Which car is the better deal?
Enter the cars you're considering. CarValue Optimizer weighs price, condition, history, mileage and age, adds likely repair costs, and ranks them, so you decide with numbers instead of pressure.
Free for up to 5 cars. No account needed.
Built for the moment on the lot.
Pull it up on your phone between test drives. Adding a car takes under a minute.
How the score works
No black box. Six categories, each scored out of 100, then weighted by what matters to you. These are the default weights, and you can change them anytime.
Three steps to a clear answer
Add your cars
Enter two to 5 cars: the price you were quoted, mileage, history and anything wrong with them.
Set your priorities
Care most about price? Reliability? Pick a preset or fine-tune each weight.
Decide with confidence
See the ranking, the efficient frontier and the red flags, then download a PDF to bring to the seller.
Simple pricing
The comparison is free. Pay only if you want the report or more room.
Free
- Compare up to 5 cars
- Full scoring and all three charts
- Custom priorities
- Saved for 30 days with a free account
PDF report
- Ranking, charts and true costs
- Red flags and repair estimates
- Bring it to the dealer or share it
- No account or subscription
Plus
- Compare up to 15 cars
- Unlimited PDF reports
- Everything in Free
- Cancel anytime
Your data doesn't stick around
We keep vehicle details only as long as you need them to decide. Every car is deleted automatically after 30 days, and you can delete everything sooner with one click. Your account stays until you close it.
We're paid by buyers, not dealers, so the score works for you.
Questions
Where do I find the market value?
Look up the same year, model, trim and mileage on Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds and use the private-party or dealer retail value, whichever matches how you're buying. If you leave it blank, the score compares cars on condition and history only.
How accurate are the repair estimates?
They're typical US costs meant to show the size of a problem, not a quote. A transmission issue can cost far more or less depending on the car. Always get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
What happens after 30 days?
Each car is deleted automatically 30 days after you add it. Your account and your priority settings stay.
What if a Plus payment fails?
Your account moves back to Free. Nothing is deleted early, but you'll need to be under the Free limit to add new cars.
Is this financial or legal advice?
No. CarValue Optimizer is a value comparison tool: it applies a predefined algorithm to the information you enter. It isn't legal, financial or mechanical advice, and it isn't an appraisal or inspection. The final decision, and a mechanic's inspection, are always yours.
Where do the numbers come from?
Two places. Most of the score comes from the prices and details you enter, plus the typical repair costs described above. The Safety recalls category uses public recall and complaint data published by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for that make, model and year. We don't search listings, and we don't collect data about the specific car you're looking at.
How are safety recalls used?
We look up NHTSA's recalls for the make, model and year you enter. Fewer recalls score higher, and serious "park it" or "park outside" recalls lower the score the most. Recalls apply to a whole model year, so a specific car may already have been repaired. Before you buy, enter the car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to check for unrepaired recalls. Owner complaint counts are shown for context but not scored, because popular models naturally get more complaints.
What is the efficient frontier?
An idea borrowed from investing. We plot each car's risk (condition, history and recalls) against its cost per remaining mile: the true cost divided by the miles it likely has left, assuming about 200,000 miles of useful life. A car is "dominated" if another car on your list is cheaper per mile and lower risk, so there's no reason to pick it. The cars that remain form the frontier: every one of them is a sensible trade-off, and your priorities decide which is best for you. The frontier doesn't change the score; it flags cars to skip.
Why don't you use brand reliability rankings?
Published brand reliability rankings belong to the organizations that create them and can't be used in a paid product without permission. NHTSA's data is public and specific to each model year, which makes it a better fit. You're welcome to check reliability rankings yourself and factor them into your overall condition rating.
Which price should I enter?
The price you'd actually pay: the listing price, or the lower price the seller agreed to after you negotiated, for example on Facebook Marketplace.