Bugatti Centodieci

The new Bugatti Centodieci, Only 10 will be made, price tag of £8 million and to qualify to buy, you must have had either a Veyron or Chiron in your collection.    Well, it got sold out at the unveiling.

Smart locations to import your cars from the USA

When buying your car from USA, one thing you should never overlook is the distance between the location of the car and the closest port of exit. This is very critical because it's a major determining factor of the total cost of landing your car to Nigeria especially for those on a budget. If you don't pre-determine the distance to the closest port before buying your car, you may end up paying up to additional N900,000 ($2,500) to transport your car within the United States in a bid to get it to the port. Then you'll pay another N306,000 ($850) as ocean freight from the US port to the Nigerian port. That's a total cost of N1,206,000 ($3,350) as against a total cost that can be as low as N360,000 ($1,000) if the car is purchased at a location very close to the port. Certainly, no one will be happy with such a deal. Don't make the mistake of buying a 2005 Toyota Corolla from Alaska thinking you will get it to Nigeria at a good price. The trucking and shipping cost alone will shake your bank account without mercy.

I decided to write about this because it's one of the most popular questions we receive from our Autojosh followers. Some were even forced to ask after they had made the mistake of buying their cars from a wrong location. One bought his car in Alaska while the other bought his in Hawaii. They were excited by the cheap prices they saw on online auctions but immediately realised it was a bad idea when they received the invoices from their shipping agents after the bids had been won. The person that bought from Hawaii got an outrageous bill of about $3,700 to get his 2006 Toyota Rav4 to Lagos. They eventually returned the cars to wherever they were bought as shipping to Nigeria wouldn't have made any economic sense. Note that auction companies usually charge a fees for such returns.


Photo from marylandports.com

Today, we'll be looking at the location of 11 USA ports through which you can easily ship your cars to Nigeria as well as the Shipping lines that sail from those ports:

1. Baltimore, Maryland: Grimaldi and Sallaum Shipping Line

2. Boston, Massachusetts: Sallaum

3. Freeport, Texas: Sallaum

4. Galveston, Texas: Grimaldi.

5. Jacksonville, Florida: Grimaldi and Sallaum

6. Newark, New Jersey: Sallaum

7. New York (NYCT): Grimaldi

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Sallaum

9. Providence, Rhode Island: Grimaldi

10. Savannah, Georgia: Grimaldi

11. Wilmington, Delaware: Grimaldi

Most people prefer to ship their cars through Grimaldi as the cost of clearing cars that arrive on Sallaum can be more expensive especially in the case of more recent cars.

After you've determined the port through which your car will be shipped, the next step will be to calculate the shipping cost. Our next post will be about how to calculate the estimated cost of shipping your car from USA to Nigeria.

Is there any other port or shipping line you've shipped through recently? Tell us about it in the comment section if we don't have it on this list.

Don't forget to like, rate and share.

https://autojosh.com/11-usa-ports-cars-ship-to-nigeria

End of the Shift Levers

Car Trends come and go mostly...but some are so fundamental to what the car is that their replacement is bound to be controversial.. The Shift Lever is one of them.

Car manufactirers in recent times have decided to do away with the traditional shift lever in automatic transmission and replace them with either buttons or rotary knobs..This removes the feeling from holding on to the lever and actually shifting something...opinions are divided on this new trending the automobile industry..Tell us what you think ?

Automobile designs, When they get it not "quite right" ?

Car Manufacturers do sometimes get it wrong with a new design, so bad feedback from car buyers shows an outgoing model of a car looks way better than a new redesign... Which is why car Manufacturers do something called Mid-Cycle refresh...meaning in the middle of production, some mainly usually cosmetic changes are introduced...Here are three Manufacturers that did just that.
Toyota: Toyota Camry.
When the 2012 Model year was unveiled in 2011, it faced criticism for it's boring design which has seemed to be the hall mark of Toyota. Bland designs but reliable. The criticism must have been felt by Toyota executives all over that two years into the Model year, Toyota came up with a mid cycle facelifting...some could have confused it for a totally newer model. This update ran for the remainder of the production and was praised for it's much more improved sporty aesthetic.

Hyundai : The Hyundai Elantra

The 2012 to 2015 Hyundai Elantra was a master piece, the curves on that vehicle coupled with the right pricing made it the best selling hyundai Model in North America, it particularly became a top selling Model in Nigeria too. One would have thought it's replacement would use the same formula but looked liked the guys at Hyundai got intoxicated and tried to go conservative. It went South..


The Model that replaced it has been described as drab and uninspiring.


Mercedes Benz : E Class.
Mercedes also had it's fair share of Midlife Crisis in the aesthetics department for it's best selling sedan...This E Class first introduced in 2009 as a 2010 Model year got heavily revised in 2013, the E-Class was comprehensively facelifted, featuring significant styling changes, fuel economy improvements and updated safety features. Daimler invested close to €1 billion into the development of the extensive refresh, making it likely the most expensive mid-life facelift in the history of the automobile. The biggest change was the singular front lights replacing the twin headlamp design (marking the end of Mercedes's dual headlamps use) with integrated LED DRL'shttps://www.nairaland.com/4833358/automobiles-designs-when-get-it#72777731

Bentley & Rolls Royce : Shared history and separated at Rebirth

Bentley and Rolls-Royce are probably best known Britain’s luxury car producers. They are strikingly different yet strikingly similar at the same time which is a result of their history which became permanently intertwined in the early 1930s when Bentley was acquired by Rolls-Royce. Another thing both luxury cars have in common is the fact that both were created by motoring pioneers who were driven by the passion for cars and engineering.

