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One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is whether a person may return a car to a dealership within seventy-two hours after buying it. As a general rule, once you sign a contract to buy a car, you can’t simply return it because you don’t like it.
The law in South Carolina is very simple. If you sign the paperwork, you are deemed to have read all of the terms, understood all of the terms, and agreed to all of the terms. Therefore, as a general rule, the courts will hold you to all of the terms, and you will be responsible for paying for the car.
You might have heard you had three days to cancel any contract. Let me clear up the confusion. There is a seventy-two hour “RIGHT TO CANCEL” on second mortgages and home solicitations like door-to-door magazine sales. This right does not exist regarding car sales.
Some people feel the dealership should accept the return of the automobile much like a store accepts the return of a shirt or jacket. The difference is that the store accepts the returned merchandise to create good will between it and the customer, i.e. the customer is always right. Since people only buy a car every three to four years, many dealerships do not feel inclined to operate under the same principle.
This does not mean that you do not have any rights to return a defective car. It simply means that, on most occasions, you are not going to be able to sign a contract for a car, take it home, decide you don’t want it and then get your money back.
The lesson here is to make an informed decision before you buy your car. Do all of your homework first. Know what kind of car you’re looking for, what the rates are, and what your credit score is. Then read the entire contract before you sign any paperwork. Don’t rely upon the salesman or sales manager to explain “the important parts” to you. The entire contract is important. Remember the adage “forewarned is forearmed” because if you sign a contract to purchase a car and then realize later you’ve don’t like what you bought, there may be little you can do to correct it.
The law in South Carolina is very simple. If you sign the paperwork, you are deemed to have read all of the terms, understood all of the terms, and agreed to all of the terms. Therefore, as a general rule, the courts will hold you to all of the terms, and you will be responsible for paying for the car.
You might have heard you had three days to cancel any contract. Let me clear up the confusion. There is a seventy-two hour “RIGHT TO CANCEL” on second mortgages and home solicitations like door-to-door magazine sales. This right does not exist regarding car sales.
Some people feel the dealership should accept the return of the automobile much like a store accepts the return of a shirt or jacket. The difference is that the store accepts the returned merchandise to create good will between it and the customer, i.e. the customer is always right. Since people only buy a car every three to four years, many dealerships do not feel inclined to operate under the same principle.
This does not mean that you do not have any rights to return a defective car. It simply means that, on most occasions, you are not going to be able to sign a contract for a car, take it home, decide you don’t want it and then get your money back.
The lesson here is to make an informed decision before you buy your car. Do all of your homework first. Know what kind of car you’re looking for, what the rates are, and what your credit score is. Then read the entire contract before you sign any paperwork. Don’t rely upon the salesman or sales manager to explain “the important parts” to you. The entire contract is important. Remember the adage “forewarned is forearmed” because if you sign a contract to purchase a car and then realize later you’ve don’t like what you bought, there may be little you can do to correct it.
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