Hello to all!

First we would like to thank all of you for the great tips you have given us on this Forum already!
We're are planning a trip from Amsterdam to Benin by car (see www.DeReis.org for details).
We have learned a lot of things already but can't figure out if it's easy to sell a car (most likely a 10-year old Merc) in Togo or Benin?
Any info on this?

Tata,

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posted by Roy & Doede
www.DeReis.org
travelling from Amsterdam to Benin in July and August 2002

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posted by Roy & Doede
www.DeReis.org
travelling from Amsterdam to Benin in July and August 2002

I don't know much about selling a car there, but when you get to Benin be sure to stay at the auberge grand popo. Located in grand popo, on the coast a few miles west of the capitol. It is a post card setting on the beach, owned by an Ex-pat frenchman. Camping is about $2 a night, or if your wealthy get a room for $20 a night.
-Ed

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Ed Messenger
VRAA Expedition Society
www.drivetheglobe.com
www.gpsaccessories.com

Lomé has the biggest car market in West Africa, if not the whole of Africa. At any one time there are three to five thousand cars available in the port for sale. it stands to reason that the prices are the lowest in West Africa because of demand. On the other hand there are a huge amount of customers who come from all around to try to buy cars there, so the chances are probably better.

Cotonou isnt much better, the only difference being that there are more Nigerians there who cross the border looking for cars.

If you post details of your car here (year, exact type, options etc) I will try to find out prices you can expect in Lomé.

Hi there Kevin!

Thank you for your quick response! We haven't bought a car yet, but we were thinking of a large Mercedes diesel, a stationwagon. Like a 1987 200TD or 1986 250TD. Something like that. But this is just because we thought a Mercedes would be easy to sell. If you think otherwise, just tell us. You are selling cars yourself, isn't it?

Best regards from Amsterdam,


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posted by Roy & Doede
www.DeReis.org
travelling from Amsterdam to Benin in July and August 2002

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posted by Roy & Doede
www.DeReis.org
travelling from Amsterdam to Benin in July and August 2002

Africans dont like estate/station-wagons/breaks or whatever they are called. If you want to travel by car buy a saloon.

You should also condsider buying a Mercedes 207/307 van, they have way more ground clearance, are far more robust, you can sleep/cook/smoke/drink in them in private, it doesnt matter if they have a couple of scratches or dents in them when you try to sell them and you can sell them anywhere you want, because theyare in big demand there.

Hi Kevin -

I am doing a similar trip this summer. Besides the Merc 207/307 what other cars are favourites in west africa? My budget is tight and I leave from France (after flying in from South Africa). (And will probably end in Senegal)

Appreciate your time,

neil

The golden rule is "Mercedes Diesel". Not an estate/station wagon and not automatic helps too. Air-con obviously helps but is not necessary. As you said you are on a "tight budget" it´s a bit difficzult to say what you shopuld buy and Mercedes are more expensive in France than germany for example.

If you drive a mercedses saloon down sayx a 190D or 200D-300D then you should sell it in Mauritania. If it is a bit more upmarket with air-con then try Dakar.

For a 207/307 try the Gambia, for a 508/608 Senegal is better. At the moment I´m on my way to Guinea Bissau (the most underrated country in West Africa) where I think 207/307/508/608 sell better at the moment.

If you have trouble trying to buy a Mercedes in France then go for a Peugeot or Renault diesel. For Peugeot try 405/505 maybe a 309, and Renault try a 18/21, but they are not as desirable as a Mercedes. Sell these in Senegal not in Mauritania. Dont try Citroen, or any Peugeot/Renault vans.

The other alternative is to buy a Japanese 4X4, like a Landcruiser/Hilux (both very rare and expensive) or a Patrol or Pajero. Again diesel with a manual gearbox. Long wheel base helps a lot too. 4X4´s are a lot more expensive in France than Germany, but you may get lucky.

If the car is dented or scratched, dont worry you can get them fixed and resprayed very cheaply in Morocco.

The chances of making a profit are slim, the market is not like it was before, but you may be able to cut the costs of your trip.

If you want any mor infos on this feel free to ask.

And for ****s sake dont buy a right hand drive.

