Returning a car to the dealership - is this possible?

[Driz]

Please do elaborate on buying it out of spite, that is bound to be worth hearing...
[/QUOTE]
Yea Yea Yea, you owe is that much after admitting to this fluster cluck you got into. Do get right on what you gotta do to salvage this mess but we just gotta know the whole back story of how this came about. Like Paul Harvey always said "The Rest Of The Story"

 

[4WD]

Trading it in on a unit @ that dealership might be best hope

 

[CharBaby]

Typically, you now have a used car and the dealer will most likely take it back but, only give you a trade in value(if buying another car) or even less money(if you want them to buy it back). They have to resell it and make another profit and commission the sales person.

There's a lot more to it than that^^^ but, you get my meaning.

Your best bet may be to keep it and try selling it now(while your driving it). You will probably get the most money this way and depending on the region you live in, you may get close(er) to what you paid for the FIT(if you had got a decent deal on the car to start with).

Honda cars have(command) a high resale value and used car prices are currently waaaaaaaay UP! This could work in your favor. Getting more back in on a trade, or having the dealer take the FIT back into their inventory is more the exception than the rule. I mean, you'd be very fortunate if this happened but, don't count on it!

 

[gregk24]

My SIL did a version of this once.
She did this while my BIL was out of town on business.
She had a '12 Accord coupe. Decided she needed a new car because the Accord had over 100K on it.
She walked into the local Honda dealer. She wanted a new two door Accord.
They had discontinued making them. She absolutely had to have a two door. Nothing else would do.
However, they had a two door Civic on the floor.
She went into negotiations on it. Ended up buying it without even a quick test drive.
Had it for 24 hours and absolutely hated it.
Went back to the dealer. Amazingly, they took it back. They hadn't even started the title process on it yet.
Ended up buying her '12 back for five grand more than she was given in trade.
Kept it until last year, when she found a used low mileage Accord coupe.
She is usually level headed, but when she goes off the rails, she does it big time.

This hurts to read.

 

[ryster]

No car is worth this much headache. Just take it and trade it in for what you really want, or take it to a place like Carmax and sell it outright and walk away. Don't expect to get back exactly what you paid for it, but since it was used you should be able to get relatively close.

As others have said, there are no cooling off periods with regards to car sales. It would be up to the dealer as to whether or not they would be willing to let you return it, and as you said the sales manager and general manager won't even discuss it. At that point, I would just want it out of my garage and chalk it up as one of those things that happens in life.

 

[JTK]

The mega dealership chain in my area offers something like a 5 day, 250 mile return, or a 30 day 3000 mile exchange policy. I have a relative that did a 30 day exchange of a used Toyota Avalon for a used Rav4.

Short of that you'll have to trade in what you hate for something you like and can live with the losses.

 

[Hall]

As many already know, presuming the car in question was a "new" car, it's now legally a "used" car and the dealer will typically not be able to sell it for the same amount (that may not be the case in today's market). To think they'll just take it back even-Steven is foolish. They aren't likely to and don't have to, but most buyers won't think this is fair.

I'm not sure how quickly dealers process the title and related paperwork but if the don't submit it to the agency in charge, can they just stop the process and basically pretend the sale never happened ? Call it a really, long test drive ?

 

[Crash Bandicoot]

I’ve done this with a used car, flew into a Carmax location; to buy it let my guard down and ignored some obvious things that should have made me walk away because I was already committed by flying there. Drove 800 miles with it on my way back home, the car developed some odd electrical faults and konked out in the middle of nowhere (I think it was flooded at one point based on condition of the trailer wiring harness and condition of the suspension components). Carmax ended up towing it back to Dallas and paying for my hotel/rental. As others have said it depends on the state and the dealer. I put 5 grand down so I got that back when I returned it, it was a fairly easy process even with my lender, but Carmax has that 5 day return policy. I think you’re toast though. Dealer isn’t going to take that car back unless you’re going to buy something else more expensive from them.

 

[Oillover]

Good luck. Stuff happens.

Typically, you now have a used car and the dealer will most likely take it back but, only give you a trade in value(if buying another car) or even less money(if you want them to buy it back). They have to resell it and make another profit and commission the sales person.

There's a lot more to it than that^^^ but, you get my meaning.

Your best bet may be to keep it and try selling it now(while your driving it). You will probably get the most money this way and depending on the region you live in, you may get close(er) to what you paid for the FIT(if you had got a decent deal on the car to start with).

Honda cars have(command) a high resale value and used car prices are currently waaaaaaaay UP! This could work in your favor. Getting more back in on a trade, or having the dealer take the FIT back into their inventory is more the exception than the rule. I mean, you'd be very fortunate if this happened but, don't count on it!

Thank you for this.

I've since posted it for sale and will continue to drive it. I think since it still has some manufacturer warranty remaining, it'll help with the resale process.

And yes, you are right. Since it's a non-turbo Honda, it'll probably sell a bit quicker.

 

[kschachn]

So did you ever go back to the dealer and ask them? Or just jump to selling it privately?

 

[gathermewool]

The mega dealership chain in my area offers something like a 5 day, 250 mile return, or a 30 day 3000 mile exchange policy. I have a relative that did a 30 day exchange of a used Toyota Avalon for a used Rav4.

