When I bought my Jeep a few years ago I ended up having to come back the next day. Before I left they offered for me to leave a deposit so they would hold the car. I didnt have a problem with this. Then they tried to get me to sign a paper and said it was a receipt for my deposit... it was lengthy and a lot of legal jargon. I was impatient and tired so I signed it and left. I came back the next day, ended up buying the car and went home. I later looked over the paperwork I got with the car, while I filed it away and realized what I had signed was a sales contract, not a recept for the deposit.
At this point it didnt matter what it was. I had bought the car and that was the end of it but I decided to look up reviews of the dealership. Surprise surprise, I wasnt the only one.
From 2010:
"About two weeks ago, I saw an on-line ad for a late-model used car. I went there, test-drove the car, and liked it, but I wanted to look at some other cars before making my decision. The salesman offered to hold the car for two days, with no obligation, if I put a $500 deposit on it. I wrote a check for $500, dated two days in the future. He then gave me a form to sign, saying it was a receipt for my deposit. When I started to read the form, he said, “You don’t have to read that; it’s just a standard form.” While I was reading the form, he tried twice more to persuade me to sign it without reading it. It was a sales contract. (I didn't sign it.)"