just hold on they took the car just now for a test drive (i wonder why he did not tell me this when i told him i was on my way) and that takes another one hour before he says there is a cleaner one but they just went to gas the ac

The killer of them all is car that does not even exist!!!!!!

At the end of the search you go back to your laptop and hiss whenever you see a post from these so called dealers!!!

Example 3
Definitely not a platinum Edition , which is the highest grade of Pathfinder you can find , always leather !
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-421922.0.html

What about the year?
2003 0r 2004?

Nice thread

this case happened like in 09, a 2003 rav4 converted rhd was listed by one of the big dealers here as lhd.
it took comments by observant nlders b4 the seller agreed and claimed ignorance.

kudos to him shaa, , i guess he was cutting his teeth then!

imaging going all the way from Epe to Ikeja to inspect a car and be told the owner is not around and the car is still in his compound and we should come back the following day. on second day travel the same lenght get to the dealers shop 9.00am told the car is on the way already at ogba and the car never make it to agidigbi till 2.00pm before we are told it seems the owner is not willing to sell the car again. but surprisely comer back on board saying still available until allegation was raised before the seller stop the advert.

To buy a car especially second hand 4rm the internet without checkin it out physically would be a pretty dumb thing to do would nt you say.

Another problem I see here is that when a member points out wrong/misleading information on an advertisement, there is always some other member/s who will say"don't spoil his business" leave him be, etc etc.

It's like the fake dealers who have been exposed here, there were always those posters on their side and I don't recall any of the defenders apologising, still some of those threads were the most entertaining 

Now I accept that there is a fine line between valid criticism and spoiling business, for what it's worth I sometimes probably step over the boundary myself, like pointing out when a car is much too expensive, but the big question is, what is the point of this forum, is it to help dealers or help the general membership. For what it's worth I think the 2 go hand in hand if we are very critical and point out wrong information, over priced cars dodgy dealers, etc, then what we will have left is the honest dealers with fairly priced cars, which in turn should mean that more people will look at the forum as a place to buy cars, win win.

Personally I would ban ads without VIN and Price as I see no reason why any genuine seller would not provide these, Naija used car or not.

quite interesting thread.

Please how do you tell a Nigerian used car from direct Tokunbo?

For a novice that have never owned a car like me, what critical areas ( i mean parts) must you ensure works properly before paying for a fairly used car? Whether Nigerian used or not.

I have been observing threads on NL of late, and its been very sad the kind of adverts people post here, ranging from: over-hiked prices, mixed-up pictures, adverts without price-tags(very annoying), adverts without pictures.
I believe there needs to be a CENSORS TEAM on this auto forum.
This Censor team monitors issues like that above, and corrects tham when need be.

I would have loved to close a car-purchase deal on Nairaland, sadly my two attempts were eye-opening. one ad is still running on the auto-section

I can only say this, avoid any ad that says
1: Clean (Very Clean) they are usually trying to discount other faults such as aging engine
2: 50Km or 60Km mileage is seen as a super-opportunity, My Honda just clocked 37KM and that is from driving 10-15KM back/forth from Surulere-Ikoyi over the past 3yrs
3: Pictures too large to post (popular excuse) When i did see the actual car and drove it knock+paint job and engine cackled when revving in motion
4: Price is outrageously high (like so high adding N50k will get you brand new) or ridiculously low (it has to have been stolen)

Few rules to always follow when car shopping.
1)If an ad is online,there has to be lots of pics,no excuses there,shows the seller is motivated.
2)Never do just a short test drive, ie from one end of the street to another,some cars may have suspension problems that are only exposed driving on long stretches,like a highway.
3)Do test drive it for a longer period,because some owners clear the service lights,these only light up when the engine gets warm.
4)Thoroughly examine body for fillers like bondo,wheel wells for rust and irregular gaps.
5)cosmetic parts on the car that dont match OE specs may show that the car has been wrecked previously.
6)Receipts for maintenance and parts replaced in the past.

I think that as Nigerian car buyers get access to more information via the web,they will become more discerning and equipped in making decisions about car buying,for example,VIN lookup,salvage history,odometer rollbacks.

Another thing of concern is customization,Any seller demanding a premium price for a car that has aftermarket wheels,cosmetics like wings,DVD players,that are not factory istalled,is just wrong. .These add no value to new buyers unless its their particular taste,an old lady will not have any use for a DVD player in the car,and "wings" will not impress a lady with kids

almost every advertiser lies about the year of manufacture, its tiring really