Unsigned offer to purchase

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cptpolo

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Hi there guys,

So I'm a first time car buyer...been looking at the 1.4 Polo Comfortline. Really excited, but now it seems everything has been going so fast, I'm not so sure if I have caused trouble for myself. :confused:

Went for a test drive with this wonderful lady today. Afterwards, I told her I am interested in buying a car and that she must send me a quote with all the options that i want. She then offered me a discount on the spot. Great! So I head back to the office and as I check my emails, I see that she has actually sent me an offer to purchase with the car's natis document. At the same time, my banker calls me with a much better deal with one of his contacts. I reviewed it, and agreed to go ahead (with my banker) on the spot.

So now, later on today as I was reading through everything, I realise that on the fine print of the "offer to purchase" it says that this order is irrecoverable and cannot be cancelled by the purchaser. :cry:

So my question is...am I legally bound to apply for finance using the offer to purchase of the first vehicle which I have not signed or can I just tell the lady that I have found a better deal? Your advise would be appreciated...a bit worried here.

Thanks!
 
cptpolo said:
So now, later on today as I was reading through everything, I realise that on the fine print of the "offer to purchase" it says that this order is irrecoverable and cannot be cancelled by the purchaser. :cry:

So my question is...am I legally bound to apply for finance using the offer to purchase of the first vehicle which I have not signed or can I just tell the lady that I have found a better deal? Your advise would be appreciated...a bit worried here.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Bollocks. Ignore that, they cannot force you to buy the car. Even if you signed an offer to purchase there is a cool off period in which you can change your mind. Tell them to go fly a kite.
 
ponder said:
Bollocks. Ignore that, they cannot force you to buy the car. Even if you signed an offer to purchase there is a cool off period in which you can change your mind. Tell them to go fly a kite.
Click to expand...

+1 I think the cool of period is 7 days to change your mind
 
as gdiza has said, you've signed nothing therefore no problem...
 
If you haven't signed the release form for "delivery" of the vehicle which is provided by the bank to the dealer or to you directly which you in turn hand over to the dealer then the deal is not concluded. Even if you have signed an OTP !!

So, if you haven't signed that you can walk away without paying any penalties.
 
Hang on while i send you an email offering to sell my old jalopy for R2mill together with a clause saying you cannot opt out...

basic contract law:
There is only a contract if the two parties agree on something. The parties have to agree on what they are agreeing(eg sale vs rental) on as well as the object of the agreement(a vw polo and not for example a bmw)

or if you give the other party good reason to believe that you agree on something- like say you have read the contract, signed it and gave it back to them.

You're perfectly safe
 
cptpolo said:
Hi there guys,

So I'm a first time car buyer...been looking at the 1.4 Polo Comfortline. Really excited, but now it seems everything has been going so fast, I'm not so sure if I have caused trouble for myself. :confused:

Went for a test drive with this wonderful lady today. Afterwards, I told her I am interested in buying a car and that she must send me a quote with all the options that i want. She then offered me a discount on the spot. Great! So I head back to the office and as I check my emails, I see that she has actually sent me an offer to purchase with the car's natis document. At the same time, my banker calls me with a much better deal with one of his contacts. I reviewed it, and agreed to go ahead (with my banker) on the spot.

So now, later on today as I was reading through everything, I realise that on the fine print of the "offer to purchase" it says that this order is irrecoverable and cannot be cancelled by the purchaser. :cry:

So my question is...am I legally bound to apply for finance using the offer to purchase of the first vehicle which I have not signed or can I just tell the lady that I have found a better deal? Your advise would be appreciated...a bit worried here.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You indicated your interest and asked for a quote, and she sent you an offer to purchase, so she is either not too bright or she's taking a chance.

I suggest that you reply by email stating only that you are not interested in their offer, and don't elaborate further, just keep it short and sweet.
Best reply by email and select a 'read receipt'.
 
Thanks guys! Emailed her this morning - a few minutes later, her boss called me begging me to reconsider as they did not want to lose the deal. Told them it was too late since I had gone with the other deal.

Glad to say that the bank has approved my finance and I expect to take delivery of the car on Monday.

