Car Buying Tools

Run the numbers before you buy. Free calculators for payments, affordability, running costs and depreciation — plus a live VIN & recall check straight from the U.S. government database.

Monthly Payment Calculator

Estimate your monthly loan payment, total interest and total cost.

Vehicle price ($)

Down payment ($)

Trade-in value ($)

Sales tax (%)

APR — interest rate (%)

Loan term (months)

Monthly payment

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Amount financed

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Total interest

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Total cost

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Car Affordability Calculator

Work backwards from a monthly budget to the car price you can realistically afford.

Comfortable monthly payment ($)

Cash down payment ($)

APR — interest rate (%)

Loan term (months)

Sales tax (%)

Target car price

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Max loan

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Total you’ll pay

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Rule of thumb (the “20/4/10” rule): put ~20% down, finance for no more than 4 years, and keep total car costs under 10% of your take-home pay.

5-Year Ownership Cost Calculator

The true cost of a car is more than the sticker. This adds up depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance and fees.

Purchase price ($)

Estimated resale value in 5 yrs ($)Leave 0 to auto-estimate

Annual miles driven

Fuel economy (MPG)

Fuel price ($/gal)

Insurance ($/yr)

Maintenance & repairs ($/yr)

Registration & fees ($/yr)

Total 5-yr cost

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Per year

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Per mile

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Depreciation

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Fuel

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Insurance

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Maint. + fees

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Fuel Cost Calculator

See what fuel really costs you — and compare two vehicles side by side.

Annual miles driven

Fuel price ($/gal)

Vehicle A — MPG

Vehicle B — MPG optional

Vehicle A / year

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Vehicle A / month

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Vehicle A / 5 yrs

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Depreciation Calculator

Project how much value a car will lose over the years you own it.

Current / purchase value ($)

Years to project

Annual depreciation rate (%)Used cars ~12–18%/yr

Value at end

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Total value lost

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Retained

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Used Car Price Estimator Estimate

A depreciation- and mileage-based ballpark. Always cross-check against real local listings before you negotiate.

Original price when new ($)

Vehicle age (years)

Current odometer (miles)

Annual depreciation (%)

Estimated value

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Typical range

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Mileage vs. average

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This is a mathematical estimate based on age, expected depreciation and mileage (assuming ~12,000 miles/year is average). It does not know trim, condition, options, accident history or your local market. Treat it as a starting point, not an appraisal.

VIN & Recall Check Live data

Decode any 17-character VIN and pull open safety recalls — powered by the U.S. NHTSA public database.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Recall data reflects manufacturer safety recalls reported to NHTSA. It is not a title, odometer or accident history report — for those, get a paid history report and a professional pre-purchase inspection.

These tools are provided for general guidance only and do not constitute financial, lending or automotive advice. Estimates are approximations — verify figures with lenders, insurers and sellers, and always get a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying.
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