Dealer insisted on giving me a GT even though I purchased the Touring

justdeb__

Member
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2017 CX-5
What would have happened if I had driven off with the GT even though my bill of sale was for a different car? Sorry for the long post, but this was kind of funny.

When I showed up at the dealership last night to pick up my '17 CX-5 Touring w/ Preferred Equip Pkg that I purchased July 4th weekend, the sales guy insisted the shiny Snowflake White GT parked on the red carpet was mine. I chuckled and said, "Yah right." He looked at me funny and said, "No, this is your car, the GT that we discussed." I told him I purchased the Touring and pulled out my bill of sale with the VIN # of the correct car. He compared the VIN on my documents to the VIN on the key he was holding and got flustered. He went to the office, made a couple of phone calls, came back and told me my car was still parked at the offsite lot. He told me he would go retrieve it while I finished up the DMV papers with F&I.

While in the F&I manager's office, he presented me the temporary registration paper for me to sign. Right away, I knew the VIN on the registration was not for my car but for the GT (I presumed). Again, I had to take out my bill of sale because he didn't believe that the car on the registration was not the car they sold me. An hour and half later at the dealership and we finally got everything squared away and I officially took delivery of MY car.

The fiance and I had a chuckle about the whole situation afterwards, but curiosity is getting the best of me now. Had I not done my due diligence to check the VIN #s and taken delivery of the GT instead, what would have happened? Could I have gotten a GT for the price of a Touring? LOL (uhm) (lol2)
 
They sold your car to a sucker for close to MSRP. You should have taken the GT at the price of a Touring. Why did you agree to a car that did not meet your specs and overpaid?
Was one poster who paid for Sport and got a 16 Touring.
 
They sold your car to a sucker for close to MSRP. You should have taken the GT at the price of a Touring. Why did you agree to a car that did not meet your specs and overpaid?
Was one poster who paid for Sport and got a 16 Touring.

I didn't care to pay the extra $3-4k for leather seats and could live without the few extra features on the GT versus the Touring w/ PEP. Sure it would've been nice, but it wasn't worth the upsell to me.

However, who am I to complain if the dealer insisted on giving me a GT when I paid for (and wanted) a Touring. I'm just curious whether I COULD HAVE gotten away with getting the GT for the price of the Touring since it would have been registered to me had I not caught the discrepancy on the registration paperwork.
 
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I didn't care to pay the extra $3-4k for leather seats and could live without the few extra features on the GT versus the Touring w/ PEP. Sure it would've been nice, but it wasn't worth the upsell to me.

However, who am I to complain if the dealer insisted on giving me a GT when I paid for (and wanted) a Touring. I'm just curious whether I COULD HAVE gotten away with getting the GT for the price of the Touring since it would have been registered to me had I not caught the discrepancy on the registration paperwork.

People wait for months to get a specific color + Trim combination on certain models. I know certain color combinations in CX5 sell faster.
If you are not getting what you wanted (IF you are buying new - this is one reason - you get the exact car down to the carpets) -- you should have insisted on paying Touring price for GT. If he sold your car he would atleast meet you in the middle. Or you should have walked away. But it seems you dont worry about money. So thats cool now.
 
What would have happened if I had driven off with the GT even though my bill of sale was for a different car? Sorry for the long post, but this was kind of funny.

When I showed up at the dealership last night to pick up my '17 CX-5 Touring w/ Preferred Equip Pkg that I purchased July 4th weekend, the sales guy insisted the shiny Snowflake White GT parked on the red carpet was mine. I chuckled and said, "Yah right." He looked at me funny and said, "No, this is your car, the GT that we discussed." I told him I purchased the Touring and pulled out my bill of sale with the VIN # of the correct car. He compared the VIN on my documents to the VIN on the key he was holding and got flustered. He went to the office, made a couple of phone calls, came back and told me my car was still parked at the offsite lot. He told me he would go retrieve it while I finished up the DMV papers with F&I.

While in the F&I manager's office, he presented me the temporary registration paper for me to sign. Right away, I knew the VIN on the registration was not for my car but for the GT (I presumed). Again, I had to take out my bill of sale because he didn't believe that the car on the registration was not the car they sold me. An hour and half later at the dealership and we finally got everything squared away and I officially took delivery of MY car.

