Sell now—unless going car-free costs more than $503/month.

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Replace the working cash-offer estimate before acting.

DECISION-DRIVING INPUTS

Working cash offer: $29,500
Current payoff: $42,500
Parking: $300/mo
Car-free spending: $200/mo

The offer is a starting estimate—not a live purchase offer.

02 WHY THIS ANSWER

The exit gap is real. The savings are larger.

Four numbers separate the cash required today from the economics over five years.

FIVE-YEAR ADVANTAGE —

Lower projected cost

—

EXIT GAP TODAY —

Payoff minus the working cash offer

—

CAR-FREE SPENDING LIMIT —

Average monthly break-even over five years

—

POSITIVE EQUITY —

—

03 FIVE-YEAR COST

Selling now avoids $18,152 of five-year cost

Nominal dollars from today. Both paths end with no car and no car loan, making them directly comparable.

SELL NOW LOWER COST

— 5-year net cost

Payoff gap today: —
Transit + rideshare: —
Net cost: —

KEEP 5 YEARS HIGHER COST

— 5-year net cost

Remaining loan payments: —
Parking: —
Other ownership costs: —
Less ending equity: —
Net cost: —

BASE-CASE DIFFERENCE —

—

04 THE EQUITY TRAP

Positive equity arrives in Sep 2028—but waiting costs $13,974

—

9% is an illustrative base; 7%, 12% and 18% are sensitivity cases, not forecasts. Optional mileage sensitivity compares future driving with a 10,000-mile baseline.

05 THE COST OF DELAY

Every year of delay raises five-year cost

—

DATE	EST. MILES	VEHICLE VALUE	DEPRECIATION TO DATE	LOAN PAYOFF	EQUITY	PARKING PAID	ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT AFTER SALE	5-YEAR COST IF SOLD

06 MAKE IT YOURS

Tune the assumptions

BEFORE YOU ACT Validate the decision with same-day numbers.

Refresh the lender payoff.
Get at least two VIN-specific cash purchase offers.
Replace the car-free and ownership-cost placeholders with realistic monthly budgets.

Confirm Plus vs. Ultra from the VIN or window sticker. The presets are rounded market starting points accessed July 13, 2026—not purchase offers.

Market + loan Cash purchase offer before payoff USD $ Current payoff USD $ Monthly payment USD $ Loan APR PERCENT %

Monthly life Parking USD / MO $ Transit + rideshare USD / MO $ Insurance USD / MO $ Fuel, service + fees USD / MO $

Projection Annual depreciation PERCENT % Current odometer MILES Future driving MILES / YR Optional mileage sensitivity USD / MI VS 10K $

Insurance and other car costs default to $0. This understates the cost of keeping, so any sell advantage shown before adding them is conservative.

07 WHAT'S IN THE MODEL

Method + market anchors

Actual payoff wins

The projection starts at your $42,500 payoff. The original $51,527.14 financed amount and $48,950 sticker are historical context—not inputs to today’s decision.

Principal is not a cost

Loan principal becomes vehicle equity. The forward economic costs are depreciation, interest, parking and operating costs, compared with transit and rideshare.

Market value is a range

Current estimates vary sharply by trim and sale channel. Refresh the lender payoff on the same day you get VIN-specific cash offers, then replace the preset.

SOURCES Edmunds trim/channel estimates + Ultra Bright curve ↗ iSeeCars model-wide age/residual study ↗ CFPB negative-equity guidance ↗

Planning tool only—not an appraisal, lender payoff quote, tax calculation or financial recommendation. Values are estimates and results change with your inputs.