If you make a deal, do you stand by it?

[dm]

I made a deal on a new car Saturday. When I was checking the vin I realized the vin number on my paperwork did not match the car. I called the dealer and they said they would look into it. Well they said that they had made the deal based on the wrong paperwork and I had a car that had $2000 more in options, so they want more money. Or for me to take the other car.

Now I do believe that they made an honest mistake. The car was sent over from another dealership and they had two similar cars, same color ect. But maybe Im old fashioned but the salesman was with us when we were test driving the car and I believed I was making a deal on the car presented. They did say that they would accept $1000 more. Any less and they would be losing money on the sale.

I said no, we made a deal and I'm not changing it. They can either stick with the deal that I made on Saturday, or give me my money back. This is a new car dealership.

I have looked around some and even with paying the extra $1000 I still couldn't buy the car elsewhere without adding another $1000 to that. But if they don't honor the deal I am prepared to do it.

This just really bothers me that even if they loose alittle on this sale that they may not honor the deal. The sales manager says he has to hear from the owner to make the decision. He say's he cannot sell a car for a loss. So I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Am I nuts, being willing to pay more somewhere else because someone made a mistake, but is not willing to stick with the original deal that I feel was made?

 

[easysurfer]

My gut feeling is they didn't use the wrong paperwork but knew what they were doing. I say that because a similar thing happened to me. In my case, I ordered a car with certain options. After it took them forever (about 4 months) and still the car wasn't ready, I told them pretty much, if the car isn't ready for me in about a week, call the deal off, I was sick of waiting so long. "Magically" a car like what I ordered was ready the next day or two. At first, I took them at their word that, at thought by chance karma was on my side. Then, when I already bought the car, I got a call from my insurance agent who said the VIN I gave for the car I thought I had purchased months earlier didn't match the new car I just got, so in hindsight I deducted that the dealer instead of losing a sale must have shipped a different car that matched options without my knowledge.

In the end, I was happy that I finally had a new car.

 

[Rustic23]

Let me see if I have this right. You went to the dealership looking for a LX (mid range model) and they showed you an LX you drove an LX they quoted you a price on the car you drove, you went in signed the paper work, and then found out the paperwork you had was for a DX (lower model). Now the dealer wants you to return the LX and take the DX or give them $1,000 more.

Well, first I would get in touch with your local DA and see if they violated any law. However, you did sign the paperwork for a DX, and it might cost you a heck of a lot more to challenge them. Do they have your trade in? Would you have purchased the car for the $1,000 more if that was the deal originally? Have you put enough miles on the car they will have to sell it as a demonstrator?

I am not sure what I would do. I would not be a happy camper, and would most likely act irrationally and give them the car back and get my money back. However, don't be surprised if they want to charge you for the miles they put on the car!

 

[Htown Harry]

I believe forum member Cardude is a former car dealer. He may be along shortly with thoughts on whether the dealer is likely to be giving you the straight story. Or you might try to give him a PM for some advice.

 

[W2R]

Don't you have a certain grace period after a sale, during which you can get your money back due to buyer's remorse? I'd do that pronto, and then negotiate on the car again or (even better) buy from another dealer.

 

[kumquat]

They sold you a car. The VIN on the car didn't match the papers they gave you. Is that essentially the story?

I'd be mighty PO'd. If you hadn't noticed it, you might be up sh*t creek without a title or bill of sale. On the other hand, I guess they have the car that matches your VIN so they probably aren't doing anything too shady although "bait & switch" comes to mind.

My reaction would be "put up or phuck off". I agreed to this one, so did you, car or money back, no exceptions.

 

[Westernskies]

I'd walk. No upside in entering into a relationship (service, warranty, recalls, etc.) when you feel the other party is not trustworthy. This doesn't smell right, it appears they did a bait and switch to try to preserve a sale.

Similar thing happened to me once, on the first new car I ever bought, a new Mustang, back in 1981- I took the car home for the weekend, they called on Monday and said they needed an extra $650 to complete the sale, due to "confusion on the installed options." I told them I'd bring the car back, no hard feelings. The Sales Manager went out to "double check" the VIN number, and came back in, his face ashen... the car had over 800 miles on it! (What did they expect from a 23 year old kid with a girlfriend still in college in the next state, anyway?).. I asked them for the keys back on my trade-in, and then the real negotiations started. I ended up getting the car for the original price, and they threw in a lifetime oil change because I told them they had to do something for the inconvenience.

In retrospect, I could have walked away, then gone back in a week later and bought it as a used car... but a deal is a deal.

 

[dm]

The car we were shown, test drove with the salesman, and took home had the voice activated navigation stuff, back up camera, ect. A $2000 option. The paper work vin # is for a car without this option. The car listed for alittle over $34,000, I paid $30,000. I would not have paid $32,000 for the car. I bought the car on Saturday, I may be to late now for the buyers remorse. But I think it would be hard for them to force me to take the other car. The salesman did mention that it was a mistake and I couldn't legaly force them to honor the deal. So I would assume this works both ways.

 

[dm]

The sales manager has told me that it is out of his hands. It is up to the owner. Who was suppost to get back with me tonight and didn't. All I have is the car that I thought I bought, and a receipt with a different vin #. The car had 240 miles on it then, probably close to 400 now. I'm not sure if my wife should keep driving it or not.

We did not trade anything in, but we did finance some of it. 4% didn't seam to bad.

