It’s Not A Test Drive If You Don’t Ever Bring The Car Back

You’re cruising along, enjoying the sights from the driver’s seat of your new-top-you set of wheels, and everything is just perfect. Except that it’s not exactly your set of wheels if you just drive a vehicle off the dealership lot for a test drive and don’t bring it back. That’s exactly the scenario that got one 67-year-old man in Florida arrested.

The Ocala Star-Banner says a car dealership called the police when the man took out a 1997 red Ford F-250 pickup truck for what the salesman said was a test drive, and just failed to you know, return the truck afterward.

According the dealership, the guy handed over his phone number (bogus) and a copy of his driver’s license (which listed a vacant home as his address), and was handed the keys to the truck. He drove off, and was never seen again.

Just kidding — the employee followed him from a distances while the man drove all over the county, but then he lost sight of him. The man was reportedly away for three hours, as he’d apparently headed to work with the truck doing some odd jobs. The cops caught up to him after a while and arrested him.

He reportedly told cops he had taken the truck for work and was going to return it later. The man did admit that he maybe kinda sorta kept the truck longer than he should have, but that he told the salesman he’d be gone for a while.

“I wasn’t out to steal any truck. It’s a honest misunderstanding,” he said.

Despite that, he was charged with grand theft auto and violation of domestic violence injunction for protection after calling his ex-wife to come pick up the stuff he had in the truck

Man arrested after being away too long on ‘test drive’ [Ocala Star-Banner]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.