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Trading In Your Car? Here’s How to Get a Fair Valuation
Most people leave money on the table during a trade-in simply because they didn’t prepare. A few small steps before you bring the car in can change the final number significantly.
Clean it properly — inside and out
A thorough valet before valuation isn’t vanity, it’s value. A clean engine bay, vacuumed interior and stain-free seats genuinely change a valuer’s first impression and the number they write down.
Gather every document you have
Logbook, service records, original purchase receipt, insurance claim history if any — the more verifiable history you can show, the less a valuer has to guess (and discount for the unknown).
Fix the cheap stuff, skip the expensive stuff
Replacing a cracked indicator lens or topping up fluids costs little and removes easy bargaining chips. Don’t bother repainting a panel or replacing a clutch right before a trade-in — you won’t recoup the cost.
Know your number before you arrive
Check recent listings for the same make, model, year and mileage so you walk in with a realistic range in mind, rather than anchoring on what you originally paid years ago.
A fair trade-in isn’t about getting what you paid — it’s about getting what the car is actually worth today, on today’s market.
Get more than one number
A same-day inspection and written offer should always be free. Comparing two or three offers — even informally — tells you quickly whether a number is fair.
Our own trade-in process is a same-day inspection followed by a transparent, written offer — no pressure, and you’re free to walk away and compare.
How Often Should You Really Service Your Car?
Manufacturer service intervals are usually written for ideal conditions — smooth highways, mild climates, light traffic. Nairobi’s stop-start traffic, dust, and pothole-dodging are not ideal conditions, so most cars on our roads need attention more often than the manual suggests.
Oil changes
Most manuals say every 10,000–15,000 km. In heavy city driving, we recommend closer to 5,000–7,000 km — short trips and constant idling are harder on engine oil than steady highway cruising.
Brake fluid and pads
Stop-start traffic wears brake pads faster than open-road driving. Have pads checked every 10,000 km, and brake fluid replaced every two years regardless of mileage — it absorbs moisture over time even if the car barely moves.
Air filters
Dust is the silent killer of engine performance here. An air filter that would last 20,000 km on a clean highway might need replacing at half that in dusty conditions.
Suspension and bushings
Potholes take a toll. If you’re hearing knocks over bumps or feeling the car wander slightly at speed, get the suspension bushings and shock absorbers checked sooner rather than later — small issues here become expensive alignment and tyre problems if ignored.
A simple rule of thumb
If most of your driving is city traffic rather than highway, halve the manufacturer’s recommended service interval. It costs a little more in servicing but saves considerably more in avoided repairs.
Every car we sell comes with a full condition report, and we’re happy to recommend a service schedule suited to how you’ll actually be driving it.
Import vs Local: Which Should You Choose?
Importing your own unit can save money on paper — but it isn’t always the cheaper or faster option once you account for everything involved in getting a car from a Japanese auction to your driveway in Nairobi.
What “importing yourself” actually involves
Sourcing from an overseas auction, arranging shipping, KEBS/PVOC pre-export inspection, port clearance, KRA duty, NTSA registration, and transport from Mombasa — each step has its own timeline, paperwork, and chance for costly delays.
The real cost comparison
- Buying locally in-stock: the price you see is the price you pay — duty, clearance and registration are already done.
- Importing on order: typically 8–14 weeks door to door, with the advantage of choosing exact spec, colour and mileage.
- Importing solo: the same timeline, but you carry all the risk if a shipment is delayed, a unit fails inspection, or duty calculations change.
When importing makes sense
If you have a very specific spec in mind — a particular trim, colour, or low-mileage example that simply isn’t available locally — ordering an import is usually worth the wait.
When buying local makes more sense
If you need a car within the next few weeks, or you’d rather have it inspected and sitting in front of you before you commit, in-stock local units remove almost all of the uncertainty.
The fastest way to import a car is to let someone else carry the risk of the shipment, the inspection, and the paperwork — that’s effectively what you’re paying for with an import-on-order service.
We run both: a curated, inspected lot of in-stock cars for those who want to drive away this week, and an imports-on-order service for buyers with a specific spec in mind.
7 Things to Check Before Buying a Used Car in Kenya
A used car can be a brilliant deal or an expensive mistake — the difference is almost always in what you checked before handing over a deposit. Here’s our pre-purchase checklist, built from years of inspecting trade-ins on our own lot.
1. Service history first, mileage second
A car with 120,000 km and a full, stamped service history is almost always a safer bet than one with 60,000 km and no records. Ask for logbooks, receipts, or at minimum a verbal account of who serviced it and where.
2. Check the chassis, not just the paint
Fresh paint can hide accident repair. Look underneath for ripples in the metal, mismatched panel gaps, or overspray on rubber seals — all signs of bodywork that should prompt more questions.
3. Cold start tells the truth
Always ask to start the car from cold, not after it’s been idling in the showroom for twenty minutes. Listen for knocking, excessive smoke, or a rough idle that smooths out only once warm.
If a seller won’t let you do a cold start or a pre-purchase inspection, treat that as the answer.
4. Tyres and brakes are a built-in cost calculator
Uneven tyre wear can point to alignment or suspension issues. Check brake pad thickness through the wheel spokes — replacing four pads and discs can easily run into tens of thousands of shillings.
5. Import documents must match the car
For imported units, confirm the logbook details, chassis number, and KRA import duty records all match the vehicle in front of you. Mismatches are a red flag, not a paperwork delay.
6. Take it on a real test drive
A two-minute loop around the block won’t reveal much. Get it onto a highway stretch if you can, brake hard from speed in a safe spot, and try reverse parking to check the steering and gearbox under different loads.
7. Get an independent inspection
Even if the dealer offers their own inspection report, a second, independent mechanical check is worth the cost — especially for anything above the KES 1.5M mark.
Every car on our lot already passes a multi-point inspection before it’s listed, and we’re always happy to have your own mechanic take a second look. That’s the whole point of buying local instead of sight-unseen.