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Check your car deal before you sign
Start my dealFree Fee Check
No card needed. Upload the dealer’s quote or type 3 numbers to get an A–F grade.
$0 today$199 when you signFounding price: $199 for the first 50 deals, then $299.
Beat your best written quote by $500, or you pay $0. You send every dealer message yourself, from your own phone or email, using copy-and-paste replies we draft in your Deal Vault. VaultRubric never contacts dealers for you.
Guarantee terms
$500 Beat-Your-Quote Guarantee: Provide your best written, itemized out-the-door (OTD) quote for the same vehicle, dated within 14 days of the day you upload it to your Deal Vault. If the deal you sign isn’t at least $500 lower in OTD price than that quote for the same vehicle (same year, make, model, trim and new/used condition), you pay $0. Not covered: deals signed before you provide a qualifying quote; quotes that aren’t in writing or itemized, leave out required fees, or are older than 14 days; changing the vehicle after you start; fleet, commercial or special-order vehicles. Hitting your personal target price is not guaranteed, and you always decide whether to buy.
Step 1 of 4
See full pricing & the $500 guarantee
Your dealer quote
Paste the quote text or upload a photo or PDF. That’s all for this step.
No quote yet? Tap Next. You can upload it later.
Your best written quote & free Fee Check
Upload a photo or PDF of the dealer quote for a free A–F Fee Check. No quote yet? Skip this step.
No file? Type 3 numbers
From the dealer’s quote. Then tap Run my free Fee Check.
EXAMPLE ONLY — not a real customer quote
Tennessee cash quote: $32,000 price, $899 doc fee, two add-ons ($695 + $349).
Grade D · Doc fee: 1 · Add-ons: 2 · $1,144 worth questioning. Taxes and title fees never lower the grade.
No quote yet? You can still continue. The $500 guarantee applies once you upload a written, itemized quote dated within 14 days.
Your car & trade-in
Your car (optional, add it any time)
Add trade-in details (optional)
Your price & card
Where it works: Start my deal is available in 39 supported jurisdictions; it is not available yet in AZ, CO, NV, CA, IN, AR, MS, TX, ND, SD, PA, WV. The $39 DIY Audit is available in all 50 states + D.C. See the $39 DIY Audit (one-time, all 50 states + D.C.).
You stay in control and send every dealer message. We review your quotes and draft your replies. Your contact details never go to a dealer through us, and nothing is sent or agreed without you: you choose what to send, when, and to whom.
No quote yet? To qualify for the $500 guarantee, provide a current written, itemized out-the-door quote for the same vehicle, dated within 14 days of the day you upload it. If you don’t have one yet, you can still use the free Fee Check and start your search. The guarantee applies once you provide a qualifying quote: eligibility starts the day you upload it to your Deal Vault, and it covers the deal you sign after that.
You won’t be charged today. Full refund policy.
Option 1: $39 DIY Audit
- ✓ Line-item dealer fee, add-on & 50-state OTD tax audit
- ✓ Copy-paste dealer counter-offer texts & rebate checklist
- ✓ F&I fair-price benchmarks & model reliability watch-outs
What happens next: Right after checkout, your Deal Vault opens so you can upload a dealer quote sheet or start with a vehicle link. Commonly flagged negotiable fees and add-ons: $1,594–$2,494 before F&I ($2,594–$4,494 if F&I markup also appears). Actual savings vary and are not guaranteed. (Illustrative example: $699–$999 uncapped doc fee + $895–$1,495 dealer add-ons + $1,000–$2,000 F&I markup; see Methodology & CFPB/FTC/NADA Benchmarks; flagged markup is distinct from buyer-reported or verified final savings).
Service boundaries, timelines & what happens if a vehicle sells or a dealer doesn’t respond↓
Secure checkout by Stripe
Apple Pay accepted
Welcome to Your Deal Vault
Choose how you want to start below to access your full line-item audit, 50-state Out-The-Door math, F&I fair-price guide, vehicle briefing, and dealer scripts.
Upload Your Quote Sheet
Upload a photo or PDF of your dealer worksheet, buyer’s order, or lease quote to run your full line-item audit.
Haven’t Reached Out to the Dealership Yet? Start Here
Paste a vehicle listing link or enter the car you’re shopping for to get your target Out-The-Door price, vehicle briefing, and dealer scripts.
Not sure which car to pick yet? (Optional 5-question shortlist helper)↓
1. Paste Vehicle Link (or Upload Quote Sheet)
Paste a vehicle link, upload your dealer worksheet, or enter 3 numbers below to run your Deal Vault audit.
- What is extracted: Vehicle year/make/model/trim/VIN, selling price, doc fee, itemized add-ons, state/local tax, trade-in figures, APR/money factor, and Out-The-Door total.
