The Model Black education center explains how car financing, leasing, taxes, fees, protection products, and the buying process actually work, in plain language and without a sales pitch. Read up, then see an estimated payment on any new car with no credit pull.
Shopping electric? Every brand guide lists its models, and the guides for the direct-sale brands list the franchise-dealer alternatives by size, body style, and range.
Buying a new car online and having it delivered: the steps, local delivery vs shipping, what it costs, taxes across state lines, signing, and what to check before you accept the car.
Lease a new car online, start to finish: the numbers that set the payment, what is due at signing, how your state taxes a lease, delivery, and signing.
Every way to buy a new car online, side by side: dealership websites, car buying services, direct-sale brands, marketplaces, used-car retailers, and brokers, and what to look for in any of them.
How car buying services from credit unions, Costco, AAA, and others work, what the pre-arranged price does and does not include, and the questions to ask before you use one.
What a lease payment is made of, the five numbers that set it, the fees at the start and the end, and how The Model Black shows the whole thing on every new car.
A one-pay lease puts all the payments down at signing in exchange for a lower rate.
How multiple security deposits (MSDs) lower a lease rate, how much each one is, the cap, when they are refunded
Multiply a lease money factor by 2,400 to express it as an annual percentage. A worked table, what moves the money factor, what a good one looks like
What a lease residual is, why it moves the payment more than the rate does, how term and mileage change it, and what it means at the end of the lease.
How to pick 10,000, 12,000, or 15,000 miles a year, what excess miles cost, and why buying miles up front usually beats paying at the end.
What a down payment does on a lease, why it is not refundable in a total loss, the alternatives that keep your money
The four things you can do when a lease ends, what each costs, how to know whether you have equity, and how The Model Black prices the next car.
The real ways to end a lease early, what each costs, why early termination is the expensive one
What a captive lender is, why manufacturers' own finance companies write most leases, what they subsidize
What is left for EV leases after the federal lease credit ended on September 30, 2025: manufacturer lease cash, Arizona and Nevada utility rebates
Why leasing with nothing down and the start-up fees rolled into the payment is often the smart structure, what it costs per month
Five ways to buy a new car without haggling in a showroom, what each one costs you
What an out-the-door price includes, why most sites estimate it, and how to see the taxes and fees for your city on any new car before you set foot in a showroom.
How risk-based pricing lets you see an estimated finance or lease payment from your credit range alone, what a soft pull is, and where the final rate comes from.
How to see the cash out-the-door price, the finance payment, and the lease payment for one car side by side, what each number is made of
What a VIN tells you, what it does not, and the fastest way to turn a specific car into an out-the-door estimate and payment.
Arizona's 5.6% state rate plus county and city, the vehicle license tax, doc fees, the trade-in credit
Nevada's sales tax by county, the governmental services tax at registration, doc fees, the trade-in credit, and how a car shipped from Arizona is taxed.
California's 7.25% base plus district taxes, the vehicle license fee, the capped doc fee, why there is no trade-in credit
How to buy a new car online and have it delivered to your door in Las Vegas, Henderson, or North Las Vegas: pricing, Nevada tax, and how shipping works
Which services deliver a car to your home in California, what each one sells, and how shipping from an Arizona dealership on The Model Black works.
How to find a new car lease that fits your monthly budget in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, and Tucson, with every lease priced as a closed-end estimate
How to pick where to buy a new car in Arizona: the dealer rows in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, and Tucson
How to choose where to buy a new car in Nevada: the Las Vegas and Reno dealer rows, county tax rates, comparing financing across stores
The best places to buy a new or used car in Las Vegas and Henderson, what Clark County tax and fees add, how to compare dealer financing
How to choose where to buy a new car in California: the big auto malls, what district tax rates do to the price, the capped doc fee
How auto loans actually work: principal, interest, APR, term, and what really decides your monthly payment.
Every rate on The Model Black is an estimated APR: the factory lender's standard and incentivized rates through the dealership, or a market-based estimate built on Rateous, each including any dealer participation.
Rateous is the rate engine behind The Model Black's market-based rate estimates: risk-based pricing by credit range, term, loan-to-value, and vehicle, tied to current market rates, with no credit pull.
A captive standard rate is the everyday rate a manufacturer's own finance company charges, by credit tier and term, on nearly every new car the brand sells.
Some captive lenders make you choose between a special APR and a rebate. Payment examples show when the low rate wins and when the rebate does.
36 to 84 months compared: what each term length does to your payment, your interest cost, and your equity.
What a down payment actually does for your deal: rate, approval odds, payment, and staying right side up.
The honest trade-offs between leasing and financing: payments, mileage, equity, and what happens at the end.
What equity means on a car loan, how people end up owing more than the car is worth, and how to get back above water.
