Thread by @oremforever

THIS IS TO ALL PROSPECTIVE CAR BUYERS IN KENYA. Buying a car isn’t easy. People save for a very long time and others take loans to get their cars. However, this industry has many loopholes that puts the customer at the Mercy of the car dealer.
Photo credit : @maktejah_

THREAD

As a car buyer, there are RED FLAGS that you should take note of before transacting with any dealer. I beseech you to subdue the excitement of getting a new car and concentrate on doing THOROUGH due diligence and documents verification of the said unit. This is a CRUCIAL process

that many Kenyans skip while buying their cars. To the first time car buyers, you should take this process seriously. DONT IGNORE. On document verification and assessment, after assessing the car, the BUYER MUST COMPEL the dealer to provide them with the following documents

1. Certificate of Inspection: A certificate of inspection is issued by the Inspecting organization appointed by KEBS in Japan, usually QISJ or EAA. It is a certificate issued on the car that shows you the mileage (Odometer reading at the time of Inspection) Year of registration ,

and other details of the car as indicated above. If a dealer is hesitant to show you this document, kindly note that this is a very BIG RED FLAG. Why would a dealer refuse to show you this document? 1. If they have changed the mileage / odometer reading of the car. INSIST!

2. IMPORT DECLARATION FORM
This particular document is issued by KRA to show that import declaration fee on the car has been paid. You may also ask the dealer to give you a Bill of Entry document. All these will help you certify that the unit you are about to purchase has been

fully declared to KRA and duty paid. Insist on seeing these documents. If the dealer hesitates, chances are likely that they have unit through some underhand means and the said duties haven’t been paid. YES IT IS POSSIBLE.
3. The third document is the AUCTION SHEET

The auction sheet will tell you so many things about the car. Though this may be Greek to first time buyers, but from the auction sheet, you are able to see if any part of the vehicle has been replaced, Engine changed, and the overall Grade of the car. A grade of 4 + is good.

THE LAST DOCUMENT: THE LOGBOOK. This is where many buyers are shortchanged. A logbook is the instrument of ownership of the car. Any car registered by KRA/NTSA must have a logbook on the name of the dealer or the person selling. DO NOT ACCEPT politics when it comes to this doc.

From the logbook, you will be able to see the above information displayed. Cross check and to avoid being issued or shown the fake logbook, please do a vehicle search at NTSA. timsvirl.ntsa.go.ke/#!/login ensure you confirm the details of the car as captured by the NTSA

A POINT TO NOTE: Once the car is in the showroom and has been registered,(Iko na number like KDC 667K, the logbook should be with the dealer. However, there is an exception on cars that haven’t been registered and are in the showroom (Against the KRA/NTSA regulations) they

May not have the logbook. So the only time you should not see the logbook is when you are buying a car in the showroom and the car HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED (haijapata number) Once the number is launched in the NTSA portal, the logbook will be ready in a week or so. A car like

May not have been registered (Though this is against the law). But many guys who buy high end cars prefer special plates and new ones. So any story apart from that is POLITICAL. The logbook is either there or the car has a case and the logbook has been withheld.

As the buyer, kindly note that you should leave the showroom with your logbook. But usually this doesn’t happen. If you are buying a car in cash without any balance, COMPEL THE DEALER to not only give you the physical logbook but also to transfer the logbook to your name in the

the NTSA portal. This is usually different when you buying a car on loan, (MKOPO-LIPA POLE POLE or HIRE PURCHASE) in this manner, the dealer will remain with the logbook and you will only rely on sales agreement to prove ownership to the legal officers. So INSIST on transfer of

when you are buying a car on CASH. There is no any other reason why the dealer cannot do transfer. A minute, “The system is having an issue is purely business politics” INSIST. Reasons why some dealers may refuse to do the transfer of logbook is when and not limited to: The car

you are buying was already sold to someone else who has the logbook and they cannot access the logbook. 2. If the car you are buying was stolen from someone else. 3. If the dealer is crooked and they may want to shortchange you to sell the car again. 4. If they want you to pay

some extra cash just to transfer the logbook. Kindly note that the dealer should not charge you for transferring the logbook, one should pay NTSA, this is na area that many buyers don’t understand. These are the charges for transferring the logbook in Kenya. The charges depend on

on the CC (Engine capacity of the car you are buying.) So be informed accordingly. Creating a TIMS account is something a buyer can do on the phone or at a cyber. It doesn’t cost you even 30 minutes and more than 60 bob. So once you have your TIMS account ready, let the dealer do

the transfer and you will accept the transfer in the system from your TIMS account. After doing this, pick the logbook of the car in the name of the dealer and go with it. You will take this logbook to NTSA for cancellation when you are collecting your new logbook. IMPORTANT.

IN CONCLUSION; Let me say this, don’t let the EXCITEMENT of getting a new car overshadow your mind. Check the documents. Get a legit car. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here, for more car topic updates.