The fiance and I had a chuckle about the whole situation afterwards, but curiosity is getting the best of me now. Had I not done my due diligence to check the VIN #s and taken delivery of the GT instead, what would have happened? Could I have gotten a GT for the price of a Touring? LOL (uhm) (lol2)

So my understanding is that the deal was done and he was going to allow you to take the GT for the price you negotiated for the Touring? If so I think I just would have asked if he was offering the upscale model for the same price, otherwise I'd be afraid of getting a call a few days later (after the Touring you'd agreed on was sold) asking me to return the car.
 
People wait for months to get a specific color + Trim combination on certain models. I know certain color combinations in CX5 sell faster.
If you are not getting what you wanted (IF you are buying new - this is one reason - you get the exact car down to the carpets) -- you should have insisted on paying Touring price for GT. If he sold your car he would atleast meet you in the middle. Or you should have walked away. But it seems you dont worry about money. So thats cool now.

I guess you're missing my point. I didn't WANT the GT, therefore, I didn't bother to negotiate for a GT. However, a quick browse around the forums, KBB, and Edmunds, and no one would have sold a '17 GT for close to the price that I paid for the Touring. Now, if you were to show me a written offer from a dealer for less than $28,500 (pre TTL), I would have given you a pat on the back and sulk over how I missed out on paying over $2k more for features I didn't care to have. Otherwise, move along.

My post was regarding an initial dealer mix-up while I was taking delivery of my car and curious about the proposed hypothetical scenario had I not noticed the discrepancies I described.
 
So my understanding is that the deal was done and he was going to allow you to take the GT for the price you negotiated for the Touring? If so I think I just would have asked if he was offering the upscale model for the same price, otherwise I'd be afraid of getting a call a few days later (after the Touring you'd agreed on was sold) asking me to return the car.

Correct, the deal was done and I purchased the Touring on our agreed upon price. I just didn't take delivery until over a week later while the vehicle was still at the port of San Diego. It wasn't until they were trying to give me keys to a GT and tried to get me to sign the temp registration for a GT that I did not pay for that made me wonder whether I COULD have walked away with a GT while paying for a Touring.
 
I guess you're missing my point. I didn't WANT the GT, therefore, I didn't bother to negotiate for a GT. However, a quick browse around the forums, KBB, and Edmunds, and no one would have sold a '17 GT for close to the price that I paid for the Touring. Now, if you were to show me a written offer from a dealer for less than $28,500 (pre TTL), I would have given you a pat on the back and sulk over how I missed out on paying over $2k more for features I didn't care to have. Otherwise, move along.

My post was regarding an initial dealer mix-up while I was taking delivery of my car and curious about the proposed hypothetical scenario had I not noticed the discrepancies I described.

And you are missing my point too.
You wanted car A - Exactly CAR A.
You got car B - different than CAR A. This is a bit of inconvenience for you.
Did an earthquake eat car A up? No - it was sold to another customer because they thought you would buy the replacement. Getting cars mixed up is pretty rookie mistake - it was intentional. They didnt have car A when you went it.
Businesses usually make up for it by throwing in perks. Maybe you could have gotten a GT for Price of Touring + PEP (not touring base price) - maybe you could have gotten another 1000 dollars off.

Summary is - you were inconvenienced, you could be the most accommodating person and would have taken a Rav4 if they didnt have your original vehicle - but if your question is about GT for PRice of Touring + PEP : it is possible. Bigger discount is another possibility. If I zero in on a car and the dealer sells it - gives me a message that someone else was more important and I head for the exit.
Entitlement is bad - but not asking for reasonable service level is worse.

I would ask the dealer manager to make up for it - since your friend circle says Touring + PEP is best value. Get a service or two free. Beyond that not much can be done.
 
I feel like I read a different first post than other people. Is there another thread about this purchase?
 
And you are missing my point too.
You wanted car A - Exactly CAR A.
You got car B - different than CAR A. This is a bit of inconvenience for you.
Did an earthquake eat car A up? No - it was sold to another customer because they thought you would buy the replacement. Getting cars mixed up is pretty rookie mistake - it was intentional. They didnt have car A when you went it.
Businesses usually make up for it by throwing in perks. Maybe you could have gotten a GT for Price of Touring + PEP (not touring base price) - maybe you could have gotten another 1000 dollars off.

Summary is - you were inconvenienced, you could be the most accommodating person and would have taken a Rav4 if they didnt have your original vehicle - but if your question is about GT for PRice of Touring + PEP : it is possible. Bigger discount is another possibility. If I zero in on a car and the dealer sells it - gives me a message that someone else was more important and I head for the exit.
Entitlement is bad - but not asking for reasonable service level is worse.

