Overhaulin'

When does the sale of a new vehicle become final?

Pay close attention, this is not a joke! I bought a brand new car for $35,000, test drove the car, and signed all the paperwork. Before I drove the car off the lot, the check engine light came on. I immediately took the car to the service / sales department and demanded an answer. After getting into an argument with the General Manager of the dealership he said he was going to rip up the paperwork, that the deal was off. The repair was minor, so I wanted to keep the car. I still have all the signed paperwork, so I'm confused how the general manager can do that. When exactly does the ownership of the vehicle transfer from the dealership to the consumer? Also note, I was approved and signed all the financing agreements, paid a $500 down payment, and signed over the title of my trade. Where do I stand? Thanks in advance for the advice. Thanks for the answers. This is the actual events precisely as they unfolded, and although I wish there were more to the story, this is it. I understand consumers only go to complain, but that isn't my intent. The intention of this post is only informative. If I intended to complain, then I wouldn't have posted it in Yahoo answers. Unfortunately the best answer was probably the least liked :-). Anyway, thank you very much for your honest answers.

Public Comments

1. Go to the website for your States Office of the Secretary of the State. They regulate Car Dealers and you can file a complaint or get information from them. Also the Better Business Bureau and The Automobile Trade Association in your State. Also you can contact the Factory that manufactured your car and lodge a complaint with them also.
2. Stuft's answer will get you nowhere. The deal si final when the bank funds the transaction and the dealer is paid. Since he 'tore up' the agreement, it was never submitted for funding, and the dealer was never paid. Therefore, there is no deal. You are entitled to your down payment back, and that is all There are two funny side notes to this, though. (a) I find it hard to believe that the dealer backed out of a sale. We live and die making sales. It is illogical, especially in this economy, to have a dealer cancel a deal over some aggravation. We get aggravation daily. So this smells like more to the story than I am reading. (b) Its also funny that both the OP and Stuft want to file complaints because someone supposedly DIDNT sell a car. Usually people are whining because they bought a car and want out of the deal. People are peculiar. "Thumbs Down" me all you want. Because you don't like the answer, that doesn't stop it being correct.