[jkf398]

I put a $1,000 deposit on my Arctic Mist 325i/nav/terra/auto a couple of weeks ago, and the car is now being built. I have since determined that another dealership in Houston will come down (a little) off the sticker price, whereas the original dealership will not. :mad:

Is it possible to switch dealers now that the car build has started??

[deutschmann59]

Yeah, you could. But I think the dealer would be a little upset, and secondly, if the dealer in Houston doesn't have the exact car your looking for sitting on the lot, they'll have to put a new order in, which means you could end up waiting 4 more months until the new order comes in, versus a car that's already in production.

[e90fanatic]

wouldn't u loose your $1K deposit if u switch??

[deutschmann59]

Hmmm...I didn't think of that. I don't know how that works. I don't know if they use it as collateral or what. I was just thinking about other stories I heard where the dealer screwed up and the person would have to end up waiting 3+ months longer than they were promised, and the dealer gladly gave back the deposit. I don't know if that would apply here, though.

I really don't think they can legally hold your deposit, though, unless you sign a contract. I think the $1000.00 is just the price you pay to have the car reserved to you and you alone. I could be wrong though...

[Broken1]

I think you would lose your deposit. How much discount is the other dealer offering you? The car isn't yours until you've paid for it, or signed the lease contract and taken delivery, so technically the dealer who ordered it origionally is the one who will get it. They might be able to do a dealer swop when the car comes in, but then why would they want to lose a customer?

[Armen52]

No, the deposit is fully refundable at any time before the actual purchase transaction is made.

If I were you I wouldn't say you're taking your business to another dealer. Just say that you are going for another car entirely or an emergency has come up and you can't purchase a car right now.

Also, in the future, you should do your shopping around ahead of time to avoid situations like this.