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Two Car Purchase? or Not?

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2CarBuyer

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? WA

I went to one dealer, signed the paperwork for a car.
No money changed hands. No documents were given to me. The odometer section was not filled in.

In the morning, I got a far better offer(unable to match at dealer #1) from another dealer that claimed that since the transaction was not finished(no car received, no money exchanged), then there was no valid contract. I believed them and got the car there.

Unsurprisingly, the first dealer now states that I either own both cars, or I can get out of the other contract because "I was lied to." They state their contract is iron-clad, despite no money exchanged, items unfinished on contract.

Possibly relevant sections of contract:
D1. Odometer disclosure document has no mileage on it.

D2. NOTICE TO BUYER: (a) Do not sign this contract before you read it or if any spaces intended for the agreed terms, except as to unavailable information, are blank. (b) You are entitled to a copy of this contract at the time you sign it. You agree to the terms of this contract. You confirm that before you signed this contract, we gave it to you, and you were free to take it and review it. You confirm that you receive a completely filled-in copy when you signed it.

I did not get a copy of anything when I signed it. Although it states that unavailable info doesn't have to be filled-in, the final section says I should have gotten one that is fully filled-in. They were able to talk to the dealer that had the car at the time and got the VIN, but not the mileage.

There is no cooling off period for WA. My question is, which is correct?
Dealer #1: I can get out of Car #2
Dealer #2: I can get out of Car #1
Option #3: I own them both and will have to figure it out on my own.

I will keep a close eye here to answer questions. Thanks for any input.What is the name of your state?
 


JETX

Senior Member
You signed the original contract.... and absent the ability to read it, no one on this forum can determine if the contract is valid or not.
Take BOTH contracts to a local attorney who can read them and advise.
 

2CarBuyer

Junior Member
Spoke to a lawyer. They said there are issues with both deals, but nothing rock solid.

While the contract for car #1 was not complete, the mileage on the car was less than 500 miles. According to the statutes, that is not a "significant" omission. The lack of a contract number on the form also did not make any false or misleading representations about what I signed, thus it is insignificant. The car dealer had not acted in bad faith, so it would be very difficult to win a case against dealer #1.

Dealer #2 however had made statements that made my case better against them. However, because of the amount of money involved, he recommended that I try to work it out with them. I was able to sell the car back to them, albeit at a loss. Though, the loss was approximately what I would have paid the lawyer as a retainer(~$500).

Certainly not what I had hoped for, but better than wasting more time off work and sitting in court. You can bet I won't be stuck with this situation again.
 

JETX

Senior Member
Sorry about the fact that you got into this problem... and glad that it was able to work out, if nothing other than a life lesson learned.
 

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