A worked example
Example deal: 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat, start to finish
Every name and number here is made up.
The buyer bought the last truck the showroom way: a Saturday at one store, and a price that grew in the finance office.
This time it took a few minutes on a phone: the exact truck, a Florida ZIP, two colors. One tap approved 24 requests to dealers.
Written prices came back within days. The nearest store's first was $65,703, with two add-ons the buyer never asked for.
On day 7 the same store wrote $63,165, add-ons gone. The buyer picked it. The dealer's sales papers had a $695 coating back on them. The check before signing caught it.
The buyer and the vehicle
- The buyer
- A Florida buyer who chose not to share a first name, registering in Florida, paying cash or financing on their own terms, no trade.
- The vehicle
- New 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat, 4x4 SuperCrew, 5.5 ft box, 502A High package, Tow Technology package.
- Colors accepted
- Agate Black, Carbonized Gray.
- How far to look
- Anywhere in Florida, shipped if the price with shipping still wins.
- Timing
- Within 30 days.
What the buyer asked for
Non-negotiable
- New 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat
- 4x4 SuperCrew
- 5.5 ft box
- 502A High package
- Tow Technology package
Preferred
- Agate Black or Carbonized Gray
- In stock, not a factory order
Flexible
- Distance, anywhere in Florida, shipped if the price with shipping still wins
- Payment, decided after the written numbers arrive
The buyer will not accept
- Any price that depends on dealer financing or a trade
- Any add-on the buyer did not ask for
- Demo or loaner miles over 500
The request and the reply
26T4471: 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat, written out-the-door price
Hello,
This is about stock 26T4471: the 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat in Agate Black you have in stock.
This request is sent for a Florida buyer, through Carwright; the buyer will complete the purchase in person or by phone. The buyer is the purchaser: the buyer signs the paperwork and registers the vehicle in Florida in the buyer's own name.
Here is where the buyer stands. The buyer wants this unit and plans to purchase within 30 days. Please have a sales manager reply within seven days with the final itemized out-the-door price in writing, as a buyer's order or worksheet. Show dealer-installed accessories, every fee, and any discount or rebate as separate lines. Reply to this email from your store email address so your quote counts.
The details:
- Registration in Florida, ZIP 32901: estimated tax, title and registration for Florida as their own lines.
- Must-haves: 4x4 SuperCrew, 5.5 ft box, 502A High package, Tow Technology package.
- Acceptable colors: Agate Black, Carbonized Gray.
- The same request is going to 23 other dealers with a comparable unit. The buyer intends to choose on the complete delivered offer, in writing: the total price, the exact unit and its availability. Please send your strongest complete out-the-door offer.
- Please quote the vehicle without a trade-in or financing; those are separate conversations once the price is settled.
- If this unit is not available, please say so rather than quoting a different one. Whoever sends the itemized out-the-door quote first gets the buyer's attention.
Email only, please; the buyer is not scheduling calls or visits at this stage.
Thank you,
Sent through Carwright at the buyer's request and with the buyer's approval
Carwright LLC, 7901 4th St N, Ste 300, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
If you would rather not receive requests from this desk, reply with the word remove and we will stop the same day.
RE: 26T4471: 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat, written out-the-door price
Good morning,
Thank you for the inquiry. Stock 26T4471 is on the ground: Agate Black Lariat, 4x4 SuperCrew, 502A High and Tow Technology. Our out-the-door for a Florida registration in 32901:
Selling price: $59,490
Dealer documentation fee: $1,199
Protective coating: $695
Nitrogen tire fill: $199
Florida sales tax (estimate): $3,695
Tag and title: $425
Out the door: $65,703
This number is good through Sunday. Let me know when you would like to come see the truck.
Regards,
Internet Sales
Heron Flats Ford
| Dealer | First offer, total with shipping (estimate) | Final offer, total with shipping (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Heron Flats Ford11 miles. Day 2: two add-ons the buyer did not ask for. Day 7: add-ons removed, the buyer's pick. | $65,703 | $63,165 |
What came back, in writing
24 dealers askedEvery reply is lined up as a total with shipping: the price, every dealer fee by name, Florida tax, title, and the cost to ship. Tax is an estimate at the state rate; the county surtax on the first $5,000 is not included. Shipping is an estimate. A green line means the dealer wrote that figure.
