How do we normalize little/no money down?

jeisensc · January 6, 2026, 1:52am

Refresher

Advertising Standards

Dealer or Broker advertisements posted on, or linked to, the Marketplace should include the following:

Approximate MSRP

Amount due at signing

Monthly payment

Months and annual mileage

For Brokers only: Disclose the required broker fee, paid by the customer to the broker, in every Marketplace post that contains a deal (not just in the OP). This disclosure shall be specified in dollar amount, even if the broker fee is $0.

If the amount due at signing is advertised as “first + taxes + fees”, provide an estimation of the drive-off amount based on seller’s state.

Discounts that are advertised as a percentage off MSRP should indicate the money factor rate markup (if any) and/or the required dealer add-ons (if applicable).

If conditional incentives are included in the deal, disclose the dollar amount of those incentives, and provide an estimate as to how much more the deal would be without incentives.

There has been regular review of this, and understanding people want the easy button - there is no substitute for understanding the math and all the elements so you can compare any deals apples to apples. Saving thousands of dollars is worth the indignity of cranking out a spreadsheet

The LH MP Guidelines are intended to ensure all the advertised deals - include all the variables needed to plug-into the calculator and make your adjustments: different DAS, taxes, etc. It’s not realistic to expect every permutation of every make and model for every US tax authority -fed. Dealer advertised ads rarely if-ever include all those elements…

Do math, save dollars.

Standing in the trap and that sound you just heard is the spring grabbing you by the wallet.