- Automatic PII detection & redaction: Please cross out your street address, driver’s license, and SSN before uploading. Our parser automatically scrubs phone numbers, emails, and SSN patterns from text feedback and never includes personal contact fields or raw uploads in shareable links.
- Storage & 1-tap deletion: Encrypted in storage and never sold or shared with dealers or lead brokers. Deal Vault records stay until you delete them (no automatic expiry); uploaded quote and contract files are deleted automatically 30 days after upload. You can delete either immediately anytime.
- What is automated vs. human-reviewed: Line-item fee classification, 50-state tax/doc-fee math, and counter-offer scripts are generated immediately by our deterministic software engine. When you start your deal, a human VaultRubric Deal Desk specialist reviews your intake and drafts replies for you to send within 1 business day (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–6 PM CT, excluding U.S. federal holidays).
Private & buyer-side only: we never sell your info to dealers, and uploaded quote files are deleted 30 days after upload (Deal Vault records stay until you delete them).
How your information is handled & 30-day file deletion↓
Action A: Take a Photo or Upload Dealer Sheet (or vehicle history report (PDF))
Snap a photo or upload a PDF of your dealer quote, worksheet, buyer’s order, lease sheet, or vehicle history report — or tap a sample quote below to see it work in 1 tap.
Lay the sheet flat, fill the frame, and avoid glare.
We never sell your name, phone, or email to dealerships. Deterministic math + state statutes only—never hallucinated AI numbers.
Your uploaded file is encrypted and deleted 30 days after upload, or now with one tap; your Deal Vault record stays until you delete it. We read it with our own software; no person reads it.
Action C: No Quote Yet? Get 3 Dealer Quotes via Text/Email (Free OTD Request Generator)
Don’t walk into a showroom without a written Out-the-Door (OTD) breakdown first. Enter the car you want below and copy a ready-to-send email or text message to request an itemized OTD worksheet from 3 nearby internet sales desks:
3-Step Deal Desk Workflow: Step 1: Send the message above to 3 dealers to get itemized written OTD quotes. Step 2: Upload or type their reply into Action A or B above to flag hidden add-ons, doc-fee overages, and tax/APR padding. Step 3: Send the pre-filled counter-offer text or compare all 3 quotes side-by-side.
Step 3: Your Full Deal Vault Audit & Counter-Offer
What surprised you most? (optional)
Quick question: what stopped you from running a full check today?
Full workflow, refund policy, methodology & 50-state sourcesView details ↓
You send every dealer message yourself using replies we draft; VaultRubric never contacts dealers. Software does the tax and fee math; when you start your deal, our human desk drafts every reply for you to send. To check a sheet, upload a photo or PDF inside your Deal Vault. Educational only, not financial or legal advice. Verify all figures with your lender and dealer.
Full workflow, refund policy & service terms ($39 DIY Audit)View details ↓
What happens next & refunds
Retention: Deal Vault records stay until you delete them (no automatic expiry); uploaded quote and contract files are deleted automatically 30 days after upload. See Privacy → Retention.
Who does what & full retention details
Who does what: Software calculations: deterministic 50-state sales-tax, doc-fee, and payment math and fee checks. Automated reading: quote photos and PDFs are read with text extraction and OCR software, and scripts are filled from templates; no AI model is used. Human review: only when you start your deal, where our desk reads the quotes you upload and drafts replies that you send yourself. VaultRubric never contacts dealers.
Deal Vault access & retention: Your private Deal Vault link (/auto/my-deal/...) keeps working until you delete it; Deal Vault records do not expire automatically. Uploaded quote and contract files are deleted automatically 30 days after upload. Tap Delete now in your Deal Vault to remove your Deal Vault record and the files you uploaded from active systems immediately (email requests to support@vaultrubric.com are completed within 2 business days; deleting needs a one-time code emailed to the address on file). Who can open it: the link is a long random code (128-bit). On any browser other than the one that saved it, we email a one-time 6-digit code to the address on file before showing your deal details or uploads; deleting a vault always needs a fresh emailed code.
Educational math, quote audit, and written buyer-side counter-offer drafting only — not legal, tax, CPA, or licensed auto-broker representation. Dealerships are independent sellers and final vehicle pricing and availability are subject to dealer acceptance. See Terms & Final-Sale Policy.
1. What the Audit Engine Checks Line by Line
Every quote sheet or vehicle listing is checked against 7 statutory and financial rules:
- Market adjustment or price over sticker: Flags dealer markups above MSRP or online advertised price.
- Doc fee over your state’s statutory cap: 17 states cap dealer doc fees; checked against our 50-state doc fee table.
- Unrequested dealer add-ons: Flags VIN etching, nitrogen, paint/fabric protection, LoJack/GPS, GAP, and service contracts as optional.