I would ask the dealer manager to make up for it - since your friend circle says Touring + PEP is best value. Get a service or two free. Beyond that not much can be done.

Wrong. Car A (my car) was there and NOT sold to another customer. It had just arrived at the dealership yesterday morning when the sales guy called and said Car A was ready for pick up. However, when I showed up, it was Car B that was ready for pick up and Car A was still at their off site lot pending PIP. Yes, I agree it was a rookie mistake on their part, but I'm wondering if it would have been a mistake in my favor had I walked away with Car B while Car A just sat on their lot waiting to be sold. They would not have realized the mistake until the DMV tells them the VIN on the bill of sale doesn't match the VIN on the temporary registration.
 
I feel like I read a different first post than other people. Is there another thread about this purchase?

Wasn't me. I just took delivery of my car last night. I think I read the same thread you did also, but couldn't find it when I tried to search.
 
KAPS I think you're missing the point. I think his questions is "what if" he drove off the lot in a car other than the one that was specified in his purchase agreement. Not what if I got a GT for Touring cost wise.

I don't believe the OP was being provided a GT in lieu of the touring he wanted / purchased. Someone made an error and actually thought the GT was his. It's possible they were confused about the deal, or confused about who was picking up what car when on the day.



OP - here's my take:

If all of your paperwork you signed for was for VIN A and you simply were given the keys for VIN B that car isn't yours. If something happens essentially your plates are on the wrong car and you're potentially uninsured and don't own the car.

If your deal was written up for VIN A and the paperwork upon delivery was signed for VIN B, VIN B was plated in your name and keys provided for VIN B. I guess technically the car is yours at that point, though insurance still needs to be aware of VIN B vs VIN A.

However... with that said the deal agreed to was for VIN A and the dealer, as others mentioned, would likely realise what's happened not too far down the road and generate A LOT of hassle for you. At a minimum you bring the car back, more likely they chase you for more money because the delivery was not as agreed upon regardless of who's fault it is.

Either way you did the right thing in making sure you took delivery of the vehicle you agreed to purchase for the agreed upon price. Very likely saved yourself a big headache one way or another.
 
If your deal was written up for VIN A and the paperwork upon delivery was signed for VIN B, VIN B was plated in your name and keys provided for VIN B. I guess technically the car is yours at that point, though insurance still needs to be aware of VIN B vs VIN A.

However... with that said the deal agreed to was for VIN A and the dealer, as others mentioned, would likely realise what's happened not too far down the road and generate A LOT of hassle for you. At a minimum you bring the car back, more likely they chase you for more money because the delivery was not as agreed upon regardless of who's fault it is.

Either way you did the right thing in making sure you took delivery of the vehicle you agreed to purchase for the agreed upon price. Very likely saved yourself a big headache one way or another.


(10)(10)(10)

Thank you for clarifying. That was exactly the scenario I was trying to get across, although unsuccessfully it seemed. You're right -- it probably would have been more of a hassle for me down the line once the dealer figures out their mistake. No doubt they would try to strong-arm me to get me to return the GT even though it was their negligence. I was just playing devil's advocate with myself (naughty)
 
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Thank you for clarifying. That was exactly the scenario I was trying to get across, although unsuccessfully it seemed. You're right -- it probably would have been more of a hassle for me down the line once the dealer figures out their mistake. No doubt they would try to strong-arm me to get me to return the GT even though it was their negligence. I was just playing devil's advocate with myself (naughty)

Okay, I read the first post correctly too. The other responses seemed to be replying to something other than what you posted. That's why I wondered if they had more information from another thread, as opposed to just being dense and rude.
 
Okay, I read the first post correctly too. The other responses seemed to be replying to something other than what you posted. That's why I wondered if they had more information from another thread, as opposed to just being dense and rude.

(cool)

Dense and rude is my guess.
 
The OP seemed clear to me...

If the VIN #'s on ALL your paperwork would have matched the GT, for the lower dollar amount, I'd have said @#$%'em personally...lol

But I agree if the VIN # where different...probably more of a headache than it's worth.
 
I would imagine something would come to light about the mixup eventually - probably when plates were issued. I imagine they would have done whatever it took to get things right on their end, but you still may have been able to keep the car. Were the two cars the same color?
 
That's actually pretty funny.

The fact that the sales guy got flustered and embarrassed, I knew it was an honest mistake. It was just funny to me that both him AND the finance manager insisted to see the VIN on my documents because they couldn't believe they made a mistake LOL.
 
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