My dealership ordered me to bring my Jeep back after just 2 months – I was sitting on a ‘ticking time bomb’

A DRIVER was forced to return his new car to the dealership just two months after buying it.

The dealership tried hard to let him keep the car.

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Paul McClain purchased a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2019 from Landmark Jeep in Deklab County, Georgia, east of Atlanta.

For two months, he and his wife drove the SUV in complete happiness.

Out of the blue, the McClains received a call from the dealership that they never saw coming.

“We’ve been driving for two months, everything is great,” McClain told the ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

“Then last week I got a call saying that’s not your car, your car is still sitting here.”

It turns out that someone at the dealership allowed McClain to leave the lot in a Jeep that wasn’t legally his.

Looking closely at the paperwork, McClain deduced that the dealership was right – he was driving a car with a VIN that didn’t match what was on his paperwork.

To make matters even scarier, the car he was driving was not the one covered by his insurance policy.

The jeep parked in the parking lot was the one covered.

“We’ve been driving without insurance for two months, basically on a ticking time bomb,” McClain said.

“If we had been in a car accident, we would have been prosecuted.”

Panicked, McClain contacted the Consumer Action Center before contacting Landmark.

The dealership’s general manager confirmed that the error was on their part and was a “paperwork error.”

He also said that this happens once a year.

Once the error was discovered, the dealership worked quickly to make things right.

Tips for dealerships

Here are some expert tips when buying a car from a dealership:

• 1. Set your price: Make sure you have calculated your monthly budget before going to the lot. You must include your car loan payment, insurance costs, fuel and regular maintenance.
• 2. Research: Make sure you know which cars you’re interested in testing before you get to the dealership.
• 3. Pre-approval: Secure financing before going to the dealership. Dealerships may offer a better interest rate if they are competing with an outside bank.
• 4. Test: Drive before making any payments. Buying a car will be worth thousands of dollars – drivers should ensure they like the car’s drivetrain, steering and comfort before driving it off the lot
• 5. Haggle: Drivers should always try to negotiate the price. There are so many good cars on the American market – buyers have a strong hand in negotiating prices.

Source: Kelley Blue Book

Originally, the general manager asked McClain to trade it for a vehicle he initially declined due to high mileage.

McClain and the dealership decided it was best to let him keep the car he thought was his for the past two months.

The team worked quickly by calling the bank through which McClain financed the vehicle to get things straightened out.

They then called the state of Georgia to correct the vehicle’s registration and title.