When you are looking to buy a car, you always want the best quality that can fit your budget. But often budget and quality don’t go hand in hand, so you will need to compromise. You will need to consider what you must have and what you don’t need in a car. Once you consider all your preferences and options, you will probably realize that American cars give the best bang for your buck. So where can you buy American cars in Ghana?
So, if you live in Ghana and would like to buy auction cars from the USA without breaking the bank, what do you do?
Buying at Your Local Used Car Dealer
Buying from your local used car dealer is always an option, and often the only one people know about. Let’s call it the traditional option. You go out, spend days wandering around looking for the ideal car for you. You keep looking at your list of requirements, and there is always something missing. Either you can’t find the color, or the options aren’t enough, or the engine is underpowered, or the car is too big, and so on. You just can’t find the right fit.
And even if you find a car that has it all, there is that little thing called negotiating with the car salesman. These negotiations are rarely going to end up with you winning, even if you leave the dealership feeling like you’ve made a good deal. The fact is that the car salesman will always collect their markup, and probably above the set target, as that is their job.
So, in short, the traditional way is the expensive way of getting your hands on a used car. Most people would have to take out a car loan to buy a car in this price range.
Buying a Salvage Car
If you know your way around engines and cars and don’t mind getting your hands dirty in your spare time, you should consider salvage vehicles. For many reasons, insurance companies might write off a vehicle. Maybe the car was in an accident, or it was stolen and then recovered, or maybe the damage to the car was caused by other factors. In any case, the insurance companies concluded it was better to write off the vehicle rather than paying the repairs. These vehicles are then taken into possession by the insurance companies that then sell them at auctions, with a salvage title.
A salvage title means the car is not roadworthy. But it is not irreparable and if you know your way around cars a salvage could be just right up your alley. Also, the price of the car: you can buy these cars for pennies on the dollar. If you can get your hands on them, it could be worth your time and effort. Just make sure you follow the regulatory requirements in your country.
Importing the Car Yourself
Importing a car is probably the best option if you want to save some cash. With the internet, it is possible to buy a car anywhere and import it into your country. And if you do your research right, you will often be able to save some cash, in comparison to buying a similar car at your dealership. It’s not too hard to export cars from the USA, whether you’re looking for a Mercedes Benz or a Land Rover. This is true whether you’re in Ghana or South Africa, or anywhere else. Online cars auctions websites help with this, allowing you to buy at a low price.
So how do you find, buy and import an American car into Ghana? In the olden days, you’d jump on a plane to travel to the United States, buy a car, arrange everything for the car to be exported, hop back on the plane, go back home, wait for the car to be shipped and delivered, take care of all the taxes and import duties and register the car. But once you factor in all the costs, you aren’t really making any savings, you are paying extra, compared to the dealership price.
So what’s the right way of importing an American car into Ghana?
Buying a Car at an Online Auction
Online auctions are the best hunting grounds for used and salvage car buyers. This is especially the case if you find a reputable company to work with, such as Auto Auction Mall. Once you register and pay a fee, you get access to the world of car auctions, with hundreds of thousands of cars sold daily.
This would not be much of a headline if it weren’t for a few major benefits: the price, the convenience and the availability.
Further Reading
- How to Import a Salvage Car into Ghana from the United States
- “Second Hand” Cars in Ghana are importing from the United States – Used or Salvage Vehicles for Sale
- Simple Tips for Shipping Used American Cars Overseas
- Do American Used Cars Remain Popular Overseas?
Low Prices
Let’s talk about prices first. Auctioned cars go for way below retail price and the prices at your local dealership. Prices can often go as low as 80 percent below retail price. And there are two types of auctions: auctions open to everyone, and closed auction available for dealers only. So now you know where the used car dealers get their cars from.
By working with an online auction house, you get access to these closed auctions that would otherwise be out of your reach. Here you might find cars that are just coming off lease or even new cars for sale. In general, the quality of cars at these auctions is higher than in the open auctions.
But again, if you are looking for a salvage car, an open auction would suit you just fine. And as said earlier, it is all at prices up to 80 percent below retail.
Convenience and Availability
The next benefit is convenience. Once you gain access to the online auction house’s database, you can browse the inventory from the comfort of your home. You can find auction export cars from USA, with only the options you require and look at images and description of the motor vehicles, in each type of auction to find the right one for you.
Once you find one that you like, you set the budget, and the assigned account manager will handle the bidding and the purchase. They will also connect you with the transport company that will lift the car from the auction house and transport it to the port you want to export from. They will also connect you with the car broker that can handle all the legal requirements and the paperwork for getting your car ready for shipping. All you are left to do is pick the car up once it arrives and handle all the import procedures and taxes.
And the last benefit is availability. No matter what car you want to buy, there will always be one out there for you due to the volume of used and salvage cars traded.
Don’t forget to think about car insurance also, as well as repairing to road safety standards.
Examples of Current Online Cars Auctions: Current Bids
[auctions]
Some of the most popular cars we see for export are Japanese popular brands: Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Highlander, and the Honda Pilot.
Comments