Later, he picked up a friend and continued the course of dangerous driving.
Mackechnie drifted across the centre line in Church St.
The defendant was seen ''fidgeting'' with the bottom of the steering wheel rather than concentrating on the road, the court heard.
As a result, Mackechnie drove through a stop sign and into another car.
Police discovered afterwards he was on a learner licence.
Mackechnie told them he had bought the Honda two days earlier and the brakes had failed, which was not his fault.
The bulk of Mackechnie's offending though came from his activity on social media site Facebook between January and June.
He first advertised a Samsung cellphone for sale on the platform for $250.
The buyer transferred money into the defendant's account and there was an agreement the item would be sent by track-and-trace courier.
Once Mackechnie received the funds, he blocked the victim on Facebook.
The formula was simple and effective, so he repeated it.
From February 10, Mackechnie employed his fraudulent tactic three times in five days, making $875.
Later the defendant became more cautious, using pseudonyms - ''Hannah Kingi'' and ''Jade Smith'' - rather than his own account.
But the bank details were his and inevitably led police to his door.
Defence counsel Marie Taylor-Cyphers said her client had a history of violence, rather than dishonesty.
She told the court Mackechnie had grown up in a family ''steeped in crime'' but was adamant he had broken away from that lifestyle.
He now had a full-time job as a gardener and wanted to pay back the people he had ripped off.
Judge Kevin Phillips obliged, making a reparation order for more than $3000.
He also imposed four months' community detention, 12 months' intensive supervision, 150 hours' community work.
Mackechnie was banned from driving for nine months.