- Sales tax & trade-in credit mismatches: Loans use our state sales tax rules (trade-in credit, rebates, TN single-article tax); leases use our state lease tax rules.
- APR or lease money-factor markup: Compares the dealer’s rate against your credit-union pre-approval or the lender buy rate.
- Payment packing: Flags monthly payments, amount financed, or due-at-signing totals higher than the sheet’s own line items add up to.
- Missing rebates, lowball trade-ins & negative equity: Separates true dealer discount from manufacturer rebates and shows rolled-in debt clearly.
2. How the Dollars Are Figured (Deterministic Math)
- Loan payment: amount financed × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)−months), where r = APR ÷ 12, rounded to the cent.
- Amount financed: price + market adjustment + doc fee + add-ons + tax + title fees − cash down − rebates − (trade allowance − payoff).
- Lease payment: (adjusted cap cost − residual) ÷ months + (adjusted cap cost + residual) × money factor, plus your state’s lease tax.
- Cash Out-The-Door price: price + market adjustment + doc fee + add-ons + tax + title fees − rebates (example: $41,250 + $899 doc + $2,490 add-ons + $3,682.72 tax at 8.25% + $325 title = $48,646.72).
- Flagged overcharge: total cost of the dealer’s quote minus the same deal with each flagged item removed. Negative equity stays in both because it is prior loan debt, not a dealer fee.
3. How VaultRubric Compares to Brokers, Chatbots & Lead-Gen Sites
How our two one-time buyer-funded packages compare with general car-buying service models (with dated regulatory and consumer-agency sources):
| Feature / Protection | VaultRubric (our service, $0 until you sign) | Traditional Auto Brokers & Concierges (General Category) | General-Purpose AI Chatbots (General Category) | Dealer-Funded Listing & Lead-Gen Sites (General Category) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the Service Is Funded | 100% buyer-funded ($0 today, paid only when you sign; $0 from dealers or lenders) | Buyer flat fee or dealer-paid broker commission (varies by state broker licensing rules) | Free or monthly software subscription | Free to consumer; funded by dealership advertising, subscription, or lead-referral fees (FTC Auto Buyer Study) |
| Stated Service Window & Workflow | Free Fee Check right away; a drafted reply within 1 business day of each dealer message you upload ($0 until you sign) | Custom human sourcing & phone/email negotiation timeline set by individual broker | Instant conversational text responses (self-service only) | Immediate inquiry routing to participating dealership internet sales teams |
| 50-State Statutory Tax, Trade-In Credit & Doc-Fee Cap Math | Deterministic 50-state + DC rule engine (Rule v2026.10, cited to state DOR/DMV statutes as of Oct 28, 2026) | Manual worksheet review (varies by individual broker) | Generative text prediction (not tied to a deterministic 50-state statutory tax/fee table) | Displays listing prices; does not audit uploaded dealer F&I worksheets or buyer’s orders |
| Dealer Contact & Lead Privacy | You send every dealer message yourself using replies we draft; VaultRubric never contacts dealers (Privacy Policy). | Contacts dealerships under buyer representation agreement | No dealer outreach | Submits buyer contact details to selected or participating dealerships when you request a quote |
Sources & Verification Date (Checked October 28, 2026): Category descriptions are general structural comparisons (not claims about any specific third-party brand’s current price or queue time), grounded in the FTC Staff Report: Buying and Financing a Car, the CFPB Auto Loans & Dealer Worksheet Guidance, and our Disclosures & Independence Policy.
EXAMPLE DATA — Fictional 2026 Honda CR-V EX-L Quote, Flagged Items, Counter-Offer & Deal Receipt CheckView example ↓
1. Example Quote vs. Clean Target Out-The-Door (Fictional 2026 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD · Florida Buyer)
- Advertised / Selling Price: $36,490 — [Dealer-required charge included in advertised price · User-Provided Figure]
- Florida Dealer Doc / Electronic Filing Fee: $999 charged — [Charge to ask the dealer to explain · Verified State Rule: FL has no statutory dollar cap (Fla. Stat. § 501.976(18), checked Oct 2026); negotiate selling price down by $500 to offset]
- Dealer Add-On Package (VIN Window Etch $699 + Nitrogen/Paint $1,195): $1,894 charged — [Optional product or add-on · Negotiation Suggestion: request removal ($0)]
- Florida Sales Tax (6.0% state on price + taxable doc fee & add-ons + $50 county surtax cap at 1% county surtax) & DMV Title/Tag: $2,412.98 quoted tax ($2,299.34 target tax with add-ons removed) + $325 tag — [Government-required charge · Verified State Rule (FL DOR DR-15, checked Oct 2026)]
- Financing Rate Quoted (60-Month Term): 6.99% APR vs. buyer’s 5.49% credit union pre-approval — [Price or term that differs from written offer · Reproducible 60-mo interest difference: if the full $42,120.98 Quoted OTD is financed with $0 down, 6.99% APR is $833.85/mo ($7,910.02 total interest) vs. 5.49% APR at $804.37/mo ($6,141.22 total interest) = +$1,768.80 (~$1,769 unrounded) in extra interest; on $35,000.00 amount financed after cash down, 6.99% APR is $692.88/mo ($6,572.80 total interest) vs. 5.49% APR at $668.38/mo ($5,102.80 total interest) = +$1,470.00 in extra interest]
- Total Quoted OTD vs. Target OTD: Dealer Quoted OTD $42,120.98 ($36,490 selling price + $999 doc fee + $1,894 add-ons + $2,412.98 FL tax + $325 title/tag) vs. Target OTD with optional add-ons removed $40,113.34 ($36,490 selling price + $999 doc fee + $2,299.34 FL tax + $325 title/tag — $2,007.64 in flagged negotiable add-ons + tax on add-ons; actual savings vary and are not guaranteed).
