Army Veteran Buys $68k Maserati For His Wife From Carvana And Later Learns It's Stolen

Mar. 26, 2023 4:28 PM ET byJay Traugott Offbeat /10 Comments

The drama doesn't end there.

A North Carolina Army veteran recently discovered that the $68,000Maserati Levantehe bought used from aCarvanastore turned out to be stolen. According toWTVD Raleigh-Durham, Jason Scott purchased the 2017 Maserati as a birthday gift for his wife. The couple drove the luxury SUV for a few months without incident, and then they brought it to a local Maserati dealer for service. That's when the trouble began.

The dealer discovered that the VIN on the vehicle, door, and window didn't match. It was then fully clear that it had been stolen and Carvana didn't realize it despite having a 150-point inspection procedure in place. "It was exciting for it to be coming down the hill, waiting for it outside, everything was fine," Scott told WTVD, but once mechanics inspected the Levante, "that's when they found out that the vehicle was stolen." He also found out it was a 2017 model, not a 2021 as Carvana advertised.

Police had no choice but to immediately impound the vehicle.

2017-20200 Maserati Levante Front Angle View

2017-20200 Maserati Levante Rear View Driving

2022-2023 Maserati Levante Side View Driving

Scott himself was questioned by police but he was able to provide proof that he bought the vehicle from Carvana. That's when he turned his attention to Carvana, and that's where things got even more complicated. The used car dealer told him it "can't trade the vehicle back in until you bring the vehicle back. I said I can't bring the vehicle back. I said the police have the vehicle," Scott said.

He then provided Carvana with the police report and clarified that since the vehicle had been impounded, there was nothing he could do. He then demanded for his down payment and monthly payments be fully refunded. Scott also hired a lawyer and is also seeking $1 million in compensation for financial and reputational losses and, of course, an apology.

2017-20200 Maserati Levante Central Console

2017-20200 Maserati Levante Rear Passenger Seats

The news outlet confirmed that Carvana did reach out to Scott's lawyer and denied it had any prior knowledge that the vehicle had been stolen before he bought it, and apologized. Carvana said a customer service representative is working with Scott to either refund his money or use those funds towards the purchase of another vehicle. Additionally, he was given $1,000 to use however he wants. For Scott, that's still not good enough.

"I know they say they have 150-point inspections. I want them to have 151. Check to see if the vehicle is stolen. 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," he said.

Carvana has had issues in other statesover the past several months regarding failing to deliver titles and even selling vehicles without state inspections.