[VIDEO] Florida Man Finds Out His Low Mileage 1982 CE Has 100K More Miles Than Advertised

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[VIDEO] Florida Man Finds Out His Low Mileage 1982 CE Has 100K More Miles Than Advertised

File Photo: CorvetteImages.com


“Let the buyer beware” never rang more true than in the case of this Cape Coral, Florida man who finally landed his dream car: a classic C3 Corvette.

“It’s America’s car,” he says. “Everybody loves a Corvette.”

But the dream has quickly turned into a nightmare as Ray Kijak alleges that a well-known Tampa, Florida dealer drastically mispresented his 1982 Corvette Collector Edition coupe in web advertising.

When the car arrived from Gateway Classic Cars – a prominent fixture for years on internet searches for classic vehicles of all makes, Kijak says he had a bad feeling about his new pride and joy immediately. “This is not a 44,000-mile car, there’s something wrong with this,” he told WINK-TV News out of Fort Myers, Florida.

[VIDEO] Florida Man Finds Out His Low Mileage 1982 CE Has 100K More Miles Than Advertised


Indeed, further research through vehicle reports revealed that the odometer on the Corvette had actually rolled over once, so the actual mileage was more like 144,000 – something that Kijak later learned from a vehicle report.

Kijak says the dealership had advertised the car as having 44,417 miles, describing it as “turn-key ready,” and actually confirmed the lower number on its signed odometer statement.

Gateway Classic Cars refused an interview with WINK News but did say they’re working on a resolution.

[VIDEO] Florida Man Finds Out His Low Mileage 1982 CE Has 100K More Miles Than Advertised


Kijak says when he found out about the false mileage, he asked the dealership to refund the $15,000 he had paid for the car. “The man just laughed at me and hung up. He says, ‘You’ll never get a dime from me!'” Kijak told WINK.

That remains to be seen because the case is being investigated by the Florida attorney general’s office and Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles after Kijak filed complaints with both agencies.

Kijak told WINK that FLHSMV has told Gateway to refund the money.

This case can be a lesson to all of us who have ever considered buying a classic car online, without seeing the vehicle in person. Do your homework first, be sure to ask for or purchase a Carfax or AutoCheck report on the car, and pay a few bucks to have a competent mechanic check out the car, too.


Source:
winknews.com

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16 COMMENTS

  1. Anyone who knows odometer function can clearly see that the 2nd and 3rd “4” are clearly off one or two cogs on the odometer gears. All such odometers have a tamper proof metal strip that locks all the gears in their proper place. If the odo is serviced for any reason, the metal tamper proof metal strip must be reinstalled properly to lock and align the gears so the numbers align as mileage is accumulated. As miles roll on the odometer all but the two digits on the right should all line up on the same plane. This is a red flag to any potential buyer to do their due diligence on the history of the vehicle. An odometer expert could inspect the odo and determine if the odo was previously “serviced”

  2. You can tell just by examining the car and driving it that it doesn’t have 44,000 miles on it. A car with nearly 200,000 miles on it does not feel as tight or as solid as a car with 44,000 miles on it regardless of age. It’s a shame that we live in such a dishonest society today.

  3. Quite sure I could tell if a car had 100K more miles than the odometer shows (if I drove it). Of course if you buy site unseen, you need to expect the worse and hope for the best. Good luck to this buyer and I hope the authorities hang the crooked dealer.

  4. I have a friend who used to be a federal prosecutor. He put a couple of dealers in prison for misstating mileages on cars. This is federal. I’d call the FBI!

    Sorry this happened to you. Good luck!

  5. The ad says purchase a Carfax for Auto check. These are not available on vehicles of this age. Looks to me like an advertisement for auto check or carfax. Any classic car purchaser that has half a brain will know how to do the research to verify what they’re paying for is actually what they’re getting.

  6. Site unseen car purchases are never a good idea
    Always drive a collector car before you buy it regardless of who it is being purchased from
    Consumers drive new cars everyday to make a decision You should have done the same However you just got a lot smarter with this horrific experience

  7. This is still a beautiful automobile. I recently purchased a 1981 Corvette that when I went to pick it up it had been in an accident and the previous owner had been taken for a ride, pun intended. I am now in the process of rebuilding everything. Again it’s a shame what happened however love the car it’s not just an object.

  8. Not very good advertisement for this so called dealer. You have to check cars out very closely. Still a cool car, always liked the body work on the 81 n 82s. Just need a better engine, drop a LS in that bad boy, sorry that happened to the man.

  9. Maybe the dealer didn’t know, also if the car is over 10 years old the odometer is basically null and void. Only thing you have to be honest with on a used car is whether it’s a rebuilt/salvage title. Can’t sue for anything on a used car other than lying about the state of the title. Hard to prove in court whether or not said person knew the actual mileage or not.

  10. Buyer beware but 144k on a 40 years old car is not bad. But maybe it is 244k when you buy sight unseen always be sure you have a return clause. Usually the cost of shipping back is up to buyer

  11. @Peter Cook
    “The ad says purchase a Carfax for Auto check. These are not available on vehicles of this age.”

    Yes it is available for cars after 1981. That was the first year they went to the uniform 17-character VINs.

  12. It’s so easy to disconnect a 5 digit speedo. Hello 5 digit!!??? I love it when my customers come show me their new ( low mileage ) muscle car. Look only 32k since 1969, and I ask did you get paperwork to verify the mileage, then you see the light bulb come on. Toooooo late that’s an as is sale. Numbers matching !!!! Did you pay to have someone verify that , no the owner told me, ohhhh booy.

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