Moral dilemma/car dealership help? (a little long)

[Adebisi]

They're probably making like 15k+ from you on the 335i lease. That's why they didn't make too big a deal about the Mazda's title situation. They found a way to get it done eventually. That was probably their plan from the start: Find a way to get it done eventually.

They probably could have eaten the full amount they paid on the trade-in, and still come out ahead on the deal. Don't let them chisel you out of another 1500.

[ACG2x]

What in the hell is all this discussion about "moral balance" and such? If the OP wants moral balance and wants to feel better about himself, donate $1,500 to a good charity vs. giving it back to a car dealership who screwed up in their apparent haste to make a sale at any cost.

That's not to blame the dealership, they were doing what they do for a living, making sales. Under no circumstances, sans if I was ordered to by a binding legal entity, would I give the dealership one red cent.

Plus, IAW about how does the car lose $3K of value in a few months? That's asanine.

The $3K in "lost value" is an arbitrary figure. You can't say for certain what the car would be sold for three months ago because in any kind of sales job, an object (in this case the car) is worth what a consumer is willing to pay for it. Maybe they sell it for $10K, maybe not. Maybe nobody buys it at that price and it sits on the lot for two months.

What I'm getting at is you can't say what the lost value is on something that has a variable price. Again, a car is worth what a consumer will pay for it. On the last car my wife and I bought, the dealership ended up dropping the price several thousand dollars because we refused to buy at their original offer. So there is no way this guy can accurately tell you the lost value to him is $3K.

Do not go to a meeting with him. Do not engage in conversation with him. And absolutely do not pay him a dime. Tell him if he ever wants you to buy a car from his dealership again or have you recommend his dealership to anyone else, he'll leave you alone and never bring the situation up again.

The dealership has no legal claim to force you to pay any of that money. All this moral high ground stuff to help smooth over someone else's screw up is making my head spin.

[Bicycles_Biatch]

For the record I don't think you should give them a dime because it was there mistake...

But when I mentioned that my buddy should keep the extra grand he was given on accident by a casino cage... the two of us were FLAMED for being unethical priicks.

Funny that people have no problem ripping off car dealerships :-)

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
For the record I don't think you should give them a dime because it was there mistake...

But when I mentioned that my buddy should keep the extra grand he was given on accident by a casino cage... the two of us were FLAMED for being unethical priicks.

Funny that people have no problem ripping off car dealerships :-)

[/ QUOTE ]

except that this isnt ripping off a car dealership, this is a car dealership ripping you off

[PokerBob]

[ QUOTE ]
For the record I don't think you should give them a dime because it was there mistake...

But when I mentioned that my buddy should keep the extra grand he was given on accident by a casino cage... the two of us were FLAMED for being unethical priicks.

Funny that people have no problem ripping off car dealerships :-)

[/ QUOTE ]

wow. i think i now see what is going on here. this is brilliant.

[El Diablo]

gonores,

"Then he says he wants to come to me man to man and ask what I felt my responsibility in this whole mess is."

Well, chief, I was going to offer you something, but since you lied to me about the price drop and tried to f me up the ass here, I feel my responsibility in this whole mess is absolutely zero.

[ClarkNasty]

[ QUOTE ]
gonores,

"Then he says he wants to come to me man to man and ask what I felt my responsibility in this whole mess is."

Well, chief, I was going to offer you something, but since you lied to me about the price drop and tried to f me up the ass here, I feel my responsibility in this whole mess is absolutely zero.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good use of the word chief.

[Pyromaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
"Then he says he wants to come to me man to man and ask what I felt my responsibility in this whole mess is."

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm surprised this bit got so little attention in this thread. The last time someone said something like this to me, it was a thinly veiled threat of, if not outright violence, then a pretty ugly scene. Here it sounds like a promise to shame/guilt/belittle you into forking over some dough.

...you've already decided to steer clear of this, but I'll add my own little bit. I've been on both sides of this. I had a dealer call me once about a used car I'd bought, and he told me that they'd made "a mistake" in the final price (how hard is it to subtract two numbers...agreed price on car and agreed price on tradein?) and I owed $XXX. I declined to pay.

Also I worked for a while at a small used dealer's lot (working in the parts dept, not sales), and what I learned was, they don't/won't do a deal that they're not already making money at. The profit's always there, somehow, somewhere; if it's not, they won't do the deal.