Advice: dealer bait and switch?

[Tree03]

Longtime reader, first time poster

A dealership said they had a Mach-E premium ER coming in this month and gave us a VIN, took our deposit, and signed a buyer’s order with us with the agreed price and everything. I secured financing using that buyer’s order.

Now two weeks after all that, they’re saying, “we’re so sorry actually someone put a deposit on it a week before you did.”

They are now offering a same configuration Mach-E that was previously a rental and has 3k miles on it.

1) Can they really renege on our arrangement when we had a signed buyer’s order?

2) How would you think about this “replacement” vehicle?

thanks for your help! I’ve appreciated following these boards.

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[JB20]

Longtime reader, first time poster

A dealership said they had a Mach-E premium ER coming in this month and gave us a VIN, took our deposit, and signed a buyer’s order with us with the agreed price and everything. I secured financing using that buyer’s order.

Now two weeks after all that, they’re saying, “we’re so sorry actually someone put a deposit on it a week before you did.”

They are now offering a same configuration Mach-E that was previously a rental and has 3k miles on it.

1) Can they really renege on our arrangement when we had a signed buyer’s order?

2) How would you think about this “replacement” vehicle?

thanks for your help! I’ve appreciated following these boards.

Yes they can. It sucks, but mistakes like this happen. As far as the demo, did they knock any off the price? I doubt they did. Just talked to a dealer today that sold their demo with 3K miles on it for full price.

 

[Tree03]

As far as the demo, did they knock any off the price? I doubt they did. Just talked to a dealer today that sold their demo with 3K miles on it for full price.

They want the same price as agreed on the NEW one fresh of the truck. Not happening, especially if it’s ineligible for tax credit.

 

[azbittel]

They want the same price as agreed on the NEW one fresh of the truck. Not happening, especially if it’s ineligible for tax credit.

Holy hell, please dont buy that. Whether they intended to bait and switch or not, they come out wayyyy ahead in this deal and you get screwed. Ask for the 7500 federal rebate off the top, and then another 5% off for the inconvence and extra mileage. The one good thing about it having 3k miles is it is now "broken in" in the sense of if anything major was wrong theyd know by now.

Otherwise walk the fuck away. That is a toxic dealership that would ask the same price and make no comprimise.

 

[rogerq23]

Yes they can. It sucks, but mistakes like this happen. As far as the demo, did they knock any off the price? I doubt they did. Just talked to a dealer today that sold their demo with 3K miles on it for full price.

This sucks, they should have held your car and not sold it to someone else. My dealership held my car for 2 months after they received it, because of an issue with the charging port. I wasnt sure if was true or not, but I took their word for it. For those 2 months, I was thinking they were using my car as a demo, or they sold it.

Make sure the demo car is not the same one (check the VIN) and its not cool that they sold your car, I believe dealerships are getting stocks, check other dealerships around or make them compromise to get you one ASAP with the same config.

 

[ARK]

Longtime reader, first time poster

A dealership said they had a Mach-E premium ER coming in this month and gave us a VIN, took our deposit, and signed a buyer’s order with us with the agreed price and everything. I secured financing using that buyer’s order.

Now two weeks after all that, they’re saying, “we’re so sorry actually someone put a deposit on it a week before you did.”

They are now offering a same configuration Mach-E that was previously a rental and has 3k miles on it.

1) Can they really renege on our arrangement when we had a signed buyer’s order?

2) How would you think about this “replacement” vehicle?

thanks for your help! I’ve appreciated following these boards.

How detailed was the buyer’s order? If it hashed out all the key details so you know how much exactly you were going to pay and you knew exactly what specific vehicle you were going to get, smells like a contract to me.

Seems to me it’s their problem that this ‘mistake’ happened, not yours, particularly if you can show it wasn’t really a mistake at all. They should replace like-for-like, and particularly if you can show they were dishonest, they should eat the cost of any ADM that a dealer across town might have on a similar Mach-E. They probably won’t do any of this if you ask nicely, may have to raise a huge stink about it and act as though you are consulting with a lawyer.

 

[Tree03]

How detailed was the buyer’s order? If it hashed out all the key details so you know how much exactly you were going to pay and you knew exactly what specific vehicle you were going to get, smells like a contract to me.

