zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
An Iowa Mechanic Has to Pay $7.2 Million After Allegedly Scamming Repairs on Classic Cars
An Iowa Mechanic Has to Pay $7.2 Million After Allegedly Scamming Repairs on Classic Cars-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:00

1967 Maserati Ghibli

Looks like you can’t trust all mechanics. Especially when you’re the millionaire . The reports that an Iowa mechanic has been ordered to pay over $7 million after he scammed the former CEO of Angie’s List on both repairs and classic car purchases.

The scamming began way back in 2010. Craig Hillinger was the owner of Healey Werks Corp. in Lawton, Iowa. Former Angie’s List CEO Bill Oesterle took his 1967 Maserati Ghibli to the shop for restoration. According to the suit, Hillinger quoted Oesterle a timetable of one to two years to complete the work for a price tag of “no more than $200,000.” Except that’s not what happened. Four years later, Hillinger hit Oesterle with a $1 million invoice.

Hillinger’s grift didn’t stop there. He would also do more work than was asked on cars that Oesterle brought to him. He would do complete restorations on cars that Oesterle only wanted a bit of work done to and then hit him with a big repair bill — bills that included costs for repairs that were never finished or parts that weren’t needed.

Even with all of this, Hillinger was still somehow able to convince Oesterle to help him purchase a classic car.

In one instance, Hillinger convinced Oesterle to go in on a purchase with him of an Austin-Healey 100M sports car. Hillinger told Oesterle, who gave $50,000 for the car, that it was a coveted factory model but needed some assembly, according to the complaint. It stayed with Hillinger until 2021.

When Oesterle finally received the vehicle, he “discovered that the 100M was not a factory 100M as Hillinger had promised,” the lawsuit states.

“Hillinger told Bill the 100M would cost approximately $10,000 to assemble and sent Bill an invoice for over $130,000.00,” according to the complaint. “The 100M was never assembled.”

The identification mishap “will cause Bill to lose an enormous amount of money.”

Now Hillinger has to pay up. Iowa 3rd district superior court Judge James Daane ordered Hillinger to pay Oesterle $2.4 million in damages. But the damages, which were then tripled because of Iowa motor vehicle laws due to the “willful and wanton disregard” for Oesterle’s rights. Hillinger also has to cover Oesterle’s legal fees.

Oesterle, who also sufferers from ALS, said that maintaining and restoring classic cars can be a process because you don't know who you can trust. “Often that means you have to trust people across the country, or even the world, to deliver on what they say they have and what they can do. I would hate to know other collectors have been treated this way.”

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 4, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 4, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 4, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 4, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 4, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 4, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved