- Police clocked the Toyota sedan at 107 mph in a 68 mph zone.
- The driver said he was taking the car on an overnight test drive.
- Speeding stop resulted in fines, towing, and a seven-day impound.
Most modern car buyers get only the briefest of chances to test drive the car in question before signing on the dotted line. For some, though, the test drive can last a day or more. That’s great for getting to know a car, but plenty can go wrong in that time frame, too. A Canadian man testing a Toyota Corolla just found that out the hard way.
The incident happened on July 17 at around 6:15 p.m. on Highway 97C near Elkhart, just east of Merritt. According to the BC Highway Patrol, officers measured a gray Toyota traveling at 172 km/h (107 mph) in a posted 110 km/h (68 mph) zone. When stopped, the 30-year-old Vancouver driver reportedly told officers that he and his girlfriend were on an overnight test drive from Vancouver to Kelowna. That’s a round trip of roughly 480 miles (770 km), making it an unusually comprehensive evaluation of the car.
Read: Speeding Learner Driver Gets Family’s New Honda SUV Impounded As Her Family Watches
“The driver told police that he and his girlfriend were on an overnight test-drive from Vancouver to Kelowna,” said Sergeant Michael McLaughlin of BC Highway Patrol. “The vehicle successfully demonstrated that it can speed and that it fits on the back of a tow truck.”
Instead of returning the Toyota to the dealership as planned, the driver left with a hefty list of penalties. Police issued a CA$483 ($351) excessive-speed ticket for exceeding the limit by more than 60 km/h (37 mph). The driver was also responsible for towing costs, while the registered owner of the Toyota was left responsible for the mandatory seven-day impound.
Authorities added that the speeding conviction will also trigger at least three years of high-risk insurance premiums, bringing the estimated financial hit to nearly CA$2,500 ($1,820). Whether the prospective buyer ever went back to complete the purchase remains a mystery. BC Highway Patrol says it has no information on whether the Toyota eventually found a new owner.