2. Example Buyer Counter-Offer Script & Final Paperwork Match Check
Copy-Paste Counter-Offer Text: “Hi — thank you for the worksheet on the 2026 CR-V EX-L (VIN: 2HKRS6H7XTH******). I am ready to purchase at $40,113.34 out-the-door ($36,490 selling price + $999 FL doc fee + $2,299.34 FL tax + $325 title/tag, with the optional $1,894 VIN etch and paint package removed), using my 5.49% pre-approval unless your finance desk matches 5.49% with $0 back-office add-ons. Please send the itemized buyer’s order for my review.”
Final Paperwork Match Check (VaultRubric Deal Receipt): Before signing, the buyer compares the final retail installment contract against the $40,113.34 written offer and catches a $695 Theft-Deterrent Addendum on Line 4G so the finance manager removes it before signature.
4. 50-State Statutory Sources & As-Of Dates
- State vehicle sales tax, trade-in credit & rebate rules: VaultRubric state fee guides (state revenue departments; checked Oct. 2026).
- Lease tax by state: VaultRubric state lease tax rules (state revenue departments; rules last checked Oct 28, 2026).
- Dealer doc fee limits: VaultRubric doc fee by state (rules last checked Oct 28, 2026).
- Benchmark auto loan rate: Federal Reserve G.19, 60-month new car loan rate at commercial banks (FRED RIFLPBCIANM60NM), August 2026 (FRED).
- Optional F&I add-ons & rate markups: CFPB add-on guidance; CFPB auto loan key terms.
FAQ
Does VaultRubric send anything to the dealer?
No. You send every dealer message yourself using replies we draft; VaultRubric never contacts dealers.
What happens to the photo of my sheet?
It's encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM). Deal Vault access & retention: Your private Deal Vault link (/auto/my-deal/...) keeps working until you delete it; Deal Vault records do not expire automatically. Uploaded quote and contract files are deleted automatically 30 days after upload. Tap Delete now in your Deal Vault to remove your Deal Vault record and the files you uploaded from active systems immediately (email requests to support@vaultrubric.com are completed within 2 business days). Who can open it: the link is a long random code (128-bit). On any browser other than the one that saved it, we email a one-time 6-digit code to the address on file before showing your deal details or uploads; deleting a vault always needs a fresh emailed code. Our own software reads it, and when you start your deal, a human VaultRubric Deal Desk specialist reviews your approved deal.
How does the checkout and Deal Vault flow work?
Tap Start my deal and run the free Fee Check. No card to start. After you see our service price in writing and agree to it, you save a card with Stripe (stored, not charged). We charge $299 ($199 for the first 50 deals) only after our staff verify your signed paperwork. Once your card is saved, your private Deal Vault opens for your dealer quotes. Start my deal is available in 39 supported jurisdictions; it is not available yet in AZ, CO, NV, CA, IN, AR, MS, TX, ND, SD, PA, WV. The $39 DIY Audit is available in all 50 states + D.C. Our state fee guides on /auto (doc-fee caps, rules and sources for all 50 states plus D.C.) are free.
What is the refund policy?
Start my deal — what you pay: $0 today. $299 ($199 for the first 50 deals) is charged only after our staff verify your signed purchase paperwork, never on a self-report. You pay $0 if you don’t buy, if you cancel before you sign, or if we don’t beat your best written quote by $500. Charged in error? Full refund if reported within 30 days.
Is this financial or legal advice?
No. Educational only, not financial or legal advice. Verify all figures with your lender and dealer. It covers the math and the state rules we can source; your signed contract and your state's law decide.
Educational only, not financial or legal advice. Verify all figures with your lender and dealer.