Scott R. Hinkley KD Stable Scammed Ripped Off at KD Stable by Con Artist Scott R. Hinkley ~ Used Car Fraud, Deceptive Mis-advertising Lee, Maine

Beware of being scammed at this business address. I was ripped off here badly when I tried to purchase a used car that was being sold from this property.

I am sorry to say that I became the victim of an elaborate deception which was perpetrated by the owner's son and his friend Scott R. Hinkley recently. They deliberately and drastically mis-advertised the condition of the vehicle in the Craigslist ad, claiming it had a "perfect body" and "all it needs is an ECM, $100.00 from a junk yard". I have posted a scanned image of the Craigslist ad for the vehicle here:

http://www.neonpeon.com/mazda6sad.jpeg

On Sunday 2/22/2013, when I arrived to look at the vehicle, the car had no power and would not start which they lead me to believe was due to a dead ECM. I later found out the ECM was really fine but the battery had been deliberately removed from the vehicle to prevent me from testing the engine. I asked if this was a salvaged vehicle and was falsely assured by Scott that it was not. I was also told that they had just gotten the vehicle inspected in November and on the way home from the inspection station the ECM blew and the car hadn't been running since. I was also told that the original owner had thought the car had a problem with the engine, but after calling the Mazda dealer they had learned it was really the catalytic converters, so they had replaced those for $1,000 each (Scott claimed to have invested nearly $4,000 in the vehicle for repairs), and after all that the car was driving fine until the ECM blew. I was also told that another person had called after me and offered $3,000 for the vehicle, so I'd have to make a decision that day if I wanted to buy it, and I'd have to pay $3,000 instead of the $2,800 I'd been quoted over the phone. They also wanted me to bring all cash (however I paid $1,400 by check and $1,600 by cash).
I decided to take their word for it and to go ahead with the vehicle purchase because they seemed to be running a successful business and owned many beautiful horses which to me conveyed credibility. We then went inside the owner's house to count the money, and the owner's son was inside. I asked him if the car would pass inspection, and the owner's son further advanced the fabricated storyline about the car passing inspection in November, and the ECM dying on the way home from the inspection station. I later realized the car had been driven over 100 miles after the inspection sticker was put on, because the oodometer shows about 100 more miles on it than the inspection sticker lists. On the following Tuesday, when I arrived with a truck and an auto-carrier to pick up the vehicle, neither Scott nor the owner's son is around (although the owner is there). The battery is still missing. Scott calls me shortly after I leave KD Stables to make sure everything went alright. I ask him about the missing battery, and he says the owner's son was just charging it and was supposed to put it back in the car but he forgot, so Scott would make a special trip down later and deliver the battery to me personally. I tow the car over 100 miles to Brownie's Auto Services in Madison, ME. On 03/01/2013, Brownie calls me to inform me I have purchased a "lemon", The engine of the Mazda 6 s is seized up and won't turn over because it's simply locked right up. The timing chain will not turn, and they reported a knocking sound coming from the engine when they try to turn it on which would indicate cracked pistons. They also found metal filings in the oil which means the engine was grinding itself up. Repairing the engine would require new valves, new timing chain, and new gears at the very least which would cost $1,500 and probably the whole engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced which would cost well over $3,000.
    Furthermore, they informed me that vehicle HAS been in an accident, the body is not in perfect condition by any means, the front left quarter panel does not line up with the headlight or bumper, is missing paint, and is being held in place via a shoddy homemade riveting job. The cost of the repairs to fix these problems would already exceed the value of the car, and there could be more things wrong it. In essence, I had been sold a parts car that was badly mis-represented as a vehicle in excellent condition with just a dead ECM which was supposed to be a minor repair. I actually filmed the mechanics showing me what they had found wrong with the car, and the mp4 video files can be downloaded at these locations:

http://www.neonpeon.com/browniemazda6lemon1.mp4
http://www.neonpeon.com/browniemazda6lemon2.mp4

    When I called Scott yesterday to tell him I needed to return the car, he pretended to be ignorant about the problems with the car and refused to refund my money on the grounds that it was sold "as is, sale is final" which was never communicated to me prior to the sale, but was merely written on a receipt he gave me after the sale which I did not sign. My understanding of the laws in this country regarding the sale of used vehicles is that they are all sold "as is" whether it is stated on the receipt or not, but that does not mean you can get away with drastically mis-representing the vehicle in your ad and also in person which constitutes fraud. I next reported what had happened to the owner of the business, and indicated that I intended to pursue a case in small claims court and would also complain about the incident to various reporting agencies if necessary. The owner's response to this was to deny involvement and she told me not to contact her again or she'd consider it harassment. I also received two voice-mail messages from Scott, the first demanding that I retract my previous email message to the owner and apologize or he would "sue me for harassment". Extremely aggravating since I was really just giving the owner the opportunity to resolve the issue before I complained to the authorities.