How to Read Your Report

A single number from 0–100 rating how good this specific deal is right now, at the current asking price. It combines how the price compares to market value, the vehicle's condition and history, how close the price is to our dealer cost estimate, and any negotiation leverage (like days on the lot). Higher is better. We also translate the number into a plain label: Steal, Great, Good, Fair, or Overpriced.

A letter grade (A+ through D) that's separate from the Deal Score. This answers a different question: "is this a good car for the money," independent of urgency or negotiation leverage. A car can have a great Value Grade but a mediocre Deal Score if it's fairly priced but there's no room to negotiate — or vice versa.

How reliable our estimates are for this specific vehicle, based on how much data was available. More available history and market data means higher confidence in the numbers.

Our estimate of the lowest price a dealer would realistically accept right now, based on how long the car has been sitting unsold. This isn't a guess — it's calculated from how dealer financing costs increase the longer a car sits on the lot (see Curtailment below). The longer it's been listed, the closer the dealer typically gets to this number.

The highest price we'd recommend paying for this specific vehicle. Above this number, the deal stops being a good one based on the market data — a useful hard line to hold during negotiation.

A recommended starting number to open negotiations with — low enough to leave room to negotiate, but grounded in real market data so it doesn't come across as insulting or uninformed.

Our estimate of what the dealer actually paid to acquire this vehicle — built from auction pricing data, floor plan financing costs, and typical reconditioning expenses. This is the number that tells you how much room the dealer really has before they'd be selling at a loss.

The monthly financing cost a dealer pays on a vehicle sitting unsold on their lot (most dealer inventory is financed, not owned outright). This cost increases the longer the car sits, which is exactly why older listings tend to have more room to negotiate — the dealer's cost of holding onto the car keeps climbing.

What the dealer would net if they sent this vehicle to a wholesale auction (like Manheim or ADESA) instead of selling it to you — after auction fees and transport costs. This is useful context: if a dealer's asking price is barely better than what they'd get at auction, that's a strong signal they have very little room to come down further.

A breakdown of price tiers between your opening offer and the asking price — labeled Steal, Great, Good, Fair, and High/Overpriced — each with the actual dollar range for that tier. Shows you exactly where any given counteroffer from the dealer lands, so you always know if you're being offered a genuinely good deal or a small, insignificant discount.

A ready-to-use opening line and specific points to bring up with the dealer, tailored to what's actually working in your favor on this particular vehicle (days on lot, price drops, condition issues, etc.) — not generic advice.

A simple sequence for how to approach the negotiation from opening offer to close, based on this vehicle's specific situation.

How long the vehicle has been listed for sale. The longer it sits, the more urgency the dealer has to move it — which typically works in your favor at the negotiating table.

Anything worth knowing before you commit — this includes dealer pricing behavior (like a price that's never dropped despite sitting for months) as well as open NHTSA safety recalls on that specific make/model/year. Recalls are disclosed so you can confirm with the dealer whether the specific repair has been completed, and can be used as a negotiating point or a reason to walk away.

Whether the vehicle is being sold by a franchise dealer or an independent lot, and whether it's Certified Pre-Owned (CPO). This affects what recourse and warranty coverage you'd have after the sale.

An estimate of what this vehicle will actually cost you to own over 3 years — fuel, maintenance, insurance, and estimated depreciation — so you can compare not just the sticker price, but the real cost of ownership between vehicles.

When we source multiple vehicles for you, each one gets its own full analysis, then they're ranked side by side. The best overall pick is clearly identified with a written explanation of why, and any vehicles worth avoiding are flagged with the specific reason.

A side-by-side comparison between your top used pick and a comparable new vehicle — so you can see whether the used savings actually outweigh what you'd give up by not buying new.