Hi Kevin -

thanks for the info (and Guinea Bissau hint)... it is interesting that you say one should not expect to make much of a profit. There's a article on this site 'Desert Dealers' which cites a 400% profit (bought merc for 300 quid, sold for 1400). But perhaps this is a little outdated.

cheers,
neil

He also had to pay fuel, ferry, insurance, tax, camping etc.etc. and then he had to fly home.

I´m not saying you will/won´t make cash on the deal, but you will cut some of the costs involved. Just don´t expect to make a huge amount of money on the deal.

cool. I'll probably go the cheapo peugeot/renault route. In terms of paperwork/red tape, one or two questions: I buy the car in france, then register it in my name? (as a south african i wonder if this'll be possible, but my brother in law is french so perhaps i should register it under his name). When passing through Morocco, Mauritania and finally Senegal, presumably i go along with a kind of 'i'm on holiday' vibe? which presumably means temporarily importing the car into each country (and what about insurance?). Finally I reach Senegal, find someone who falls for the charms of my ageing renault. Then, i guess it gets tranferred to their name, i get the cash, end of story?? Or are there taxes involved?

I guess that's more than one or two questions, but any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

ciao,
neil

If you buy the car in France you can register it under your own name in that you go to the vehicle registration office, tell them that you want to export the car and ask for a "Carte Gris International" ( International log book). Your details are then entered on this document, the old one is invalidated, but remember to take it with you to Africa, youll need it to sell the car.

Buy insurance which is valid throughout the EU and should also be valid in Morocco, if not it costs ca 380DH for five days and 480DH for tens days. There are no taxes to be paid in Morocco.

In Mauritania you pay a tax of 1000UM for the car and buy insurance which costs ca 3200UM (€15-€20).

In Senegal you pay CFA2,500 for the laissez paisser and ca CFA20-30,000 €30-€45 for a months insurance depending on the power of the car, maybe less.

If you want to sell it in Senegal, especially Dakar then be careful there are a lot of hustlers around. I should point out it is "illegal" to sell the car in Senegal, it may be confiscated if things gowrong or if you get in with the wrong dealer. if you sell it expect to pay a commission of 3%-5% and NO MORE. The car entry in the passport must then be discharged. There are two ways this will happen
1. The buyer pays the customs, which means you automatically get your passport discharged.
2. The buyer doesnt pay customs (this is mostly the case) you will then have to pay a backhander of ca. CFA25,000 to get it discharged.

If you decide to go to Dakar, then the best place to sell the car is in the campsite in M'Bao about 20km from Dakar, ca. 5km after Rufisque. Ask the German or Swiss owners about details. If you want the names of any middle-men for selling the car let me know.

Hello Kevin,

I just read come of your correspondence with someone who is planning on buying a car in France. I'm in Portugal right now and planning to head for West Africa with a friend in a few weeks. We are thinking about buying a car and selling it somewhere in West Africa. I've noted the "Mercedes diesel" golden rule as well as the Peugeot and Renault options and I'll start checking out the market here. I have two questions: First, I can sell it anywhere from Mauritania to Gabon, where's are some of the best places to do this? I know it depends on which car I have as you have already said, but are there any other places further along from Dakar, Gambia or Guinea Bissau that stick out as possibilities too? By "better" I not only mean price, but ease of sale too. Question two: Given the various hassles you have (thankfully) detialed of gas, insurance, taxes, ferries, border crossings, buyer finding, etc. is it worth doing this? I mean, I could just as easily go without the car and go by public transport. Do you think that bringing a car there is a good possibility of the bottom line at least breaking even with the no car\public transport option?

I can't really say if it's better to take a car or public transport, obviously both have advantages and disadvantages. Regarding the costs you will have to calculate the costs of your route for both, remembering that if you are two people, you can halve the costs of the car. It also depends how well you sell it and if you have no major breakdowns as to whether the car is cheaper in the long run than the bus.

In general you can sell the car anywhere you want. Countries with various restreictions on the age of cars are the Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and mabe Cameroon. I'm not aware of the new laws in Nigeria, but I will try to find out. Easy formalities are in Mali, Burkina, Togo, Benin, Chad and Niger. I sold a car in Gabon in 1995 but have no info on the area since then.