A classic car dealership in San Diego, California has been sued by multiple customers for collectively almost $12 million. While many are shocked by the revelation, the details of what people who consigned vehicles have experienced sound all too familiar to us.
Family purchases a stolen car from a dealership.
A report from local news station NBC 7 digs into the problem after one of the victims, an elderly man who consigned his beloved Porsche 911, reached out. He needed the money from the classic car to pay for medical treatments for his wife. Instead, he claims to have been given the runaround and ultimately blown off.
We see this too much and it gives the industry a bad reputation. Dealers will take valuable classic or collectable cars on consignment, often from people who live in another state. At the time, the dealership will promise prompt payment once the vehicle sells, essentially promising the total amount will be high.
Then the owner hears nothing or next to nothing and is left wondering what’s going on for months on end. Oftentimes, the owner has already signed the vehicle title over to the dealership, which sells the car, pockets the cash, then avoids talking to the customer so no money has to be handed over.
On the flip side, just like in this story, buyers also get jerked around as they pay for a car and it’s never delivered. It really makes you wonder what’s going on.
It could be the dealership has cashflow problems or that the owner is a straight-up scam artist – we’ve seen all kinds of situations. But the fact still remains that the rightful owner of the vehicle is left with little to no cash and no solution.
This is why we highly recommend doing thorough research before consigning a car with a dealership. Some are great, wonderfully professional, and they pay out quickly after a vehicle sells. But others are horrific, leaving people without their ride or the cash.
Image via NBC 7 San Diego/YouTube
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