At some point, everyone hopes to buy a car. Sometimes this process is easy and sometimes the process is more complicated. This article will give a brief overview of how and where to buy a car in Bamako, Mali and also give you some valuable insight.
There are two types of cars: used cars and new cars. We will focus on the former and then the latter.
Used cars :
The most common types of cars bought in Bamako, and Mali in general, are used cars. These options are usually cheaper and you can find some quality cars. As in every country in the world, there is no fixed price when you buy a used car. It will depend on various factors, such as the state of the vehicle, the year, the car dealer, the mileage and many other factors. You may find that there is a big difference for the same type of car between two dealerships, and that is because the owners just want to sell it at different prices. Most of the used cars sold in "parkings" have been bought from other countries in Europe, Dubai or Canada, and have been shipped to Mali. In most cases, the selling price will depend on how much the car reseller bought the car for and how much he paid for shipping and customs fees, which can be very high in Mali. The car reseller will always try to make a small profit margin on the car, so if they bought the car at a high price, they will most likely try to sell it at a high price. Most people think that the reseller is trying to be too greedy in his profit, but that is not the case most of the time. They just bought it at a high price.
You can also buy used cars directly from people who are selling their own cars. But unfortunately, at the time of this writing, there is no established and popular platform where people can sell their own cars. Many people chose to post their cars on social networks, like Facebook, for those who are interested. Either that, or they park the car at some dealership or "parking" and have the dealer try to sell their car. In this case, the car reseller usually adds his margin the price also.
The third option is to buy a used car directly abroad and ship it to Mali. Cars are often cheaper and in better condition abroad, so if you are able to get a good price, manage shipping prices and customs well, then this would a viable option. It could be the cheapest option with the best quality. If you do not want to travel far, you can buy a car from Lomé, Togo. Many car importers in West Africa buy cars and ship them to Lome, which acts as a hub to send to other countries in the region. Buying cars abroad can be a great option, because cars that have already been driven in Mali tend to decrease in value quicker than others. This is because of the perception that roads are bad, and that mechanics are not as well trained as in other countries, so a used car that has been driven in Mali is often considered less valuable than a used car that comes from abroad.
New cars:
Buying a new car in Bamako Mali is more of a straightforward process, because you do not need to worry about whether the car has a history of accidents and other repairs. If you buy a new car, make sure to check the VIN number because there are some people that are able to reset the odometer to zero kilometers and try to sell as new. You can buy from some large authorized dealers like CFAO etc, in Mali. But these prices often come with a premium in terms of pricing. You can buy from local "parkings" or small dealers around the city, which is usually a cheaper option. However if you are an organization and you have tax exemption and customs exemption, it is better to buy with a big dealer who can waive these fees for you, as most smaller sellers have already paid the tax fees on the vehicles.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article! If you found it useful, please take some time to visit our page at www.fasologistics.com and contact us contact@fasologistics.com for all your needs relating to cars and transport in Mali!