A woman happily drove home with her new Ford Expedition XLT, only to get a call two months later demanding she return it. Alli (@alllllllllllllliii) had fallen in love with her new Expedition and became shocked and angry upon finding out it didn’t have the most basic requirement when she bought it: a title.
A title-less Ford
Alli shares the horror story in a viral clip that has earned more than 667,000 views. The creator explains that she and her husband painstakingly picked out the “perfect” family car. They spent four-and-a-half hours discussing the interest rate, payments, and the financing company at the dealership. Alli put down $9,000 and has since made two payments.
However, two months later, the finance manager called to say that they needed the car back.
“‘We never gave the title to the finance company,’” Alli says the finance manager told them. The manager promised Alli they would give her a different car, but Alli wasn’t going down without a fight.
No takesies backsies
“I picked out this specific car for a reason. What do you mean you’re just going to switch it out as collateral?” Alli says. “You did your job wrong…I don’t trust you now.”
The dealership offered another car that is similar, since they don’t have the exact one she picked. But Alli refuses to swap.
She demanded answers as to how something like this was even possible.
“If you didn’t have the title that day, you didn’t,” Alli continues. “You shouldn’t have let us leave. I have to inconvenience my whole life because you messed up the paperwork?”
Alli has one glaring message for the dealership.
“Be prepared to fight,” she warns. “Because if you don’t give me the same car or better…”
Her demands? Either a brand-new 2025 car, the same exact car, or she will sue the company.
‘Do not take that car back’
Several viewers urged Alli to stay put and advised her to take legal action.
“Tell them you’ll sell it to them for $150k… cash on delivery,” a top comment read.
Another wrote, “DO NOT TAKE THE CAR BACK. in finance !!!! That dealership 9/10 did not pay their floor plan. They didn’t own the car smh. GET A LAWYER. Do not take the car back.”
One user pointed out it was not Alli’s problem: “The issue is between the dealership and the finance company. This is not your problem. Sue them for fraud.”
Can a dealership sell a car without a title?
Legally, no. In most states, a dealership is not supposed to sell you a car without a title. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. One YouTuber who primarily focuses on car title content said as much. According to him, perhaps the dealership bought the car at an auction and didn’t get the title, and sold it to make a quick profit. Maybe it was a trade-in or maybe it was stolen. The question is, is your financing still valid?
The way it works, he says, is that the bank or financing company pays the dealership in cash up front the total amount for the car. Then you end up paying the bank monthly. If they don’t have the title, however, the bank can convert the auto loan to a personal loan, which raises the rates for you, per the YouTuber. The expert suggests having the dealership show you the actual title before you drive off the lot.
What can you do if this happens to you?
If you find yourself in Alli’s shoes, the first step is to contact the dealer and ask about the timeline for obtaining the title. If they don’t have it, “you are entitled to return the vehicle to the dealership and demand that the contract be cancelled,” per LemonLawyers.com. But if you’re like Alli, who loves her car and doesn’t want to give it back, contact a lawyer, as you might have a case.
In a follow-up video, Alli once again asserts, “We are not giving the car back, don’t worry.”
@alllllllllllllliii How can a car leave the lot without a title?? Or an idea of where the title would be ???? WHY DID IT TAKE TWO MONTHS TO FIGURE THIS OUT ?? Also the car salesman was recently fired hmm interesting. Nothing is adding up here!! #dealershipscam #cardealership ♬ original sound – Alli
She says she has spoken to a couple of lawyers and will be going to the meeting on Friday. She will drive there in a different car, however–just in case.
The Mary Sue reached out to Alli via TikTok comment and direct message.
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