Buying a car

[debodun]

Are car dealers obligated to sell you the exact car you choose? When I bought my current car, I test drove one that handled extremely well and had a smooth ride and I told the sales agent that was the car I wanted and wrote down the VIN number. When I went to pick it up, thae car was the same make, model and color of the test model, but the VIN was not the same car I had driven.

 

[Pecos]

debodum,
That would make me suspicious!

 

[Manatee]

Sounds like a switcheroo.

 

[Knight]

Are car dealers obligated to sell you the exact car you choose? When I bought my current car, I test drove one that handled extremely well and had a smooth ride and I told the sales agent that was the car I wanted and wrote down the VIN number. When I went to pick it up, thae car was the same make, model and color of the test model, but the VIN was not the same car I had driven.

Did the car you received/bought drive and ride the same? For me getting a new car that was test driven and had mileage on it wouldn't be my choice.

 

[Butterfly]

What did they say when you confronted them about it?

 

[JB in SC]

I had it happen to me once, but I never drove the car (matter of fact I haven’t driven the specific car I‘ve bought in years). I questioned the sales manager, the other car had been sold before they could transport it from another dealership.

 

[Linda]

I don't know what to make of that. I would never have thought to write down the vin. I think you should ask them what happened and then let us know. I am curious about this.

 

[C'est Moi]

If you went to the trouble to write down the VIN, why didn't you verify it before you bought the car? And to answer your question, I doubt that they are "obligated" to sell you anything.

 

[Mike]

Dealers have cars that you drive to see if you like
the model, that is not the car that they sell, they
keep that one for around 6 Months, depending
on the miles that they put on it, then sell it cheap,
as an ex-demonstration model.

The one you got was straight from the factory with
very few miles on it, I think.

Mike.

 

[Aunt Bea]

If it was the same make and model new car with the same bells and whistles I wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

[debodun]

What did they say when you confronted them about it?

The sales agent said that they keep one car for test drives, but also like Aunt Bea said, if it has the same trim line, it shouldn't matter. I suspect the demo is supertuned and rigged for handling prowess.

 

[911]

I would think that if you wanted that particular car, you should have stipulated that at the time of the purchase. It's no bait and switch, slight of hand or any other illegal tactic, but maybe a little misunderstanding on the sales person's part. If you said, "I want (or will take) this one." Then, the sales person should have either delivered that particular vehicle to you, or told you that you would be receiving a duplicate to the one that you drove.

 

[TravelinMan]

Buying a car is such a degrading process. I'm so glad I don't have to do it very often.

The last car we bought we test drove it, then drove it home.

 

[Butterfly]

The sales agent said that they keep one car for test drives, but also like Aunt Bea said, if it has the same trim line, it shouldn't matter. I suspect the demo is supertuned and rigged for handling prowess.

I doubt it -- it was just a demo car. Very common practice. They don't want to be putting miles on all of the new cars.

 

[Colleen]

YIKES! Car dealers are dishonest in most cases, anyway, and I'm glad we're not going to be buying any more cars in our lifetime. We've had a really bad experience that has cost us a lot of money because we were naive and not aggressive people.

If it's the same car, basically, like the one you test drove and you don't have any issues with it, then enjoy it and forget it. I'm more careful now with what I buy and if it would have been me, and the VIN was different, I would have questioned them before I drove it off the lot.

 

[Trade]

"Car Dogs"

It's on Netflix.

If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out.

It's a comedy/drama. I think that's called a dramedy. It's very good.

 

[Knight]

The sales agent said that they keep one car for test drives, but also like Aunt Bea said, if it has the same trim line, it shouldn't matter. I suspect the demo is supertuned and rigged for handling prowess.

I suspect the demo is supertuned and rigged for handling prowess.

Does that make sense ?
If you believed that. Why wouldn't you return the car you bought because it didn't perform [super tuned] & wasn't rigged for handling prowess

 

[fuzzybuddy]

Some people get all bent out of shape if they buy a car and it has a few hundred miles on it, as a demo would.

 

[squatting dog]

If you're unhappy with the new car you got, exercise your 3 day right of rescission if applicable in your state.

https://legalbeagle.com/5842972-rescind-car-purchase-contract.html