 

[Westernskies]

The sales manager has told me that it is out of his hands. It is up to the owner. Who was suppost to get back with me tonight and didn't. All I have is the car that I thought I bought, and a receipt with a different vin #. The car had 240 miles on it then, probably close to 400 now. I'm not sure if my wife should keep driving it or not.

We did not trade anything in, but we did finance some of it. 4% didn't seam to bad.

How did they do the title transfer, license plates, etc. with the wrong VIN?

 

[LOL!]

So you bought a car with a certain VIN number and have a receipt for it, but the dealer did not deliver to you that car with that VIN number. It seems to me they have stolen your car from you. You can give back the car they gave you, but they should still produce the car you bought and deliver it to you. If they don't, I think it is grand theft larceny.

 

[73ss454]

Don't you have a certain grace period after a sale, during which you can get your money back due to buyer's remorse? I'd do that pronto, and then negotiate on the car again or (even better) buy from another dealer.

That's the 72 hour rule but it's only good for in home sales. One you sign a contract at a car dealer it's a done deal.

 

[dm]

So you bought a car with a certain VIN number and have a receipt for it, but the dealer did not deliver to you that car with that VIN number. It seems to me they have stolen your car from you. You can give back the car they gave you, but they should still produce the car you bought and deliver it to you. If they don't, I think it is grand theft larceny.

They did not have the car I wanted at this dealership, so they had one driven in from one of their other dealerships. I test drove this car, with the salesman, agreed to a price and drove it home. When I was checking the paperwork I noticed the vin on my receipt did not match the car. They said that the wrong paperwork was sent with the car. The car I have is the fancier one.

 

[dm]

How did they do the title transfer, license plates, etc. with the wrong VIN?

I got temp tags, good for 30 days. Its a new car so no title transfer, paperwork for the DMV was to be sent in a week or so. I have bought other cars from dealers and this was how it worked.

 

[73ss454]

I'm confused, do you mean that you have the car and the paperwork has the wrong vin# on it?

 

[easysurfer]

Is the car insured by your auto policy? If so, which VIN did you use? In my situation, my agent called me, so I guess in actually I had been driving a short time without insurance until he spotted the discrepancy.

 

[dm]

I was suppose to hear from the owner tonight on how to make this right. He did not call me, I'm not happy about that. It seams to me they can either honor the deal that I made on the car I was presented. Which I believe is the right thing to do. Or they can have this car back and give me my money. I do not want the other car.

I'm just amazed that this is even a problem. We made a deal on the car and I agreed, if they looked at the wrong paperwork it should be their problem not mine. At this time I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt that this was just a mistake. But even if they made a mistake they should stand behind the deal they made at the time.

 

[dm]

Is the car insured by your auto policy? If so, which VIN did you use? In my situation, my agent called me, so I guess in actually I had been driving a short time without insurance until he spotted the discrepancy.

I called my agent and told him the story and gave him both vin #. I think I'm insured regardless, like a rental.

 

[dm]

I'm confused, do you mean that you have the car and the paperwork has the wrong vin# on it?

Yep, and the dealer want's more money for the car I have. And this was the only car I was shown.

 

[easysurfer]

Just a comparison, so if you went in a restaurant and ordered a crab, but they gave you lobster by mistake and you ate the meal, should the restaurant absorb the cost or should you pay the difference? I know we are talking about cars and not crabs but the transaction seems similar.

 

[73ss454]

Yep, and the dealer want's more money for the car I have. And this was the only car I was shown.

Forget about what you were shown.

Does the car that you have at your house have more options than the one you went to buy? Did the dealer originally say you were going to get the less optioned car and you ended up with the vehicle with more options?

 

[dm]

Forget about what you were shown.

Does the car that you have at your house have more options than the one you went to buy? Did the dealer originally say you were going to get the less optioned car and you ended up with the vehicle with more options?

I stopped at the dealer and looked at their cars. I said my wife was interested in a hybrid. They said they did not have one there but would have one driven in from their other dealership. They actually said it was the only one they had. I bought the car that they drove over. It was the only car I looked at and they actually talked up the options on the car they were showing me. I signed papers and drove it home.

 

[dm]

I don't see how I can forget what I was shown? I guess in the future I'll check the vin# with the paperwork before I sign.

 

[73ss454]

I get the feeling that a part of this story is missing.

If you were talking price with the salesperson and he/she actually told you about 2 different cars and 2 different prices then in your heart you know there's a mistake. If the salesperson only told you about this one car and gave you a price on the car you have at your house then it sounds like it's a mistake on his/her part. Where I get confused is if they only had one car where did they get the other vin#.

It doesn't sound like this is a scam as there's too much risk to the dealer.
I think this can end a few diff. ways. You can step up and pay the diff on the price. You can wait for them to get in the cheaper car which I'm sure they can find. Or you can get your money back and move on.

Since there is a diff vin# on the paperwork it just sounds like an error.

I spent 35 years in the car biz and I've seen things like this happen before. Sometimes to the advantage of the buyer and sometimes for the dealer.

If it were me I'd wait to here from the owner of the dealership and see what he/she proposes.

 

[73ss454]

I don't see how I can forget what I was shown? I guess in the future I'll check the vin# with the paperwork before I sign.

Since a car can come with different packages many times a salesperson will test drive someone in a car with more or less options than the actual car you are going to buy. Options usually don't change the way a car drives in most cases so this practice is normal. Sometimes because it may be the only car in stock at the time and it could also be that the car you actually want is out of stock or buried in the back of the lot behind many other cars.

So just because you were shown and drove a particular car that doesn't mean that's the car you were going to buy.