auto dealership question

[Jmaxon]

I bought a car for my girlfriend because she couldn't qualify for a loan, car was in my name and loan was in my name but she was going to make payments, I paid 3k down payment and financing was pending but I was able to take car, I didn't hear from the dealer regarding financing so I called after not hearing from the dealer for a couple months to find out who to make the payment to, I was told to come into dealership and give them the payment, I gave my girlfriend that information and she was afraid they would keep car if she went into dealer to make payment, she didn't go in and talk to them and next thing you know the car was repossessed by the dealership, I was never contacted after they took the car, my girlfriend contacted them and found that they had taken the car, I was never given the chance to make good on the loan and keep the car instead they told my gf they could sell her the car and use the money I put down as a down payment plus "a little more" and get her financed, even though the car was in my name and I wasn't given the chance to make good on the loan, so end result is they put car in her name and got her financing, is this legal? There is more to this but it's a start!

 

[Just Blue]

I bought a car for my girlfriend because she couldn't qualify for a loan, car was in my name and loan was in my name but she was going to make payments, I paid 3k down payment and financing was pending but I was able to take car, I didn't hear from the dealer regarding financing so I called after not hearing from the dealer for a couple months to find out who to make the payment to, I was told to come into dealership and give them the payment, I gave my girlfriend that information and she was afraid they would keep car if she went into dealer to make payment, she didn't go in and talk to them and next thing you know the car was repossessed by the dealership, I was never contacted after they took the car, my girlfriend contacted them and found that they had taken the car, I was never given the chance to make good on the loan and keep the car instead they told my gf they could sell her the car and use the money I put down as a down payment plus "a little more" and get her financed, even though the car was in my name and I wasn't given the chance to make good on the loan, so end result is they put car in her name and got her financing, is this legal? There is more to this but it's a start!

What State?

 

[Jmaxon]

Sorry, california

 

[Jmaxon]

So the dealer sold her the car and a week later asked her for another 1k for down payment saying the finance company required it so she paid it, a week later the finance company called to see if she was happy with the vehicle, that's when my gf asked about the extra 1k down payment, the finance company said they never asked for anymore money down, my gf told finance company that the car had a couple issues that needed repair a fuel leak that was giving her a headache while driving but the dealer said there wasn't a fuel leak, there was a bad fuel leak and it was obvious by the strong odor inside the car! My gf said no she wasn't happy with the car because of the mechanical issues and that it couldn't be smogged because of fuel leak so it couldn't be registered current, my gf told finance manager she didn't want the car because of the mechanical issues so they agreed to take car back and refund the down payment, so she gave the car back to the dealer and signed an agreement saying she would accept the 3k I originally put down on the car as a refund and walk away, she went back that day to pick up the refund check and they told her they weren't giving her a refund and they kept the car, that's when things went south cause I got involved it wasn't good, I was escorted out of the dealership by six employees and they locked the door behind me shouting through the storefront that it was going to get violent if I didn't leave that it was in my best interest to get off the property

 

[Zigner]

First off - why do you keep referring to this woman as your GF? At this point, after stealing from you, she should be your EX-GF.
Second - the way to resolve a civil dispute is through the courts, not through a shouting match that causes you to be escorted off the property.

 

[zddoodah]

In any future posts, please make an effort to use proper punctuation and capitalization. Commas are not all-purpose punctuation.

I bought a car for my girlfriend because she couldn't qualify for a loan, car was in my name and loan was in my name but she was going to make payments

Was this arrangement in writing and signed by both you and your GF?

I was never given the chance to make good on the loan

Of course you were. You had the opportunity to make the payment when due. Instead, you left that to your GF who failed to do it.

is this legal?

As you described it, the repossession was legal. It's not really clear what happened after that, but are you being told that you're on the hook for more money? If you're not, then chalk this up as a learning experience.

 

[Jmaxon]

So you're telling me that the dealer can apply my down payment to the next person that buys the car? And they aren't required to notify me after repossessing the car so I can try to talk to the loan company and bring the loan current or secure new financing?

 

[Zigner]

So you're telling me that the dealer can apply my down payment to the next person that buys the car? And they aren't required to notify me after repossessing the car so I can try to talk to the loan company and bring the loan current or secure new financing?

The "down payment" lowered the amount you owed on the car. Once you failed to pay for the car (at all), they repossessed the car. The "down payment" is gone.