I read the posts and replies on this question with amusement. It appears absolutely NO ONE understands contract law. When you contract to purchase a car and put down a “good faith deposit” or “earnest money”, that means you are assuring the seller you will follow through. If its at a car dealership where people make a living and feed their families by selling you vehicles, there is paperwork to be prepared, usually prep and cleaning to assure a car’s ready for delivery, holding the car for several days while the buyer gets their act together, etc. If you then break faith, and do not complete the sale, there isn’t a state in the USA that says you can expect to be repaid earnest money. You have broken a legal agreement. If you ask someone to hold and prep a vehicle for you in exchange for a deposit and then do not follow through, you do not deserve to be refunded anything, and it’s ignorant to even ask. Do not put a deposit on a vehicle you are not prepared to purchase, period.