Jason Scott purchased a $68,000 Maserati SUV from Carvana last November as a birthday gift for his wife. But the car, marketed as a 2021 model, was declared stolen in February after the North Carolina army veteran took it to a Maserati dealership for servicing. It was also established the stolen SUV was not the supposed year model, per ABC11 Raleigh-Durham.
A note from the technician during the servicing stated that the year of the vehicle’s VIN was not the same as its parts. A subsequent investigation later determined the car was actually a 2017 Maserati, and not a 2021 model.
“When they checked the VIN number on the chassis, that’s when they saw that it was a stolen vehicle. VIN on the car on the window and the car door was different,” Scott said, adding that he was questioned by police after they were ultimately contacted.
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Though he did not face any repercussions after proving he purchased the Maserati from Carvana, police impounded the car because it was stolen. Scott then swiftly got in touch with the car dealership.
“She said well, we can’t trade the vehicle back in until you bring the vehicle back,” he said. “I said I can’t bring the vehicle back. I said the police have the vehicle.”
Scott also said he gave Carvana the police report to prove the stolen vehicle was in the possession of law enforcement authorities. He also demanded a refund of the downpayment he made as well as two other payments for the car.
“They wasn’t responding back to anything at all,” he said. But in a statement to ABC11 Raleigh-Durham after the story was aired, Carvana said it was addressing the issue.
“When Carvana acquired this vehicle, someone had taken sophisticated criminal steps to steal and alter the vehicle and we’re taking all the necessary steps to make it right for our customer in this rare instance,” the car dealership said in the statement.
Scott, however, wants Carvana to pay him a $1 million compensation for financial and reputational losses. He also wants the car dealership to render a public apology. Though Carvana did the latter in a letter to Scott’s attorney, the dealership claimed it was unaware the Maserati had been stolen when it was sold to them.
The letter also claimed a company representative informed Scott that the money he had spent on the vehicle purchase would be refunded, adding that he was also offered an additional $1,000. But Scott wants the company to take additional steps to prevent such customer experiences.
“I know they say they have 150-point inspections. I want them to have 151. Check to see if the vehicle is stolen,” he said. “The last thing I want anybody to do is to get caught late at night on some strange road in the backcountry and they can’t verify it and they look at that person as a criminal.”
Carvana is currently being investigated by the North Carolina Attorney General’s office after 130 complaints were filed against the company. However, the Attorney General’s office said they do not know if the complaints involve the sale of stolen cars.
