How does Motrix work?

You tell Motrix the car you want. We contact multiple dealers for you — by email, voicemail and web form — strip every junk fee, and negotiate your out-the-door price in writing. You approve the final number and sign. You never sit across from a salesperson.

What does Motrix cost, and when do I pay?

$0 upfront. You only pay when Motrix lands you a deal you actually sign — $399 for the Deal tier (done-for-you), $799 for Pro (a dedicated human on your deal), or $1,499 for founder-led Concierge. If it does not close a deal you sign, you pay nothing.

Do I have to talk to the dealer at all?

Never. Motrix handles all communication. The only thing you sign is the final contract.

How long does it take?

It is dealer-paced. Across Motrix deals to date the median first written quote arrives in about three days, and deals close over the following one to four weeks. Outreach starts right after your brief is filed and every dealer is worked in parallel.

Does this work for used cars too?

Yes. Motrix works for new, used, and CPO vehicles. Used car negotiations use different tactics — we focus on vehicle history, condition-based pricing, and market comparables rather than MSRP.

What if I have a trade-in?

Enter your license plate number in the brief. We automatically pull your vehicle's value from KBB, Carvana, and CarMax. We negotiate your new car price first, then your trade separately.

Is Motrix a car broker?

No. Motrix is a negotiation facilitation service. We're not a licensed dealer or broker — we're an AI agent that negotiates on your behalf. You make every final decision.

What does Motrix actually do?

Motrix is an autonomous AI agent that contacts car dealers on your behalf and negotiates the entire deal. You submit a brief about the vehicle you want, and the agent handles every dealer interaction — emails, SMS, fee disputes, price counter-offers — until it surfaces a final deal for you to review and sign. You never have to talk to a dealer.

Is Motrix a car broker or dealer?

No. Motrix is a negotiation facilitation service. We're not a licensed dealer or broker. We act as an AI agent representing the buyer's interests. The buyer makes every final decision and signs the contract directly with the dealer.

How does $0 until you sign actually work?

On every paid tier (Deal $399, Pro $799, Concierge $1,499), you pay nothing upfront. The fee only applies if you choose to sign the contract Motrix brings back. If we can't find a deal that works, you pay nothing. 30-minute money-back window after purchase for any reason.

Can I use Motrix for used cars?

Yes. Motrix handles new, used, certified pre-owned, and lease deals. The fee structures and negotiation tactics adapt to the vehicle type — the brief flow asks which condition you want.

What's in the Concierge tier?

Concierge is founder-led negotiation. Founder Jimmy Sturdivent personally handles every step from your first inquiry to your signed contract, with AI agents working alongside. Includes trade-in coordination, financing review, insurance shopping, and delivery logistics. 24-hour SLA on every touchpoint. Concierge is $1,499 and is the one tier paid to start, because the founder personally runs it.

← THE DISPATCH

leasingfinanceMAY 16, 2026 · 9 MIN

Lease Money Factor: How Dealers Mark Up Your Lease Without You Noticing

Most lease shoppers obsess over the monthly payment and the cap cost. Almost nobody asks about the money factor. That is exactly why dealers mark it up — it is the single most invisible source of profit in a lease deal.

This is what money factor actually is, how dealers manipulate it, and the exact verification procedure that forces them to quote you the real buy rate.

What money factor actually is

On a financed purchase, you pay APR — a percentage interest rate. On a lease, you pay money factor — the same concept expressed as a tiny decimal.

The conversion is exact:

Money factor × 2400 = APR-equivalent

A money factor of 0.00125 is 3.00% APR. A money factor of 0.00250 is 6.00% APR. A money factor of 0.00334 is 8.02% APR.

Why decimals instead of percentages? Two reasons. First, leases historically used the convention because monthly factor math is cleaner. Second, and more practically: a decimal is harder for a buyer to mentally translate to a rate they understand. "Your money factor is 0.00334" sounds technical and small. "Your effective APR is 8%" would prompt the buyer to push back.

The decimal obscures the markup. That is a feature for the dealer, not a bug.

Why dealers do not volunteer the buy rate

Every captive lender — GM Financial, Ford Motor Credit, Toyota Financial Services, BMW Financial, Honda Financial, Mercedes-Benz Financial — publishes a monthly rate sheet to franchised dealers. The rate sheet lists the buy-rate money factor for each model, trim, term, and credit tier.

The buy rate is what the lender charges the dealer. The dealer then adds a markup (called "dealer reserve" or "rate participation") and quotes the inflated number to you as the contract money factor. The spread between buy rate and contract rate is pure profit for the dealer.

Captive lenders typically cap markup at 0.0004 above buy (~1% APR equivalent). On a $55,000 lease over 36 months, a 0.0004 markup costs you roughly $1,000-$1,400 in extra lease charges over the term.

The dealer never has to disclose the buy rate unless you specifically ask. Most buyers do not, because most buyers do not know money factor exists.

How to spot a marked-up money factor

There are two reliable public sources for current buy-rate money factors:

Edmunds lease forums. Every month, Edmunds editors post a thread for each major model and trim with the current buy-rate money factor, residual, and incentives for top credit tiers. Search "Edmunds [model] lease deals [month] [year]" and the thread typically appears in the first three results.

