git:20260731.4f28426 to git:20260922.09bd4b1

- description: "Triggers: buy me a car, find me a car, email dealers, negotiate OTD, 帮我找车, 买车, 选车, 砍价, 对比经销商, ayudame a comprar un carro, ayudame a comprar un coche, encuentrame un auto."

- > **Caveat**: this skill is one author's playbook + 5-scenario stress test. Verify state fees / CPO terms / EV credits / dealer practices against current sources before quoting numbers to a dealer or making financial decisions. Not tax, legal, or financial advice.

- > **Caveat (cont)**: This is a 0.2.0 alpha release. Sub-skills handle narrow tasks; this orchestrator runs the full pipeline.

-

- End-to-end pre-purchase workflow for new and used cars. Tuned for Subaru/Honda/Toyota/Mazda SUVs in the NJ tri-state area but the structure generalizes.

-

- ## When To Use

-

- Scope, in one line: this skill runs the purchase end to end for a new or used car. Multi-site

- inventory search, mass dealer outreach, Gmail reply monitoring on a cron, OTD negotiation with

- market-data anchors, CARFAX and service-record PDF analysis, and decision dossiers for test

- drives. That sentence used to live in the frontmatter `description`, which is loaded into every

- turn's system prompt whether or not the skill fires; it lives here instead because this file is

- loaded on invocation, when the list is actually useful. The `description` now carries trigger

- phrases only, and only as many as the 180-char cap holds: the 17 phrases are 246 chars before

- separators. Complete list: `README.md` § orchestrator.

-

- - Buyer wants to evaluate inventory across multiple dealers / sites

- - Buyer wants written OTD by email before stepping on a lot

- - Buyer needs a market-data-backed anchor for a counter-offer

- - Buyer wants a CARFAX, service-record, or dealer-proposal PDF analyzed

- - Buyer is comparing 2-4 final candidates and needs a decision dossier

- - Buyer is mid-cycle and needs replies drafted to dealer emails

-

- ## When NOT To Use

-

- - Purchase is already closed (paperwork signed), direct user to a delivery checklist instead

- - Pure mechanical-repair, EV-charging, lease-return, or insurance questions

- - "Just tell me what car to buy" with no constraints, go back to Phase 1 and gather requirements first

- - Quick price-check that does NOT require dealer outreach, answer directly with `references/deal_data_sources.md` Firecrawl pipeline only

-

- ## Critical Rules (Non-Negotiable)

-

- Violations of these have caused real-world deal damage. Apply automatically.

-

- 1. **Plain ASCII in every outbound email.** No `**bold**`, no em-dash `—`, no markdown links, no backticks. Strip before saving any Gmail draft. See `references/email_format_rules.md`.

- 2. **Data before estimates.** Pull `references/deal_data_sources.md` Firecrawl pipeline BEFORE quoting any OTD, discount, or "is $X reasonable" answer. Heuristics are wrong by $1-3k.

- 3. **Written OTD before any in-person visit.** If a dealer refuses to send the full breakdown by email, decline the visit and pivot.

- 4. **Read the actual CARFAX PDF/URL yourself.** Verbal "clean 1-owner" claims have a real failure rate. See gotcha V2.

- 5. **Never mix used-car and new-car anchors in the same dealer email.** Used and new desks have different incentive structures; mixing kills negotiation. See gotcha D5.

- 6. **Verify tracker history against Gmail before acting on it.** Past sessions may have invented dealer dialogue. See gotcha H1.

- 7. **Phase 4 emails may only cite REAL-tagged baseline rows.** Synthesized / placeholder rows are for internal reasoning only. Never paste a synthesized Reddit anecdote, fabricated dealer number, or generic "buyers report X" into a dealer email, it converts internal-reasoning data into a fabricated citation, which is unrecoverable if challenged.

