Last December, New Times went deep into the strange world of Miami's lawless exotic rental car market- a niche industry that seems to attract more than its fair share of fly-by-night hustlers.
One of our wierdest encounters revolved around Exoticars, a tiny store on the ground-floor of the dingy Bays Inn on Biscayne Boulevard at NE 35th Street, just up the street from New Times' office building. A purported Dubai-born millionaire named Mosabe blasted us around town in a yellow Lamborghini and told us he was part-owner of the shop (and made the requisite claim of being Scott Storch's friend). Then some financial falling-out occurred and he and the other dude claiming to be part-owner, a ponytailed lothario named Jose, started taking stabs at each other through New Times. "I never had a business partnership with the guy," Jose told us, even though Mosabe was listed on state incorporation records. "The guy's a fucking con artist. The guy's talking about Scott Storch. The guy doesn't have a pot to piss in."
The point is, like most every business we encountered, there was some shady shit going on. At least we weren't able to dig up any felonies, like at a South Beach joint we looked into. But not all the exotic rental companies are fishy. American Luxury Auto Rental, near the airport, is by all accounts on-the-up-and-up.
And on Wednesday, the straight-and-narrow dudes cannibalized the wierdos. Apparently, whoever does own Exoticars didn't pay their bills, and were booted by the Bay's Inn owner. American moved in. Asked about the former tenants, manager Orlando Medina scoffs. "We don't want nothing to do with them. We are our own people."
Welcome to the neighborhood.
