A man messaged me last month. About 3 weeks after buying his Harrier from a bond in Makindye, He realized the gearbox was faulty and it kept slipping on hills and he wanted to know if I could help him get rid of it so he could top up and we import him a new car instead.
In our discussion, I asked him one question. Did you get to test drive this car before you paid and how long was it? He said yes and that the test drive lasted about 5 minutes around the bond on tarmac entirely and slowly since traffic was heavy. He also mentioned that the car was already running when he got there.
And that is the exact moment he lost his money through a game well played by the seller. This guy had already warmed up the engine, so the buyer could never hear how it starts cold. He made sure he kept him on a smooth road and in traffic, so the suspension had nothing to show. He never went past 30km/hr, so the gearbox never had to work so much to show any signs of failure. And there was no hill anywhere on that route, which is exactly where a faulty gearbox struggles and gives itself away.
So this is what I told him to always do when test driving next time, and what I am telling you now in case you are considering buying a locally used car or one from a friend.
Make sure to get to the car before the seller starts the engine and start it cold yourself. Most sellers warm the engine before you arrive, because a warm engine hides hard starting, cold knocks and startup smoke.
Drive it on a bad road with your window down and the radio off and just listen for knocks over bumps, a clunk when you turn the wheel and a rattle that follows you. Let the suspension talk to you.
Take it past 80km/hr on an open road, because plenty of faults stay asleep below that.
Then take it up a hill and back down again. Up is where the gearbox tells the truth. Down is where the brakes do. Flat tarmac at 30km/hr will never tell you any of this.
20 minutes covers all four. Any seller who will not allow you at least 20 minutes to test drive has already told you why!
What did your car only reveal after you had already paid?