Joy Ride Didn’T Hurt Dream Car, Mechanics Testify

FROM FOR THE RECORD (Saturday, January 9, 1999): Correction Report incorrect: An attorney for the Appleway Group said the auto dealership does not know who illegally took a customer’s sports car from its Valley store in 1996. The attorney’s comments were incorrectly reported in a Friday story.

Two Spokane mechanics said in court Thursday they found no major problems with a high-priced sports car after someone took it on an unauthorized 1,638-mile joy ride.

The testimony from the two men is key to the defense for the Appleway Group, a Spokane Valley auto dealer accused of damaging Randy Buell’s 1993 Mazda RX7.

Buell, of Spangle, sued Appleway and is seeking about $17,000 in damages.

The dealership concedes an unknown employee from its service shop took the Mazda without permission in 1996, driving it for several days and 1,638 miles.

Superior Court Judge Sam Cozza has already ruled that Appleway is liable for some damages.

Buell claims the illegal joy ride caused structural damage that makes the high-speed touring car unsafe.

Appleway accuses Buell of exaggerating the damages. Attorney Pat Shine said Buell deserves far less than $5,000.

On Thursday, Appleway’s chief Mazda mechanic said he drove the car the day before Buell picked it up.

“It drove as good as it ever did,” Todd Gibson said.

The mechanic said he found nothing “that would stand out” when he got inside the car several times before Buell picked it up from the dealership.

Buell and another witness testified earlier this week that the car’s interior reeked of cigarette smoke and ashes.

Buell said he found numerous problems with the car’s appearance and performance, including small cracks in the brakes, worn tires, an unsafe suspension and transmission.

Mechanic Colyn Davies said he drove the Mazda about two years after the incident and found nothing seriously wrong.

Davies is a master technician with Foothills Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda. He was hired last year by Appleway to examine the car after Buell filed his suit.

Buell said he has kept the $25,500 car on blocks inside a garage for most of the two years since it was taken from the shop. He testified the Mazda was his dream car and that he refused to allow food, drinks or cigarettes inside.

After the car was returned, Buell said he found numerous hairline heat cracks in the brakes. But Davies said Thursday he found none during his inspection last summer.

Buell also testified the brakes were discolored from the stress of high-speed braking.

“The only color on those brakes was rust marks around the rotor,” Davies countered.

After driving the car, Davies said he found two problems: a rattle in the rear hatch and some grinding when shifting to fifth gear.

It’s doubtful the car’s safety has been compromised, Davies said.

“Unless it’s been in an accident, that (loss of safety) isn’t likely. And I see no sign of that.”

Buell took the car to Appleway on May 23, 1996, and asked mechanics to adjust its turbochargers, which help the car reach speeds above 180 mph.

About a week before the car was returned, Buell received a notice in the mail from the state Transportation Department saying his car’s license plate was scanned during a random traffic survey on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

When Buell got the car back on June 27, it had 1,638 additional miles showing on the odometer.

No one has admitted driving Buell’s car while it was at the shop.

The only decision facing the jury is how much compensation Buell deserves.

Final arguments in the civil trial will be Monday, with deliberations starting that afternoon.

The trial is in recess today for other court business.