A Leeper couple said they got a raw deal when they bought multiple vehicles through the recent Clarion County surplus sale.
“We bought seven vehicles — six buses and one Chevrolet Equinox — for $44,800,” said Scott Price, who with his wife, Pamela, purchased the vehicles. “We’ve bought hundreds of vehicles from municipalities all across the United States. Usually, when we buy from a municipality, we can trust the seller.”
The Prices, who intend to make Clarion County their permanent home after recently moving to the area from Florida, buy surplus and used vehicles, refurbish them and then resell the vehicles.
Mileage of the vehicles, the Prices said, turned out to be higher than what they said the paperwork indicated.
“One of the buses was represented as having 111,000 miles, and it turns out it has 123,000 miles,” Scott Price said. “Another was over by 800. The Equinox was represented as having 90,000 miles, and it has 102,000 miles on it.”
In addition, he said, the titles were transferred with incorrect mileage.
“Another vehicle was represented as ‘drivable,’” Pamela Scott said. “It wouldn’t start. It had to be towed.”
Scott Price said the Equinox was represented as a vehicle used by the District Attorney’s Office, but it turned out to be an impounded vehicle.
“It was represented as drivable, but when I went to pick it up, the dashboard lit up with error codes,” he said. “I got it home, but the power steering was out and the engine would only run in reduced’ mode.”
“We’re not trying to ruffle any feathers,” Scott Price said, “but it’s hard to believe the county didn’t know about these problems.”
According to Pamela Price, the couple received “a sort-of apology, but it seemed insincere. We don’t want other people to get burned.”
Clarion County Administrator Jillian Fischer, in an email response to the Clarion News’ questions about the vehicles, said the county is looking into the allegations.
“If the county did do something wrong, we will work to find a resolution; however, at this point we are still investigating,” Fischer wrote.