Before the Lot

com.beforethelot/before-the-lot · v1.0.0 · finance-and-payments

Before the Lot is healthy: it completed an MCP handshake in 951 ms and exposes 16 tools.

Car-buying math and state rules: out-the-door prices, quote checks, leases and trade-ins

Endpoint: https://beforethelot.com/mcp (streamable-http)

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Facts

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HandshakeHealthy
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Tool count16
Latency951 ms
Last checked (UTC)2026-10-28T18:40:09.547Z

Health history

Checked (UTC)StatusLatencyError
2026-10-28T18:40:09.547ZHealthy951

Tools (16)

what_can_i_affordWorks out the budget ceiling from a monthly payment: the most that can be financed, the highest out-the-door price after the trade-in tax credit, that ceiling as dealers quote it (before the trade-in credit), and the vehicle price it leaves after the state's tax and typical fees. With a fair price f
out_the_doorItemizes an out-the-door estimate for a vehicle price: rebates, doc fee, add-ons, the state's sales tax (with its rules on rebates and caps), title and registration. Optionally adds a trade-in (and the tax it saves where the state credits it), a down payment and a loan for the payment. Compares the
check_quoteReads a dealer's out-the-door quote, pasted as text (up to 8 KB) or given as line items, and checks it line by line: the out-the-door total, the doc fee against the state's cap (and capped service fees such as Ohio's $50 convenience fee), the tax line against the state's rate, finance-office add-ons
compare_quotesRanks two to ten itemized dealer quotes by out-the-door price, with each one's gap to the lowest and to the walk line, and (with a state) each doc fee against the state's cap.
rebate_vs_aprCompares a maker's cash rebate taken with the person's own loan against the maker's special APR (with any cash that combines with it): each side's payment, interest and total, the difference, the own-loan rate where the two cost the same, and the sales tax a rebate saves in states that tax the price
loan_paymentThe monthly payment, total interest and total paid on a car loan, with what a term over 60 months adds in interest compared with 60.
lease_checkWorks a lease quote from MSRP, selling price, residual and money factor (or the lease's APR): the depreciation and rent charges, the payment with tax (and a state lease tax on top where there is one, such as Pennsylvania's 3%; Alabama's 1.5% and West Virginia's 5% lease-payment rates in place of the
refinance_checkCompares a car loan as it stands with a new loan at a quoted rate, by default over the same months left so a lower payment cannot hide a longer loan, with any fees counted: the new payment, the monthly difference and the total interest saved or added.
trade_in_positionFrom written trade-in offers and the payoff: the best offer still open (the floor a dealer's trade number is compared with), the equity or negative equity, and, with a state and vehicle price, the sales tax the trade saves where the state credits it.
payoff_planA payoff plan for a car loan, for paying it off early with an extra payment each month: the months and total interest at the regular payment, and with an extra amount toward principal each month (optionally for only the first so many months, or skipping some), with the months and interest the extra
get_methodThe Before the Lot method: an overview and its seven stages (what to collect, what each produces, which guides, tools and email templates apply, and when the stage is done). Pass a stage id for one stage.
state_rulesA state's rules on dealer doc fees, sales tax (state rate, local add-on range, cap), trade-in tax credit, how a maker's rebate is taxed, and cancellation rights where on file, each with its source, as-of date and confidence, plus the link to the state's page.
dealer_emailFills one of the six Before the Lot email templates (request a quote, make an offer, a competing quote, confirm the deal, decline, tell a lender) with the details given and returns the subject and body. Details are numbers and short labels; contact details are refused.
offers_pageWhere a maker lists its own current offers (and a model's own page where one can be built), with whether the maker lists national offers at all.
desk_scriptThe Before the Lot line for a moment at the desk. Pass a script id (monthly-payment, trade-first, down-payment, credit-check, numbers-changed, preinstalled-add-ons, initial-worksheet, decide-today, beat-my-rate, fi-product, only-a-month, paint-or-markup, below-invoice, trade-below-offer, leaving) or
plan_linkBuilds a Before the Lot planner link that opens with the numbers given already filled in. The plan travels in the link itself, so nothing is stored. Numbers and short labels only; names, phone numbers and emails are refused.