-

- ## Workflow Phases

-

- ### Phase 1: Define Requirements

-

- Collect from the user in one focused message (not a barrage):

-

- | Field | Example |

- |---|---|

- | Make / model / trim | "Subaru Forester Premium or Limited" |

- | Year range | "2019-2024" |

- | Mileage cap | "under 60,000" |

- | Budget (mark OTD vs sales-price) | "$20-30k **OTD** (all-in: price + tax + doc + reg + DMV)" |

- | ZIP + radius | "within 50 mi of <ZIP>" |

- | **Payment method** (with detail) | "3% cashback Visa, $50k monthly cap" |

- | Timeline | "this week" / "this month" / "casual" |

- | Must-haves | "AWD, heated seats, CarPlay" |

- | **Walk-away ceiling** (single number, hard stop) | "$30,500 OTD, above this I walk no matter what; distinct from the range upper bound" |

-

- **Payment method is load-bearing.** A $32k cash OTD becomes $32,960 with a 3% CC surcharge. Without explicit payment detail, OTD targets are not actionable. See `references/payment_methods.md` for the decision matrix (cashier's check, debit, CC tiers, lease cash conversion).

-

- **OTD vs sales-price clarifier (mandatory).** If the buyer's budget answer does NOT contain "OTD" / "out-the-door" / "all-in", you MUST ask back: *"Is that out-the-door (all in: price + tax + doc + reg + DMV) or sales-price only?"* before saving `criteria.md`. A $28k sales-price target and a $28k OTD target are ~$2-3k apart and drive different dealer asks.

-

- **Walk-away ceiling note.** This number is what Phase 6 enforces as the absolute stop. Do not negotiate above it for any reason.

-

- **Buyer-type router (mandatory).** Before saving `criteria.md`, ask three Y/N gates. Each YES unlocks a sub-question block layered ON TOP of the 9-field core table. The 9-field core covers the cash-buyer + used-car + single-state default; the router branches handle the common non-default axes.

-

- | Gate | If YES, ask the sub-question set from |

- |---|---|

- | **Financing?** (auto loan, lease, or captive, anything other than full cash / cashier's check / debit) | `references/payment_methods.md` § **"Financing buyer sub-questions"**, 9 fields: lender + product, APR (locked vs quoted), term in months, max financed cap, cash down on hand, max monthly payment willing to carry, pre-approval expiry date, captive-financing openness (TFS / SMF / HFS) if rebate-tied, pre-approval document on hand (hard-pull-locked vs soft-pull-quoted) |

- | **Trade-in present?** | Full reference: `references/trade_in.md` (12-field P1 capture set). Ask the structured 12 fields: year/make/model/trim, mileage, title status (clean/branded/salvage), **lien holder + current payoff balance + per-diem interest + payoff letter validity**, key count, cosmetic issues, mechanical issues, KBB Instant Cash Offer (screenshot), KBB Trade-In Value, KBB Private Party Value, estimated Manheim wholesale floor, state trade-in tax credit posture. If buyer has an active lien, ALSO ask: **"Title in hand or held by lien-holder?"** (most states lien-holder holds; NY/MN/PA/MD/KY are exceptions). Routes to `trade_in.md` § 4a-4d lien payoff workflow. |

- | **EV?** (battery-electric or PHEV) | EV sub-questions: charging at home (Y/N + L1/L2)? range minimum (mi)? state/local EV rebate (federal §30D/§25E/§45W credits TERMINATED for vehicles acquired after 2025-09-30 per OBBBA, do NOT promise a federal $7,500/$4,000 credit on a current purchase; only state rebates remain)? (Full reference covered in `references/ev_buyer_playbook.md` and `skills/ev-buyer-helper/SKILL.md`; for Phase 1 capture, ask the fields inline and record on `criteria.md`.) |

-

- If a gate fires YES, append the sub-question answers as a dedicated section in `criteria.md` BELOW the core 9-field table, NOT as additional rows in the core table. Keep the core table stable across buyer types.

-

- **Seller-type gate (mandatory, ask in Phase 1 before Phase 3 dispatch).** The three gates above ask the BUYER side (cash / financing / trade-in / EV / pickup). This gate asks the SELLER side, because a private seller removes the entire OTD/F&I/outreach apparatus. Ask: *"Is the seller a dealer, or a private individual (for-sale-by-owner)?"*

-

- - **Dealer** -> existing 9-phase dealer pipeline unchanged.