About Bentley



Bentley was founded in 1919 by W. O. Bentley and his brother H. M. Bentley. Their first sports vehicle (a chassis, to be more precise) – the Bentley 3 Litre was shown at the London Motor Show in the same year, while the first cars were delivered in 1921. It was considerably larger from other sports cars at the time but with its innovative technology, the Bentley 3 Litre soon ended the domination of tiny sports cars in racing and attracted a lot of attention among the wealthy British car enthusiasts who formed the so-called Bentley Boys. And it was one from the Bentley Boys – Woolf Barnato who helped the company during financial hardship although W.O. was forced to give up his ownership of the company and become an employee instead. Under Barnato, Bentley produced five more models including the famous Speed Six which is the most successful racing Bentley of all times. After victory of Speed Six at Le Mans of 1930, Bentley would need 73 years to win another
About Rolls-Royce



Rolls-Royce was created by Sir Henry Royce and Charles Rolls in 1904. Just like Bentleys, Rolls-Royces immediately attracted attention among car enthusiasts. But in contrary to Bentley, Rolls-Royce focused on pure luxury especially after the introduction of the iconic Silver Ghost with its own personal licence plate and aluminium trims. And while Bentley was struggling with financial problems, Rolls-Royce successfully withstood the Stock Market Crash of 1929 although it had to close its factory in the United States. However, Rolls-Royce prematurely lost one of its founders as Charles Rolls was killed in a plain crash in 1910, aged only 32.
Rolls-Royce Acquires Bentley

Bentley was severely hit by the Great Depression and in 1931, Barnato notified the lenders he is no longer able to meet the debts he had guaranteed for. The court appointed a Receiver to Bentley and in November 1931, the company was bought by the British Central Equitable Trust which was in reality Rolls-Royce. From the acquisition of Bentley by Rolls-Royce, the future development of both car producers became intertwined with Bentley being dependant on the Rolls-Royce’s owner. This, however, has been shown to have no effect on the brand. Just like Rolls-Royce remains associated with pure luxury, Bentley remains associated with top sports cars and high performance for increased driving experience.
While the Bentley is known for it's racing heritage even with its tonnes of luxury features, the RR is geared more towards a luxury touring experience, so we could conveniently say the Bentley is the car you wanna drive, the Rolls Royce is the one you want to be driven in. olls-Royce Acquires Bentley

Bentley was severely hit by the Great Depression and in 1931, Barnato notified the lenders he is no longer able to meet the debts he had guaranteed for. The court appointed a Receiver to Bentley and in November 1931, the company was bought by the British Central Equitable Trust which was in reality Rolls-Royce. From the acquisition of Bentley by Rolls-Royce, the future development of both car producers became intertwined with Bentley being dependant on the Rolls-Royce’s owner. This, however, has been shown to have no effect on the brand. Just like Rolls-Royce remains associated with pure luxury, Bentley remains associated with top sports cars and high performance for increased driving experience.
While the Bentley is known for it's racing heritage even with its tonnes of luxury features, the RR is geared more towards a luxury touring experience, so we could conveniently say the Bentley is the car you wanna drive, the Rolls Royce is the one you want to be driven in.

Rolls Royce vs Bentley coming right up

I Just Got Married And This Is My Story (Part Two)

I Just Got Married And This Is My Story

(Part Two)

           

Image Source: www.onthewall.com

I was overwhelmed by the number of hotels in Lagos. Every hotel I checked seemed to be lacking something until I checked the next one. In all this, I had written down the criteria for selecting my dream hotel. I wanted a 4-star luxury hotel with fully air conditioned and spacious rooms, a jacuzzi,  TV with satellite reception, swimming pool, a beautiful hallway for pictures, a bar for the guys to hangout, full-length mirrors for my girls to take selfies (winks, we are vain like that), free Wi-Fi internet, just to mention a few.

“You know your guests will be too tired to use all of these”. Tobi, my wedding planner said during one of our many sessions together. “They are only lodging for two nights”, she further added. “I just want my guests to have the best time of their lives during those two days. I want it to be like a perfect getaway from all the hustling and bustling activities of Lagos. Is it too much to ask?” I lamented.

Still, my search for the perfect hotel went on. I was bent on selecting a hotel that had everything on my checklist, and this was quite difficult to find. And the D-day was fast approaching.

One of my last days at work before the D-day, Meg, the VP of the company where I work, approached me to ask if I needed any assistance. ‘I can’t seem to find my dream hotel’, I cried out in frustration. ‘That’s quite funny’, she said. ‘You must be checking the wrong places’, she further added. 

Once again, I went through the ritual of listing the important things I wanted my dream hotel to have. Which was what I had been telling anyone that cared over the past days. “Your description fits Ibis Hotel Ikeja, Meg exclaimed. “You can also check out Apartment Royale in Opebi. My friend lodged there during her honeymoon and she enjoyed her stay” she added.

After much comparison and deliberations, Le Boo and I eventually settled for both hotels.  One for family and friends and the other for the bridal crew. And we got a whooping 50% discount on our hotel reservations. I later learnt from Meg that the company offers amazing discounts to guests from time to time. You can be on the lookout, so you don’t miss out on this type of ‘awoof’.

To say I was happy with the choice we made will be an understatement. I was over the moon. And thanks to Meg, we were able to save 50% of our intended budget on hotel reservations. Awesome, right?