A car dealer’s routine inventory purchase went south after police confiscated his newly acquired BMW X6, telling him that the vehicle had been stolen. Now, he’s taken his frustration to TikTok, claiming that the selling dealership refuses to make him whole. George Saliba (@georgejsaliba), a dealer who works at JS Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, spelled it all out in a video posted on Wednesday that has since garnered over 673,000 views. Speaking directly to camera from inside his home, Saliba alleges that a dealer-to-dealer transaction with Prime Motors LLC in Virginia went sideways almost immediately. “So, about two weeks ago, or maybe like ten days ago, a dealership, Prime Motors LLC, sold me a BMW X6,” Saliba explains in the video. “We purchased it from them directly, dealer to dealer. We got the car here, and the car hit our inventory, hit our lot. It was then confiscated by the police because this was a stolen vehicle.” Botched Dealer To Dealer Sale: A Lapse In Etiquette According to Saliba, neither dealership knew the BMW X6 was stolen at the time of the sale. “The dealership who sold it to me had no record or knowledge of the vehicle being stolen,” he says. But in dealer-to-dealer transactions, there’s often an expectation that the seller will buy back a vehicle that turns out to have title issues. Anyone in the reselling space will know that under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), anyone who purchases a stolen vehicle, even unknowingly, does not legally own it. “But typically what happens in this situation is the selling dealer is supposed to buy the car back from me,” Saliba explains. “Because they didn’t know it was stolen. I get it. It’s a mistake. You know, they made a mistake.” Beyond industry norms, the law may be on Saliba’s side. Under the UCC, sellers provide an implied warranty that “the title conveyed shall be good, and its transfer rightful.” When a seller transfers stolen goods, the buyer may have a legal claim for breach of this warranty. Saliba would prefer to settle the matter outside the courts. “They want to go the legal route and all that stuff. And I don’t really want to go that route, but no one’s responding back to us,” he says. Public Appeal For Stolen BMW Buyback Frustrated by the lack of response, Saliba decided to leverage his 1.2 million-follower TikTok account to apply pressure. In the caption, he tags Prime Motors directly, after saying he would also tag the Virginia attorney general. Saliba expresses some empathy for his counterparty, saying, “No doubt, these kids work hard. This is probably their first mistake. And, you know, this is the first time they’ve gotten screwed, messed up, scammed. You know, it’s the first time. I get it,” he acknowledges. But he still calls on his followers to help him, urging them to “Just go ahead. Comment below. Tag them. Tell them to do the right thing. Tell them to take the car back from me.” ‘Vin Swap’ Several commenters wondered how a stolen vehicle could pass through two dealerships without being flagged. One commenter, ozo.sh, offered a possible explanation: “Vin swap.” This technique, known as VIN cloning, is a growing trend, according to research published last year by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). A 2025 InvestigateTV report in Atlanta discovered that laser-etched VIN plates can be ordered online for as little as $22. Others shared negative experiences with Prime Motors. “Prime motors va are scammers, never do business with them,” wrote one commenter. User razy.00013 added, “I would NEVER, I repeat NEVER do business with them again.” Motor1 reached out to Prime Motors for comment via its web contact form. Sale Of Stolen Car: Who Eats The Loss? The question of who should eat the loss sparked debate. Joseph Poe shared a similar experience: “I had the same thing happen to me and I had to eat a 50k truck.” When another user replied that Saliba “shouldn’t have to eat one penny of it,” Poe responded, “I shouldn’t have either. But it’s part of it. If someone honestly doesn’t know then why should it be on them?” User CookingWithChris suggested Saliba’s visibility would see him come out on top, posting, “They’re messing with the biggest and most popular guy in the car business. This isn’t going to go well for prime motors.” Other viewers suggested filing a complaint with Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, though they may have been thinking of the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board (MVDB). Virginia also has a Transaction Recovery Fund for losses due to dealer fraud. Jarrett Spaw offered another avenue: “George go after their Bond… call Motor Vehicle Dealer Board in Va.” Virginia requires licensed dealers to post a $50,000 surety bond, which can be claimed against if a dealer commits fraud. Some longtime followers jokingly referenced his long-term habit of asking whether vehicles still have their catalytic converters. “Probably didn’t have cats,” joked Jesse James. What Happens Next With The BMW One commenter, Juusttin, claimed direct knowledge: “That vehicle is at affordable towing. I towed it for NJSP,” suggesting the vehicle is currently being held by New Jersey State Police. When purchasing vehicles, running a comprehensive vehicle history report is essential, but as this case illustrates, even those checks can miss certain issues when criminals have tampered with VINs or stolen vehicle reports haven’t yet made it into databases. The NICB offers a free VINCheck service where buyers can verify whether a vehicle has been reported stolen. Motor1 reached out to George Saliba via text and TikTok direct message. We will update this story if he or Prime Motors responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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