Tips on Buying Cars: bought a car and they want me to refinance., contract laws, bank approval

Question
i got into a car accident and decided it was best financialy to buy a new car instead of paying to fix my current beat up accordian.  The only catch was, i was not prepared at the time to put anything down for a car.  i went in and they gave me the thumbs up to get the car for $20,000.  i drove off and did not think anything of it.  It's been about 3 weeks and they recently called me and they just told me that the finance office did not accept my loan for the full amount and that they would only finance $15,000 and i'd need to bring in the difference or a co-signer.  what should i do?

Answer
You need to speak with an attorney about this, but first you need to read EVERY WORD in the contract that you signed, front and back.  Does it state that the contract is conditional upon final bank approval, and does it stipulate how long they have to approve you?  Three weeks seems excessive to me; when this has come up before, the dealer will let you know within two to three days if you're approved or not.  Here in New York State such practices are not permitted- when you drive off with a new car and a signed contract, you're approved, and there's nothing they can do to change the agreement.  But these laws vary from state to state, and there's just no way one person like myself can be intimately familiar with the contract laws of all 50 states.  Call a lawyer immediately.