Atlanta pastor pays $30,000 down and never misses a payment on his Mercedes. Then the car vanishes from his driveway: ‘management is unapologetic’

Atlanta pastor Mark Moore says he put $30,000 down on a Mercedes-Benz, never missed a payment, and still lost the car after it was repossessed. As first reported by Atlanta Black Star, Moore is now taking his dispute with Cleveland dealership Central Cadillac public after months of trying to resolve it through attorneys.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Moore said the dealership’s “management is unapologetic about it.” Central Cadillac sold him the used Mercedes-Benz in January 2024.

According to the post, Moore flew one way to Cleveland to buy the car. He says other dealers had the same model, but none matched Central Cadillac on “pedigree, reviews, and price.” He put $30,000 down by cashier’s check and financed $58,931.87 through a bank the dealership recommended, bringing the total to $88,931.87.

The title was still in the previous owner’s name

Moore says he kept the car registered and serviced until March 31, 2026, when Mercedes-Benz Financial Services took it back. He says he had never missed a payment. They told him the title was still in the previous owner’s name and carried $106,000 in outstanding debt. Cases of a car being repossessed over a previous owner’s debt are not unheard of, but buyers rarely see them coming. “I had done nothing wrong. I had cut no corners. I had missed no payments,” Moore wrote.

Attorneys then went back and forth for six months. Moore says the dealership eventually told them it would not make things right because “they are victims too.” He does not rule that out, writing that “it may very well be true that they were also scammed.” Still, he points out that Central Cadillac took in nearly $90,000 on the sale. “They kept my money. I lost the car,” he wrote.

Central Cadillac offered a different account of how the Mercedes ended up in Moore’s hands. General manager Christopher Studor told WKYC 3News that the dealership bought the vehicle from another dealer in Bedford, Ohio, with a title that appeared clear. Studor said the dealership later discovered a federal investigation had linked the vehicle to a larger theft ring.

The dispute seems to turn on one question: Who absorbs the loss when a clean-looking title turns out to be tied to someone else’s debt? Moore believes it should be the seller, not the buyer.

Some commenters on the post agree. One pointed to the paperwork, saying “the check was issued to this dealership.” Another urged Moore to “Reach out to the Ohio Attorney Generals office!” A third took aim at the dealership’s handling of the dispute, asking, “Does being a Pastor mean you don’t have rights?”

That reaction reflects another sore spot for Moore. He says General Sales Manager Jesse Huber joined the comments on his live video with replies he called “snarky and dismissive.” Moore also claims Huber acknowledged that the dealership knew someone had used the car in a fraud scheme. The post does not include a response from Huber or the dealership.

Moore is asking for his money back and for the loan to be cleared. He says he is “still carrying a loan” on a car he no longer has and has continued making payments since losing the vehicle. The financial burden is not unique to him. A Florida woman who unknowingly bought a stolen Nissan also found herself without a car but still responsible for the loan after it was seized. Moore says he is not seeking punitive damages.

In his post, Moore said he planned to share his story with his followers on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, as well as his email list, if the dispute remained unresolved. He had already spoken with WKYC Channel 3 and said four more interviews were scheduled.