Professor, Ive got an interesting issue here!!

Youll remember that I do some work with a tractor dealership here. The owner, a guy named Vincent, called with a problem hes just run into.

Last week, Vincent and his wife had been on vacation. Hes got a small shop, and he and just one other guy are the only salesmen who work there. And while Vincent was on vacation, the salesman called in and said he had been exposed to COVID and couldnt come in.

Vincent called Don Hiles, his mechanic, and explained what was going on. He told Don that hed be the only guy in the shop, and that he needed to hold the fort down. Vincent told Don that he should tell any potential customers that he and his wife were cutting their vacation short, and would likely be there the next day.

Vincent caught a plane that night, and got there the next day. When he got there, his mechanic told Vincent that he had been the only person at the tractor dealership the day before. He explained that three people had come in to look at tractors, but that they were just window shopping, but that a fourth guy came in shortly before closing and wanted to buy a used Massey Ferguson tractor. The tractor was a 2008 model 5455, with about 1,300 hours on it. The mechanic said that he knew business at the dealership had been slow, so he was quite proud when he explained that he had sold the tractor, and then Don gave Vincent the contract.

Professor, Don prepared a contract, selling the tractor for $28,000; both Don and the customer signed the contract. But heres the problem; Vincent had purchased the tractor at an auction just a week earlier and had paid $42,000 for the tractor; Vincent was planning on selling it for at least $50,000. When Vincent tried to get Don to explain how he came up with a price of $28,000, Don just got upset and started crying and begged Vincent not to fire him, and that he had just made a mistake.

Ive reviewed the contract; it's the standard contract used at the dealership, and it clearly describes the tractor, including the vehicle identification number, and it shows the price as $28,000. And on the signature line, it said Don Hiles, for Vincents Tractors.

Don explained that while the contract was signed, and the buyer has a copy of the contract, the tractor was still at the dealership because the buyer needed to go to his bank to get a cashiers check, and was going to be back that morning to give them the check and get the tractor. Were expecting him back at any moment.

So, the questions kinda obvious. Does Vincent have to sell the tractor to the buyer? Please, help me out here.

And then theres another question that I think is almost as important from an ethical standpoint, should the buyer agree to pay at least what Vincent paid for it?