Short of that you'll have to trade in what you hate for something you like and can live with the losses.

These kinds of deals always sound too good to be true, unless she paid something close to MSRP for the first car and high retail for the second.

 

[gathermewool]

Thank you for this.

I've since posted it for sale and will continue to drive it. I think since it still has some manufacturer warranty remaining, it'll help with the resale process.

And yes, you are right. Since it's a non-turbo Honda, it'll probably sell a bit quicker.

Maybe you'll get used to it. I drove a second-gen periodically when I dated a girl who owned one and found it to be a pretty neat little car. I am 6' and WAS 185# back then and felt like I had plenty of room. The transmission was all over the place, so maybe a CVT would be better in that regard.

Regardless, we need to know how one purchases a car out of spite. My guess is that another dealer put you through the wringer and tried to bend you over the barrel, so you huffed and puffed over to the dealer next door and bought the first car the LOOKED to meet your needs.

//

I purchased my previous STI in a different color than I wanted back in '09 when they were fire-selling them for $7k under MSRP + 0% financing. The original dealer's sales manager was a friend of my dad, but he wasn't there the night I wanted to buy. Two sales guys and a separate manager ganged up on me and told me I'd lose $2k off my trade-in (IIRC) and maybe even the deal if I didn't sign that night. I told them that I was 99% on the deal, but always sleep on something like that. I told them that I was actually closer to 100% going to come back and take the deal, but needed them to quit it with the $2k off my trade-in shenanigans. They were LIVID at this point that I had wasted their time.

I again tried to explain that my dad was friends with the manager and I was aware of how important their time was, that I had driven four hours down to NJ just to see the car and was staying local for a night just for the purchase of this car. They again said that if I walked out the door that I'd lose the deal on the table.

I drove up to NH and bought a different color STI for around the same price the next weekend.

My step pop was embarrassed and his friend the manager called me within a few days to say that the deal was still on the table and that he was sorry for how his guys treated me.

 

[harbor]

Try selling it to Carvana. Guy on another forum claims they paid him more for his car than he paid new.

 

[JTK]

These kinds of deals always sound too good to be true, unless she paid something close to MSRP for the first car and high retail for the second.

For sure on that and even with the case of my wife's uncle who did the 3mo/3000mi "exchange" w/ his used purchase, I never got the details. I'm sure it cost him something.

 

[Job]

Trade it in to a Honda dealer? Maybe you will come out OK, maybe not. A lot of people want those kind of cars. They do the paperwork to transfer the title with date of sale and mileage, so not sure how that can be all undone.

 

[gfh77665]

If you walked into another dealership, and they tried to sell you a "new" car that someone had already bought, drove it home, and kept it for a period of time, then returned it, would you happily accept it as "brand new" and pay a brand new price?

Yeah, I didn't think so. You, like almost everyone else would be furious that they even tried to stoop that low. Absolutely outraged.

But this is what you are proposing the dealership do for your benefit. You bought it. You drove it away. It's now used. Thats just the truth of it.

 

[JeffKeryk]

OP - what did the dealer say? Was the car new? It sounds like it was used. What dealership?

 

[kschachn]

But this is what you are proposing the dealership do for your benefit. You bought it. You drove it away. It's now used. Thats just the truth of it.

Indeed, and these are the OP's stated reasons:

Honestly, we really didn't like the car, but purchased it out of spite (long story).

The car is fine, but after realizing what we've purchased, we realized our mistake (doesn't fit out needs)....har har har

My wife is beside herself with anger and guilt for agreeing to the purchase.

I kind of tuned out after the "har har har" bit but this is fundamentally a case of hasty decision making and poor planning which the OP now wishes someone else to be responsible for.

He still hasn't indicated whether he has even talked to the dealership yet.

 

[dishdude]

If you walked into another dealership, and they tried to sell you a "new" car that someone had already bought, drove it home, and kept it for a period of time, then returned it, would you happily accept it as "brand new" and pay a brand new price?

Yeah, I didn't think so. You, like almost everyone else would be furious that they even tried to stoop that low. Absolutely outraged.

But this is what you are proposing the dealership do for your benefit. You bought it. You drove it away. It's now used. Thats just the truth of it.

Dealers do it all the time. They're called demos.

 

[UG_Passat]

Recently my wife and I have purchased a Honda Fit Oct 31st.
Honestly, we really didn't like the car, but purchased it out of spite (long story).

Anyway, is there a way of returning a used car to a dealership after we've purchased it?
The car is fine, but after realizing what we've purchased, we realized our mistake (doesn't fit out needs)....har har har
Since then the car has been sitting in our garage since we brought it home.
My wife is beside herself with anger and guilt for agreeing to the purchase.
I've contacted the salesperson (via telephone) who didn't seem too interested in taking it back...as the general manager and one sales manager wasn't interested in discussion.
Maybe a visit in person is in order?


Any help/input is appreciated

You purchased a car out of spite? To punish yourself?

Some dealerships have a "satisfaction" guarantee, with a short return period. Sounds like your dealership doesn't have it. Sell it to a CarMax or equivalent and take the loss in money.