Speaking on his YouTube channel, Scotty said: “Today I’m going to tell you why you shouldn’t buy a used car without a mechanic checking it out first.

“You might have seen on the news the other day where a lady bought a used car, went on a highway and the wheel fell off. 

“Now anybody can see this car’s got problems, it’s an obvious thing to see but there can be all kinds of hidden things only a mechanic is going to be able to tell you about.

“And by all means don’t buy a used car, jump in it and immediately drive cross country. At least give it a week or two of driving to see what shape it’s in before you go on a long trip.”

Motorists reacting to the video backed Scotty’s ideas but warned that it could be difficult to get an assessment before finalising a deal. 

@rickyparrish8310 said: “Good idea but it’s hard to find a good mechanic that has the time to check it out even if you buy it off of the lot.”

@dannabass commented: “And not even every mechanic [recognises] problems or will tell you about them. And I always get a pre-purchase mechanic inspection.”

However, one YouTube commenter admitted he had previously helped customers save money on potentially dodgy deals.

@GregK-pv5xe explained: “We provided this service free of charge for our customers for years. 

“Saved some of them a lot of money before they bought a money, or helped them negotiate a better deal due to maintenance the vehicle required.”