Trying to buy a car from dealer - scam?

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
I've been trying to buy a PD for a few weeks now. I've been looking from PA to SC and everywhere in between. Everytime I find a dealer offering a manual GLS Wagon in spice red, the online listing proves to be wrong or the car ends up lacking a required option once I've contacted the dealer. Each time the dealer comes back with ... but I can find the exact car you're looking for in a) a few days b) at another dealer or c) a week or so. I just need a $500 deposit from you to find the car.

To me this reeks of a scam, especially since I've been searching all over and no one has one. I would expect that once they get my $500, they will come back with "we couldn't find one so it'll be x months to order one." Then I am out $500 unless I buy from them and if I buy from them I no longer have negotiating power should a better deal or rebate come along.

Right now, I count a mere 26 TDI wagons within a 120 mile radius of my home and only 1 is equipped with the options I seek and both the exterior and interior are unacceptable colors. What gives? This is really frustrating. Is anyone else looking and finding no stock or am I the only person who wants leather, ESP and a manual tranny? A silver version of what I wanted was sitting across the street from my office for a few weeks taunting me, too. /images/graemlins/mad.gif
 

RickD

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2001
Location
East Toronto
TDI
2011 JETTA TDI
Why not make a conditional offer. Here's my 500 bucks,if you don't have the car in the agreed upon time,the downstroke is refunded.

Seems simple enough.
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
[ QUOTE ]
Combustion said:
I just need a $500 deposit from you to find the car.

To me this reeks of a scam, especially since I've been searching all over and no one has one.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not a scam. It's called taking you out of the market (so you can sit and stew until the week passes). If you've already done the leg work and contacted many dealers, you're probably correct, the exact car you seek probably has not shown up yet.

I guess I would leave my name/number with the dealer and have them contact you when the specified car shows up. Otherwise, keep dialing or perhaps a forum brother will spot your ideal car and mention it to you.
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
Thanks for the advice. I will continue to leave my name and number with dealers and keep searching. I seem to know more about what is available then they do which is probably correct given what people say about dealers around here.
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Diesels set up in the way that you might want or in the color you want are always hard to find . New or Used .

I had a friend that searched for 3 months and had to fly to Minnesota to get the options & color he wanted .

I own one of only a very , very few MK II Jetta TD GL's ever sold in the US with all the factory options ( AC,PS,PW,Cruise,& Sunroof ) . Less than 1 % of the Diesels in the US came like this . In all my years of looking for one of these , I've only seen 3 of them all over the US . And I've owned a bunch of these with the standard air , PS , & Sunroof setup . In the late 80's a Quantum TD was the only option to replace 1 to 1 . Only problem was Quantums were rare & parts were harder to find . Some of the brake parts were out of production and unavailable by the early 90's . I got ride of my last one in 96 due to this issue . I've owned 3 of these , 2 5spds & 1 with the E-mode automatic .
 

trouter

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2003
Location
Central British Columbia, Canada
TDI
Jetta Stn Wgn , 2003, mojave beige
If you want "THAT" car I think your only choice is to order it,, you are going to be owning that vehicle for a long time (I presume) sooo in my mind it would be worth waiting for. I had to order mine, time seemed to drag by waiting for it,, but now I have what I wanted and couldn't be more pleased.........and the wait is in the past and doen't count anymore. Good car, you'll love it either way you get it.
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
Hmmm.. this is all food for thought, especially given the stats that rotarykid mentioned. I seem to have a taste for rare combinations. The last new car I bought represented 3% of all Saturns made. It looks like I need to order one *and* be patient. Of course, if anyone knows of one out there, I'll fly out to get it {my g-friend finds this idea insane... hehe wait until she hears the engine. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif}

Tim
 

MrMopar

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Location
Bloomington, IL
TDI
none
Just leave the $500 deposit as a post-dated check. Set the date to something like a month, and if the car is not on the way by then you can contact your bank and stop payment on it if the dealership won't give the check back.
 

saabguru

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
The Capital of the Great State of Texas
Checks can be negotiated regeardless of the date- it's just a record for the parties involved. Post dated check writing is ILLEGAL in some states. I know for a fact it is in Texas.
I think telling someone to write a post dated check is bad advice.
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
I will opt for a credit card if/when I leave a deposit. I'll make it conditional on a certain period of time to locate the car and if they fall through, I'll have the charge reversed due to breach of contract. Of course, if I order, I'll cut them some slack.
 