The buyer’s order lists the vin, the price, the sales tax, and all dealer and state fees. The deal was completely negotiated. It is signed by me and the dealer as of 5/27. Fine print: “Seller reserves the right to refuse delivery and cancel this contract on due notice to the purchaser.” Why are dealerships like this?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Demo cars are sold as new as they’ve not been registered. They’re eligible for any tax credits that are available to any other Mach-e. The new car warranty is adjusted to reflect the actual mileage of the demo car so you get a full warranty.

Whether it’s worth full MSRP is a question that only you can answer.

 

[dml105]

The buyer’s order lists the vin, the price, the sales tax, and all dealer and state fees. The deal was completely negotiated. It is signed by me and the dealer as of 5/27. Fine print: “Seller reserves the right to refuse delivery and cancel this contract on due notice to the purchaser.” Why are dealerships like this?

You paid a deposit? That’s a contract!

Does this dealership rhyme with Dunnydale Dord?

 

[BMT1071]

Demo cars are sold as new as they’ve not been registered. They’re eligible for any tax credits that are available to any other Mach-e. The new car warranty is adjusted to reflect the actual mileage of the demo car so you get a full warranty.

Whether it’s worth full MSRP is a question that only you can answer.

This varies by state. Are you sure that it is true in PA?

 

[dml105]

Demo cars are sold as new as they’ve not been registered. They’re eligible for any tax credits that are available to any other Mach-e. The new car warranty is adjusted to reflect the actual mileage of the demo car so you get a full warranty.

Whether it’s worth full MSRP is a question that only you can answer.

But there is absolutely a diminution in value, right? Try selling a car with 28000 miles on it versus a car with 32000 miles on it.

 

[buzznwood]

The buyer’s order lists the vin, the price, the sales tax, and all dealer and state fees. The deal was completely negotiated. It is signed by me and the dealer as of 5/27. Fine print: “Seller reserves the right to refuse delivery and cancel this contract on due notice to the purchaser.” Why are dealerships like this?

Unless they are giving you substantial discount on the ex rental mach-e I would take my money elsewhere, sucks that you waited all this time expecting a vehicle for the dealer to make a mess of it, but if it takes them this long to tell you that it already had a deposit on it they are either incompetent, unscrupulous or a combination of both.

Not saying that this happened in this case but dealers like that small print as until they have handed the vehicle over and all the paper work is signed, if some one else walks in and offers more to take the vehicle then the previous deals is instantly forgotten , the day the existing dealership setup is consigned to the history books can't come soon enough.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

This varies by state. Are you sure that it is true in PA?

But there is absolutely a diminution in value, right? Try selling a car with 28000 miles on it versus a car with 32000 miles on it.

Actually it doesn’t vary. The cats are in fact used, but they’re sold as new cars everywhere. And there’s a very specific program Ford dealers have to follow for their FCTP cars.

As for diminished value for it being a used car? That might normally be true, but there are only 25,000 of these things available in my 2021 in the USA. Demand is extremely high, that might mean they’re worth full MSRP on an open market.

Personally, I’d not but a demo car no matter what, discounted or not.

Had a Nissan dealer (long ago …) in Pittsburgh PA try to sell us their demo car it was in the color we wanted, version we wanted and color we wanted. The answer was still no.

 

[BMT1071]

Actually it doesn’t vary. The cats are in fact used, but they’re sold as new cars everywhere. And there’s a very specific program Ford dealers have to follow for their FCTP cars.

As for diminished value for it being a used car? That might normally be true, but there are only 25,000 of these things available in my 2021 in the USA. Demand is extremely high, that might mean they’re worth full MSRP on an open market.

Personally, I’d not but a demo car no matter what, discounted or not.

Had a Nissan dealer (long ago …) in Pittsburgh PA try to sell us their demo car it was in the color we wanted, version we wanted and color we wanted. The answer was still no.

I'm just gonna leave this here...
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/buy-a-loaner-test-drive-unit.6739/post-188655

 

[RockwallRick]

Dealer demos in our area are being marked up from 3 to 5k above MSRP!!! We live in a crazy world!!

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