Car Trouble

Back in the day, one could get around just fine in Ghana on public transit and the occasional taxi. That was before one had a family and a reasonable sense of one's own mortality.

Now that he's all grown up, Mr. O needs some wheels. Big ones.

To get around, Mr. and Mrs. O have been using a combination of taxis, friends with cars and old-fashioned walking. And they could probably continue so without great damage to their lives. But there are many good reasons to have a private vehicle.

They say everything in Ghana takes longer. Take shopping, for example: instead of heading to the supermarket to pick up groceries for the week, effective shopping requires several stops. Shoprite has perishables, Marina Mart has fresh meats, Game has housewares, Koala has Lebanese pastries, etc. And don't think of going to any of these places if you want fresh produce - the best (and cheapest) still comes from the ladies with the market stalls. Did you want fresh fish? That's another guy.

You can get all of these using taxis, but it requires a fair amount of flagging and haggling (No, I won't give you double the price just because I'm a white guy walking out of a supermarket.) and the uncertainty that comes with random rides - sketchy drivers, barely-roadworthy vehicles, spewing exhaust, etc.

Then there's the case of Little Miss. She has a car seat that needs to go wherever we do (sitting on daddy's lap is so 1980s) and eventually she will be going to pre-school and will need to be transported daily.

What if we want to go away on the weekend? We have access to an old SUV, but it's not the most reliable.

In addition, driving in Ghana has its own hazards: cars (and their drivers) are often not roadworthy; Accra traffic is hectic, especially at circles; right-of-way is often determined by the biggest vehicle; the quality of secondary roads is often poor, especially during the rainy season.

So the family would prefer to have a vehicle, preferably a mid-sized SUV (for safety) with all-wheel drive (for country roads), in good condition (the less time at the mechanic, the better) and one that can easily be repaired with parts easy to find (translation: something Japanese).

Finding a vehicle is a daunting expeience - again, everything takes longer in Ghana. There is no authoritative internet marketplace, dealerships only sell new vehicles and knowing who to trust is key (scamming is common). In fact, most people simply tape a piece of paper on their rear window with their phone number and hope that someone interested in the vehicle records it and calls them.

This is all before one actually looks at a car - having a trustworthy mechanic who can inspect a car can help to avoid buying a lemon. Bidding wars happen. Plus, the price of a vehicle in Ghana is not the same as in North America, so it may take time to know if one is getting a good deal.

All of this is currently in flux. It takes perseverance - some days are frustrating, others not so much, but it is part of the process.