mikeh

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2000
Location
portsmouth,nh usa
TDI
'00 golf gl, '09 jetta tdi
you are looking for a very specific car, with three options that produced in lesser numbers. #1, there are fewer wagons produced than sedans. #2, there are fewer cars produced with leather than with cloth. #3, spice red is a new color that will likely be produced in limited numbers. the combination of these three factors make the car you seek a highly unusual one.
i have four new '04 jetta tdi's available for immediate sale. all are gls 5-speeds.
#1) spice red/black velour sedan $21205
#2) indigo blue/black velour sedan w/cold pkg $21355
#3) reflex/black velour wagon w/ esp, cold pkg $22635
#4) indigo/black velour wagon w/ esp, cold pkg $22635
please contact me via email: mikeh@seacoastcars.com or 603-436-6900 if any of these would be of interest.
if you do not want to compromise on any of your chioces, your best bet is to order your car when that time arrives.
best of luck.
 

ducatipaso

Airhead Butcher
Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Location
norcal
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI
I ran into this when I went to buy my 2001 Golf. I walked into my local dealers and said "I want a new Reflex Silver 4-door Golf GLS TDI with a 5 speed, and the luxury package" (sunroot, alloys, etc). He looked at me and laughed. I asked if they could order one, the response was no. Locate one? no. so I said "fine, I'll wait". About 3 weeks later, I got a call on my cellphone early on a Saturday morning "you're not going to believe this but your car arrived last night... by chance on the normal random delivery". I went and bought it the next day. My advice to you? If you're going to finance, prequal. I was prequalled and the guy who test drove the car before me on Sat morning was not. Now it's mine. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
The $500 is to make sure you're serious about buying the car and not intending to back out.

These mid-Atlantic dealers trade cars all the time. The Jetta I got (in Alexandria) came from New Jersey.

BTW: anyone ever tell you that statistically red cars get hit more often than any other color? /images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
[ QUOTE ]
ducatipaso said:
I ran into this when I went to buy my 2001 Golf. I walked into my local dealers and said "I want a new Reflex Silver 4-door Golf GLS TDI with a 5 speed, and the luxury package" (sunroot, alloys, etc). He looked at me and laughed.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's funny. GLS with Luxury Package in Reflex Silver seemed to be the most common configuration for Golfs in 2001. Of course, TDI was rare, and manual was probably a bit less common than automatic.

What was common was the 1.8L gasoline engine. Seemed like every dealer had one on display, even if they had only one Golf. Maybe it didn't sell well and was discontinued for that reason.
 

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
[ QUOTE ]
dieseldorf said:
[ QUOTE ]
Combustion said:
I just need a $500 deposit from you to find the car.

To me this reeks of a scam, especially since I've been searching all over and no one has one.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not a scam. It's called taking you out of the market (so you can sit and stew until the week passes).

[/ QUOTE ]

If the deposit is fully refundable if you don't buy a car, why would it take you out of the market? You could buy a car somewhere else, then ask for your deposit back.
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
[ QUOTE ]
weedeater said:

BTW: anyone ever tell you that statistically red cars get hit more often than any other color? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL... No, but techically spice red is a far cry from red. Do they do statistical studies on varying degrees of hue? Are rusty cars thrown in as red or brown? /images/graemlins/wink.gif I am open to baltic green and indigo blue. Of course, they're also rare.

[ QUOTE ]
tjl said:
If the deposit is fully refundable if you don't buy a car, why would it take you out of the market? You could buy a car somewhere else, then ask for your deposit back.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have read in numerous car buying sites that getting your deposit back is next to impossible. It is my understanding that this is not a refundable deposit. If it were, it would defeat the purpose of showing intent to purchase.

I am leaning toward ordering. My pre-qual. expires in a few weeks, so I'll probably throw in the towel and order then.

Thanks to all for your input.
 

wooly460

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Bucks County, PA
TDI
96 Passat sedan white
Just find a reputable VW dealer that you or a close friend trusts. Maybe a TDI Club.com user can recommend a dealer / salesperson to you ? Next, leave a credit card deposit and ask the salespersaon to write the words "deposit is fully refundable" on the sales agreement. This is a very common request. Remember, the dealer only makes a profit once you take possession of the car you agree to purchase !!!! And, they are a "for profit" organization. '04 TDI Wagons are in very short supply in the US at this time.
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
I think this is standard VW modus operandi. I'm getting a 2004 Golf GLS with every option except for the automatic transmission. I originally wanted blue, but it was impossible to find one with ESP that was also blue! I ended up going with a silver one since I like that colour too. It's going to take six weeks for it to arrive! They wanted $1000 down for mine...
 

