Waiting for a car in transit, but did not put down deposit. Will they still hold it?
I went to the VW dealer to look at a car they had listed on their website. I did not notice that it was "in transit" at the time. They let me test drive the base trim, but I was looking to purchase the higher trim that was still in transit.
There are no other dealers in my area with the higher trim and this dealer calls me almost daily to let me know it's not in yet. But today they told me that it'll be here in a few days. (Is this normal? Or are they trying really hard to sell this car?)
Since I was trading in my car (and maybe because it was the end of the month), they told me they couldn't give me a price for the car that's in transit or how much my current car would be valued at.
Is it normal for the dealer to hold the car for me to check it out the day it comes in? Or will they just sell it to someone else if they come in before I get there? I did not put down a deposit. If the car comes in on a weekday, I can't leave work until 6PM and the dealer is like a 1.5 hour drive away during rush hour.
Also, would it actually hurt my chances of negotiating if I sounded like I really wanted them to hold the car? I wanted to know what they would give me for my car before I make a decision so I didn't think to ask them if I could put down a deposit. People online always say to be ready to walk from the deal if the price isn't right.