Car finance problem, mistake by dealer.

wren26

I hope somebody can help as I'm running out of places to try. I bought a car last October from a big dealer, I traded in my car that I bought from them the previous year. As I live quite rurally I got the settlement figure by phone from the sales manager, got sent some videos of cars of the type I was looking for (I was downsizing due to bereavement). Anyway I went to the dealer and saw the car I was interested in, decided it was just what I was needing, signed the paperwork and left my old car with them.
Two weeks later I got a call from the finance company about the car I traded in, I had missed a payment, explained I had traded it in and the dealer should have cleared it off.
Turns out the dealer cleared finance on another car I have that my son (20) drives (too young to get finance himself).
To cut a very long story short the difference is £2300 approximately that I owe the finance company, I contacted the dealer who said tough, citizens advice and the ombudsman say they cannot help as its a civil matter as it was a personal loan that financed the car.
If you have got this far, thank you, I cannot afford the difference as I have lost my husbands income and the whole point of trading down was to save money.
Please can anyone help with suggestions of what / who to try, I was thinking of the CEO of the dealership. If anyone has any advice I'd be very grateful.
Thanks.

timm_2

Slightly confused. You mention a personal loan. Was this loan secured on the car?

So you traded car 'a' in but the dealer settled the finance on a different car (b)? Firstly, how did he know the details of car b? Did you give him the details of the wrong car initially?

forgotmyname

Did you give the dealer the wrong account numbers?

So your sons car has now been paid off? You can use that money to settle the finance on the car you traded in. Although the finanace company may well want all their money now they knoe that you no longer have their car.

How is the difference £2300? They offered you ££ for your car so paid the finance and any left over will be taken off the new cars value?

harveybobbles

If it was a personal loan, there wouldnt be any 'finance' as such on the car.

arcon5

How much of the other car did they pay off?
Can't you get the finance company to reapply the payment to the other account? Or have them refund the dealer and the dealer pay for the other account?

Have you collected the new car yet?

wren26

Ok, when I phoned over the sales manager remembered me, said I'll get on to finance company and get a settlement figure, she did this, all the paperwork I signed had the details of my car on it, the difference in finance is nearly £50 a month. My son pays what he always did on his car, it's not his fault the dealer messed up. I am now having to pay for my new car and pay the extra £50 a month which I cannot afford. The finance on my car I traded in was a personal loan as arranged by the dealer when I bought the car.
I think this is the dealers fault as she gave me a settlement figure on my original car, which she took in part exchange for my new car.
I hope this makes it clearer.
Thanks again for the replys, I traded in a better car and downgraded to save me money, which I am not doing. I didn't question the settlement figure as it never occurred to me it would be wrong as all the paperwork had the correct details on it.

arcon5

Makes it as clear as mud!

So how much of the other car have they paid?

forgotmyname

Still not answered the questions how did they manage to get the account number for the loan on your sons car?

It is not something they will have unless you gave it to them.

How much did they offer for your old car? How much did they pay off the finance?

We need some figures to have a clue if your owed anything.

doningtonphil

Did that dealer sell you your car and your son's car? You make it sound like she remembered you and then went and retrieved the details about 'your car' and finance details from the archive but actually retrieved the details of your son's car.

Is that what happened?

Or did you provide the dealer with the wrong account number when they were asking which loan to settle?