- - **Private individual (FSBO)** -> **PRIVATE-PARTY PATH** (the 6th buyer path). Load `references/private_party_playbook.md` and apply these overrides for the rest of the run:

- - **No OTD stack, no F&I.** Cost model = `sale_price + state_tax + title_fee + reg/plates`. There is no doc fee and no dealer fee; suppress those lines in otd-calculator. Buyer remits tax + title + reg **at the DMV**, not to the seller.

- - **Tax basis is state-variable - verify before quoting.** Three archetypes: purchase-price (CA, NJ, most states; book-value backstop if declared price looks low), book/fair-market default (buyer must prove a lower real price), and **fixed age/value table (Illinois RUT-50: ignores price for most cars)**. If the state isn't pinned in `state_fees.md`, web-verify the basis.

- - **Risk moves to title / tax / payment / seller legitimacy** - run the curbstoner + payment-fraud checks (playbook sec 4-6) in place of dealer inbox CRM/spam triage.

- - **PPI priority up** (no return window). Seller refusing an independent PPI is a red flag.

-

- Mixed runs (some dealer listings, some FSBO) are allowed: tag each candidate `seller=dealer|private` in Phase 3 and route per-candidate. The private-party Phase-4 / Phase-6 branch overrides are documented in `references/phases.md` (Phase 4 = single-seller contact, skip mass outreach; Phase 6 = single-seller negotiation on private-party comps + safe-close mechanics).

-

- **Financing buyer routine, auto-derive the binding constraint.** If the financing gate fires YES AND the answers fill in (max monthly, term, APR, cash down), automatically compute the binding-constraint OTD using:

-

- ```

- financed_cap_from_monthly = monthly × (1 - (1 + APR/12)^-n) / (APR/12)

- effective_OTD_cap = cash_down + financed_cap_from_monthly

- ```

-

- Compare `effective_OTD_cap` against the stated walk-away ceiling. If the math lands within $500 of the walk-away, surface in the heads-up block: *"Your monthly cap is the real binding constraint, not your OTD ceiling, real negotiation room is $X, not the apparent $Y."* See worked example in `references/payment_methods.md` § "Financing buyer sub-questions". This routine is **financing-only**, leases use the residual + money-factor math in the Lease Conversion section, not this formula.

-

- **Cross-state surfacing (MANDATORY when radius spans 2+ states).** Add the buyer-facing note to the heads-up block: tax and registration follow the **registering** state, not the dealer state, and out-of-state dealers must collect the registering state's tax. Doc-fee caps vary by dealer state, so **force-correct every quote against `references/state_fees.md`**, which also holds the note's wording, the low-doc / no-tax arbitrage hint, and the cross-state titling table.

-

- **DC / VA / MD commuter-corridor sub-case (MANDATORY when ZIP is in the DC metro).** Daytime and nighttime addresses routinely straddle three states here, and dealer CRMs default to their own state's tax, which is a state-template leak (gotcha D8). The registering state still governs. **Confirm the registering state at P1 close-day logistics** (it is the DMV that issued the buyer's license in almost every case) and demand a re-quote on any leak. Per-state rates, the four corridor edge cases and the DC excise structure: `references/state_fees.md`.

-

- Save to `criteria.md` in the working directory. Then, BEFORE asking the buyer to confirm, surface a **"Heads-up before you confirm"** block, at most 3 items surfaced to the buyer, but the agent MUST evaluate all 14 checks below internally and pick the top-3 by priority rule.

-

- | Check | Surface when |

- |---|---|

- | (a) Factual misconception in stated rationale | The buyer's "why" contains a claim that's wrong or partial (e.g., "I want Limited because EyeSight is only on Limited", wrong, EyeSight is standard on all 2020+ Outback trims). State the correction in one line. |

- | (b) Filter that eats >70% of supply | Any single filter (year + miles + trim + color + radius) likely culls supply below ~30% of regional listings. Either run a Carfax-style supply check or flag explicitly: *"This filter combination may leave <N candidates in your radius, consider widening X."* |

