Test a car against your take-home pay
These defaults use a 6.5% sales-tax assumption, $700 in fees, $186/month insurance, 1,000 miles/month, 25 MPG and a $900/year maintenance reserve.
The loan payment is only one part of affordability.
Two cars with the same payment can create very different budgets once insurance, fuel economy, maintenance and driving mileage are included. That is why BeyondSticker shows a combined monthly estimate rather than treating the lender payment as the full cost.
Use actual take-home income.
Gross salary is useful context, but it is not the amount available in your checking account each month. Taxes, benefits and other deductions vary, so your real monthly take-home number gives the calculator a cleaner starting point.
After entering the car, raise the insurance estimate, lower the MPG, or add your housing and debt in Advanced Details. If the deal only works under optimistic assumptions, that is important information before you sign.
What the quick estimate leaves out
The quick widget uses transparent defaults. The full calculator lets you replace them with your own tax rate, dealer fees, insurance quote, mileage, MPG, fuel price, maintenance reserve, trade value and trade payoff.