kooz

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
Location
Moorestown, NJ
TDI
2018 Chevy Cruze Hatchback, Diesel, 6 speed manual, Gray Metallic
I'm in the same boat as you. This past summer I was ready to buy, but couldn't find what I wanted and wouldn't settle for one of the millions of reflex silver out there. Then I saw that the '04s would have the PD and 100 hp. I waited until I got some ideas on where prices would be. I put an order in on 10/10 for Spice Red GLS manual black leather. Dealer finally emailed last Friday that my car is in production and gave a tentative 1/31/04 delivery date. I began this process in July and to say this waiting is killing me is an understatement.

I was originally against 'red' as I thought it would be a speeding ticket magnet, but I seem to have a knack for arranging impromptu introductions to the local gendarmes even driving our white Toyota Corolla. I should be in that commercial where the guy sees a doctor and has a foot that turned to lead.
 

WindlesTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Location
Warren, Ohio - USA
[ QUOTE ]
Mike_04GolfTDI said:
I think this is standard VW modus operandi. I'm getting a 2004 Golf GLS with every option except for the automatic transmission. I originally wanted blue, but it was impossible to find one with ESP that was also blue! I ended up going with a silver one since I like that colour too. It's going to take six weeks for it to arrive! They wanted $1000 down for mine...

[/ QUOTE ]

From what I understand the ESP is a difficult option to find on the 2004 TDI Jetta Sedan. I also have ordered a 2004 and it took alot of searching (on the dealer's part) to find one in the color I wanted. I am wondering if this is a midwest thing or if this is nationwide....
 

fresheverytime

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2002
Location
Burlington ON
TDI
2004 TDI PD
I guess I should really be thankful...granted my colour/option combo isn't that out of the ordinary but from the time I gave the dealer my $300 (negotiated) deposit till I took possession was 10 days. For the record 04 PD Sedan, black on black leather, sunroof, auto, ESP, and side curtain airbags.
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
[ QUOTE ]
kooz said:
I'm in the same boat as you. This past summer I was ready to buy, but couldn't find what I wanted and wouldn't settle for one of the millions of reflex silver out there. Then I saw that the '04s would have the PD and 100 hp. I waited until I got some ideas on where prices would be. I put an order in on 10/10 for Spice Red GLS manual black leather. Dealer finally emailed last Friday that my car is in production and gave a tentative 1/31/04 delivery date. I began this process in July and to say this waiting is killing me is an understatement.

[/ QUOTE ]

Waiting will kill me, but not as much as placing an order and then having the exact car show up at another dealer. There are so many cars available with one color or feature that strays from my target that it seems like "the one" is right around the corner. Sigh. I'll look into ordering on Friday if I get a fair quote in writing.
 

Papachristou

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Location
Memphis, TN
TDI
2012 VW Passat SE DSG
if you leave a deposit can you still negotiate on the price???i wouldnt think so as the dealer willknow how bad you want it.

also heard you cant custom order a VW TDI in the US.
 

mgrusin

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Location
Boulder CO USA
TDI
2004 4-door Golf TDI (PD)
[ QUOTE ]
also heard you cant custom order a VW TDI in the US

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know if mine qualifies as a custom order, but I specified the exact options I want, negotiated a price, paid a $500 deposit, and am now waiting "up to 4 months" if it needs to start at the assembly line, less if it's already built somewhere between here and Brasil (Golf TDI GLS ESP).

...Or so I've been told. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

-MG
 

mrVW

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Location
CT
TDI
owned 98 TDI and 04 Golf...
hmmm, well here in New England, there is ONE spice red GLS...without leather
We've sold a ton of new TDI...however, I've only seen ONE spice red wagon and it was a GL...order the car, it'll take 90 days or so, but you'll get EXACTLY what you want /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Got diesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2001
Location
Apollo Beach FL
TDI
None at this time.
Combustion,I saw a SPICE RED JETTA GLS 5-speed @ Souther States of Durham and thay have a silver and a green one thay just got them in 4 days ago,I was looking to trade in my 03 NB and I saw them and touched them..lolJust makeing sure it was real....if I can help let me know,also sent you an PM...
Emmanuel
 

Tango_Kilo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Location
Columbia, MD
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2004, reflex silver
Got Diesel,

Thank you very much for the heads up. I may have found what I am looking for locally today. I am waiting for a couple dealers to get back to me. Got your PM, I'll contact Southern if these others don't pan out.

Tim
 
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