- | (c) Timeline violates dependency-chain minimums | **Hard threshold: buyer's close target < 5 days from first outreach.** Dependency chain: dealer reply lag (gotcha I1, 12+ hr typical, occasionally 24-48 hr) + cross-bid round 2 negotiation (24-48 hr) + PPI scheduling (gotcha P1, mobile PPI parallel booking needs same-day-plus slots, often T+2) + insurance binder + bank cashier's-check issuance (same-day after 9-10 AM cutoff). Minimum realistic = 5-7 days; 3-day rush forces verbal-only OTD (violates Critical Rule #3) or skipping PPI. Flag as *"Your stated close date is [X] days from first outreach, dependency chain (dealer reply 12-48 hr + cross-bid round 2 + PPI + binder + cashier's check) needs 5-7 days minimum. Either extend close by [N] days or accept skipping PPI / written-OTD verification (NOT recommended)."* |

- | (d) Budget-vs-aspirations mismatch | Stated OTD ceiling is materially below the dream-vehicle's typical OTD (e.g., $30k OTD target but desired vehicle is $48k MSRP volume trim). Flag as: *"Your $30k OTD ceiling and your stated target [Year Make Model Trim] don't overlap, typical OTD on this config in your radius is $52-55k. Either widen budget to $50k+ OTD, drop to a lower trim / older MY (typical $30k OTD config: [example]), or pivot to a different model."* |

- | (e) Timeline-vs-financing mismatch | Buyer needs financing pre-approval (financing gate fired) but timeline is <5 days, AND pre-approval not yet in hand. Pre-approval pulls: CU = 1-3 business days (typical credit unions), bank = same-day to 2 days, captive = same-day at dealer (locks rate to dealer ecosystem). Flag as: *"Your timeline is [X] days but pre-approval not yet pulled. CU pre-approval takes 1-3 business days; without it, you arrive at the dealer with only captive financing as an option (which means no rate competition). Either pull CU pre-approval today (Phase 1) or extend close by [N] days, or accept captive-only financing."* |

- | (f) Stale anchor citation | Buyer cites a benchmark deal that's >6 months old (e.g., "my friend got a 2023 RAV4 XLE for $32k in March 2024", 14 months old at time of P1). Manufacturer incentives shift quarterly; 6-month-old anchors are unreliable. Flag: *"Your anchor [$X on Y] is [N] months old. Incentive stack and market have shifted since then; I'll pull current Phase 2 baseline at [today's date], expect [+/- $X] vs your anchor. Don't lock to the old number until we see today's data."* |

- | (g) Cash buyer pushed to finance | Buyer is paying cash (cash = financing gate NO) but somewhere in their stated rationale they mention "the dealer said I should finance for the rebate" or similar dealer-to-buyer push. Flag: *"Be aware, dealer-financing-tied rebates are sometimes real (see `payment_methods.md` cash-to-lease conversion + captive-vs-CU rebate playbook), but they only win when (a) the captive offers a rebate-tied incentive that exceeds the interest cost, AND (b) early payoff has no prepayment penalty. Don't accept 'finance for the rebate' without running the math; in 50%+ of cases dealer claims the rebate is finance-tied when it isn't."* |

- | (h) Trade mentioned without numbers | Buyer mentions a trade-in vehicle but has not provided payoff balance, title status (clean / branded / salvage), lien holder, or KBB Instant Cash Offer screenshot. Flag: *"You mentioned trading in your [vehicle]. Before I can build any OTD math I need: current odometer, title status (clean / branded / salvage), lien holder + payoff balance + per-diem interest if applicable, KBB Instant Cash Offer screenshot, KBB Trade-In Value, KBB Private Party Value. Without these the trade is a placeholder, not a number. See `trade_in.md` for the 12-field set."* |

- | (i) High-mileage trade trap | Buyer's trade has >100k mi OR known mechanical issues OR known accident history (per `trade_in.md` fields). KBB Instant Cash Offer often DECLINES at >120k mi or with declared mechanical issues; CarMax / Carvana / dealer wholesale may be substantially lower than KBB trade-in value. Flag: *"Your trade at [N]k mi / [condition] is at high risk of KBB Instant Cash Offer declining and dealer-wholesale being $X below KBB trade-in. Set trade expectation at 70-80% of KBB Trade-In Value (not 100%) and budget for the gap. Consider Private Party sale at $[Y] before dealer trade-in."* |

