Deal sheet check
Paste the paperwork. We'll flag every padded line.
The paperwork is where deals are won and lost. Paste the worksheet the dealer handed you and we'll go line by line — the doc fee, the DMV charges, the prep and market adjustment lines, the products stacked into the payment — and tell you what's real, what's padding, and what sentence to say to get it removed.
How to read a buyer's order
Some fees are the law. Most of the rest are a choice.
Fees that are genuinely not negotiable
California caps the dealer document fee by statute, so the number is small and every dealer charges it. Registration, title, and the value-based license fee are set by the DMV off the selling price, and the tire fee is a flat state charge. Sales tax is charged on the selling price in California, and a trade-in does not reduce the amount you're taxed on — that surprises people who moved here from a state where it does.
We tell you when a line is legitimate so you spend your energy on the ones that aren't. Arguing about the tire fee costs you credibility you'll want later when you ask them to strike a $1,500 market adjustment.
Lines we'd strike every time
Dealer prep, reconditioning, market adjustment, nitrogen-filled tires, VIN etching, paint and fabric sealant, appearance packages, and electronic filing fees stacked on top of the capped doc fee are all dealer profit with a fee's name on it. None of them are required to register the car.
- A protection product you didn't ask for and can't price separately.
- GAP or a service contract quoted only as a payment change, never as a dollar amount.
- A rate above what your credit deserves, or a term stretched to 84 months to hide the price.
- Negative equity from a trade rolled in without being shown as its own line.
- A lease with a mileage allowance below how far you actually drive.
Always work from the out-the-door number
A monthly payment is not a price. Ask for the out-the-door total — selling price, all fees, tax, and every product — before you talk about payment at all. If the worksheet doesn't add up to an out-the-door figure, that's the first thing we tell you to ask for.
On a lease the equivalent question is the money factor, the residual, the term, the mileage allowance, and everything due at signing. We flag which of those the paperwork is hiding.
Work out what you should pay firstScore the whole deal out of 100
Questions we get
Straight answers about dealer paperwork.
What should I paste in?
The money lines from the worksheet, buyer's order, purchase order or lease sheet: selling price, every fee, tax, any products, the rate and term, and the payment. Leave your name, address, driver's licence and account numbers out — we don't need them and you shouldn't paste them anywhere.
Is the doc fee negotiable?
In California it's capped by state law, so no — but an extra 'electronic filing' or 'e-file' fee stacked on top of it usually is, and dealer prep or reconditioning lines almost always are. We tell you which of your lines fall into which bucket.
Does my trade-in lower my sales tax?
Not in California. Your trade reduces what you finance, but you're still taxed on the full selling price of the car you're buying. Some other states work differently, which is where the confusion comes from.
Should I ever pay a market adjustment?
Only if the car is genuinely allocation-limited and you've decided the wait is worth the money. On an ordinary vehicle sitting on the lot, it's a line you ask to have removed, and dealers remove it more often than people expect.
Is this a quote?
No. It's an honest read on paperwork you already have, so you can go back to the desk informed. It isn't a financing offer, an appraisal, or legal advice. If you want a person on it, a Car Dog will read it with you free within one business day.
Ask a Car Dog (AI)
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Straight answer first, then the reasoning — free, and it remembers what you've already told us.
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