What are the things to consider before buying a vehicle in Nigeria? (Note I am from Nigeria, and considering the road situations and not so many good mechanics and qualified service centers)

Here are the 7 things to consider before buying a car in Nigeria:

1. Purpose: What will you be using the car for? This will help you determine the type of car you need. For example, if you need a car to transport a lot of cargo, you will need a truck.

2. Car history: Be sure to inspect the car properly and ensure that the car has had proper maintenance. It is important to test drive the car and make sure that everything works properly. Don't rely only on pictures as these might be very deceptive. Have a good mechanic do a proper pre-purchase inspection and ensure that there are no hidden faults.

3. Price: How much can you afford to spend on a car? This will determine whether you should buy a new or used car. Will you be saving up for the car, using your savings, or taking out a loan.

4. Resale value: Cars are depreciating assets, so it is important to consider how much the car will be worth when you go to sell it. You can research the resale value of a car online or by talking to a car dealer. A lot of cars are very expensive to buy for the first time but have very low second hand value. This means that if you want to resale the car, you will only get a fraction of your initial investment

5. Availability of spare parts and service centers: Make sure that you will be able to find spare parts and service centers for the car you are considering buying. In Nigeria, there are not a lot of verified service centers for many fancy car brands. Brands like Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, and Mazda are very common and it will be easier to find a good technician to fix the car if it breaks down, compared to other non-common brands.

6. Fuel efficiency: Consider how much fuel the car will consume. This is especially important if you will be doing a lot of driving. Considering the hike in fuel prices, fuel economy is a very essential consideration to make whenever you want to buy a car. Not every car is fuel efficient, some cars have very low gas mileage and will lead you to spend more money to fuel the car. That said, 4-cylinder cars are obviously more fuel-efficient than their V8 counterparts, so choose wisely. Consider your driving habits when choosing a car. For example, if you do a lot of city driving, you may want to choose a smaller car that is more fuel-efficient.

7. Safety features: Make sure that the car has the safety features that are important to you, such as airbags and anti-lock brakes. This is one of the most overlooked features in a car, newer years of a car model may look the same as the older models, but they may have some good improvements over the older years such as updated airbags, additional sensors, and safety devices. You should do proper research before diving in as this may be the difference between life and death if you ever get involved in a car crash.

I hope this helps!