- | (j) EV / Hybrid with no charging plan | EV gate fires YES but buyer reports no home L1 outlet OR no home L2 install path OR no charging address at all (e.g., apartment renter without dedicated parking). Flag: *"You're targeting an EV but charging access is unclear. Without home L1 minimum (10-15 hrs/charge for daily commute), you depend on public DCFC, which runs 3-5x the cost per kWh of home charging ($0.40-$0.60/kWh public vs $0.10-$0.15/kWh home) and adds 30-45 min per session to your routine. If apartment rental, confirm building's L2 install policy OR check public L2 availability within walking distance. May make a hybrid or PHEV (charges on L1) a structurally better fit. See `ev_buyer_playbook.md` § Charging Access."* |

- | (k) Cross-state purchase with title-jumping risk | Buyer is purchasing in a no-tax / low-tax state (DE / NH / MT / OR) to register in a tax state (NJ / NY / CA), thinking they'll capture the tax savings. **They will not.** The registering state collects use tax at DMV titling, buyer pays full registering-state rate regardless of where they bought. Flag: *"Buying in [no-tax state] to register in [tax state] does NOT save sales tax. Your registering state ([tax state]) collects [X]% use tax at DMV when you title. The legitimate cross-state advantages are (a) doc fee differentials, (b) inventory access, (c) dealer competition, sales tax avoidance is not one of them. Title-jumping (registering in a no-tax state without actually living there) is fraud and can result in back-taxes + penalties + criminal charges. See `state_fees.md` cross-state titling section."* |

- | (l) Rebuilt / salvage / branded title | Buyer's target listing has a rebuilt / salvage / branded title OR buyer's trade does. Buyer often doesn't realize the downstream impact. Flag: *"This vehicle has a [rebuilt / salvage / branded] title. Insurance implications: most carriers only write liability (not comprehensive / collision); a few (State Farm, Geico in some states) refuse coverage. Financing implications: most banks / CUs decline; only specialized lenders (CarFinance, Credit Acceptance) at sub-prime rates. Resale implications: 30-50% discount to clean-title comparable at resale; many dealers won't take in trade. Verify acceptability with your insurer and bank BEFORE confirming."* |

- | (m) Fake CPO label | Buyer is targeting a used vehicle the dealer markets as "Certified" but the dealer is NOT the brand's authorized dealer OR no factory CPO certificate is provided. Flag: *"The dealer's 'Certified' label may be dealer-internal marketing, NOT manufacturer CPO. Verify: (a) is the inspecting dealer an authorized [Brand] dealer? (b) request the CPO certificate with manufacturer letterhead. (c) confirm warranty is registered in [Brand]'s CRM under your name. Independent shops' 'Certified' inspections do not carry factory-backed extended warranty, do not include the 150-200-point factory checklist, and do not offer manufacturer roadside / loaner programs. See `subaru_cpo_program.md` / `honda_cpo_program.md` / `toyota_cpo_program.md` for what real factory CPO includes; `vertical_playbooks.md#part-2-heavy--commercial--luxury` § 3.6 for luxury-specific fake-CPO traps."* |

- | (n) Filter combination = zero supply | More aggressive than (b), when the AGGREGATE combination of filters (year + miles + trim + color + interior + radius + payment) likely yields zero candidates. Run a quick supply check on Cars.com / Carfax / AutoTrader before confirming. Flag: *"Your filter combination ([trim X] + [color Y] + [miles <Z] + [radius W mi] + [MY range]) is likely sub-1 listing across your radius. Either widen one filter aggressively (color most-common-relaxed: 4x supply; radius: 2x supply per 50 mi expansion) OR confirm okay to wait for an inbound matching VIN at 4-12 weeks."* |

-

- **Priority rule when >3 fire**: surface the top 3 by impact, in this descending order:

-

- 1. (d) Budget-vs-aspirations mismatch, highest impact, often invalidates entire downstream workflow

- 2. (n) Filter combination = zero supply, wastes Phase 3 dispatch if not flagged

- 3. (k) Cross-state purchase with title-jumping risk, legal exposure

- 4. (l) Rebuilt / salvage / branded title, legal / insurance / financing exposure

- 5. (c) Timeline violates dependency-chain minimums

- 6. (e) Timeline-vs-financing mismatch

- 7. (j) EV / Hybrid with no charging plan

- 8. (i) High-mileage trade trap

- 9. (h) Trade mentioned without numbers

- 10. (m) Fake CPO label

- 11. (a) Factual misconception

- 12. (b) Filter eats >70% supply

- 13. (f) Stale anchor citation

- 14. (g) Cash buyer pushed to finance

-

- When more than 3 fire, surface the top 3 by impact rank. The remaining firings go into a single trailing line: *"Additional minor heads-up items: [list by name; ask for detail on any]."* This keeps the surfaced block scannable while ensuring no detected issue is silently dropped.

