In the year 2019, one of my close friends called me and informed me that he wanted to buy a car. By then, I did not have contacts of reliable car dealers and as such, could not offer assistance to him. My friend went ahead and bought a vehicle that was recommended to him by a “trusted broker.” It was a silver Toyota Belta that was on “quick sale,” and one of the many words used to describe it was the phrase “accident-free.”
The price was also relatively low compared to other similar units. He thought that it was a great deal, which in Swahili is described as “kuangukia.” Long story short, we later found out that the vehicle had been involved in a nasty road accident. His mechanic was the one who noted this after a series of repairs. To add salt to the injury, months later, photos of the accident in which the vehicle was involved surfaced on social media, where a survivor was reminiscing about their harrowing experience. The worse part is that the seller and the “trusted broker” knew for sure that the vehicle was once a write-off.
I have seen my cousin sell several cars, and more often than not, he has received offers way below the market price. This is especially done by unscrupulous middlemen (brokers) who wish to make a quick buck by either trashing the car or stating that there was a similar model “better and more advanced than his” that was being offered to them at a lower price. In fact, many times, the brokers have tried to imply that they are doing him a favor by considering his car.
What if I authoritatively told you that you could easily put an end to this kind of shenanigans? How? Hear me out! Allow me to introduce you to a plug who will gladly hold your hand and guide you through the process of buying and selling a car. A dealer who is less concerned with car buying and selling and more concerned with customer relations. Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys, and Girls let me introduce to you, (drum roll) Peach Cars.
Peach Cars is a company that started its operations in November 2020 with the intention of building a solution for those looking to buy and sell vehicles—complete information on vehicles, quick, secure, and hassle-free transactions. They are located along James Gichuru Road, in Lavington.
For a minute, close your eyes and imagine buying a car that has undergone a complete inspection. Oh, did I mention a 225-point inspection? Yes, you read that right. Two hundred and twenty-five! The inspection is done by expert mechanics who have had many years of experience at institutions such as Toyota. The whole process is then localized to adapt to the Kenyan setup. Okay, I see I’m going too fast. Let me break it down. You are buying a car that has undergone a complete ODB inspection, a test drive for about 30 minutes on a road where the car will achieve up to speeds of 80 km/hr, and a complete underbelly check.
That’s not all. The chassis number is then run through an international database, where the mileage of the car is verified. You thought I was done? Wrong! As the buyer, you will be informed if the vehicle has ever been involved in an accident and even get to know the affected parts. In such cases, as a prospective buyer, you are given price estimates for any necessary repairs. All these things are then captured in a report generated by their software, and as the buyer, you will be assisted in interpreting the report.
To top it all, as a buyer, if you need a certain make and model that they do not have in stock, they will gladly source the specific vehicle that you need within five (5) business days. Again, if you are a buyer who has not decided or settled on the specific car model that you want, they will guide you through this and give you the best options depending on your preferences and needs.
You may be asking yourself, ” So as a seller, what do they have for me?” Worry no more! If you are selling your car, they have various options depending on your preference. First, they will conduct a complete inspection of the car as detailed above for a small fee, and then have a candid discussion with you on the pricing. Once you agree, you, as the seller, will then choose one of their two packages.
The first package is known as the website package. In this case, the seller will have his or her car listed on peachcars.co.ke but still keep the car. Once it is listed, Peach Cars will market the car online and the seller will receive weekly communication on the number of scheduled viewings and offers. Peach Cars will conduct viewings and negotiations on behalf of the seller.
The second package is the Comprehensive Package. In this package, the main benefit derived by a seller over the website package is that the car is actively marketed, both online and offline in car events, car bazaars, activations, car exhibitions, and other such events. The seller leaves the car with Peach Cars, who then places it in their yard and also posts it on their website. Also, the car is cleaned at the expense of Peach cars. Ultimately, the seller gets great marketing value for their car as compared to the website package.
In both instances, viewing and negotiation with regard to the sale of the vehicle are done by Peach Cars. Where the vehicle is successfully sold via Peach Cars, the seller will just pay a 2.5% success fee on the final sale price. Assuming you say your final price is Kenya Shillings 500,000/- as a seller and Peach Cars sell your car for Kenya Shillings 530,000/-, the 2.5% commission is charged on the 500,000 prices.
As a buyer or seller, you can rest assured that your interests are safeguarded. How you may ask? Peach Cars have an escrow account where money paid out by a buyer is held until the seller surrenders the car, key, and logbook and the transfer process is done. Once the process is complete, the money is then transmitted to the seller. This prevents cases of fraud and gives both parties peace of mind.
Dear buyers, you may want to buy a car that you have identified at Peach Cars but you do not have the full amount. Again, worry not, Peach Cars got you. Peach Cars are working in collaboration with some financiers in Kenya namely: HAKKI Car Finance, Cooperative Bank, NCBA Bank, and MOGO Kenya. Presently, they are working to bring in more financiers to their fold. To all those who aspire to own cars to be used as Cabs under Uber, Bolt, and other online cab-hailing apps, Peach Cars have you in mind. Working together with HAKKI Car Finance, Peach Cars have a package for cab drivers where HAKKI will finance you to get a car from Peach Cars subject to certain terms and conditions.
Aside from holding your hand through the process of buying and selling cars, Peach Cars also do vehicle maintenance. Currently, they provide services ranging from minor to heavy-duty work. Once you take your car to them for repairs, they first start by doing a comprehensive intake inspection to determine the stated problem. The client is given a full report of the inspection, and it is up to them to choose what they need to have fixed.
Peach Cars will inspect the vehicle again after it has been repaired, to ensure that all of the issues that the client chose to fix have been addressed. When your vehicle is in their care for maintenance or repair, you are given daily updates on what has been done and what will be done the next day. Prior to taking in your vehicle, they will give you a timeline of when the repairs are expected to have been done. However, presently, they are only able to take in about 2–3 cars per day, but they are working on accommodating more.
Peach Cars also accept trade-ins. If you walk into their yard and identify a car that you want, your vehicle will be thoroughly inspected and valued. Once it passes the inspection process, you will now have a discussion on the top-up price. Please note that trade-ins are addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Maybe you have identified a car that you want that is not being sold by Peach Cars, but you would like to have a mechanical report on the car. Remember the inspection process that we talked about? Peach Cars offer inspection services to members of the public for a small fee.
For any questions or inquiries, you can reach Peach Cars by phone by calling 0715004488 or email at contact@peachcars.co.ke
You can also visit their car yard located along James Gichuru Road, Lavington, next to Ebru TV.
Young Lawyer with a passion for vehicles.
Upcoming Motor Journalist.
L'écriture est ma passion.
Nissan Patrol Y 62 is the goal.
www.karimi.co.ke
karimi@spaceyamagari.com
Excellent beat !
Great article, totally what I wanted to find.