Complaint Review: Ideal Classic Cars LLC

I purchased a 1965 Corvette from Ideal Classic Cars LLC in August 2018, based on conversations over three days with sales manager Kermit Watkins and Les Curtner. My first and absolute requirement was a "No Hit Car", specifically a Corvette with all bonding seams intact. I was assured by Les Curtner that this car had never been wrecked.

Les told me he checked, and the bonding seams were in original condition. Kermit Watkins claimed that Les was a Corvette expert and had decades of experience at a Chevrolet dealership. Kermit also said the car was owned by the last owner for forty three years, and that that person had told him the car was never wrecked. But, the car was eight years old when that person bought it.

Kermit Watkins never inspected the car and his adamant claim that the car was never wrecked is hearsay. Within two minutes of the delivery driver pulling this Corvette into my shop, I found that the car had been in a collision. The right front bonding seal had an unprofessional repair that was so crude it would be obvious to anyone that checked it.

The front end had been replaced at sometime with crude seams and sloppily applied fiberglass and bondo. I returned the car to Ideal Classic Cars LLC as soon as possible, with detailed information so as to prove to Michael Lombardo that the car had been wrecked. The car is not what I insisted upon, and is Not As Described by Kermit Watkins and Les Curtner.

Ideal Classic Cars LLC charged me $14,349 to return a car that was highly misrepresented. But, after I sent the car back, to prove it had indeed it was not what they told me it was, Ideal Classic Cars LLC cut off communication with me, never responding to my various ways of communication. I tried Priority Mail requiring Michael Lombardo's, or his representative, signature, e-mail, phone, and owner Michael Lombardo by Linkedin.

MR. LOMBARDO never responded by any means. There were numerous other issues with the car also. On their website they describe the car as "Ready To Go", but it was leaking engine oil and power steering fluid badly.. There was a bare hot wire hanging under the dash, no air blowing out the drivers side AC and defroster vents. Windshield wipers were out of time and slapping each other, the supposed original jack ($700) was actually a modern, red, $10 jack.

Les claimed that there were a few chips in the paint, but no cracks. Turns out there many poorly touched up chips and stress cracks on both the headlight buckets, likely due to the improper collision repair. Bottom line is, I Was Ripped Off and Ideal Classic Cars LLC and Michael Lombardo should make this right and not charge me for their failing to meet their MISSION STATEMENT.