-

- Cap at 3 items surfaced. If none apply, say so explicitly ("No heads-up items, filters and timeline look feasible.") and proceed. Then ask for confirmation.

-

- **Close-day logistics, capture once at P1, re-confirm at P9.** Phase 9 close-day execution depends on 6 logistics inputs that re-asking at the last minute often delays close by 24-48 hours. Capture them at Phase 1 sign-off, store in `criteria.md`, and re-confirm verbatim at P9 close-day kickoff. The mini-table below is shared across all buyer-type branches (cash / financing / trade / EV / pickup).

-

- | Field | Example | Why captured at P1 |

- |---|---|---|

- | **Bank cut-off + branch + hours** | "Chase, local branch, cashier's checks issued M-F 9 AM-5 PM, same-day issuance before 3 PM" | Cashier's check is the gating P9 instrument for cash buyers; bank hours and same-day-issuance window drive close-day morning sequencing. |

- | **Insurance carrier (for binder)** | "GEICO policy #12345, agent direct line (xxx) xxx-xxxx; new-vehicle binder needs VIN + closing date, 1-hour turnaround during business hours" | Dealer will not release the vehicle without an active binder; cold-call to a generic carrier on close-day adds 1-3 hours. |

- | **Plate decision** | "Transfer existing plate $26 (preferred) vs new plate $151" or "New plate" | Plate transfer math depends on registering state (`state_fees.md`) and saves $25-150 in most states; the decision drives DMV paperwork at close. |

- | **Available time windows on close day** | "Wed Apr 24, between 10 AM and 3 PM; hard stop at 3:30 PM for school pickup" | Time-boxes the close; sets when the cashier's check must be ready and which time-window slot to lock with the dealer. |

- | **ID set** | "Driver's license (current), Social Security card OR passport, recent utility bill for proof of residence, marriage certificate if name-change since DL issued" | Captives + state DMV both require multiple ID forms; missing items force a re-trip. |

- | **Captive vs CU vs cash funding instrument** (if not pure cash) | "Credit-union pre-approval letter (in hand), $X cap, expires May 1; cashier's check issued from the credit union to dealer in dealer name" | Funding instrument determines whether dealer F&I needs to wait on a wire (24-72 hr captive) vs accepts an instant cashier's check (same-day). |

-

- Add this mini-table as a section in `criteria.md` BELOW the Heads-up block. **Phase 9 re-reads and re-confirms it with the buyer before they drive anywhere**, because a change since Phase 1 cascades into close-day execution. Procedure: `references/phases.md` Phase 9.

-

- **Inline jargon glossing rule.** When `criteria.md`, outbound dealer email, or any buyer-facing artifact emits one of the following terms for the FIRST time in that artifact, include a brief parenthetical gloss. Subsequent uses can drop the gloss.

-

- | Term | Gloss (EN) |

- |---|---|

- | **OTD** | out-the-door (all-in: sale price + tax + doc + title + reg + add-ons) |

- | **NA** | Not Applicable (or, in context, North America) |

- | **F&I** | Finance & Insurance (the dealer office where add-ons, extended warranties, and financing paperwork are signed) |

- | **anchor** | a market data point cited to set the negotiating range (e.g., "Edmunds TMV anchor at $28,500") |

- | **walk-away** | the absolute-stop price above which the buyer will not buy; distinct from the budget range upper bound |

- | **cross-bid** | a parallel outreach to 3-4 dealers asking for OTDs on the same VIN class so each offer is leverage against the others |

- | **ADM** | Additional Dealer Markup (a line item above MSRP, Market Adjustment, Hybrid Premium, Allocation Fee; see gotcha D9) |

- | **CPO** | Certified Pre-Owned (a manufacturer-program-certified used vehicle with extended powertrain + B2B warranty, see Subaru/Honda/Toyota CPO refs) |

- | **NACS** | North American Charging Standard (Tesla's connector, becoming the EV charging standard 2025-26; replaces CCS1 on Ford/GM/Hyundai/Kia/Rivian/VW/Volvo OEMs) |

-

- **Spanish buyers:** the ES column, the ES-only finance terms, the carro/coche regional note and the ES style rules live in [`references/glossary_es.md`](references/glossary_es.md) (translations are drafts, native sign-off pending). Load it when producing any Spanish buyer-facing surface.

