Bought Car But Told I Can't Take It

[u/Lemonsgone]

Edit 2: got my money back 😊 thanks everyone for your advice

Delete if not allowed.

As the title says, I (23F) bought a car earlier today. It's my first time buying from a dealership. After paying in full I was told it was on lend to someone else while their car was being repaired and that they'll bring it back by the end of the day. Which doesn't make sense to me as I'd called earlier in the day and was told it was still in the yard.

I said I was fine to wait until they brought it back or pick it up tomorrow morning but the dealer insisted on Monday as he "wanted to make sure it's clean". I said I'm fine with it being untidy and he insisted he wasn't going to sell me a car without it being cleaned first.

Would I be in my right to call tomorrow or go in there and demand my car? My grandfather is telling me to demand my money back and find a different car.

Edit: I can’t see most of your comments unless you have something called flair. Pls respond to one of the already existing comments for me to see it

[u/Lemonsgone]

why does this say I have 8 comments but i can't see any?

[u/aguyonahill → u/Lemonsgone]

You have to have flair to comment directly. The others are auto removed. People without flair (like myself) have to comment on a comment. 

I'm not a sales person but have questions and thoughts.

Did you previously test drive the car? How long ago? I personally wouldn't buy a car without being able to test drive it before signing without a liberal return policy. 

If I was a dealer I too wouldn't just toss you the keys. Let them thoroughly prep it for you and it would be dumb for them to let you be the first to "inspect" it.

Let's say the person ate fast food or smoked in it. Even if they can easily remove the smell your brain will potentially trick you that you can still smell it.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/aguyonahill]

Also thanks for the comment info

[u/Lemonsgone → u/aguyonahill]

I test drove it last week on Thursday or Friday I think. It drove well. I’m just cautious bc I’ve never bought from a dealership before

[u/Twee4 → u/Lemonsgone]

The car is being used as a loaner. You can back out or take the car if you want but I’d definitely let them detail it first. I’d also insist on some extra stuff. Have the make a

We Owe with a free detail and free diagnostic for your first problem. They can add this at anytime even if that say they did the paperwork. Insist on the We Owe, or say you’ll unwind it.

You don’t own it until you take it off the lot.

How many miles are on it is it still under warranty?

[u/jepal357 → u/Twee4]

Sounds like a new car that’s a service loaner. And new cars have warranties

[u/Lemonsgone → u/jepal357]

It’s a used car from 2015. No warranty unfortunately

[u/Lemonsgone → u/Twee4]

It’s not still under warranty unfortunately. It’s a used car. What’s a We Owe? Can I still back out in Australia?

[u/Twee4 → u/Lemonsgone]

Things could be a different over there I’m not sure what paperwork you’ve done. But I would guess you could unwind the deal. But I have no idea how much effort that would take. If you want out I would think you could get out.

The we owe is a form that essentially says if the dealer owes you anything after the fact. Like a bed liner or a Key. It’s the easiest place to extract money from a deal in Owed items once numbers have been finalized and money exchanged. I don’t know how it all works in Australia.

If you still want the car having them owe you some minor things like a detail would be the easiest way to get some extra out of the deal. But if you want out you could try to get out.

[u/czechFan59 → u/Lemonsgone]

If you signed a contract and they took your money you should demand your money back. I'd back out, they knew what they were doing and decided to take advantage of you. Can't speak to the legalities in AUS but I'd be mighty pissed.

eta: meant to say "if they sold it to you and didn't mention it was loaned out until after closing the deal" etc etc

[u/EstablishmentOk818 → u/Lemonsgone]

You haven't bought a car yet. You did the paperwork to purchase a car but have not taken delivery of the car. This sounds like a “shady” dealership and this might be your chance to get out of this “deal”.

[u/MindBlownMariner → u/EstablishmentOk818]

Bingo. It’s not a unicorn car. Shop elsewhere.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! I wasn’t sure how to react to it all as this is my first time buying from a dealership. I’m pretty sure I saw the car drive past me on the way home lol. Hopefully I can get it asap Monday morning 🤞

[u/7eregrine → u/Lemonsgone]

I had a loaner from a dealership once. They called me "hey, we just sold that car. Can we pick it up and bring you something else?". And they did. This is totally normal.
I would absolutely want them to detail it too. Especially a used car.
Good luck!

[u/Feeling-Visit1472 → u/Lemonsgone]

Make sure they update the mileage on all of your paperwork if you decide to take delivery.

