You test-drove it. You like it. The dealer handed you a proposal with real numbers on it, and now you’re sitting with it, trying to decide if it’s actually a good deal or if you’re about to overpay.

I’ll tell you straight. Send me your proposal — the real numbers, not a photo of the sticker — and I’ll check it against current market data for your exact vehicle: what it’s actually selling for right now, how your price compares to invoice and to similar listings near you, and whether there’s anything padded into the deal that shouldn’t be there. Then I’ll give you a plain answer: sign it, push back on something specific, or walk.

I spent years as a dealership Internet Sales Manager, running the desk on the other side of this exact conversation. This isn’t a generic checklist — it’s your specific vehicle, checked against what’s actually happening in the market this week, from someone who knows exactly what a dealer will and won’t budge on.

You don’t need to have used any other tool to get a review here. If you’ve already run your numbers through the Car Deal Maximizer, bring your Deal Score along, and it’ll make the review even sharper — but it’s not required.