Car dealership wants $500 for their mistake. Will I have to pay?

Question

I recently bought an 02 WRX for 9000 (about 9920 after taxes, title, etc)

I took out a loan for 5000.

I put $500 down the first night.

I gave the check for $5000 to the dealership and so at that point i had already paid them $5500.

I then asked them how much I owed them, they did the math, made a mistake, and told me that I owed them 3920 when i really owed them $4420.

I gave them the check for 3920 and they proceeded to give me a bill of sale that stated the complete purchase of the vehicle was finished and that it was "paid in full"

Now they have been calling and placing what seem to be empty threats about not transfering my plates until I pay them the 500, when in reality i didnt even get a plate transfer. I bought new plates. It seems that they are just stretching and reaching out for reasons that I should have to pay them when it was their mistake in the first place.

Once again, I have a bill of sale that states my car was paid in full.

Would I be required by law to pay this $500, or is there a way around it. I would rather take advantage of their mistake, than pay for something that there may be a way around.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Just ask yourself this question, are you a person with or with out any integrity?  If you made a simple math error, would you expect someone else to pay for your mistake?  Do the right thing.

Answer 3

Consult an attorney... possibly a letter from him will resolve the issue. Either they absorb their mistake or offer to settle for less. Worth a try.

Answer 4

If you  truely agreed to pay the $9920 as you stated you agreed to pay, you will have to pay the full 9920.

Your not perfect either, people make mistakes and now it's your turn to do whats right and what you agreed to.

Answer 5

So you agreed on a purchase price, paid less, admit that you screwed them on the deal but justify it because they added wrong?

If you don't have the title in your name, you don't own the car.  Chances are, they will put a lien on the title until you pay it, anyways.

The paperwork says 9920.  Unless you are going to do some serious lying and fabrication, you can only prove you paid 9420.  And if you do that and get caught, you are looking at criminal charges.

They will take you to small claims court and win their $500 plus court costs.

Save yourself the trouble and just pay the $500 and get your title.

Answer 6

Do they still have the title in their possession?  You might have to sue to get it.

Does the bill of sale have more detail on it?  

I mean, does it clearly state the purchase price + TTL and the total of $9,920, and $9,420 as the amount you paid?

If it does, then I'm not convinced that the words "Paid in Full" carry much weight in the face of such an obvious clerical error.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I believe they still hold the title."

Then they've got some leverage.  Probably more leverage than you do.

They probably also have access to legal advice, to make an informed decision about whether to sue you for the $500, or defend themselves in the event you sue to get the title.  But I'd bet ten bucks that you won't get the title without filling at least filing a lawsuit -- how far they'll take it, who knows.

Another possibility -- I'm not sure whether they can report you to the credit reporting bureaus, but if they can, you can be sure they will.

Answer 7

I wouldn't do it personally, the deal was signed and you got a receipt. As long as the amount that they asked you for is the same as the amount you paid on the contract, I would wait to see what they do before taking further steps.