Entrepreneur laments deception after spending ₦45m on faulty Mercedes-Benz

An entrepreneur has recounted a painful experience after allegedly being deceived in a ₦45 million purchase of a Mercedes-Benz A220.

The businesswoman, identified as @midrizzy1 on X (formerly Twitter), shared that she initially kept the luxury car purchase a secret from her family and friends, hoping to surprise them.

According to her, she contacted an acquaintance who provided photos of available vehicles, after which she proceeded with the purchase. However, barely a month later, the car began overheating, prompting further inspection.

Subsequent checks reportedly uncovered severe engine problems. She said she spent an additional ₦10 million on repairs, only to discover through a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) scan that the car had been imported from Canada and likely had pre-existing damage before shipment.

She explained that the scan suggested the vehicle may have been flood-damaged, significantly reducing its resale value and making it difficult to find buyers.

“After the repairs, I went back to the same buyers to let them know the car was now in good condition. That’s when they scanned the VIN and discovered it was a Canada car likely flood-damaged before import. At that point, it became clear that almost nobody would want to touch it. That was when I realized I had been deceived from the very beginning,” she wrote.

Eventually, she said she sold the car for ₦5 million in Lagos, suffering a major financial loss, before purchasing another Mercedes-Benz A220 from a different dealer.

Her story has since sparked conversations online about the risks of buying imported vehicles without thorough background checks.