| Dealer | First offer, with shipping (estimate) | Price | Dealer fees | Tax, estimate | Title | Out-the-door, written | Shipping, estimate | Final offer, with shipping (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coquina Shoals Ford240 miles, lowest credible delivered price; beat the lowest on day 6 | $63,890 | $57,650 | $999 | $3,519 | $425 | $62,593 | $410 | $63,003 |
| Heron Flats Ford11 miles, the buyer's pick; answered the request to match on day 7 at $162 above the lowest, add-ons removed | $65,703 | $57,990 | $1,199 | $3,551 | $425 | $63,165 | none, local | $63,165 |
| Tarpon Hollow Ford212 miles; held its number; it was the lowest | $63,518 | $58,150 | $999 | $3,549 | $425 | $63,123 | $395 | $63,518 |
| Mangrove Key Ford64 milesPrice requires dealer financing. Not counted until priced without the condition. | $63,149 | $57,900 | $1,099 | $3,540 | $425 | $62,964 | $185 | $63,149 |
| Osprey Landing Ford148 miles; came down, not below the lowest | $64,390 | $58,600 | $899 | $3,570 | $425 | $63,494 | $325 | $63,819 |
| Pelican Reach Ford96 milesSent a monthly payment only, $812 a month. A payment is not a price; Carwright drafted a request for the itemized price. | not given | not given | not given | no figure | no figure | not given | $280 | not comparable |
| Ibis Crossing Ford35 milesDeclined to quote in writing and asked the buyer to come in. Left on the list, not pursued. | declined | declined | no figure | no figure | no figure | declined | none, local | not comparable |
| Sandspur Ford301 milesNo reply after the two follow-ups. | no reply | no reply | no figure | no figure | no figure | no reply | $450 | not comparable |
In this example the first written price came in $2,700 above the lowest. The nearest store took $2,538 off its own first number to win the sale.
24 dealers asked. 5 quoted in writing. 1 quoted with a condition attached. 1 sent a monthly payment instead of a price. 1 declined to quote in writing. 8 never replied. 5 had already sold the truck. 3 quoted a different truck.
The fifth written price is not in the table; it came in well above the lowest. Only one written price per store counts toward the guarantee.
Day by day
The buyer's must-haves were set, with no open questions. 24 Florida dealers listed a matching truck. 24 requests were drafted, with the day-2 and day-4 follow-ups, and the buyer approved them in one tap.
First written price: Heron Flats Ford, the nearest store, at $65,703 out the door, with two add-ons the buyer did not ask for.
Tarpon Hollow Ford and Osprey Landing Ford quoted in writing. Mangrove Key Ford sent a lower number that requires its own financing: marked, not counted. Pelican Reach Ford sent a monthly payment; Carwright drafted a request for the full price, and the buyer approved it. That made three written prices, so the guarantee was met. The nearest store's price still counted, add-ons and all; Carwright drafted a request to take the add-ons off, and the buyer approved it.
The lowest so far: Tarpon Hollow Ford, $63,518 with shipping. Carwright drafted a note asking the dealers that had quoted to beat it, and one asking the nearest store to match it. The buyer approved both.
Coquina Shoals Ford beat it in writing: $62,593 out the door; $63,003 with the $410 shipping estimate.
Heron Flats Ford, the nearest store, answered the request to match at $63,165 in writing, $2,538 below its own first number, add-ons removed. The buyer picked it: $162 above the lowest, no shipping, pickup the same week.
Before signing
The dealer's sales papers came in $737 over the agreed total: a $695 coating the buyer never asked for, plus $42 of tax on it.
| Line | Agreed | On the order | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle, stock 26T4471 | as quoted | as quoted | MatchesSame unit, same VIN. |
| Selling price | $57,990 | $57,990 | Matches |
| Dealer documentation fee | $1,199 | $1,199 | Matches |
| Protective coating | not agreed | $695 | Added, criticalAn optional product the buyer did not ask for. |
| Sales tax | $3,551 | $3,593 | Changed, materialTax rose with the added coating; returns to $3,551 once it is removed. |
| Title and registration | $425 | $425 | Matches |
| Out-the-door total | $63,165 | $63,902 | Changed, criticalDo not sign until the total returns to $63,165. |
| County surtax, on the first $5,000 | not estimated | shown on the order | StandsThis is a tax the estimate did not include; stands. Paid on top of the quoted total, as the order shows it. |
Corrections required before signing: stock 26T4471
Hello,
Thank you for the buyer's order on the 2026 F-150 Lariat, stock 26T4471. Two lines differ from the written quote I accepted:
1. Protective coating, $695: not part of the agreed deal. Please remove it.
2. Sales tax, $3,593: should return to $3,551 once the coating is removed.
Please send a revised buyer's order showing the out-the-door total of $63,165, plus the county surtax as the order shows it, with no optional products, so I can review it before coming in.
Thank you,
The buyer
The outcome
$65,703The nearest store's first written price
$63,165Agreed with the same store, in writing, on day 7
5Written prices, one per store
60Messages sent in seven days, every one approved by the buyer
An example, with made-up figures. Your deal depends on the car, the season and the dealers that list it. The guarantee is three written prices that count, in ten business days.