I paid a car deposit and didn't sign a contract. What should I do now?

You can ask the other party to bear the liability for breach of contract. (1) negotiated settlement. With regard to the above-mentioned deposit return and compensation liability, you can show the audio and video recordings and short message vouchers you communicated with the other party to prove that the other party is at fault, and ask for the cancellation of the contract to return the deposit and compensate all the direct economic losses caused by it. If you are not much different, after reaching an agreement, the two sides can sign an agreement to stipulate the way to bear the responsibility and the final treatment, and the other party can compensate you. (2) send a lawyer's letter. If negotiation fails, you can entrust a lawyer to send a lawyer's letter to the other party. The lawyer's letter can remind and warn the other party and urge the other party to take the initiative to take responsibility, which is much more convenient than judicial channels, but the lawyer's letter is not mandatory. If the other party refuses to perform, it will eventually need to file a lawsuit. (3) bring a lawsuit. If the other party still refuses to solve the problem by sending a letter through consultation, then you can bring a lawsuit to the court and ask the other party to bear the liability for compensation immediately. Prosecution needs to go to the court where the defendant is located, usually the court of domicile or habitual residence (residence for more than one year). Of course, the specific situation and the final handling method need to be determined according to the case and evidence.