Cape Coral man learns his ‘low mileage’ car has more than 140K miles

At 60 years old, Ray Kijak finally got his dream car: a classic Corvette.

“It’s America’s car. Everybody loves a Corvette,” he said.

Kijak bought the vehicle so he and his wife could cruise around Southwest Florida with the wind in their hair.

“My wife is handicapped and she doesn’t get out that much,” Kijak said.

He bought the car online from Gateway Classic Cars of Tampa. The dealer advertised its mileage as 44,417, calling it turn-key ready. The dealer also put this number on its signed odometer statement.

But when they dropped the car off, Kijak says he knew in his gut, something was wrong. “This is not a 44,000-mile car, there’s something wrong with this.”

And he was right.

While the odometer says it’s around 44,000, it’s the type that rolls over. The sixth column represents tenths of a mile.

The actual mileage is 144,000, something Kijak learned after he ordered a vehicle report. He says he asked the dealer for his $15,000 back.

“The man just laughed at me and hung up. He says, ‘You’ll never get a dime from me!’” Kijak said.

But the story doesn’t end there.

When WINK News called Gateway Classic Cars, they declined an interview and said they’re working on it.

Kijak also filed complaints with both the Florida attorney general’s office and Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. FLHSMV says they are investigating his complaint.

Now, Kijak tells WINK News that FLHSMV told Gateway Classic Cars of Tampa to return his money.

How to prevent this

Before you buy a used car, get a Carfax or Experian vehicle report.

Have a mechanic check it out. The $100 it costs will save you a lot of money if the car’s not right. If the lot won’t let you do this, drive away.