InsTwin, it does not state anywhere on the purchase order or the receipt either ... does not say non-refundable or refundable ... i spoke to one of the dealers you sent me links to up in the thread and while the deals are pretty good, there are some fees they tag on top of the price they published (such as 875$ for freight and $300 dealer fee).. and they are not willing to give me 11k for my trade, they told me 10k is best they can do ...
Hmm, I think dealers generally refund deposits. When I was looking for my FiST the deposit was there to make sure you were serious about wanting to buy the car, and to hold it from other buyers, but didn't mean you had to buy it. I think the dealer will give you your money back, but I can't be sure.
Also- of course that's what the dealer online said! I really had to email a ton of dealerships to get the price down to where I wanted it, I just kept working the dealerships remotely until I got a price I wanted (OTD) and a local dealer (that wouldn't budge from MSRP) ended up matching the offer. A lot of dealerships want to play games with you, so just play them until you get the price you want! Even better if you find a volume dealer that 'will beat any price' with your already low, low quote you found from another dealer.
My emails generally went something like this:
"Hello [dealer], I'm looking to purchase a [model year] Fiesta ST sometime within the next month and am searching for a dealer to work with to get the best price. I noticed your car on [website] and am very interested. Could you provide me with your best out-the-door price you can? I'll be choosing a dealer to buy from in the next two weeks. Thanks!"
Also, I thought you shouldn't mention your trade in until after you've negotiated a price; as you should negotiate that separate? I haven't traded in a car before, so someone else may want to vouch for this...