I'm Metry, founder of Negotiated LLC. Remote vehicle concierge, flat $1,000 fee, end-to-end deal management across multiple stores, no dealer visits required. Client identity is protected. Every number below is real and pulled from the executed contract.

Why this post

Most lease content online is either dealer-defensive or DIY-victorious. Very few posts show a real start-to-finish deal with every lever itemized — including the trade negotiation, the structural corrections caught at the close, and what the dealer actually ate to get the deal across the line.

The vehicle

• 2026 Acura MDX Type S, Advance Package, SH-AWD
• Sonic Gray Pearl
• 36 months / 12,000 miles
• Captive lender: Acura Financial Services (AFS)
• MSRP: ~$77,900

The numbers as closed

Line	Amount
MSRP	~$77,900
Selling price	$74,239 (4.7% off MSRP)
Acquisition fee	$595
Doc fee	$695
Online filing	$50
Trade allowance (2020 Compass Trailhawk, 60k mi)	$14,250
Military Appreciation rebate	$750
Residual	54% / ~$42,066
Buy rate MF (AFS April program)	.00191
Worksheeted MF	.00191 (at buy rate, no markup)
Final MF after AFS underwriting	.00216 (25 bps credit-tier adjustment)
First month payment	Waived by dealer
Drive-off / due at signing	$0
Final monthly, TN tax all-in	$776
Effective monthly with first-month waiver	~$754
Total Value Extracted (after fee)	~$8,837.00

The trade story

This is the part most case studies skip. The trade was a 2020 Jeep Compass Trailhawk 4x4, 60,262 miles, two minor accidents on Carfax (no structural damage). Carvana's instant offer baseline was $12,000. Standard dealer trade math on a vehicle with two accident records and a 4-year-old Compass nameplate would have come in at $10,500-$11,500 retail-ready.

Closed at $14,250 trade allowance. $2,250 above Carvana, ~$3,000 above standard dealer trade math. That's real money pulled into cap reduction that doesn't show up anywhere on the monthly payment line.

The trade negotiation ran parallel to the price negotiation. Trade values get used as leverage chips at most stores ("we'll give you another $1,000 on the trade if you take the doc fee"). Held the trade firm at $14,250 across three worksheet revisions.

The MF story

The April 2026 AFS Type S Advance program was MF .00191, residual 54%, $1,900 dealer cash on program. Worksheeted MF came back at .00191 — at buy rate, no markup. AFS tier-adjusted to .00216 at funding based on credit profile. That's a 25 bps captive credit-tier walk-up, not dealer markup. Costs ~$13/mo on this structure.

Practical takeaway: when you see a worksheet MF at the published buy rate, do not assume it's the rate that funds. Tier walk-ups happen at underwriting. If you're sub-Tier 1, model your funded MF, not the worksheet MF.

What we caught at the close

Three structural items in the worksheets, all corrected before signature:

1. $1,658 cap cost gap. Trade allowance shown at $14,250, only $12,591.51 made it into the cap reduction line on the structure. Pulled in the missing $1,658. Worth ~$54/mo, ~$1,937 over the term.
2. $125 runner fee (likely TitleTec or CVR pass-through, not separately disclosed). Came off.
3. $755.49 KY CCR tax line capitalized in error. TN was the registration state. KY tax line was a system-default residual. Pulled it.

Combined recovery: ~$67/mo, ~$2,400 over term. The dealer's GSM didn't push back on any of the three when flagged — these were lease-software defaults and structural padding the worksheet had hidden behind the bottom-line monthly.

What the dealer absorbed

• $0 due at signing (typical sign-and-drive on this trim runs $3,000-$5,000)
• First month payment waived
• Held trade at $14,250 across three worksheet revisions
• Funded a credit profile that required active dealer advocacy with AFS to land

The dealer board

Six stores live at peak:

• Gary Force Acura — cut. Required in-person delivery. Out in under 90 seconds.
• Acura Columbus — cut. Same in-person requirement.
• Memphis Acura — cut. No spec, known pattern of accessory adds at delivery.
• King Acura, McGrath Acura — no response after two outreach rounds each.
• Acura of Ocean (NJ), Elk Grove Acura (CA) — backup pressure stores, kept warm.
• Courtesy Acura, Lexington KY — won on price, MF posture, willingness to ship to TN.

Coastal and large-group dealers prioritized because remote-by-default is the natural posture for those stores.

Total value extracted

Stacked: $3,661 selling price discount + $750 military + $2,250 trade premium over Carvana + $2,400 in structural corrections + $776 first month waiver = ~$9,837 in identifiable value beyond what an unrepresented walk-in would have captured. Net of the $1,000 fee, ~$8,837 to client.

The fee

$1,000 flat, disclosed at engagement, paid before work starts. Not contingent on outcome. No dealer kickbacks. No spiffs. No referral fees from F&I or transport.

Real conflict of interest to flag: the fee is the same on a $30K deal as an $80K deal. Higher-MSRP deals are naturally easier for us to look good on. Trim was already chosen by the client before we engaged.

I'll answer every question in the thread, including skeptical ones. The math is here for the community to evaluate. Mods can pull this if it stops being useful.