NON-refundable deposit for ordering a bad idea?
 

I've talked to a buddy of mine that works for a dealership, and he is going to check with the "district operations manager" to see if he can order a 370Z for me. (2010 Pearl White Coupe, 6MT, Sport, Touring, Nav, all other options) The only thing is, he mentioned that they would want a $1000-$2000 non-refundable deposit for the order.

Are non-refundable deposits commonplace? I'm afraid that the car will come in and something will be wrong with it when I inspect it or something along those lines.

My girl ordered a camaro with a completely refundable deposit. She could back out for any reason ... and she did, no questions asked.

Bad Idea!

When I ordered my z I put down $500. But you can deposit less. Yes deposits are refundable if you ask before you order.

Haha, well I didn't even get a chance to ask. He told me upfront that it would be NON-refundable and $1-2K.

Don't let go of your $$ OR sign anything until perfectly sure you can back out w./o. losing a penny, man!

response
 

Go somewhere else, your in Dallas TX. so you have at least half a dozen dealerships down there. If you were in a small town you might have to search the internet. The reason for the non-deposit on the camero is the shere popularity of the car and it's:tiphat: somewhat limited availibility. I have owned 5 F-bodies since I was 16 and it was time for a change. The new camero is overpriced at the dealers because of demand, something I won't get caught up into

If its non-refundable don't give him any money and find another dealership

Seriously, don't fall for that kind of bullcrap. I just placed a $1000 deposit to order a 370z, but they only needed a check from me and it's completely refundable if I want to back out. And what's more is they don't even cash that check, they're just holding it as more of a Good Faith deposit. For whatever reason, I can always back out.

I almost fell for another dealership in the Bay Area, CA that asked for a $5000 non-refundable deposit. They are seriously out of their mind.

i only put down a $200 deposit for my 2010 pw nismo. $1000- $2000 is way too much espically if its non-refundable.

all deposits are refundable, but only if theres somethings wrong with the car. once they have the car, you can't just change your mind or say you don't like it and expect a full refund.

If there's something wrong with it you'll get your $ back, but if you back out of the deal when the car arrives then they won't refund you. So think real hard and be sure you want this.

Yes you can, because you never sign a contract.
But on a better note, do not put money down. They should not require money down to order a vehicle and if they do not budge on this go elsewhere.

Refundable and Non-Refundable.
It is basically up to the Owner of the Dealership how he would like to conduct business. By Law I don't believe you can legally hold someone's deposit. With no goods exchanged I don's see it standing in Small Claims Court. I personally like to see deposits to show commitment and interest levels of the Customer, but I will never take money that doesn't belong to me. Hope that helps.

:shakes head: $5,000 is insane!!!