[u/TealPotato → u/Lemonsgone]

I see the same count, and nothing but this comment and couple automatic posts.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/TealPotato]

So it’s just a glitch then?

[u/Lemonsgone]

Commenting for others to comment under

[u/The_Giants_Drink → u/Lemonsgone]

me personally, if i wasnt to attatched to the specific car, ei. not a special car, i would follow your grandfathers advice and more importantly find a different dealer. if i paid for a car, then it was given to someone without my consent, i would be outraged. what if the car is damaged by this person, and no longer in the same condition as you agreed to purchase? rental cars are notoriously abused, i wouldnt want that. i would be furious with the dealer for giving MY CAR to a stranger. what are the insurance implications if the car were to be damaged? would you get paid out? would the car be repaired, taking more time with the car not in your hands and devaluing the car while you still pay the same price? what if the car were to be totaled? you are not listed on the insurance, so that would probably land you in court trying to get your money back, considering how shady of a move this dealer pulled.

realistically, if they give you the car and its in the same condition as you agreed to purchase it, you could probably just make a small stink about it, get some cash off the deal. i certainly wouldnt trust the dealer enough to accept maintenance items or other incentives that would have you returning to them. sorry to hear that op, sounds like a shitty situation.

[u/Skibbityboof]

Why did you buy a vehicle without seeing & driving it first? Secondly, your grandfather is correct. I would go in and demand my money back. The dealer should not have sold you a car that is not in their position.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/Skibbityboof]

I saw it last week and took it for a test drive. I didn’t purchase it then because I didn’t have the funds.

[u/streetsmartwallaby → u/Lemonsgone]

Did you get a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic? This is the thing that we highly recommend here in the United States.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/streetsmartwallaby]

I don’t know if that’s allowed in Australia

[u/majesticallyfoxy → u/Skibbityboof]

Where did op say they bought a car without seeing & driving first?

[u/Skibbityboof → u/majesticallyfoxy]

If the vehicle is not on the lot at time of purchase one would assume it is not available to drive. Nobody should give money for a vehicle they cannot physically see at the time of purchase. Nor should the dealer accept money or sign a contract for a vehicle they currently have a loan to another customer. Anything could happen to that vehicle before it is returned.

[u/majesticallyfoxy → u/Skibbityboof]

Or the car was tested at a previous visit

[u/Skibbityboof → u/majesticallyfoxy]

Regardless, you should never give your money for a vehicle that is not physically present when you are working the deal. If you do, then you end up with problems like OP has.

[u/IronSlanginRed]

It happens more often than you think. Its good they want to double check it. People leave wierd shit in cars, stuff happens, etc. Normally you never even see it or have to deal with it as it can be handled by the time the deal is done.

If they told you after the weekend, when it's a holiday weekend and everything else thats going on, thats not an unreasonable request. Normally its next day or same day so that the person has time to return it, it gets a quick double check and cleaning (the cleaning isn't the big part, it's did they steal shit or mess something up, or leave illegal/dangerous things in there).

But usually you find out before you buy the car.

[u/Lemonsgone → u/IronSlanginRed]

It’s not a holiday in Australia

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Thanks for posting, /u/Lemonsgone! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.

Delete if not allowed.

As the title says, I (23F) bought a car earlier today. It's my first time buying from a dealership. After paying in full I was told it was on lend to someone else while their car was being repaired and that they'll bring it back by the end of the day. Which doesn't make sense to me as I'd called earlier in the day and was told it was still in the yard.

I said I was fine to wait until they brought it back or pick it up tomorrow morning but the dealer insisted on Monday as he "wanted to make sure it's clean". I said I'm fine with it being untidy and he insisted he wasn't going to sell me a car without it being cleaned first.

Would I be in my right to call tomorrow or go in there and demand my car? My grandfather is telling me to demand my money back and find a different car.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Agent_Dutchess]

Why did you buy a car without actually viewing and driving it? Especially if it's preowned. If its new, you should not be paying full price for a loaner car with 3-6000 miles on it.

Edit - I see now that its preowned and you drove it previously.

I would be weary of them trying to band aid fix an issue on it. If they dont have the car to you by the end of today id want to kill the deal. Ive sold cars in similar situations to yours, I call the person with the car and meet them somewhere thats convenient for them and swap them to a different car.

[u/Farmer_Determine4240]

Year make model? Did you buy what we call a service loaner?

Its unusual for a car to be sold while its out on loan to others.