Before the Lot

ONLINE Before the Lot answered an MCP connection on 28 Oct 2026 and introduced itself as Before the Lot 1.0.0 (MCP protocol 2025-06-18).

16 tools offered to AI assistants

• what_can_i_afford · Works 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
• out_the_door · Itemizes 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 i
• check_quote · Reads 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), t
• compare_quotes · Ranks 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_apr · Compares 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, a
• loan_payment · The 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_check · Works 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
• refinance_check · Compares 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 save
• trade_in_position · From 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 c
• payoff_plan · A 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
• get_method · The 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_rules · A 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 t

What "online" means: the server answered an MCP connection at the time of the check. It is not a guarantee of security, quality or continuous uptime. How we test: we open an MCP session and ask for the tool list, as an AI assistant would. We never run a tool and never send a key. Checked every few days. Method

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