Should dealer give me VIN # of car I will end up getting when he doesn't have my desired color car on lot?

Question

I'm finding dealers don't have the Honda Civic colors I want in stock and offer to get it from another dealer. Today, I asked a dealer for the VIN# of the vehicle I would get that is my desired color and said I would sign a contract if they provided this. The dealer refused so I left. Car buying advice site I read indicated I should not sign anything without having a VIN# of car I was to get. Unfortunately, this dealer quoted me the best price on the phone though I'm not sure I would have gotten that on paper since they were already jerking me around by having me deal with other salesmen who didn't negotiate the deal with me over the phone.

I'm finding dealerships don't have the colors I want and I'm not ready to buy these uglier colors so how do I ensure I get the price I have negotated and the car I want while protecting myself from the dealship saying "we aren't going to be able to get the color you wanted for a few months, so why don't you take this one...."

Carbuyingtips.com suggested I be leary of a dealer transfer:

DO NOT let Dealer "A" locate your new car from Dealer "B"... Don't do it!
We discourage car buyers from letting Dealer A get your new car from Dealer B. ...Some dealers routinely locate new cars for car buyers and make them quite happy. But 99% of the time I hear complaints from buyers about this. ..It's a crap shoot and the house always wins. I suggest you just find out who Dealer B is and go buy a car from them. One dealer told me the best advice if a Dealer A offers to locate a your new car from Dealer B, don't sign anything until you've seen the car, or sign a letter of intent that the contract is not binding until you have seen the car and given your ok. I always hear of games and scams when dealer A has the car shipped from dealer B, because of towing costs, and dealer A loses the holdback to the original Dealer B. .All sorts of fees show up. Even worse, the wrong car shows up and you are stuck buying (it)...

I AM BUYING A NEW CAR, A 2007. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS.

Answer 1

You are putting yourself in a situation where you are in a catch 22.

You won't sign anything unless you get a Vehicle Identification Number, and the dealer can't get you a VIN or car until you agree to purchase one.

When a dealer locates cars from other dealers, they then have to purchase that car from the dealer that has it. Most dealers won't do that until they have a signed committment from you, and typically a deposit as well, and until they have that, they can not say which car it is they will be getting.

When a dealer does a "dealer trade", they see what cars are available that match the specs you want, and then they contact each dealer to see if the car is available (which they aren't over 50% of the time), then once they find cars that are available, they have to wait for your committment to then go back and buy it from the dealer, if they have not yet sold it.

The dealer that is locating the car for you can tell you exactly what equipment it has, and negotiate price, all subject to that car being available. They may not be able to give you the VIN number, which you don't need anyways, but they can guarantee the color, equipment, and price before you agree to purchase it.

Never sign final paperwork until the dealer gets the car there, and you inspect it. You can sign a purchase order, and write in there that it is subject to the color/equipment of the car at agreed upon price.

Why are you needing a VIN on a car the dealer doesn't have anyways?

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The absolutely free reverse vin check sites generally provide fake information. To get real information, money will have to be paid. The free searches provide fake information so they can get your email address to send spam.

Stay away from shady reverse vin check sites, most likely you won't get any information after you make the payment. Not to mention you won't get a report and you won't get an answer if you try to call for a refund. Stick with a reputable reverse vin check site like http://www.reversevincheck.net that has been around since 1995.

Answer 4

First to "Robert S" answer. It is not true about dealerships paying money to have them transfer over the there other store. If a dealership is getting a car from one of there other dealerships or from there manufactures. There is no such thing as them paying to do so. Dealers will say for transpertation and gas but its a lie. I use to work for a few dealerships so i know this.

Now to answer the main question. You put that the dealership found the one you want at another place. Was it at another honda location or a different dealership? If it is at another Honda location near you. I would advice you to go to that dealership to check it out cause they will try to slap on transpertion charges. Which is fake. If it is to far. Find out where they found the car and get the phone # online and contact them yourself and ask for it. Once you get it, you or someone you know who has a Carfax account can look it up. But if this is to much of a hassel to do all this. I would advise you to find the location where they found it and go there to check it out. they might be more helpful. But most of all. Never sign anything unless you know the Carfax report or if they are jerking you around. Hope this helps

Answer 5

One of the problems here is that VIN #'s are unique to every vehicle. They may not be able to give you something they do not have yet. Do not sign until you actually see the vehicle and gotten the VIN #. Are you sure they are certified Honda dealers? You could always contact Honda directly.

Answer 6

Order the car with the color and all the options you want. It may take a few months, but you won't get stuck paying for options you didn't want or need just to get a color, or the exact opposite..getting NONE of the options you wanted.

And hey...if they dealerships are giving you the runaround and giving you a hard time about it...why would you want to give that company business? Find another brand if you must.

Answer 7

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