why i did not get to buy my 2025 lariat today in morgan hill calif

[YazYaz]

checks "clear" in seconds in modern times.

There is a difference between checks clearing and the check guarantee process. There is a difference between the check guarantee process for a $50 check at Walmart and $20,000 check at a car dealership. There is a difference in check guarantee processes between the many check guarantee companies depending on numerous variables.

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[Blokcar]

why didn't you wire the money? I wouldn't take a check either, there are too many criminals out there.

 

[RR - All the way]

OP says the dealer was going to deliver the vehicle. Would not the dealer what for the check to "clear" or whatever the proper term may be, before delivering the truck?????
Dealer wanted info for some other reason than ID verification. Where and to whom would this info go??? Dealer did not want to sell this vehicle very much or they would have worked this out without OP filling out another form, via computer or whatever. What kind of computer search does someone do that requires the person's concurrence?????

Something not right. May be a misunderstanding by the OP of what was asked for by the dealer and/or the dealer requiring something not needed. Either way the dealer did not communicate well and IMHO bears the most responsibility.

 

[jerrisn]

Welcome to America, folks! Your privacy is gone. You can pull a fuse to stop your truck from tracking you, or abandon a purchase because you refuse to provide personal information—believing you're "winning" by keeping that secret to yourself. You insist on paying cash and refuse to finance on principle, even though you could finance and immediately pay it off with a check. You think you're dodging the system, but then you hop online and post your story. Your information isn't private—it's long gone. Your cell phone tracks you, Facebook tracks you, and even the Maverick Truck Club tracks you. I highly doubt you're living off-grid in the backwoods without water, electricity, or insurance. (By the way, all of those require background checks—you just don't realize it.) Just fill out the paperwork, buy the vehicle, and pay it off. It's not rocket science. Sorry, but these stories are ridiculous.

 

[RR - All the way]

A locked house door and windows or a locked Maverick keeps out the honest person. It may discourage the amateur. However just as everyone is not a professional break-in artist, not everyone is a high level sophisticated cyber-criminal. Most computer scam artists from foreign countries just need basic info, often asked for by merchants. These systems are vulnerable and, even though you think the "horse is out of the barn", I still dislike any merchant including a car dealer wanting info which has nothing to do with the completion of a sale.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

why didn't you wire the money? I wouldn't take a check either, there are too many criminals out there.

Or just bring cash. The bank with your checking account will give you cash. I recently sold a car and had to slowly deposit around $50k in cash $9900 at a time ($10k deposits are automatically reported to IRS).

And yes, checks written on a personal account CAN be verified in less than a minute with the bank issuing the check. Ask me how I know.

 

[cyberdog]

This may have been a result of the $6000 rule with the IRS. If you spend $6000 or more (was $10,000 years ago) in cash, or the equivalent of, they're required to report the transaction to the IRS. This serves as a way for the IRS to track possible unreported funds, as well as help identify/prevent money laundering. They may simply be looking to verify the information for reporting the transaction, since this would be considered a 'cash' deal in the eyes of the IRS.

If this was the case, they're required to obtain permission to run that background report, similar to what you sign when buying insurance. If you read the application, you're giving permission to pull background reports for insurance score (aka a soft credit pull), driving record, and other items, just nobody bothers to read that fine print, or question what the reports are 99% of the time.

Just a thought that comes to mind.

 

[Blokcar]

Or just bring cash. The bank with your checking account will give you cash. I recently sold a car and had to slowly deposit around $50k in cash $9900 at a time ($10k deposits are automatically reported to IRS).

And yes, checks written on a personal account CAN be verified in less than a minute with the bank issuing the check. Ask me how I know.

You probably shouldn't tell people you deposited $9,900 at a time. That is called structuring and is a federal felony.

https://www.irs.gov/irm/part4/irm_04-026-013

 

[DontFret]

so i ordered my2025 lariat in early september 25. after the folks sent me a 2026 vin, i called the ford store last week and , miraculously they were receiving exactly what i ordered, and it was in richmond, ca,waiting to be delivered.
so i drove the hour drive to morgan hill, they knew i was paying cash, check, and deal would not be done til check cleared. i wasn’t bringing the ruby red beauty home until the bed cover was installed anyway. they were going to deliver when done.
ready to write check, they have my drivers license, been emailing and phone calls all week, and they ask for more proof of who i am, some sort of computer check that i have to agree to. i said no. they asked again and sad this was mandatory. i said show me the law. no law, just store policy the inventory manager says. i said no got up to go and manager says wait, he walks away and comes back,says “sorry if you want the maverick you must say yes.”. i say no and walk out without my ruby red 25 hybrid lariat.
why in the world couldn’t i buy my maverick? why would they do this?
they could have googled me, my name comes up. ulterior motive by this ford store?

It was an easy ask of the dealership. With all the fraud and money laundering that’s going on, I don’t blame them. It’s their prerogative and perhaps they’ve burned in the past? Anyway good luck buying your next Mav.

