A man in Florida is suing a dealer because it was never disclosed that the vehicle he bought at auction had prior damage. Sounds like stereotypical trickery, right? But this ain’t no Hyundai—it’s a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition. And, if the type of car makes the story more interesting, that’s not even the half of it.
Robert Guarini bought a Heritage Edition 2006 Ford GT for $704,000 at an auction in 2022. If I were going to buy a GT, this would be it. Gulf Motorsports colors are awesome and anything that’s a nod towards a winning race car can’t be half bad. I’m not sure I’d spend that amount on any car but, hey, if you can swing it, whatever lifts up your skirt, right?
But then tragedy struck. Within weeks, Guarini crashed his GT. According to Road & Track, he told police he left his development and lost control after downshifting, with a palm tree getting in his way. He admitted he was unfamiliar with driving a manual-transmission car. After the accident, he hitched a ride with a neighborhood security worker so he could get his phone, which he used to call authorities.
Guarini told Road & Track in an interview that old tires, muddy pavement, and a fresh detailing were factors in the accident. He also admitted he had upshifted, not downshifted as previously reported. “I don’t want people to think I was racing at 90 mph. I was going 35 mph.”
Now, two years later, Guarini has launched a lawsuit against the dealer who sold the car through the auction. In March, Bourak Auto Sales, Inc. and Robert Guarini filed suit against Tim Quocksister and Silver Arrow Cars, Ltd. The plaintiffs allege that when the GT was taken to be repaired, it was discovered there was damage from the prior owner that went undisclosed. In addition to punitive damages, the plaintiffs are suing for the difference in value between the price paid and the market value of a GT with previous damage.
It gets even more interesting as the plaintiffs allege the previous accident was in Brazil, with the owner shipping the GT to Detroit to have it fixed. Then the car was sold to a dealer in Tampa, with the repairs disclosed to the buyer both verbally and in writing. What comes next is a bit difficult to sift through, so forgive us if we (unofficial) legal scholars get this wrong: The GT was sold to the Tampa dealer, then an Arizona dealer, and finally Silver Arrow on the same day. Silver Arrow at once consigned the GT to the auction, which just so happens to require the disclosure of prior damage on the pre-consignment form used for registration.
According to the Justia website, the last update for the case was on May 3, 2024, with the case not yet headed to court.
It’s easy to laugh at viral moments and accuse the owner of having more money than brains, but the net result is a can of worms that no one should have to deal with no matter their tax bracket.
