Outsmart the Lot

Car buying calculators and tools

Pick what you need to check. Use the numbers from a written quote when you have one.

Loans and trade-⁠ins

Use real numbers from written offers and your payoff statement, and check the assumptions shown with each result.

Compare loan lengths

See how 36 to 84 months changes the payment and the total interest on the same loan. Example numbers are filled in. Replace them with your written loan offer.

Use the amount financed on a written offer, not the vehicle price before your down payment or trade.

Use the APR from the written loan offer, together with the amount financed above. Enter 6.9 for 6.9%.

Like your bank or credit union preapproval, or the rate the dealer first quoted. Leave it blank to skip.

Compare your loan payoff and car value

Find out whether you owe more on your current car than a dealer or buyer may pay for it. The amounts shown are examples; replace both with a current lender payoff and dated value estimate.

Use a current payoff statement, not only the last account balance.

Use a dated offer or estimate that reflects mileage and condition.

Values can change with payoff timing, mileage, condition, and the specific offer. Recheck both numbers for the transaction date.

Trade-⁠in vs. private sale

Compare a dealer's written trade-in offer with what you expect to keep from selling the same car yourself. Add a trade-related tax benefit only if your state's rule and amount have been confirmed. Both paths are shown before paying off any existing car loan.

Change the trade tax credit only if you've confirmed your state's rule and the dollar amount. For private-sale costs, add up ads, inspection, and title fees; enter 0 only if you expect none. This tool does not work out tax rules for your state. See trade-in tax rules by state.

This comparison does not subtract a lender payoff. For the same vehicle, the same payoff applies to either path, so it does not change the displayed difference; subtract it from either amount to estimate cash remaining.

Buying and leasing costs

Check the math before you sign. These tools only use the numbers you enter. They don't know your local tax rules.

Before you go to the dealer

What out-⁠the-⁠door price means

It's the total for the car: the price, dealer fees, add-ons, taxes, and government fees, before any down payment, trade-in, or loan. Ask the dealer to email or text it for the exact car, and compare dealers by that number, not the monthly payment.

Check a dealer quoteHow to get it in writing

Check a lease quote

Enter the numbers from a dealer's lease quote. You'll see if the monthly payment matches them, and what to ask if it doesn't. This checks the math, not whether the deal is good.

You need the price, money factor, residual value, and number of months. If the quote doesn't show them, ask the dealer for the lease worksheet. What to say to get the lease numbers

The price

The capitalized cost is the price the lease is based on. Enter the price you agreed to, before any down payment, rebate, or trade-in. If your lease form shows a gross capitalized cost that already includes fees, enter that and leave fees blank.

Like an acquisition fee (the leasing company's setup fee), add-ons, or money you still owe on a trade-in, when they're rolled into the lease. Leave blank if nothing is added or you pay it at signing.

Money that lowers the capitalized cost: your cash down plus what your trade-in is worth beyond what you owe on it. Don't include the first payment, taxes, fees, or a security deposit.

Rebates or dealer credits that lower the capitalized cost. Don't count a discount that's already in the price.

The lease terms

Residual value

What the leasing company expects the car to be worth when the lease ends. Quotes often show it as a percent of MSRP (the sticker price).

Interest charge

The money factor is a small decimal, like 0.00250, that sets the lease's interest charge. Multiply it by 2,400 for a rough APR. If the dealer gave you a percent rate instead, choose APR %.

Like 0.00250.

The number of monthly payments, like 36.

The dealer's quote

Before tax. If the quote only shows a payment with tax, enter the tax rate and check the box.

Many states tax each lease payment, but the rules vary by state. This only gives an estimate. Leave blank to skip.

The federal lease form shows this same math, step by step. What the lease form must show (CFPB) · How the money factor sets the rent charge (Federal Reserve)

Compare leasing with buying

Use written offers for both choices. This estimates what each choice costs by the end of the lease—for example, after 36 months. It does not choose a winner or predict what the purchased car will be worth.

Before entering numbers, get the lease's itemized amount due at signing, monthly payment, and end terms. For buying, get the amount due up front, monthly payment, and estimated loan balance when the lease would end. Leave unknowns blank and return when you have a supported estimate.

