Buying a car from a dealership is supposed to offer some peace of mind, especially for someone who has never gone through the process before. However, one buyer discovered that even three months of making payments apparently wasn’t enough to guarantee a straightforward purchase, as the dealership suddenly demanded the vehicle back because it couldn’t obtain the title.
Reddit user u/garfiledlover shared the frustrating experience in the r/carbuying subreddit, explaining that they purchased their second vehicle from a dealership approximately three months earlier. Everything appeared to be going normally until they visited the dealership to make another payment, only to be told that they needed to trade in the vehicle because the business couldn’t get its title.
According to the buyer, the dealership offered to find another vehicle of equal value by the following week, apparently expecting them to accept a replacement rather than continue driving the car they originally purchased. That’s a pretty significant request to make of someone who has already spent three months paying for a vehicle, especially when the dealership hasn’t provided a clear explanation of why the title remains unavailable.
Unsurprisingly, the buyer wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about doing more business with the same dealership, admitting that the situation left them feeling scammed and overwhelmed. Considering that the dealership’s proposed solution involves another vehicle purchase rather than simply resolving the existing transaction, it’s understandable why the customer would be hesitant to trust the process a second time.
Dealership’s Missing Title Leaves Buyer Questioning Whether To Demand Refund
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3 months ago a bought a car from a dealership and now they’re saying i need to trade it in because they “cant get the title”
by
u/garfiledlover in
carbuying
The buyer explained that this was their first experience purchasing a vehicle from a dealership, making the unexpected title problem even more stressful. Rather than being informed of the issue through a formal notice or receiving an explanation beforehand, they claim the dealership brought up the situation immediately when they arrived to make their usual payment.
One of the biggest questions is why the dealership couldn’t obtain the title in the first place, since the original post doesn’t explain whether the document was delayed, missing, or tied to another ownership issue. Dealerships can sometimes sell vehicles before physically receiving the title, depending on state law, but they are generally subject to deadlines for completing the transfer, meaning the legal implications depend heavily on where the transaction occurred and what actually went wrong.
The customer later responded to suggestions that they request their money back, admitting that a refund sounded appealing but expressing concern about how the dealership might react. Given that the business was already pushing for a replacement vehicle, the buyer’s reluctance to accept another deal seems reasonable, particularly without a clear accounting of the money they’ve paid and what would happen to any existing financing.
Comments and Reactions to Dealership Demanding Trade-in Over Missing Title
Reddit users were quick to argue that the buyer shouldn’t feel obligated to accept another vehicle simply because the dealership couldn’t resolve its paperwork problem. “Demand everything you paid back and any loan satisfied,” one commenter advised, while another wrote, “Tell them to unwind the deal and give a 100% refund including all fees,” reflecting the widespread belief that the customer shouldn’t have to absorb the consequences of the dealership’s mistake.
However, commenters disagreed about exactly what a refund should include, particularly whether the dealership could reasonably deduct anything for the three months the customer had driven the car. One person suggested requesting a refund “including DMV fees less a reasonable mileage deduction,” but another immediately pushed back with “Screw the mileage deduction,” demonstrating how even people who agreed that the transaction should be reversed had different expectations about a fair resolution.
Others focused on protecting the buyer from further complications, especially if the dealership continued insisting that a trade-in was the only available option. “Please unwind the deal and refund all my money, including sales tax and registration fees,” one commenter suggested telling the dealership, while another warned, “And don’t give them the car until you have money in hand,” emphasizing the importance of documenting any agreement and ensuring that payments, financing, and ownership questions are properly resolved before surrendering the vehicle.