Tips on Buying Cars: Used card sold out from under me, legal avenues, buick terraza

Question
Hello,

We've been shopping for a used minivan for about a month now.  We stopped into a dealership on Monday and looked at an '05 Buick Terraza.  We went back on Tuesday and test drove the vehicle, then sat down and talked numbers.  We left the dealership with a negotiated price ($17,500), saying we would think about it.  On Thursday, we spoke with the salesman again (over the phone) and agreed to purchase the car for the $17,500 if they would fix the four things we found wrong with the car (tear in one seat, missing headset & remote, missing owners manual, come down on the doc. fees).  The salesman said he thought that would be fine, but would give it to the manager to decide and call me back.  He called me back and said the manager agreed, we were all set for $19,000 out the door.  He would call me back to give me an update on the headset & owner's manual.  He said we were looking at early next week to pick up the car.  About an hour later, he called to give me another update on the headset and manual and said he needed to call me back, there was another salesman looking at the car and he didn't want him to try and sell it twice.  He called back again and said that a couple had driven in to look at the vehicle and test drive it, and that by law, they had to let them buy the vehicle if they wanted it. ?????  What happened here?  Do we have any argument at all?  We are not the pursue legal avenues type...but is this following the rules?  They did sell the car to that couple for $19,000 plus taxes.  We feel they used us against them to make another $1500 on the car.  Now they say they want to help us find another car (yeah, right).  Do we stick it out and hope their conscious will help us get a good deal?

Any advice is appreciated.  

Answer
Hi Amy
I really like your question being the first I have received regarding a matter that has happened many times through my  years in the business.

Many times a consumer looking at a vehicle will say fix this this and this and then I will have another look before purchase, if you really wanted the car the right approach is to write it into the offer subject to being fixed


99% of the time I like to be on the consumers side, but please understand you had made no commitment other than a verbal which means nothing,Ok now your thinking the dealer said its your car and what a scum he is.
I cant count the number of times I have called a buyer back to say the car is now just the way you want it, only to be told not interested anymore or bought something else.

Regards
Ray