Car Trouble Part II: The Search

How most Ghanaians advertise a car for sale. (Yes, that is a Renault "Duster")

Mr. and Mrs. O's months-long quest for ownership of a vehicle had not gone as swimmingly as they had hoped.

Having done advance research, the couple had settled on their preferred makes and models and started their search in Accra. Unfortunately, the car market in Ghana is very acephalous - there's no authority or go-to place like an Auto Trader magazine or website. Most Ghanaians either sell to family, or they simply post a piece of paper in their back window with a phone number, waiting for someone to drive by and make a call.

There are a few websites, but the simple fact is that expats do not like buying cars from locals. For the average westerner with a western salary, a vehicle is to be kept in the best condition possible to maintain value and image - regular servicing, replacing fluids and parts at required intervals and using reputable mechanics (at the dealership, if possible). When a strange noise is heard, the car goes into the shop. God forbid the police or transportation authorities find the vehicle not legally upkept.

In contrast, most Ghanaians can barely afford to own and operate a vehicle, let alone keep it in top condition. In addition, local roads take a toll on tires, suspensions and windshields, while the. Labour is cheap, but parts are not, so inventive McGyver-like fixes are favoured over replacing malfunctioning parts. Also, manufacturer's warranties are rare. Thus only the wealthy can keep their cars looking and sounding immaculate.

In this way, the local vehicle market is fraught with peril. So the expats tend to buy from other expats via the online community. However, the summer rush of expats coming and going from Accra had ended, so the expat market was quite small. Mr. O made many inquiries, but as soon as the vehicle ads went up, they were sold almost immediately. (The couple's inability to drive standard transmission exacerbated this - they were not about to learn in Accra traffic)

Mr. O tried looking at a vehicle owned by a local. On paper, it was very good. Upon viewing, the vehicle had some wear and tear. He insisted on an inspection by a dealer. The inspection took an unfathomable 5 hours from arrival to departure (lunch starts early and ends late, it seems) and involved a lot of yelling, but revealed that the seller was not truthful in his assessment of the vehicle and that it needed a significant amount of work. Next.

After a dry spell, another promising lead came up, being sold by an African expat. Mr. O decided to take his chances. The initial viewing looked good and he made an offer conditional upon an inspection - this time by a trusted mechanic who made house calls. After an assessment of work needed, Mr. O made a final offer that was accepted.

The next part is tricky: money must change hands before the vehicle is legally transferred. So Mr. O arranged with his home bank (after several phone calls and faxes) to wire the funds to the seller and upon receipt, the transfer started. A communication breakdown at this point temporarily convinced Mr. O he had just gone headfirst into a 419 scam, but as it turns out, the seller was just as nervous of becoming a victim of a wily foreigner.

With the money transferred and the ownership transfer pending, the seller gave Mr. O use of the car. Then the real fun began: on the way home after only a few km, he was pulled over by traffic police for an "infraction". The officers were not interested in issuing a ticket (the money would go to the government, after all), but after dragging his feet long enough, he was let go with a warning.

So the vehicle purchasing saga finally came to an end - for the moment. Next up was a trip to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority - a descent into the depths of Ghanaian bureaucracy.