Car Seller Loses $60,000 Corvette as Buyer Flees During Chicago Test Drive

A man drove seven hours to Chicago to sell his 2005 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for $60,000 after a buyer agreed to pay the asking price plus delivery costs. The two arranged to meet at a bank, where the buyer arrived claiming he had taken an Uber and carried a small bag containing approximately $1,000 in cash. The seller allowed the buyer to take the car for a test drive with him inside. After the drive, they stopped on a side street to inspect the engine. When the seller stepped out of the vehicle, the buyer immediately drove away. The seller attempted to flag down a nearby police officer but was unsuccessful. By the time law enforcement arrived with multiple squad cars, the car was gone. Police transported the seller to a station, and he later flew home. He estimates his total loss at around $70,000, including the car’s value and related expenses. His liability-only auto insurance does not cover theft, as it lacks comprehensive coverage. He later learned the buyer may have used the same scam previously: a friend reported a similar incident that was interrupted by police, and a Facebook Marketplace review described another seller who traveled 12 hours to meet the same buyer, only to be stood up despite agreeing to meet at a police station. The seller shared the incident in an eight-minute video posted on March 3, which has since garnered over 7,480 views. Commenters offered advice, including verifying buyer identification, meeting at secure locations like police stations, avoiding delivering vehicles to buyers, and ensuring proper insurance coverage. Some viewers from the Chicago area offered to help locate the stolen Corvette, with one noting a white Z06 being wrapped in red near the Cicero or Midway Airport area—consistent with where the theft occurred. As of now, the vehicle has not been recovered.