Both choices are compared when this lease ends. This calculator assumes one equal lease payment each month. An unusual schedule, such as a single payment or balloon amount, needs a separate comparison using the written lease totals.

Lease inputs

Include taxes and other charges collected in each equal monthly payment.

Copy the full disclosed amount before its funding breakdown: include the first payment, deposit, upfront fees, and any amount funded by a rebate or your net trade equity. This can be more than the cash you bring.

Enter only rebate or dealer-credit money shown as paying that total. Confirm eligibility. Do not include your own cash or net trade equity, or subtract a price discount again.

Usually 1 when the first full monthly payment is included above; enter 0 if none. Count it even when a rebate pays it. It will not be added a second time.

Enter the refundable security deposit included above and paid from your funds. This comparison assumes it is returned in full; include expected deductions in lease-end costs.

Include a return/disposition fee and mileage or wear charges you reasonably expect at the scheduled lease end.

Buy inputs

Count the loan payments you'd make by then. This can't be more than the lease length.

Include your cash down, net trade equity, and any sales tax and fees you pay up front. Exclude loan payments counted above and manufacturer/​dealer credits; do not count the same contribution twice.

What you'd still owe on the loan at that point.

Don't know the balance? Estimate it

Use the amount financed, APR, and loan length from your loan offer. The estimate uses the purchase payments made by the time the lease ends, above.

What you could realistically sell or trade the car for at that point, not a dealer's retail price. The residual value on a lease offer for the same car is a rough starting point. It's only a projection, and it's sometimes set high to lower the lease payment.

Enter 0 only when a required amount or payment count is confirmed to be none. If the signing funding or payment schedule is unclear, get the itemized disclosure before comparing. How lease signing amounts are disclosed.

Buy new, used, or lease? Answer five quick questions

Check the car, not just the price

Start with the VIN: confirm what car it is, then check its recalls, title history, and theft records. Then get an independent inspection, because a clean report doesn't mean the car is in good shape. What each check catches.

Check a used car by VIN

Confirm what car the VIN belongs to, see its safety recalls, and check its title history before you pay.

Where to find it: Look at the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side, on the driver's door frame label, or in the listing, title, or registration.

No VIN yet? Ask the seller to send it, or zoom in on the listing photos. Private seller? Copy a message that asks for it.

The free lookups go straight from your browser to NHTSA; we don't store your VIN. Privacy. Want a title report right away? VehicleHistoryReport.com is free if you give your name, email, and ZIP code. Or open VINsmart ($9.95 per report).

Paid link: We may earn a commission if you buy a report through this link, at no extra cost to you. How this site makes money

Free checks and official guidance

NHTSA's lookup shows unrepaired safety recalls. It can miss very new recalls, recalls over 15 years old, and some small automakers. Ask the automaker or one of its dealers about the fix and parts.

NICB only shows theft and salvage records from insurers that take part. It isn't a full vehicle history.

VehicleHistoryReport.com shows title brands, like salvage and flood, and odometer readings from NMVTIS, the federal title database. It asks for your name, email, and ZIP code first, and then that site and other companies may contact you. It doesn't check for liens.

Get an independent inspection

Have a mechanic you choose inspect the car and put the findings and repair estimates in writing. A history report, safety rating, or basic safety inspection doesn't replace this.

Plan the inspection (used-⁠car guide)

Crash-⁠test ratings for the model:

NHTSA safety ratingsInsurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests

Research prices, offers, and loans

Prices

Check prices on more than one site. Match the trim, condition, mileage, and your ZIP code.

Trade-⁠in offers

Get written offers from more than one buyer. Compare them with your loan payoff and any trade-in tax savings.

Loan rates

Get preapproved by a bank or credit union before you shop, then ask the dealer to beat that rate. A quoted rate isn't a final approval.

Cost to own

Budget for insurance, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, not just the price or payment.

Reviews and complaints

Reviews show patterns, but they can't tell you if your deal is fair. An FTC report helps stop fraud, but the FTC can't act on your individual case.

DealerRaterBBB searchFTC Report Fraud

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