Was my used car dealer kinda sketchy?

[u/supermonistic]

So I’m in the market for a new vehicle and I went down to a local used car lot. The car that I had originally wanted was already sold but I noticed a 2012 Toyota Highlander that seemed to be in pretty good condition.

I took a look around on the inside and outside of the vehicle and I was a little astonished to see that it had 200,000 miles on it or so. The salesman assured me that since it was a Toyota, that’s a pretty unsubstantial number in the grand scheme. We took it for a test drive and I really liked it so we went back inside to talk financing.

I told him that I was preapproved for a fairly significant amount and the Highlander final price including tiling and registration was around $10,400. I said my bank had already approved me and they could give me an ACH loan to send directly to the dealership so that I could drive off a lot today. He asked me if I had a physical check and I said no.

He said to come back with a physical check whenever I receive that so that he could give me the vehicle. I really like the car so I agreed to it and my bank is sending me the check as we speak, but it felt a little bit sketchy that I couldn’t just transfer the money directly over to him at the dealership.

Is this dealer kind of sketchy? Should I be wary or call off this transaction?

[u/PabloIceCreamBar]

Not sketchy at all.

[u/DavefromCA]

" it had 200,000 miles on it or so. The salesman assured me that since it was a Toyota, that’s a pretty unsubstantial number"

lol even on a toyota, 200,000 miles is a lot.

[u/GatorWok → u/DavefromCA]

Yep, can be. 200,000 miles is kind of an inflection point for Toyotas. May have plenty of life left, may be on its last leg, or anywhere in between.

I'm stunned that OP isn't asking for a PPI to figure out where this particular vehicle falls on the gamut. It could be an absolute financial disaster.

But nope, OP took it on a quick drive, slapped it on the hood and said where do I send the money? Zero due diligence.

There's a chance OP ends up right back in this sub asking what recourse they have against the dealer and we snarkily tell them that As-Is means As-The-F*ck-Is and why didn't they get a PPI?

[u/IronSlanginRed]

Thats normal operating procedure on an outside loan.

You having the vehicle and the bank refusing to pay is a very common occurrence unless you finance through the dealership or have a check in hand. Check in hand means the loan is already finalized and funded and they have no way to say "oops, we won't do a loan on that car actually!" So most dealerships require that.

Think of it this way. If you were selling the car and Bob came to buy it. Would you let them drive off with a promise that Amy would come by next week with cash? Or would you wait for Amy to show up and pay you first?

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Thanks for posting, /u/supermonistic! 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.

So I’m in the market for a new vehicle and I went down to a local used car lot. The car that I had originally wanted was already sold but I noticed a 2012 Toyota Highlander that seemed to be in pretty good condition.

I took a look around on the inside and outside of the vehicle and I was a little astonished to see that it had 200,000 miles on it or so. The salesman assured me that since it was a Toyota, that’s a pretty unsubstantial number in the grand scheme. We took it for a test drive and I really liked it so we went back inside to talk financing.

I told him that I was preapproved for a fairly significant amount and the Highlander final price including tiling and registration was around $10,400. I said my bank had already approved me and they could give me an ACH loan to send directly to the dealership so that I could drive off a lot today. He asked me if I had a physical check and I said no.

He said to come back with a physical check whenever I receive that so that he could give me the vehicle. I really like the car so I agreed to it and my bank is sending me the check as we speak, but it felt a little bit sketchy that I couldn’t just transfer the money directly over to him at the dealership.

Is this dealer kind of sketchy? Should I be wary or call off this transaction?

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/NemesisOfZod]

Not in the slightest.