If someone put a deposit down on a MC and the car was NOT ordered, but coming

to the dealer, anyway, is it too late to change one's mind? A friend of mine is not

sure if he likes the color (CR/BL) and he is expecting the car next week. This

happen to any of you?

 

IMO when you ask a retailer to give you special treatment, and give him a deposit to demonstrate your sincerity and to cover any additional costs that he may incur, then if you cancel the request you are honor bound to relinquish the deposit.

 

It really depends on the dealer. I've seen it many times where a person has put down the deposit, custom ordered their MINI and because of family problems, finances, bank loans, Layed off from their job, girl friend just found out she's pregnant, etc... they can't buy the car when it arrives. And every time the dealer KNOWS that they will be able to sell the car off the lot, so returns the deposit to them. Everyone feels bad that the original deal can't be made, but in the end the person gets his deposit back and the dealership has a car that they can sell.

The last one I heard about, the dealer added satalite sterio, driving lights, checkered roof and an aero kit to the car and sold it for a HUGE profit margin. The person getting the car was thrilled. He got a car "the next day" after test driving it, and even though another person custom ordered it, what he drove home was his "own" because of all of the accessories.

My only advise is for your friend to come up with some "real" reason for not taking delivery of the car, and not say he just doesn't want that color afterall. I'm not sure what a dealer would do if someone was to turn away from the car that they themselves custom ordered because it came in the color they ordered. The person buying a MINI off the lot would more than likely take it in any color, just to get to have one.

 

Maybe my question was misleading. My friend gave the dealer a deposit for a car already heade dto dealership. He wants a Mini Cooper, but felt pressured to get the red because it was on it's way to dealership. Nothing special was added for him. He thought he would want a different color and asked what I thought.

 

They fired my salesman right after I ordered my mini. He was selling customers parts at cost, they would give him a check and he never gave them the parts .... THAT'S WHAT THE DEALER CLAIMED. All I know is he made promises that were NOT IN WRITING to me. He said the order to UK was different than sales order and he would write-it-up and send it to me. I was so thrilled to be ordering the thing I wasn't thinking straight. ... He promised rally lights, floor mats, and a car cover. So when they fired him and I didn't have anything in writing, they told me tuff luck. They actually said, "We fired the guy, what more can we do?" .... Then they said they weren't making any money on the car HA! One of multiple lies.

So I demanded my money back and they said I signed a paper agreeing that it was non-refundable. So I had to threaten legal action for sales fraud and they countered with my choice of getting the deposit back and walking away or free rally lights and floor mats at cost ... I took the mini. ...... By the way. I found the OEM mats on the internet for less than their COST -- the price they charged me. Aaaand. They fired the replacement salesman a month after I took possession. So supposedly my car isn't in their computer or some stupid story. ... Screw me once, shame on you, screw me 5 times, shame on me. So I'll be driving 3 hours to another dealer. .... OMG am I a windbag today or what?

FINAL ANSWER ... that's kinda what the deposit was for ... to keep people from changing their mind. I've read threads where people couldn't make their minds up over the MANY-MINI colors for days. Most car dealers -- any model -- require a non-refundable deposit to start paperwork on a sale. So offer to take another car when it comes in and they keep the deposit till then ... or tell them to return the deposit AFTER the car sells to someone else and their inventory is released. Depends on the dealer's greed level. ... lotsa luck.

 

"IMO when you ask a retailer to give you special treatment, and give him a deposit to demonstrate your sincerity and to cover any additional costs that he may incur, then if you cancel the request you are honor bound to relinquish the deposit."

What special treatment? What additional costs? The dealer was getting the car anyway -- this was NOT a special order, according to Dice-gal.

I don't see any reason the dealer shouldn't transfer the deposit to another car, or refund the entire deposit if the buyer wants it back.

 

When I put my deposit down on my MC, I didn't officially order one. My MA did a trade with another dealership and said that if I didn't like the car when it came in, then I could just go ahead and order one. They would have no problem selling the other MC. It might just depend on your dealership though. What color is your friend thinking about? I happen to think CR/B looks very sharp!

 

>>Maybe my question was misleading. My friend gave the dealer a deposit for a car already heade dto dealership. He wants a Mini Cooper, but felt pressured to get the red because it was on it's way to dealership. Nothing special was added for him. He thought he would want a different color and asked what I thought.

In my opinion, since the dealer had the car coming, you should get your full "deposit" back. Yes, they MAY have had a chance to sell it will it was on hold for you but maybe not.

Earll

 

I would just ask the dealer what they are willling to do. If he really wants a different color they most likely would accomodate, however even if it was a "car on the way" it still forces the dealer to "floor plan" the car (pay finance charges to the lender of the dealership itself) and if it was spoken for with a deposit it screwed other MIni buyers out of buying that one. I know when I bought mine I looked at every color combination on the way in the two months approaching to pick from the larger liter than what was on the lot.

 

At MINI of Sterling in VA, as well as at Rasmusen MINI in Portland, OR, the dealer was very specific in letting me know that the deposit was completely refundable at any time. I would think that if the dealer is selling MINIs like crazy (as those two dealers were) they will probably give you the deposit back as they could move the car you didn't take with no problem.

 

I think most dealers will be willing to work with you. But I agree, don't just say it was the color that changed your mind. (although I think this one is great!).

As a friend of mine said, if you don't like the color when you get it, take it to California and sell it for more than you paid for it!

Our dealer today had an 02 with 18,000 miles with a 6 month warranty for $22,000. That's less than I'll be paying for my new one.