Thank you!
 
cptpolo said:
Thanks guys! Emailed her this morning - a few minutes later, her boss called me begging me to reconsider as they did not want to lose the deal. Told them it was too late since I had gone with the other deal.

Glad to say that the bank has approved my finance and I expect to take delivery of the car on Monday.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
That will teach them to offer their best price up front.

Good luck with the new car (great car those Polo's).
 
you can cancel the deal right up to the moment before you take the keys without issue.
with the NCA, you have a cooling off period for a short time after you take delivery. the period is determined on whether you took ownership at the dealership or at another location.

its very different for houses though.
 
You still have time to get a much better deal from a brand that will not screw you over like VWSA will :

FeatureOpel Corsa Essentia 1.4Volkswagen Polo Trendline 1.4
More Power74kw@5600rpm63kw@5000rpm
Lower Emissions LevelEuro 5Euro 2
Less CO2 Emissions127g/km144g/km
More Economical7 / 4.6 / 5.58 / 4.9 / 6.1
AirconditionerYesNo (R9,280.00 option)
Electric MirrorsYesNo
Alloy WheelsYesNo
Multi-function steering wheelYesNo (R900.00 option)
MP3 RadioYesNo (R4,300.00 option)
Speakers74
Warranty5 years3 years
Looks BoxyNoYes
Boring InteriorNoYes
PriceR157,720.00R144,900.00
Price after extrasR157,720.00R159,380.00
 
Even if you had signed the OTP, you are not bound to it. When I was selling cars, a car was never considered sold until the guy had driven off the floor.

Oh, and rouxenator, thanks so much for the completely subjective comparison!! :p ;) Not sure if "Looks Boxy" would be found in your standard comparison table....
 
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Can't really comment on Opel not screwing you over - but I have yet to find good vehicle service in SA, not from Toyota, Honda, VW, BMW, Mercedes or Jeep... think thats all I've had so far.
 
Rouxenator: he's asking for advice on the financing. Since when did this become a matter of what car to buy?
 
I have had excellent service from GM, okay service from Ford and very crap service from BMW when they still owned Land Rover.
Still, it is a much better deal going for the GM option in this case than the VW option.

Once you start paying Co2 tax that becomes even more in favor of the Opel.
BTW, I am sure if VW could list "Looks Boxy" as an optional extra that you needed to pay for then they would have - sadly it comes standard on all their cars.
 
xrapidx said:
Can't really comment on Opel not screwing you over - but I have yet to find good vehicle service in SA, not from Toyota, Honda, VW, BMW, Mercedes or Jeep... think thats all I've had so far.
Click to expand...

I can see that you haven't owned a Subaru...try them in Durban for totally brilliant service!
 
Fazda said:
Oh, and rouxenator, thanks so much for the completely subjective comparison!! :p ;) Not sure if "Looks Boxy" would be found in your standard comparison table....
Click to expand...

Agreed. Roux, your table has a lot of merit WRT actual hard data comparisons. You should keep it that way. Including subjective opinions like "looks boxy" and "boring interior" only undermines your point. Let the facts speak for themselves.
 
cptpolo said:
Hi there guys,

So I'm a first time car buyer...been looking at the 1.4 Polo Comfortline. Really excited, but now it seems everything has been going so fast, I'm not so sure if I have caused trouble for myself. :confused:

Went for a test drive with this wonderful lady today. Afterwards, I told her I am interested in buying a car and that she must send me a quote with all the options that i want. She then offered me a discount on the spot. Great! So I head back to the office and as I check my emails, I see that she has actually sent me an offer to purchase with the car's natis document. At the same time, my banker calls me with a much better deal with one of his contacts. I reviewed it, and agreed to go ahead (with my banker) on the spot.

So now, later on today as I was reading through everything, I realise that on the fine print of the "offer to purchase" it says that this order is irrecoverable and cannot be cancelled by the purchaser. :cry:

So my question is...am I legally bound to apply for finance using the offer to purchase of the first vehicle which I have not signed or can I just tell the lady that I have found a better deal? Your advise would be appreciated...a bit worried here.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The law protects you with a cool down period. Stuff him, he has NO recourse.
 
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