-

-

-

-

- The rule is **first-use only**, not every use. Glossing a term twice in one email is more confusing than glossing it zero times. Goal: make buyer-facing artifacts comprehensible without forcing the buyer to look up acronyms mid-decision. Per § Language and Audience Separation, the ES gloss is a **buyer-facing chat / `criteria.md`** surface only, it never enters a Gmail draft, counter, or signed line item (those stay English + ASCII, Rule #1).

-

- ### Phase 2: Baseline Market Data

-

- BEFORE Phase 3 outreach, run the 5-query Firecrawl pipeline to produce `.firecrawl/{model}-deal-baseline.md`:

-

- 1. National baseline (CarEdge + Edmunds)

- 2. State-specific dealer Internet Pricing (top 5 dealers in radius)

- 3. Recent buyer reports (Reddit / XHS via browser session)

- 4. Current month manufacturer incentive stack

- 5. State-specific buyer evidence: **XHS with state keyword** for NJ/NY/CA-concentrated buyer communities (see gotcha S5); **Reddit r/{Make}{Model} + r/{State}Cars** for other states; **Facebook owner groups** (e.g., "F-150 Owners") for older-skew makes/models.

-

- This is the source of truth every subsequent counter cites. Re-pull whenever the buyer references a new external claim ("friend got $X off"). See `references/deal_data_sources.md` for query recipes + source catalog.

-

- ### Phase 3: Multi-Site Inventory Research

-

- Dispatch parallel subagents across inventory sites; each returns `report_<site>.md`, then merge into `master_comparison.md` (Site Capability Matrix on top, VIN-deduplicated candidates below). The new-car vs used-car router gate fires BEFORE dispatch and changes both the site set and the history-PDF requirement. Site list, role tagging and merge rules: `references/phases.md` Phase 3 and `references/outreach_strategy.md`.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-3-inventory`.

-

- ### Phase 4: Mass Email Outreach

-

- Submit lead forms or direct emails to the top 30-50 candidates, tracking per-dealer fields in `tracker.md`. **Run the dealer-group ownership check (gotcha D11) BEFORE treating multiple stores as independent cross-bids.** Email format per Critical Rule #1, REAL-tagged citations only per Critical Rule #7. Full procedure: § Outbound Email SOP and `references/phases.md` Phase 4.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-4-outreach`.

-

- ### Phase 5: Recurring Inbox Monitoring

-

- Three scheduled CronCreate jobs (not one): main 15-min inbox cron, 6-hour spam+promotions sweep, 7 AM morning catch-up. OOO autoresponder detection skips drafting and flags tracker until parsed return date. See `references/cron_monitoring.md` for full prompt templates, Gmail search patterns, OOO keyword list. Reply templates in `assets/dealer_reply_template.md`.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-5-cron` (stub pointing to `cron_monitoring.md`).

-

- ### Phase 6: OTD Negotiation

-

- Always-written, never-verbal OTD ask format with required line items (sales price + state tax + doc fee + title + reg + add-ons). Anchoring techniques: internal-trim, market-comp, cross-dealer (gotcha N1). ADM kill list (gotcha D9) demands removal as precondition, not middle-meet. Escalation Ladder when dealer delays. Bait-and-switch protocol (gotcha D10). Buyer-type specific notes for financing / lease / trade / EV / pickup / heavy-duty / luxury / CPO. See `references/negotiation_playbook.md` for full math + walk-away lines.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-6-negotiation`.

