Results 1 to 4 of 4
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    3

    Default Dealer Blew Up Trade-In And May Want the New Car Back

    A family member of mine traded in a 2002 used car a week ago for another 2004 used car. The paperwork was signed, a downpayment was given and financing was obtained through Nissan USA. The car that was traded in was modified and the dealer was aware of this. (The modified parts were installed by another certified dealer. The modifications were installed over a year ago and he had not had ANY problems with this up to that point. The dealer that installed the parts warranteed the work done to the engine and it had not needed any service other than regular oil changes every few weeks/months.)

    After the dealer had it a week, his teenager son wanted the trade in for himself. The father, who is the finance manager at the dealership, let him drive it around and agreed to not sell it to anyone else. Between the son driving it around, the father driving it around and it going back and forth to the dealership, the car had switched hands several times. One person at their dealership told us after a few days of having the trade in, that "they ragged it out and raced it everywhere" they went.

    Well, a week after this had gone on, he gets a call at 11:30 at night from the father of the kid that was going to buy the trade in for himself. He said that the car all of a sudden stopped running and he was leaving the car on the side of the road. It would start, but not go into gear, meaning that he may have either blown the motor or the transmission. He told him that he would have to come in the next morning to sign "new paperwork" now and that the deal they had "wasn't a done deal" afterall. The father said that the car was left on a street (which was at least 5-8 miles or more from the car dealership) and that they would just tow it into the dealership lot in the morning.

    After getting the call, he had a hard time understanding WHY the car was taken off the lot and being driven everywhere if this wasn't "a done deal". The guy also stated that he couldn't get it towed because they didn't have any insurance on the car yet. Which brings up another point. What is any person from the dealership doing with the car, driving it around town, with no insurance, leaving it on a side road, at 11:30 at night? When he asked the guy if he had been running the car "hard", he said "yeah, I guess I had".

    Bottom line.... what recourses does he have? Can the dealership just ask for the used car back after it's been signed off on, license plate & insurance switched, and driven for over a week? And since they damaged the car, which there are witnesses noting that it had been driven "around town" everywhere before they blew it up, what can be done to make sure they take care of the damages they've done and/or keep the trade in? Even the factory speakers have been damaged, the aftermarket 1 year old amp blown up now and there's a dent on the side door that wasn't there at the trade in. All this in one week! Help!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Dealer blew up trade-in and may want new car back

    If the contracts have been signed and the titles transferred, the dealership is likely bluffing. They probably want new paperwork signed, because they want to get out of the existing, binding contract. They're a sophisticated buyer, they had the opportunity to inspect and appraise the car, they agreed to the trade-in price, and it worked when they got it, so... it sounds like they got the benefit of their bargain.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Dealer blew up trade-in and may want new car back

    Thanks. He's going in today to see what the dealer wants him to do. He didn't drive the car he just bought back there because he's afraid of losing it. So he drove up there with a friend that knows his trade-in car intimately. He took a camera to take pictures of the damage they did. When I find out the outcome, I'll certainly be posting it on here later today.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Dealer blew up trade-in and may want new car back

    Well, after he went down there, they told him that they "may have" ruined the engine. He took his camera and had pictures taken of the car. He talked with one of the mechanics there that took him to the side. He told him that the salesmen, the teenager and a few of the mechanics had taken the car for joy rides every day since he brought it in. He went in to see the manager who told him to sign "more paperwork". When he went back in to the finance department, they tried to up the price of the newer car, possibly to cover the costs of fixing the trade-in or to try to disuade him from buying the other car. He made an arguement about them taking it out for joy rides, without proper plates or insurance and not transfering the ownership legally. The owner of the business didn't like the idea of what the salesmen and manager had done and the deal ended up going through. We have all the paperwork in the glove box. But I don't think that we're going to have total piece of mind until we start getting payment coupons & a new title from the Nissan USA.

    1. Sponsored Links
       

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 6
    Last Post: 06-28-2011, 09:35 PM
  2. Dealer Wanst Car Back but Doesn't Have My Trade-Ins
    By cerebus111 in forum Cars and Dealerships
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-19-2010, 06:46 PM
  3. Dealer Won't Pay Off Trade-in
    By hernanz in forum Cars and Dealerships
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-21-2010, 03:29 PM
  4. Trade-In Rejected for "Cash for Clunkers", Dealer Wants New Car Back
    By ArmyRetCW3 in forum Cars and Dealerships
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 08-26-2009, 02:27 PM
  5. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-27-2007, 06:22 PM
 
 
Sponsored Links

Legal Help, Information and Resources