Out-the-Door Car Price Calculator

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Enter your agreed car price, sales tax, and one-time quote charges to estimate the full out-the-door purchase price.

Advanced options

Tax from a written quote

Cash and trade funding

Estimated purchase OTDThe upfront purchase total before cash down, trade funding, monthly payments, or loan interest.
Amount left after cash and trade
Sales tax included
Price and dealer charges before taxThe agreed vehicle price plus the documentation fee and dealer add-ons.
Documentation fee and dealer add-onsReview these dealer-controlled lines separately from taxes and government fees.
Purchase total above agreed priceThis is the tax, dealer charges, add-ons, and government fees added above the agreed price.
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How to use our Out-the-Door Car Price Calculator

  1. Copy the negotiated selling price from the dealer quote into Agreed vehicle price ($). Do not use MSRP or an advertised monthly payment.
  2. Enter the Sales tax rate (percent) and the one-time documentation, add-on, and government charges shown on the quote.
  3. Open Advanced options only if the quote already lists sales tax in dollars or if you want to include cash down and trade details in the funding estimate.
  4. Click Calculate. Use Estimated purchase OTD as the purchase-price number for comparing written offers.
  5. Check that Purchase total above agreed price matches the tax and charges you expected. Ask the dealer to explain any added line you cannot identify.
Example inputs for Out-the-Door Car Price Calculator
Example inputs for Out-the-Door Car Price Calculator

Definitions

Out-the-door price (OTD): The one-time vehicle purchase total, including sales tax, dealer charges, and government fees. It excludes financing costs.

Agreed vehicle price: The negotiated selling price on the quote. It is not MSRP, cash down, or a monthly payment.

Documentation fee: A dealer charge that may also be called a processing or dealer service fee.

Dealer add-ons: Dealer-listed packages, accessories, protection products, or market adjustments added to the deal.

Sales tax shown on quote: The sales-tax dollar amount printed on a written quote. If entered, it replaces the rate-based tax estimate.

Trade-in allowance: The gross amount the dealer offers for the trade. It is separate from the amount still owed to the trade lender.

Worked OTD price breakdownExample for a $30,000 agreed price with listed quote charges. Compare written offers using the full purchase total, not only the agreed vehicle price.Worked OTD price breakdownExample for a $30,000 agreed price with listed quote chargesAgreed price30000 $Sales tax2283.75 $Dealer charges1500 $Government fees600 $Purchase component
Worked OTD price breakdown
Compare written offers using the full purchase total, not only the agreed vehicle price.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Mistake: Entering MSRP or an advertised monthly payment as the agreed vehicle price.
Fix: Check Agreed vehicle price and then recalculate. Use the negotiated selling price from the written quote or buyer's order.

Mistake: Entering tax dollars in the sales tax rate field.
Fix: Enter a percent such as 7.25, or enter the quote's tax dollars in Sales tax shown on quote ($).

Mistake: Treating cash down as a discount from the car's purchase price.
Fix: Cash down changes Amount left after cash and trade, not Estimated purchase OTD.

Mistake: Combining the dealer's trade offer and old loan balance in Trade-in allowance ($).
Fix: Enter the dealer's gross trade offer as the allowance and the lender's current payoff in Amount still owed on trade ($).

Mistake: Including annual registration, insurance, fuel, maintenance, or loan interest in government fees.
Fix: Check Agreed vehicle price and then recalculate. Include only one-time charges due as part of this vehicle purchase.

Limitations & Key Assumptions / Boundary Conditions

  • The rate-based tax estimate applies the entered tax rate to the agreed vehicle price, documentation fee, and dealer add-ons. Taxable items can differ by state, county, and transaction details.
  • Title, registration, plate, and other government fees are only as accurate as the amount entered and can depend on the vehicle, location, and buyer details.
  • A nonblank Sales tax shown on quote ($) amount replaces the rate-based estimate because a dealer quote may apply local rules not modeled here.
  • Cash down, trade-in allowance, and trade payoff change only the separate funding estimate. They do not change purchase OTD.
  • The calculator excludes monthly payments, loan interest, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and recurring annual charges.
  • A negative amount left after cash and trade means entered cash and gross trade value exceed purchase OTD plus trade payoff. It does not guarantee a refund or loan approval.

Methodology

Purchase OTD calculation

The calculator adds the agreed vehicle price, documentation fee, and dealer add-ons to get the pre-tax purchase subtotal. It then calculates sales tax from that subtotal and adds the entered government fees.

pre-tax purchase subtotal = agreed vehicle price + documentation fee + dealer add-ons

calculated sales tax = pre-tax purchase subtotal x sales tax rate / 100

If Sales tax shown on quote ($) contains a valid amount, that amount replaces the rate-based sales tax calculation.

estimated purchase OTD = pre-tax purchase subtotal + sales tax included + title, registration, and government fees

Cash and trade calculation

Cash down and trade information are kept separate from the purchase total. The calculator subtracts cash down and the gross trade allowance, then adds any current payoff owed on the trade.

amount left after cash and trade = purchase OTD - cash down - trade-in allowance + amount still owed on trade

Worked example

For an agreed price of $30,000, a $500 documentation fee, $1,000 in dealer add-ons, a 7.25% tax rate, and $600 in government fees, the pre-tax subtotal is $31,500. Sales tax is $2,283.75, and estimated purchase OTD is $34,383.75. With no cash or trade amounts entered, the amount left after cash and trade is also $34,383.75.