Can I have a down payment back if I cancelled the deal with used car dealer?

Question

Hello knowledgeable guys!
I signed the contract to purchase a used car from used car dealership in Connecticut and paid a dawn payment 300$. My intentions were to send this car to my dad to other county, but I figured out the costumes fee a so ridiculously high, so it’s cheaper to buy car there. So I asked a dealer to cancel the deal. They refused to return my 300$ back. They didn’t offer me to sign a cancellation papers. In the contract it’s no even a word that is not refundable, and to be honest I wasn’t aware that they keep it. So the owner told me when this car will be sold I can have my money back. They sold it, but don’t want return my down payment (no return calls to resolve it). Unfortunately this agreement of returning my money was only verbal . And now the question: Can I return my money back? Thank you very much!

thank you very much Steve for you quick answer. But I think I have to be aware by dealer that down payment is not refundable. And i n my contract says that it`s down payment and they shoed me later small paper on the wall DEPOSIT is not refundable (not down payment) is it the same, does it makes any difference?:)

Answer 1

Unfortunately, Steve is wrong. Here is the scoop, if you did not sign bank documents, and only signed a dealership contract, it basically isn't truly binding. The only contract that really matters is the one that has the terms of the bank loan. If you did not get this far, by law the dealership must return your deposit. The best thing for you to do, is contact your State Attorney General's office, which you can find simply by typing it into Yahoo Search, or google. The dealership is basically playing hardball with you to try and get you to purchase something with them. Going to the attorney general will get you your money back faster than you can say LAWSUIT!!!! Good luck, oh, you can send me some of that 300 for legal advice, just kidding, have a great day...

Answer 2

thank you very much Steve for you quick answer. But I think I have to be aware by dealer that down payment is not refundable. And i n my contract says that it`s down payment and they shoed me later small paper on the wall DEPOSIT is not refundable (not down payment) is it the same, does it makes any difference?:)

Answer 3

By law, the only way you will receive a refund of your $300, is if the dealer inserted the wording "refundable deposit" or "refundable security deposit." If no special wording was involved, sorry, but you're likely out of luck.