Let’s be honest, owning a car in Nigeria is a different flex on its own, but I have always overanalyzed the inconveniences and cons of owning one, even before I got mine.
Guess what? It manifested on me.
As a creative designer who mostly works from home, I never had the need to purchase a car, except for one reason: Family.
At the time, I had two kids and a wife, so owning a car would ease both casual and mission-critical movements such as when I urgently had to drive my wife to the maternity hospital in the middle of the night.
I was rightly nudged to get a car, so I sold one of my side projects which I no longer had interest in running for about $4,000 USD, and spent nearly all of the money on acquiring my first car.
I got the car, parked it in my compound, and started taking driving lessons in a licensed driving school, meaning that I bought the car before I even learnt how to drive.
The car was a Nigerian-used Toyota Corolla CE 2004. I was escorted to the lot by my dad, who also assisted in inspecting it. It was such an accomplishing moment. Even though it was a 20-year old car, I could see the glee in my dad’s eyes as I finalized payments with the dealer.
I observed the peeling steering wheel and the split-open airbag, but “it’s a Toyota, it can be fixed”… Which I eventually did. I was also excited about the prospects of driving a car around the streets which I used to trek on.
For the first few weeks, things were smooth, but I did some quick interior revamps. I quickly fixed the airbags, and replaced the steering wheel. A simple steering wheel replacement procedure eventually turned out to be a two-day work and that’s due to rust, which made it impossible to separate the wheel from the steering column. I was told I need to replace that too, which I did.
I also installed an android-powered touchscreen infotainment in place of the old-school FM Radio module.
But the honeymoon phase started going away. The first thing I noticed was the car randomly tripping off while in motion. But each time I start it, it starts and I would normally be able to continue with my journey. According to the auto-electrician, he said it was a fuse issue. I paid him to get it sorted, but the issue persists, although now less frequently. I was ultimately able to get rid of this problem after paying for a full fuse box revamp, and I think that solved the problem.
Since then, it’s been one issue or the other. Below are a list of expensive problems I have had to deal with since I started using the car;
- Fixed its Engine thrice
- Replaced fuel pump
- Replaced Two Brake Drums
- Repaired its Gear Box
- Fixed its kick starter
- Replaced the rectifier in the alternator because the alternator randomly fails to charge the battery.
- Fixed wiring issues related to fuel delivery.
- Replaced all sorts of sensors on it, from Shock sensor to O2 Sensor.
- Replaced the coils
- Fixed the windshied water spray mechanism
- Tyres (2 Sets)
- Catalytic Converter
And here I things I purchased to customize and reflect my love for the car
- An Android-powered infotainment screen
- Pairs of custom windshied vinyl stickers
- Sporty boot spoiler
- Sporty front grille
The car, which was supposed to be a convenience, quickly turned into the biggest productivity guzzler I’ve ever known. It ended up becoming the most demanding client I’ve ever had. Could it be due to dishonest and poor mechanics? Almost certainly, could it be due to its mileage? Maybe.
But one thing is for sure; My most productive moments were when I had no car. I did not have to worry about Federal Road Safety Commision officers on the road sides, Fire extinguisher expiring in the boot without my knowledge, fixing appointments with mechanics, panelbeaters, gear masters, and auto-electricians instead of building websites and creating designs, car stalling in the middle of nowhere, dealing with dubious mechanics, and worrying about flood water. The list goes on and on.
I was comming back from work when my car started smelling like burnt oil. When I checked, it was oil leaking from one of the spark plugs. My car kept stalling every five minutes under the heavy rain. As I got close to my house, it totally stopped working. It cranks faintly and won’t start.
I called one of the mechanics I have previously worked with to come check it. He fixed it and I was able to drive it home. The mechanic came the following morning to try to get the issue permanently fixed, and got me to spend over 100K on that day. After he was done fixing it, the car was worse than before. It kept shaking vigorously while working, especially when I apply brakes when the gear is in Drive.
That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. I decided to abandon the car and focus on myself.
I still love my Corolla 2004 because it taught me so much about how cars work, but sometimes, you have to use logic and not emotions.
I haven’t felt the urge to get it repaired for the umpteeth time, since I am always working from home 98% of the time.
I am not eager to buy another car because the truth remains that you are still likely to run into a bad mechanic that would ruin everything for both you and your car.
I hate owning cars at this point in my life, but I can’t talk enough about how much I do to incompetent mechanics and technicians who exist to worsen every situation.
A naija used car can either be a tool or a trap. For me, it became the latter until I reclaimed my time. My lovely 2004 Corolla is now enjoying a well-deserved rest. And me? I’m back to hiting my big strides like I used to. I now have the concentration to focus on work that matters, release more course videos for my students, and hit targeted deadlines for clients’ projects.
I’ll buy another car once I find a rightly priced and dependable workhorse I can count on all the time and I believe that my experience would be valuable in assessing my next one.
Thanks for reading!