 

[Alienenforcer]

so i ordered my2025 lariat in early september 25. after the folks sent me a 2026 vin, i called the ford store last week and , miraculously they were receiving exactly what i ordered, and it was in richmond, ca,waiting to be delivered.
so i drove the hour drive to morgan hill, they knew i was paying cash, check, and deal would not be done til check cleared. i wasn’t bringing the ruby red beauty home until the bed cover was installed anyway. they were going to deliver when done.
ready to write check, they have my drivers license, been emailing and phone calls all week, and they ask for more proof of who i am, some sort of computer check that i have to agree to. i said no. they asked again and sad this was mandatory. i said show me the law. no law, just store policy the inventory manager says. i said no got up to go and manager says wait, he walks away and comes back,says “sorry if you want the maverick you must say yes.”. i say no and walk out without my ruby red 25 hybrid lariat.
why in the world couldn’t i buy my maverick? why would they do this?
they could have googled me, my name comes up. ulterior motive by this ford store?

Everything made sense after you said California. I wrote a personal check for mine and all I needed was a drivers license. I’m not going through the effort to pay any more than I need to or jump through additional hoops. A lot of dealers hold way too much power.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

(Just walked in the door a few minutes ago and haven't had a chance to do a search. I wrote the following earlier today, but didn't post it until I got a chance to review it.)

By the way, keep in mind that the dealer purchases the vehicle from Ford. It doesn't belong to you until you complete the sale.

A lot of folks think a vehicle belongs to them because the dealer ordered it with their configuration, and they provided a driver's license (so the dealer can do a COVP). They are not under any obligation to sell it to you.

We saw a lot of this happening with Mavericks during the 2022 and 2023 Model Years. This is why I created the good dealers list, which you can find here on MTC (and is now maintained by Sarah at Long McArthur Ford).

The dealer, therefore, can have policies (usually for their protection) that could prevent a sale if you are not willing to accept them.

For example, a local (to me) dealer requires almost $ 1,400 in add-on services on all retail orders, in addition to the sale of stock (on the lot) vehicles. SB 766 should help by requiring them to disclose this when the buyer submits their order. Yet, they are within the law by making it a condition of sale (as long as the price of these services is reasonably market-priced).

In short, the dealer can define the "rules of the game," and it is up to you to decide if you want to play or not.

I think they were being reasonable based on the original account. It's probably not too late to complete the deal. I would ask them to provide a transparent deal sheet to request a certified check from a financial institution. This way, the buyer can go into the dealer, inspect the Maverick (when it arrives), and hand them the check to complete the deal. And, the buyer should expect to fill out a credit application even if they have a certified check, since they can be forged fairly easily.

It would be interesting to see if the deal is still completed despite the initial encounter.

I still haven't found that California presale customer inspection law you wrote about.
Any luck on your end?

 

[MaverickNoticer]

so i ordered my2025 lariat in early september 25. after the folks sent me a 2026 vin, i called the ford store last week and , miraculously they were receiving exactly what i ordered, and it was in richmond, ca,waiting to be delivered.
so i drove the hour drive to morgan hill, they knew i was paying cash, check, and deal would not be done til check cleared. i wasn’t bringing the ruby red beauty home until the bed cover was installed anyway. they were going to deliver when done.
ready to write check, they have my drivers license, been emailing and phone calls all week, and they ask for more proof of who i am, some sort of computer check that i have to agree to. i said no. they asked again and sad this was mandatory. i said show me the law. no law, just store policy the inventory manager says. i said no got up to go and manager says wait, he walks away and comes back,says “sorry if you want the maverick you must say yes.”. i say no and walk out without my ruby red 25 hybrid lariat.
why in the world couldn’t i buy my maverick? why would they do this?
they could have googled me, my name comes up. ulterior motive by this ford store?

scumbags!

 

[MaverickNoticer]

Maybe next time get a certified check from your bank, i mean who the hell uses checks to pay something off, especially one the size of a vehicle that cost 40k on your word you have it in the bank. I've bought cars with certified checks multiple times with 0 problems.

Actually most places these days can verify your check in minutes, before you even leave the dealership

 

[rlhdweman]

Clearing a check is as simple as running it through the system it takes 2 - 3 seconds tops. People do it everyday, Walmart, Kroegers, in face they give the check back with the processing information on the back. I wrote one at the state tag office (because it's $15 for cards) walked out with check, so if a state office can handle it EVERYBODY should be able to handle it. Dealer was just F***ing with you.

This is 100% true, I just did it this morning at my insurance company for nearly $5000!

 

[710-oil-614]

Or just bring cash. The bank with your checking account will give you cash. I recently sold a car and had to slowly deposit around $50k in cash $9900 at a time ($10k deposits are automatically reported to IRS).

And yes, checks written on a personal account CAN be verified in less than a minute with the bank issuing the check. Ask me how I know.

If you just recently sold a car and you made 5 deposits at $9,900 you actually committed a crime called structuring - which is worse than just reporting the full sum, especially if you did nothing wrong.

The IRS regulation, in part, reads: "Structuring is illegal regardless of whether the funds are derived from legal or illegal activity. The law specifically prohibits conducting a currency transaction with a financial institution in a way to circumvent the currency transaction reporting requirements."

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