Owner: DMV error devalues collector car

SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) - Is it a '2' or an '8?'

The small distinction makes a big difference for one Smithfield couple. They say their limited edition Mustang had 23,020 miles on it when they bought it.

But, they claim the DMV made a clerical error, and recorded the mileage at 83,020 miles, reducing the value of the vehicle.

The owner, Curtis Portlock, says he has the documentation to prove it. He showed WAVY.com the original loan paperwork, state inspections and receipts from garages that did work on the car. All of the documentation backs up his claims.

They Portlocks took out a loan to buy the new Mustang three years ago. It wasn't until recently, when they ordered a custom license plate that they noticed something wrong.

"We realized they showed the car having 83,020 miles on it the day we purchased it," said Portlock.

The lien holder has the original title. So the couple went to the DMV to get a copy, and noticed the previous owner has a funny way of writing the number '2.'

"She makes two like that, with two hoops," said Portlock as he drew the number. "That's where they got the eight from."

The copy of the original title shows the similarity to Portlock's drawing. He insists the '8' is the result of human error, and says he has paperwork validating his claims.

"Here's the loan application papers where they show 23,059 miles, because the car was driven a little bit to the DMV to get it registered," said Portlock.

Portlock showed WAVY.com a receipt from a tire company dated March 17, 2010. The receipt says the car had 41,000 and change on it at that time.

In response, the DMV gave the Portlocks two options. They could either keep the current title or amend it. But, to correct the mileage, the DMV would write "not actual" next to the odometer reading.

"So on a collector type car, with a branded title, it's worthless," said Portlock. "So human error has made the car worth nothing."

Unless of course, you count those weekend getaways.

"We have a blast in it," said Teresa Portlock, Curtis' wife.

After 10 On Your Side called, the DMV told WAVY.com the following: "A DMV representative plans to contact the customer featured in your story to set up an appointment to personally go over their paperwork to address the issue. DMV does not want the customer to have to return to the Smithfield DMV again. The customer will be contacted within the next several days."