u/the_mean_person

I negotiated a specific vehicle with them. We agreed on the price, monthly payment, loan term, etc. I asked them to email me the quote before I came in, and I still have that email. It includes the VIN, agreed price, monthly payment, and loan duration.

When I arrived at the dealership, they confirmed I was getting the deal we had negotiated. I went through the paperwork and signed everything.

Here’s where it gets frustrating: I later realized the retail installment contract listed a different VIN than the one on the emailed quote. It’s the same year, make, model, and trim, but it’s a different car. The one I signed for is about $500 cheaper (the difference appears to be the color/options).

At no point did anyone tell me they had switched vehicles. Nobody mentioned a different VIN, asked if I was okay with the substitution, or explained why it had changed. I completely missed it in the stack of paperwork because I had no reason to expect they would change the vehicle after we’d already negotiated a specific one.

The dealership delivered the car to my house, so I never drove it off the lot myself. Ironically, that’s probably a good thing because I discovered my insurance had been written for the original VIN from the quote, not the VIN on the contract. I caught it the next morning and immediately updated my insurance before driving the car.

I called the dealership today to ask whether they were aware of the VIN switch and whether they would do anything to make it right, even if it was just refunding the roughly $500 difference. Their response was essentially, “You signed the contract, so there’s nothing we’re going to do.”

I understand that I should have caught the VIN difference before signing. That’s on me. But I also feel like a dealership shouldn’t quietly substitute a different vehicle after negotiating a deal on a specific VIN without saying a word.

At this point I’m leaning toward just moving on because it’s “only” about $500, but the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Do I have any legal or practical recourse in Alabama? Has anyone dealt with something similar? I have:

• The original emailed quote showing the negotiated VIN.
• Photos from the negotiation that reference the original VIN.
• The signed contract showing the different VIN.
• The insurance documents showing I initially insured the original VIN because that’s the vehicle I believed I was purchasing.

Edit: if it helps. I’m in Alabama.

Edit2: Emailed them this https://pastebin.com/kRHyutDi

I negotiated a specific vehicle with them. We agreed on the price, monthly payment, loan term, etc. I asked them to email me the quote before I came in, and I still have that email. It includes the VIN, agreed price, monthly payment, and loan duration.

When I arrived at the dealership, they confirmed I was getting the deal we had negotiated. I went through the paperwork and signed everything.

Here’s where it gets frustrating: I later realized the retail installment contract listed a different VIN than the one on the emailed quote. It’s the same year, make, model, and trim, but it’s a different car. The one I signed for is about $500 cheaper (the difference appears to be the color/options).

At no point did anyone tell me they had switched vehicles. Nobody mentioned a different VIN, asked if I was okay with the substitution, or explained why it had changed. I completely missed it in the stack of paperwork because I had no reason to expect they would change the vehicle after we’d already negotiated a specific one.

The dealership delivered the car to my house, so I never drove it off the lot myself. Ironically, that’s probably a good thing because I discovered my insurance had been written for the original VIN from the quote, not the VIN on the contract. I caught it the next morning and immediately updated my insurance before driving the car.

I called the dealership today to ask whether they were aware of the VIN switch and whether they would do anything to make it right, even if it was just refunding the roughly $500 difference. Their response was essentially, “You signed the contract, so there’s nothing we’re going to do.”

I understand that I should have caught the VIN difference before signing. That’s on me. But I also feel like a dealership shouldn’t quietly substitute a different vehicle after negotiating a deal on a specific VIN without saying a word.

At this point I’m leaning toward just moving on because it’s “only” about $500, but the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Do I have any legal or practical recourse in Alabama? Has anyone dealt with something similar? I have:

• The original emailed quote showing the negotiated VIN.
• Photos from the negotiation that reference the original VIN.
• The signed contract showing the different VIN.
• The insurance documents showing I initially insured the original VIN because that’s the vehicle I believed I was purchasing.

Edit: if it helps. I’m in Alabama.

Edit2: Emailed them this https://pastebin.com/kRHyutDi