N'djamena - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
SUV, or something similar. Useful to have a rigged vehicle with high clearance, if you want to travel on rough roads in the countryside. (Around N’Djamena, a sedan is fine.) - Feb 2023
Toyotas are great, since parts are easy to find, but most non-luxury cars will do fine. It's not terrible if your car is already banged up, since fender benders are common. Body work for vehicles is very affordable compared to the US. - Aug 2020
The only local dealer is Toyota. 90% of all cars on the road are Toyota. Many of the roads in N'Djamena have been paved over the past couple of years so a 4WD is not the necessity that it once was, but it's still a nice-to-have. - Apr 2014
A 4x4 with a lot of ground clearance. Roads are a luxury here and even in the city, many streets are impassable during the rainy season. The dry season is a little better, but the dust chokes most cars to death. Bring a Japanese car. (Toyota is the best, followed by Nissan.) There is a Renault and Peugeot dealer here, but who wants to buy a French car? American cars would have to bring all their spare parts with them because they are not available here. All cars should have an extra one of everything, because you'll pay 5 times what you would in the States for an inner tube here. - Nov 2006
