85% of the cars in Nigeria are Tokunbos..take it or leave it..
The term " Tokunbo " means averagely used cars in Overseas that are imported into Nigeria..Considering the economic situation in Nigeria,the Use of these grade of cars cannot be totally condemned..

However, It seems Nigerians tend to prefer the Tokunbos to the Brand new cars..Even those that are financially capable ,will still opt for The Tokunbos cars..
My question is what features or advantages does Tokunbos cars have over The tear leather cars and if you have d money which would opt for

Well,some who can't afford brand new car will say ''Tokunbo is the best''..

I don't understand u. No sane man would prefer a tokunbo car to a brand new car if he has the resources. However, if I have 2 million naira, I would rather buy a solid tokunbo car than a new one. Let's be sincere, u will never get a good brand new car for 2 million or even 3 million unless u want to buy a KIA Rio.

Another thing is preference. Let's say I like range rover sports, but I can't pay 19 million naira to buy a brand new one, but with 6 million I can get a good used one. Yes 6 million will get me a brand new SUV (Hyundai ix35, KIA sportage, etc. 6 million won't even get me a brand new rav 4), but not even close to what a range rover sports will offer. People buy used cars allover the world, its not just Nigeria.

@ OP will you say you have never bought any used stuff before. Used cars are not a crime! Do you think all used cars in America are only bought by Nigerians? Americans buy used cars too and so do other peeps from different countries.

The problem is that FGN has decided to use import duties as a source of revenue and keep hiking the cost of clearing.

inze: There ain't no feature or advantage a tokunbo car has got over a tear rubber. It's just preference.

Its not just preference, many of the brand new cars sold in Nigeria do not have a lot of options you will find in an American spec of the same model for example with exception to the RR's, BMW's and MB's. Imagine that you can still buy brand new cars without airbags in Nigeria today.

Hmnn

@op, if u have 2 million naira, which car would u rather buy?

1. Brand new KIA Rio
2. A tokunbo 2007 Toyota Camry or 2004 BMW 3 series

Buying a brand new vehicle is always the best option when it comes to owning an automobile, but one has to consider the manufacturer, I was driving behind one made in nigeria vehicle (will not mention names) and I was really dissapointed in the body of the vehicle, it looked dented in so many places and the paint work was terrible, but all the suspension parts were all new and shiny showing that it just came off the production line.

Certain vehicle maufacturers are known for building vehicles that would hit very high milleage on the original engine and transsmision before any major work is done e.g toyota, honda, peugeot etc, Others tend to have failures in very early stages of use. My first toyota was a 1990 carrina11 it came @ 440,000km with the original engine and I used her for another 8 years and 150,000kms before I sold her she also did 7-8liters per 100km(high way driving), I didn't know what the inside of that engine looked like through out its use the only parts I replaced were the shock absorbers breakpads and plugs.

So from my happy experience with my carrina11 I wouldn't see a reason to get a brand new car based on the efficiency I got on the used car.

As much as a vehicle is as good as its maintenance there are a lot of bad eggs out there that came off bad from the drawing board, so ill advice any one intending to buy any car be it used or brand new to check user reviews and run a vin report before deciding on what to buy.

It's not completely correct to say that Nigerias prefer fairly used cars (tokunbo) to the new ones. Rather financial resources play a major role in determining what kind of car an individual buys. The real situation is that people prefer to buy the fairly used Japanese and German cars to their Korean counterparts due largely in part to the cost of maintenance over a long time, reliability, efficiency, resale value etc. the above variables are important because if someone wants to buy a 2004 Hona Accord for instance, he may have a budget of N1.7. This amount obviously cannot buy a brand new accord of the said year and may not also buy a brand new Kia of equal status to the Accord in terms of engine size and body build. Hence, a used car becomes an immediate choice.

To some extent, this preference is also influenced by "taste". I would prefer a fairly used camry to a brand new Kia Optima of the same year, in which case the variables I listed above also become a factor. Again, the price of the used camry can not also buy the brand new Kia Optima of the same year. So finance is very key to determining one's choice.

Another determinant factor is performance. In comparison, the handling and the kind of joy you derive driving an FX35 would not be the same with Hyundai ix35, even though the former is a 3.5l engine but there's some kind of similarities in front headlights, rear tail gate design, rear tail lights, even the wheels. Most buyers can't afford the brand new model of the FX35 but can afford the used one. Yet, majority of these category of buyers can afford the brand new Hyundai ix35 by adding a small amount the cost of the used but would prefer the FX.

Front page pls ..mods

i have never purchased a brand new car
But the toks serves me well

Before you all good blaming Nigerians the fact is

Unlike in Nigeria;
Most people don't pay cash for new and used cars in the developed countries.
New cars are almost double their price in developed countries.
Used cars are price like new cars in developed country.

The duty rate is high but the corruption in the system is what really cause this tendency to buy the junk we see on the roads.
If a dealer buys a car for $4k ships for $1k total is $5k he ends up with N280k duty @35% rate.
If the dealer want to make a profit higher than the tax he just paid then that car is a lot more expensive almost doubling the real cost of the car in developed countries. Paid for in cash and a $4k car is basically defective junk.

The average used car buyer in Nigeria has more resource than those in in the west.If you can buy a used car in Nigeria you will be able to afford a new on in the west guaranteed N2k / day for 5 years no visit to mechanic for a brand new leather Camry.

abatically: I don't understand u. No sane man would prefer a tokunbo car to a brand new car if he has the resources. However, if I have 2 million naira, I would rather buy a solid tokunbo car than a new one. Let's be sincere, u will never get a good brand new car for 2 million or even 3 million unless u want to buy a KIA Rio.

Another thing is preference. Let's say I like range rover sports, but I can't pay 19 million naira to buy a brand new one, but with 6 million I can get a good used one. Yes 6 million will get me a brand new SUV (Hyundai ix35, KIA sportage, etc. 6 million won't even get me a brand new rav 4), but not even close to what a range rover sports will offer. People buy used cars allover the world, its not just Nigeria.

"people buy used cars all over the world, its not just Nigeria"
I was going to say that, you beat me to it.

abatically: @op, if u have 2 million naira, which car would u rather buy?

1. Brand new KIA Rio
2. A tokunbo 2007 Toyota Camry or 2004 BMW 3 series

I know this question wasn't directed at me, but I'll give my own answer anyway.

I would rather buy a used BMW than a brand new Kia Rio. ☺️

When you say N2m cash that is a brand new base Chevy Cruze or Focus with stick shift end of year sale.

With N6m I go buy one Accord and a Civic for accompany

And yes you do get 2 new cars for the price of one in Nigeria

Mods pls Frontpage..


I need people opinions ...

need this at d FP.mods pls

Iamsynord: need this at d FP.mods pls

Why keep insisting that mods should move it to front page? Similar thread already exist.
https://www.nairaland.com/1559394/why-nigerians-prefer-buy-used

Emekayoung: Well,some who can't afford brand new car will say ''Tokunbo is the best''..

In other words, Na person wey no get money dey talk say stout dey bitter.