OK, forget about the term "Out-The-Door", then. People interpret that differently (apparently). BTW: "Out-The-Door" price, to me, has always been the price I paid to get the vehicle Out-The-Door of the dealership ... and that may not have included taxes, title, tags, etc. .. depending on where I made the purchase (ie: I bought two new vehicles out-of-state with not taxes, title, or tag payments made).
But anyway ... we've all heard the phrase, "Compare Apples To Apples", right?
The only Apples-to-Apples comparison here is for the vehicle itself.
Forget about the (4) T's: Taxes, Tags, Title, and Trade-In. They really have nothing to do with your new car purchase anyway.
But we do need some context for the Apples, I agree.
The context should be:
1.) Your General Location (Northeast, Southeast, etc.)
2.) The Model Year
3.) The Trim Level
4.) The Packages/Options Added
5.) The MSRP
6.) The Rebate(s) applied
7.) The Dealer Discount applied (also as % of MSRP)
8.) Misc Discount applied (but NOT trade-in)
9.) Dealer Fee(s) added back in (+)
10.) The Total Price Paid for the vehicle (American or Canadian)
... might also want to include the Date-of-Purchase (if it differs from the post timeframe too much).
Example:
1.) Location: Southeast
2.) Model Year: 2020
3.) Trim Level: LT
4.) Packages/Options: DCFC, Driver Confidence, Comfort & Convenience
5.) MSRP: $39,295
6.) Rebate(s): -$8500
7.) Dealer Discount: -$1769 (4.5%)
8.) Misc Discount(s): -$500 (VIP Visit)
9.) Dealer Fee(s): +$200
10.) Total Price Paid: $28,726 (American)
Now, you might've paid less than $28,726 because you included a trade-in ... OR you might've paid more because you wrote a check for taxes, tag, and title fees ... but none of these extra debits or credits have anything to do with what you paid for the vehicle itself ... and including them just ends up "muddying the waters". We don't even need to know about any Federal or State credits you may have gotten because ... again ... these have nothing to do with what you paid for the vehicle itself.