LeaseHackr forums. A community of lease enthusiasts who share rate sheets directly from dealers. LeaseHackr also has a calculator that lets you reverse-engineer the implied money factor from any advertised payment.

If the dealer quotes you a money factor more than 0.0001 above the published Tier 1 buy rate for your exact spec, the rest is markup.

Be precise about the spec. Buy rates differ by:

Term length (24, 27, 33, 36, 39, 48 months — captives often offer special MFs on odd terms)
Annual mileage allowance (7,500, 10,000, 12,000, 15,000)
Credit tier (Tier 1 = 740+ FICO at most captives; tiers below get penalty rates)
Trim and model year
Region (some captives publish regional MFs)

If you have a 720 FICO, you do not qualify for the Tier 1 MF. That is not the dealer marking you up — that is the captive's tier structure. Always know your real credit tier before assuming a markup.

The exact ask that forces disclosure

Most buyers ask the wrong question. "Can you do a better rate?" gives the F&I manager room to negotiate the monthly payment without ever touching the money factor.

The right ask, sent in writing before signing:

"What is the Tier 1 buy-rate money factor on a 36-month, 10,000-mile lease of this exact trim, and what is the contract money factor you are quoting me? I want both numbers in the deal documents."

This question accomplishes three things:

It signals you know what money factor is, which immediately changes how the F&I manager prices the deal.
It forces the buy rate onto paper, where it cannot be denied later.
It separates the buy rate from the contract rate so the markup becomes visible.

If the dealer refuses to disclose the buy rate, the answer is in their refusal. Walk. There are typically three to five other franchised dealers within 50 miles selling the same trim, and at least one of them will quote the buy rate without resistance.

Real example: 2025 Cadillac Vistiq

The 2025 Cadillac Vistiq Sport launched in early 2025 with notably aggressive lease cash but a wide spread between trim and term money factors.

According to Edmunds and LeaseHackr forum captures from spring 2026:

Vistiq Sport, 36-month, 10k miles, Tier 1 (740+ FICO): buy-rate money factor 0.00334 (8.02% APR)
Vistiq Platinum, 39-month, 10k miles, Tier 1: buy-rate money factor 0.00207 (4.97% APR)

A 0.00127 spread between Sport-36 and Platinum-39 on essentially the same chassis. Same captive lender (GM Financial), same credit tier, same model — different term and trim combination unlocks dramatically different money factor.

A buyer cross-shopping these two configurations could save roughly $4,200 over the lease term by taking Platinum on 39 months versus Sport on 36 months, before even factoring in the higher residual that often pairs with longer terms. The Sport buyer who never asks about money factor walks away thinking they got a good deal because the monthly payment looked right.

The lesson: buy-rate money factor varies meaningfully by trim and term within the same brand. Always run multiple configurations through the calculator before committing.

Why money factor matters more than monthly payment

Monthly payment is the number the dealer wants you to focus on. It is the easiest variable to manipulate without showing the manipulation. Move the term, the down payment, or the money factor, and the monthly comes out wherever the dealer wants — but each of those levers has different total-cost consequences.

Money factor is the cleanest signal. It does not flex with term length or cap cost reduction. It tells you exactly what the lease company is charging in interest and exactly how much the dealer is marking it up. A buyer who optimizes money factor first and then negotiates cap cost will consistently outperform a buyer who optimizes monthly payment.

The order of operations on a lease:

Confirm Tier 1 buy-rate money factor for your spec via Edmunds or LeaseHackr
Confirm the residual percentage the captive is using for your term and mileage
Confirm current manufacturer incentives (lease cash, conquest, loyalty, etc.) that apply as cap cost reduction
Negotiate the cap cost down toward invoice minus holdback minus dealer cash
Lock the contract money factor at buy rate plus no more than 0.0001
Verify drive-off (acquisition fee, first month, taxes, fees) on paper before signing

Step 5 is where 90% of lease buyers leak money. The dealer raises the contract MF by 0.0003-0.0004 and counts on the buyer never asking.

What this looks like when done right

A clean lease deal has:

Contract money factor within 0.0001 of the published Tier 1 buy rate
Cap cost negotiated below MSRP by the typical 6-10% off invoice depending on inventory pressure
All manufacturer incentives applied as cap cost reduction (never retained by dealer)
Acquisition fee at the captive's standard rate (not marked up)
No VIN etching, nitrogen, or other junk fees on the lease worksheet
Disposition fee disclosed but not paid until lease return

A lease deal with even one of those wrong is leaking $500-$3,000 in unnecessary cost. Money factor markup alone is typically $1,000-$1,500 of that leakage.

When you would rather not run this gauntlet

Motrix runs the exact procedure above on every lease deal in our pipeline. Our agents pull current Edmunds and LeaseHackr money factor data before drafting the first email to the dealer, then refuse any contract MF above buy rate plus 0.0001 in writing.

Start a brief — $0 today, $399 only if you sign.

Or run a quick verification yourself: paste the dealer's lease worksheet into the free Fee Scanner and we will flag any money factor markup against current public buy rates in 10 seconds, free, no signup.

Questions? [email protected]. Related: Money Factor in the glossary, residual value explained, acquisition fee breakdown.

§ HAND IT OFF

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Motrix AI agents fight every fee and get you the lowest price — you never talk to the dealer.

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