At some point in life, it’s fairly common to regret buying a car. Maybe it’s out of a lack of due diligence, maybe the car ends up unexpectedly being a lemon, or maybe it just didn’t live up to expectations. Whatever the case, most of us haven’t sought revenge for this sort of remorse, but that doesn’t mean this kind of thing doesn’t happen. This week, one Utah man reportedly decided to take matters into his own hands by crashing his recently-purchased car through the front doors of the dealership that sold it to him, and the incident was caught on camera.
As Fox 13 Now out of Salt Lake City reports, police in Sandy, Utah report that the man in this incident “bought a car from Tim Dahle Mazda Monday morning.” More specifically, it appears to be a 2008 to 2009 Subaru Outback, likely in either 2.5i or 2.5i Limited trim judging by the seven-spoke alloy wheels. Unfortunately, this man wouldn’t turn out to be a happy customer, as the report goes on to state that he “reportedly discovered mechanical issues and went back to the dealership, hoping to return it.” Unfortunately, this was reportedly an as-is sale, so it seems that the customer was out of luck.
In a situation like this, most people would perhaps leave a negative Google review, go to the press, or more likely, accept the risks of buying an as-is car without a pre-purchase inspection to uncover any potential mechanical problems. However, as Fox 13 Now reports, “Police said the man threatened to drive through the dealership’s front door if they wouldn’t give him his money back.” Judging by the video below, and a police statement saying he “did exactly that,” what ended up happening was reportedly deliberate.
Man crashes car into dealership showroom due to overcharge
byu/RedDevil4853 inPublicFreakout
Maybe some parts of the 2000 remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds” aren’t totally unbelievable after all. It’s amazing to hear that nobody was hurt in this incident, especially as the Outback absolutely obliterated the front desk of the showroom, not to mention the doors. Unsurprisingly, law enforcement generally frowns upon this sort of behavior, so Fox 13 Now reports that the man has been charged with felony criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
Understandably, this seems like a shocking thing to happen at a workplace. While dealership employee Aylin Hernandez reportedly wasn’t there at the time of the incident, she told Fox 13 Now:
“What would’ve happened?” she wondered. “Who knows — it could’ve been fatal.”
“He came back but with a rage… Without thinking, he just acted out on rage,” she said.
Violence in the workplace is a rough thing to experience even by proximity, so one can only imagine the emotions experienced by anyone who was present at the time. I’ve reached out to Tim Dahle Mazda Southtown in Sandy, Utah for comment, and will provide an update should I hear more information.
It should be pretty obvious that, if this went down as reported, we aren’t looking at the greatest tree of decision-making here. Crashing a car into a dealership allegedly out of anger and ending up with criminal charges and a damaged car doesn’t appear to be a win. Again, a pre-purchase inspection might have potentially avoided this. Paying a little north of $100 to know if a prospective purchase needs work seems a much better deal than being stuck with a problematic car, or worse, getting arrested.
(Photo credits: Reddit)
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True story: At 19 I was waiting tables at the local Ruby Tuesday when a man drove his car over the curb, over the sidewalk, through the bushes, through the wall and into the smoking section (yes, they still existed at that point). Amazingly, no customers or employees were hit or hurt.
More amazingly, he got out of the car, walked to the hostess stand and asked for a table for two. He and his wife came out to have some ribs. The manager sat them in my section and told me to pretend nothing happened to keep them there until the police showed up. He was an old man and hit the gas in a bout of vertigo and didn’t know his car had entered the building.