About this template
The cheapest sticker price is rarely the cheapest car. This comparison sheet puts up to 4 cars side by side and does the math dealers hope you'll skip: the real out-the-door price, the true monthly payment, the total interest, and the total cost of owning each car over the years you'll keep it.
What's inside
- Start Here — 3 steps, the color guide, and the filled example explained car by car
- Comparison — one column per car:
- Dealer Notes — one row per conversation: date, dealer, car, salesperson, phone, quoted price, extras promised, follow-up date, notes. What they promised, in writing, not from memory.
How it works — 3 steps
- Give each car its own column: name, asking price, your negotiated discount, taxes & fees, down payment and trade-in.
- Add the loan each dealer offers — APR and term. Payment, interest and cash-out calculate themselves.
- Type your yearly insurance, fuel and maintenance estimates and the years you'll keep the car. The total cost of ownership lands at the bottom and the lowest is flagged — then score each car 1–10 and let the two numbers argue it out.
You never build or fix a formula. Type only in the pale-yellow cells — the formula cells are protected (no password) so the math can't be broken by accident. Fictional SAMPLE rows, clearly marked, show you the format; delete them and the file is yours.
What you need
Microsoft Excel, or Google Sheets (free with a Google account) — one file works in both. A desktop or laptop is best for setup.
Instant download
This is a digital download — no physical item will be shipped. After purchase, go to Etsy → Purchases and reviews → Download files, save the file to your computer first, then open it in Excel (click “Enable Editing”) or upload it to Google Drive for Sheets (then File → Make a copy, and always work in your copy).
License
Personal use only — for your own household. Please do not share, resell or redistribute the file.
Questions
How many cars can I compare at once?
Four — one column each. If your list is longer, finish one round of four, keep the winner, and start a fresh copy with the winner plus the next three.
What does "out-the-door price" mean here?
Asking price minus your negotiated discount plus taxes & dealer fees — the number on the final paperwork before your down payment and trade-in. It is the only honest starting point for comparing two dealers' quotes.
How is the monthly payment calculated?
From the amount to finance, the APR and the term, using the standard loan payment formula (PMT) — the same math lenders use. Total interest and total cash out follow automatically.
Why does the total cost include my trade-in?
Because the trade-in is value you gave up — a car you owned became part of the payment. Counting it makes the comparison honest between a deal with a trade-in and a deal without one. The sheet explains this under the table.
What if I'm paying cash, no loan?
Put the out-the-door price in the down payment row and leave the APR and term rows blank. The payment rows stay empty and the totals still work — the total cost of ownership just becomes price + running costs.