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Naija\ndriver is going to give you tips that would help you when you want to buy a\nused car. If you don\u2019t know about cars, you can be cheated by car dealers or\nPrivate seller who would be happy to let you have his or her problems, while\npaying for it. Naija driver is going to give you tips that would help you when you want to buy a used car. If you don\u2019t know about cars, you can be cheated by car dealers or Private seller who would be happy to let you have his or her problems, while paying for it. 1. Research About […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\n1. Research About Your Car of\nChoice:<\/strong>\nAfter you see a car you like, research about it online, ask your local\nmechanics (more than 2) about how much the engine, transmission, lower control\narm, oil servicing, any problem to watch out for? etc. One of the mistakes\nprospective car buyer make, especially inexperienced or first timers, is that\nthey see a car that tickles their fancy, their neighbor drives or some other\nperson and voil\u00e0! That is what they want to buy. To purchase a car is one thing\nbut the maintenance cost is to be taken to account. Chances are that you may\nchange your mind about the particular brand you like to make another choice in\nthe long run.
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\n2. Find The Vehicle of Choice:<\/strong> After you have a\ngeneral background information about the car, find where you can buy it. You\nmay want to buy foreign used or Nigerian used (be careful when buying Nigerian\nused automobiles). You can find your car of choice at car stands, along the\nroad or even travel to Cotonou (Well, the border is closed now).
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\n3. Go with A Good Mechanic:<\/strong> When buying foreign\nused (also called direct Belgium, or tokunbo), go with a good mechanic or\nperson who is well knowledgeable of the particular brand you want to buy and\nthe mechanic\u2019s workshop must be very far from where the car is sold. This is\nbecause, mechanic near where you want to buy a car may not tell you the truth,\neven when you are paying him to inspect the car for you because he may know the\nseller. Be sure that the mechanic has a car scanner to scan the vehicle for\nhidden faults.
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\n4. Checks:<\/strong> Be sure to check under\nthe car for rust, so that water doesn\u2019t enter the vehicle when you drive\nthrough a water puddle. Check for oil leaks, car paint\/body, and general\nchecks.
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\n5. Test Drive:<\/strong> You never can know all\nthe hidden problems until you drive it. Start and drive it and check if the\ngear selects well and the suspension is ok or not. Remember, the more repairs\nto be done on the car further drives down the price during negotiations.
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\n6. Inspect The Vehicle\nParticulars:<\/strong> Whether the car is Foreign used or Nigeria used, be sure to\ndemand for its Customs papers, among other documents to be given to you to\ninspect. If it is a Nigerian used car, be sure that it is up to seven years since\nthe car is registered or the seller must provide among other particulars, its\nCustoms papers, that is, If you don\u2019t want to run into trouble with Customs\nofficers or have your car impounded.
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\n7. Get the Means of Identity\nof Seller:<\/strong> Make sure that you get a photocopy or crosscheck the name of the\nseller with the documents and let him sign the necessary papers, like change of\nOwnership agreement, receipt and so on. Where the seller\u2019s name is not on the\ndocuments but claimed he owns the car, demand a police report or Change of\nOwnership agreement\/receipt he got from whose name is on the car documents. You\ndo not want to hear, \u201cI lost that document\u201d, etc. Beware, stolen car can land\nyou in jail.
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\n8. Do A Vehicle Identification\nNumber Check:<\/strong> You must not pay immediately you see a car or done checks? Copy\nthe VIN number of the car, usually imprinted on the driver\u2019s door and go online\nto check (but this may not give you full history of the vehicle) or contact\npeople that can do it for you. There are a lot of them online, especially http:\/\/www.nairaland.com<\/a> .
\nVIN checks\nshows if the car was stolen, flooded, caught fire, accident vehicle and so on\nbut it shows you the car’s report when it was used abroad, especially in the\nUSA. When buying Nigerian used, VIN check may not show if the car was stolen\nsomewhere in Nigeria as we do not have good database system in this part of the\nworld.
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\n9. Get A 7 Days Warranty From\nSeller:<\/strong>\nWe know, it is not the seller that made the car but before you make payment,\nask him to give you seven days warranty, and he should write it on the Change\nof Ownership or receipt that you can have your money back if you discovered\nthat the car isn\u2019t \u201csold as is\u201d.
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\n10. Pay for the Vehicle:<\/strong> When you have done\nyour checks and convinced about the cars, faults to fix or if it is in pristine\ncondition, negotiate and pay for the vehicle. The seller\u2019s asking price can be\nnegotiated down by considering the cost of the repairs to be done but be\nreasonable when negotiating. Collect all the keys, particulars and security\ncodes (if any) of the car.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"