What is the selling price before additions?
Separate vehicle price from protection products, accessories, taxes, and government or dealer fees.
A consumer deal workspace concept
Keep the structure of your vehicle deal in view.
Control My Deal explains the moving parts before the paperwork. Build a simple scenario, see what is missing, and bring better questions into the dealership conversation.
Plain-language structureNo credit applicationNo submitted data
Deal anatomy
Separate the decisions before combining the payment
A monthly number becomes understandable when its components remain visible.
Vehicle priceThe agreed selling price before additions
−Trade equityTrade value minus payoff
−Cash downMoney paid at delivery
+Taxes + fees + productsItemized, not hidden in payment
=Amount financedThe base for term and rate
Simple finance scenario
See the relationship between structure and payment
The estimate uses standard amortization on the entered amount and rate. It intentionally excludes taxes, fees, products, and lender-specific rules.
Estimated base payment$559 / month$35,000 before taxes, fees, and products
Not a quote or credit offer. Ask for a complete itemization and total of payments.
voAIce analysis · July 10, 2026
The CARS Rule is withdrawn. Price legibility still matters.
The federal rule changed; the underlying advertising and operating risk did not disappear.
What the public record says
On February 12, 2026, the FTC formally withdrew the Combating Auto Retail Scams Trade Regulation Rule to conform its regulations to a federal court decision. That means dealers and consumers should not treat the withdrawn CARS Rule as an operative federal rule.
One month later, the FTC said it sent warning letters to 97 auto dealership groups. The agency told recipients that advertised prices must include mandatory fees and identified practices it considers potentially deceptive, including conditional rebates, required down payments, dealer-financing conditions, required add-ons, and unavailable vehicles. Warning letters are notice of the agency’s position—not findings that any recipient violated the law.
voAIce view
Withdrawal of one rule is not a reason to collapse a deal back into a monthly payment. A defensible customer workflow should preserve the advertised price, mandatory charges, conditional incentives, trade value, payoff, down payment, amount financed, term, rate, and optional products as separate facts.
That is an operating recommendation, not legal advice. Dealers should confirm current federal and state requirements with counsel; consumers should review the actual itemization and financing disclosures before agreeing.
Conversation guide
Five questions that keep the deal legible
Use the same questions whether the conversation is in person, by text, or through a shared proposal.
How was my trade equity calculated?
Keep trade value and payoff visible as separate numbers.
What changed between options?
Compare term, rate, cash down, rebates, mileage, residual, and products—not payment alone.
What is included in the amount financed?
Ask for an itemized view and review the actual disclosures before agreeing.
Can I keep this version?
A shared proposal makes it easier to compare the same structure and ask specific questions.
Continuously refreshed
Current industry signals
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Plain answers
Frequently asked questions
Scope, ownership, and limitations—without fine-print surprises.
Does the planner include taxes and fees?
No. The estimate intentionally excludes taxes, title, registration, dealer fees, products, rebates, lender rules, and other transaction-specific amounts.
Does Control My Deal submit a credit application?
No. The launch planner runs locally in the browser and neither submits nor stores the entered values.
Is the estimated payment a dealer or lender offer?
No. It is an educational amortization estimate, not a quote, approval, offer, contract, or disclosure.
See the dealership side of a clearer proposal.
AutoPencil structures cash, finance, and lease scenarios and lets the dealership share a live customer-friendly proposal without flattening the deal into one unexplained payment.
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