zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Northwest Arkansas Dealership Loses Lawsuit, Has to Pay Ferrari Buyer $5.8 Million in Damages
Northwest Arkansas Dealership Loses Lawsuit, Has to Pay Ferrari Buyer $5.8 Million in Damages-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:45

A Mercedes-Benz dealership in Northwest Arkansas has been ordered to pay Virginian Ferrari buyer Hamid Adeli $5 million due to selling him a car they’d claimed passed their pre-sale inspection, only to find out that it was plagued with a slew of ”undisclosed issues.” Yikes.

That’s a hell of a lot of money, and this case has been plagued with plenty of scandal from start to finish. In 2016, Adeli purchased a used 2007 Ferrari F430 for $90,000, reports. The deal was conducted without Adeli actually visiting the dealership. Everything was done via phone call, text message, or video chats with the dealership. After clearing an inspection at a Ferrari dealership in Texas, the Northwest Arkansas based dealership shipped the car to another dealership closer to Adeli.

Almost as soon as he started his drive home, Adeli reported smelling gas—a smell that grew worse as the car sat in his garage overnight. He had it towed to Competizione Sports Cars of Maryland to be inspected a second time by a local Ferrari mechanic. The diagnosis? A leaky fuel pump, suspension problems, and a cracked manifold. Those “undisclosed issues” mentioned earlier.

The owners of that Mercedes-Benz dealership in Arkansas, Superior Automotive Group, refused to compensate Adeli for those issues. According to Superior, they’d done nothing wrong. Adeli agreed to buy the car as-is, and the car cleared their pre-sale inspection. Beyond that point, it was in Adeli’s hands. Adeli felt that he should have been told about every possible issue with the car.

So, Adeli did the only thing he could do. He sued them for a breach of warranty, fraud, and deceptive trade practices. And the jury ruled in his favor.

Apparently, that Texas inspection did turn something up. The main point of contention in the suit focused on exhaust manifold issues that had been noted but not worked on. Mercedes-Benz of Northwest Arkansas argued that they’d noted it as a potential future issue, but nothing warranting immediate attention.

Adeli won the case and received $6,835 in compensatory damages, $13,366 in incidental damages and $5.8 million in punitive damages. That seems like a hell of a lot of money, even if they did knowingly sell Adeli a messed up car.

Unsurprisingly, the dealership had some qualms with that. They argued that the verdict was “out of touch with precedent and constitutional law.” They’re still hoping to get the full settlement reduced to $27,340, but their appeal has yet to be heard.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Nov 2, 2024
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Nov 2, 2024
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Nov 2, 2024
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Nov 2, 2024
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Nov 2, 2024
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Nov 2, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved