Today, I would like to enlighten you on the risks of buying a tokunbo car from a local dealer and also how to check if the vehicle you are buying is actually what they say it is.

So, you have finally made up your mind that you need a car and you decided a "tokunbo" or imported vehicle is what you need. Now the challenge you have is how to verify if the tokunbo car of your choice is in good working condition before purchase as you cannot return a car to the seller once driven off the lot.

Once you have decided the Make, Model and Year of the vehicle of your choice, the next thing you would likely do is to physically check the local dealerships for the vehicle or to search online platforms like , Olx.com, Cheki.ng etc, to see if it's currently available.

Your first impulse after confirming if the car is available is to visit the car dealership and purchase. But wait a minute, you just omitted a vital step.

Did you know that there is a means to verify the history of the vehicle you intend to purchase? Did you know you can verify people who have used that particular car, read their reviews and discover the trims/specs of the car? You might want to arm yourself with this information before you physically visit the car dealership. In that way, you can tell if there is a discrepancy between what you know about that particular car and what the car dealer is telling you.


Online platforms such as Edmunds.com, Caranddriver.com, motortrend.com, "Kelley Blue Book" kkb.com including sites like Carcomplaints.com, nhtsa.gov, safecar.gov give reviews on the reported problems of cars based on reports received from owners thereby educating you more about the possible issues to expect from the car you want to buy.

To evaluate your car on these platforms, you'll require the vehicle identification number (VIN number for short). This is a specific number which only that car bears. It is the car’s identity.
With the VIN number, you can search online databases for the status of the car before it was imported (mostly for USA cars), sites like vehiclehistory.com can give the previous history of the vehicle, recorded accidents, NHTSA recalls etc., also you can check carfax.com for a detailed report including details like number of previous owners, mileage of the car etc. but at a price.

These reports can even inform you if the car was stolen or not. You will also get an insight into the type of damage the car may have experienced, whether it was a total loss, salvage, hail or flood damage, biohazard, fire burn, mechanical and so on (which car dealers may never tell you).

The VIN number is usually written on the dashboard at the driver’s corner where it meets the windshield. Another location is the driver’s side door just where it latches when closed. Or the booth area.

You can, and should further verify possible period of importation into Nigeria, Nigerian Customs clearance documents, any known accidents before import, you can even demand to see the vehicle condition report before import (if unavailable, don't sweat it).

Having this information about the vehicle means you are more likely to make a better buying decision and save huge cost.

Now, you are more educated about the car you want to buy and why you need a particular trim, including the features you should expect in the trim you are buying, making it easier to stick to one car with certainty.

Now you have been able to verify if the car is what you want, next is the physical inspection and possible test drive. On the day you plan to schedule an inspection, I strongly advise that you go with your trusted mechanic and an OBDII car scanner (you might wonder why).

The mechanic is there to conduct an eye and sound assessment of the vehicle, looking for things like oil stains, leaking seals, bad suspensions, arms etc. The OBDII scanner is to check for the unseen things like the electricals and the engine issues which have been registered in the onboard computer or the "brainbox" of the car.

You may say, well I checked the dashboard and the Check Engine/Maintenance Required light does not illuminate. This is very true, but did you know dealers now go as far as putting black tape on the inner side of the dashboard to cover up those lights that never go off?

I mentioned checking for the date the car was imported into Nigeria and the Customs clearance documents, this is simply to verify that the vehicle has not stayed for so much time on the lot and also to give yourself a little assurance that the car has not actually been registered locally, driven in Nigeria and now resold as a "tokunbo" vehicle to the unsuspecting buyer.

The Customs clearance documents are necessary to check at the Nigerian Customs office if the duty of the vehicle was paid correctly (even if it was at a compromised rate) and also to ensure that later in the future you are not harassed by Customs Officers when travelling out of State on grounds of unpaid/incomplete duty payment.

Once you have all the information at your fingertips, I am very sure at this point that you would be convinced that the car you are buying is worth the stress you went through before purchasing.

This now brings us to the point of purchasing your car at a cheaper rate and also saving yourself many hassles on the condition of the car. What if I said, you could save hundreds of thousands of naira if you were purchasing your "tokunbo" vehicle directly from the United States. How do I mean? What if it is possible for you to purchase your car the same way the local dealers purchase the vehicles they sell on their lot.

Using this method, there are many advantages such as you are sure the vehicle is from the US and not a local vehicle masked as imported, also you know the history of the vehicle if it was a clean or salvage title. You can know the actual mileage of the car before purchasing, the condition of the engine/transmission/chassis.

At this point, you would be thinking how do I benefit from this and where can I get such reputable company to handle the process of getting my car to my doorstep if I am to purchase from US while giving me updates on the status of my vehicle all through the process? Well, that's why we are here. The company you are looking for is no other than AUTO EXPORT LOGISTICS SERVICES Ltd (AELS).

AELS is a one-stop shop for all your auto-logistics needs. We help customers and end users with the process of getting their choice cars purchased from the US to Nigeria while working within their reasonable budget.

This process entails bidding/buying for cars selected from the auctions, trucking/transporting your car from purchase location to the port, booking of your vehicle on the shipping line, ensuring your vehicle is loaded on the vessel and updating you with the necessary documents as well as status of the vehicle all through the shipping process, and once the vehicle is confirmed to be offloaded at the local port, we custom clear your car at an affordable rate.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

For more information, insights and advice on purchasing your next vehicle, contact any of our team members below:

Sidney – 08090441924,

Oscar – 08065463104,

Patrick – 08062969797

Or via email at customercare@autonaija.com.

AELS, we revolutionize your shipping experience