I bought a car from Facebook marketplace and even took it for a test drive – but a hidden issue cost me over £3,500
A DRIVER has urged car buyers to be mindful of hidden faults when picking up a second-hand motor – after they bought a Jeep laden with problems from Facebook Marketplace.
Tim Denford, from Queensland, Australia, picked up a 2015 Jeep Cherokee for $9,600 – roughly, £5,000 – on the social media platform back in August.
But the 59-year-old later found a pretty major issue with the motor that urgently needed to be repaired for the sum of £3,500.
Speaking to Yahoo Finance, he revealed that soon after purchasing the vehicle, he discovered the four-wheel drive system on the SUV wasn’t engaging and took it to a mechanic, who gave him the bad news and the expensive bill.
That’s all despite test driving the motor and giving it a thorough check before handing over his cash to the seller.
Tim said: “That is one thing I did not check as I was driving the car when I did a test drive.
“I should have stopped somewhere and put it into the four-wheel drive.”
Upon purchasing the Jeep, Tim was told that it needed some work on the front cross arms, which would cost around £600.
It was also mentioned that the Jeep had a bearing sound when driving off.
However, Tim said he understood and was grateful to know about both issues beforehand.
He was even able to negotiate the initial price down by £1,200, although that saving was moot after he received the repair bill.
Other issues with the Jeep slowly began to surface as well.
The bearing noise, for example, turned out to be an issue with the car’s differential.
This meant that the motor’s computer wasn’t properly communicating with the differential – meaning a replacement needed to be ordered from the US.
That part took two months to arrive, meaning the Jeep remained parked up in the garage.
Tim has now warned buyers of making hasty decisions when looking at used motors – especially on online marketplaces.
Tim said: “It looked and smelled good and I bought it emotionally.
“I didn’t go all the way in checking out the things that I should have checked out.”
This comes as road users across the UK have been urged to pick up a £13 Amazon gadget to heat their cars this winter and save hundreds on fuel.
The nifty device can also be used to solve an irritating winter issue and refresh your motor’s cabin.