I-Team: Closed dealership

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A used car dealership in Northampton is being investigated after it closed, leaving lots of people without much needed paperwork.

"When I went there Monday, everything was gone, it was locked up," said Montegue's Cheryl Maffie.

That's the way a number of customers found the Northampton Motor Classics dealership this week. It's been empty for days, frustrating for people like Maffie who needs the title to the car she recently bought, a car she thinks is a lemon.

"I suspected something was happening because the car had terrible troubles. While I was driving it to Maine it went through three quarts of oil, there was something really wrong. with the electrical system, etc," Maffie said.

The 22News I-Team tried calling both the owner and the manager of the dealership for answers but our calls went unreturned.

According to Hampshire Superior Court records obtained by the 22News I-Team the owners of the shop were deep in debt defaulting on loans and owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to different companies.

Northampton Auto Sales owner Joe Wisneski says he's done a number of successful deals with Motor Classics but says he's been getting the runaround trying to get the title for his latest purchase.

"I was told it was federal expressed, I was told it was tracked, I was told it was sold to the southern auction in Connecticut by mistake," Wisneski said.

The state's attorney general is now investigating while customers deal with their frustrations.

"This is essentially stealing 11 and a half thousand dollars of my money," Maffie added. "We're just not going rest until this is dealt with."

The license commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday to decide if the owner's license will be revoked.