How credit tiers shape your rate, what lenders look at beyond the number, and quick moves that help before you shop.
What an extended service contract actually covers, what it costs you, and an honest test for whether you need one.
GAP pays the difference between what insurance says your totaled car was worth and what you still owe. Here's when that gap is real.
Paint protection film: what it actually protects against, where it goes, what it costs, and who genuinely benefits.
Why ceramic tint beats dyed film on heat, why it matters in the desert, and the legal limits to know first.
The 12 car body types sold new in the US, from sedan and coupe to crossover, SUV, pickup, minivan, and van: what each one is, who it fits, and how they compare.
A sedan is a four-door car with a fixed roof and a separate trunk. Here is what defines one, the sizes they come in, examples, and how a sedan compares.
A coupe is a two-door car with a fixed roof and a sporty, sloping roofline. Here is what defines one, the kinds of coupes, examples, and the 4-door asterisk.
A hatchback is a car with a rear door that lifts with the rear window, opening the cargo area into the cabin. Here is how it differs from a sedan, with examples.
A station wagon is a car with its roof extended back to a rear tailgate, for SUV-like cargo room with car handling. Here is what defines one, with examples.
A convertible is a car with a roof that folds or lifts away for open-air driving. Here are the kinds of tops, the names brands use, examples, and the trade-offs.
A sports car is built first for performance: light, low, and quick, usually with two doors. Here is what counts, how it differs from supercars and muscle cars, with examples.
A crossover is an SUV built on a car platform: SUV height and a liftgate with car-like ride, handling, and efficiency. Here is what defines one, with examples.
SUV stands for sport utility vehicle: a tall vehicle with a liftgate, more ground clearance, and often a third row. Here are the sizes, types, and examples.
A coupe SUV is an SUV with a sloping, fastback roofline in place of a boxy rear. Here is what it gives and gives up, who makes them, and examples.
A pickup truck is a vehicle with an enclosed cab and an open cargo bed, built on a frame for towing and hauling. Here are the sizes, cab styles, beds, and examples.
A minivan is a family vehicle with sliding rear doors, seats for seven or eight, and a low floor, built on a car platform. Here is what defines one, with examples.
A full-size van is a tall commercial vehicle built for cargo, work crews, or up to 15 passengers, and a favorite base for camper builds. Here is how vans work, with examples.
A crossover is built on a car platform; a traditional SUV is built on a truck frame. Here is how they differ in ride, towing, off-road ability, and fuel economy.
The real differences between sedans and SUVs: space, ride height, efficiency, cost, and who each one actually suits.
A sedan has a separate trunk; a hatchback's rear door lifts with the window into the cabin. Here is how they compare on cargo, noise, safety, cost, and resale.
What makes a sedan a sedan, what a standard two-door coupe is, and why Mercedes-Benz calls some four-door cars and SUVs 'coupes.'
A coupe has a fixed roof; a convertible's roof folds away. Here is what each gives up, the kinds of convertible tops, and what the names mean.
A wagon is a sedan with the roof carried back to a tailgate: sedan driving with SUV-like cargo room. Here is how they compare.
Every wagon sold new in the US for 2026, from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Porsche, plus the performance wagons and what the names mean.
A minivan offers sliding doors, a roomier third row, and more cargo behind it; an SUV offers ground clearance, towing, and style. Here is how they compare for families.
Open bed vs enclosed cargo, frame vs unibody, towing, ride, and cost: how to pick between a pickup and an SUV.
A cargo van has an empty load space for tools or an upfit; a passenger van has rows of seats for up to 15. Here is how they compare, plus crew vans and camper builds.
Which states let a trade-in reduce your vehicle sales tax, which cap it, which give you nothing
When and how vehicle sales tax gets paid on a dealership purchase, and how financing it into the loan works.
Who handles title and registration when you buy from a dealer, what the temp plate means, and what renews every year.
The whole dealership process demystified: from setting your number to the finance office to driving home, with no surprises.
Every term you'll hear at a dealership, decoded in plain English: from APR and LTV to F&I, holdback, and out-the-door price.
Sticker price, invoice price, and out-the-door price are three different numbers. Only one of them is the one you pay.
What manufacturer certification actually includes, what it costs, and when a clean regular used car is the better buy.
Pre-installed dealer add-ons, why they exploded during the inventory shortage, and how to handle them now that leverage has shifted back to you.
What a former loaner car is, why it is sold as a used car, how the warranty and financing differ from new, and what to check before you buy one.
Realistic maintenance intervals for modern cars, what 'severe service' means in desert heat, and why records pay you back at trade-in.
Yes, but know where the line is: what a $30 wash earns you, what a $500 detail doesn't, and what actually moves an appraisal.
A blind trade appraisal is a dealer's real number on your car, given before they know what you are buying. Why that order matters, and how to ask for one.