-

- ### Phase 7: PDF Analysis

-

- For every dealer-attached PDF (CARFAX, service records, OTD proposal, PPI report), open with Read tool and extract: VIN match, owner count, accident / damage / structural / odometer, service record completeness, active recalls. Per-brand expected service tables + ADAS recal by brand + OTD Proposal Add-On Anti-Pattern Detection. See `references/pdf_review_checklist.md` for the full checklist.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-7-pdf` (stub pointing to `pdf_review_checklist.md`).

-

- ### Phase 8: Decision Dossier

-

- Before test drive, generate a 7-10 page HTML+PDF dossier the buyer brings to the dealer:

-

- ```bash

- cp assets/dossier_config_template.yaml my_dossier.yaml

- $EDITOR my_dossier.yaml

- python scripts/generate_dossier.py --config my_dossier.yaml \

- --output my_dossier.html --to-pdf my_dossier.pdf

- ```

-

- For Chinese-speaking dealers: `--template assets/dossier_template_cn.html`. Placeholders documented in `assets/dossier_config_template.yaml`. Generator validates load-bearing fields + placeholder substitution; auto-detects Chromium-family browsers.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-8-dossier`.

-

- ### Phase 9: Test Drive + Close

-

- Maintain a PRIVATE `{dealer}_negotiation_prep.md` (buyer-only, never shared) with the dynamic OTD ladder, test-drive checklist, post-drive questions, decision matrix. Re-confirm the close-day logistics mini-table from `criteria.md` (Phase 1 capture) at close-day kickoff. Close-day routing branches by buyer type (cash / financing / trade / EV / pickup), execute all relevant sub-checklists if multiple apply. F&I close-day hard-no script (gotcha P3) is mandatory.

-

- **Full details**: see `references/phases.md#phase-9-close` (includes all 5 buyer-type sub-checklists + universal close-day cross-references).

-

- ## Working Directory Convention

-

- ```

- C:\Users\<user>\car_buying_<year>\

- ├── README.md index

- ├── criteria.md Phase 1 output

- ├── dealer_outreach_tracker.md master tracker (dialogs, OTD log, decisions)

- ├── <model>_negotiation_prep.md PRIVATE — buyer-only

- ├── <model>_dossier.{md,html,pdf} shareable

- ├── dealer_pdfs/ CARFAX / service / proposals

- ├── market_research/ subagent reports

- │ └── reports/

- ├── .firecrawl/ Firecrawl outputs

- │ ├── {model}-deal-baseline.md

- │ └── quote-images/ XHS / dealer screenshots

- ```

-

- All dealer-related files belong here. No scattering across home / Downloads.

-

- ## Mid-Cycle Pivot Protocol

-

- **Full protocol: [`references/pivot_protocol.md`](references/pivot_protocol.md).** It fires on roughly

- one cycle in three, so it is loaded on demand, but the trigger is checked on every cycle.

-

- **Load-bearing fields. If any of these changes mid-cycle, STOP and load the protocol before sending

- anything else:**

- 1. Budget or financing structure (cash / finance / lease)

- 2. Target vehicle set (model, trim, model year)

- 3. Geography or search radius

- 4. Trade-in presence or its valuation

- 5. Timeline or close date

- 6. Plate / registration state

- A changed load-bearing field invalidates quotes already in flight. **Do not let a stale quote enter

- the dossier**, and do not simply send a correction on top: the protocol exists because a partial

- re-quote produces two dealers answering two different questions.

- ## Resources

- ### References (load on demand)

- This is an index of load conditions, not a summary of contents. It answers "do I need to open this

- file right now", nothing else. Deliberately: a summary here is a second copy of the shard that no

- one updates when the shard changes, and a stale summary the agent trusts instead of opening the

- file is worse than no summary at all. If you want to know what is in a shard, open the shard.

- | File | Load when |

- |---|---|

- | `phases.md` | Entering any phase from 3 through 9. Anchors `#phase-3-inventory` through `#phase-9-close`. |

- | `gotchas.md` | A phase summary or another reference cites a gotcha ID. Also unconditionally at session start (group H), before drafting any dealer email (E), and before any counter (N, D). |

- | `pivot_protocol.md` | Any load-bearing field changed mid-cycle. Trigger list is in § Mid-Cycle Pivot Protocol. |

- | `deal_data_sources.md` | Phase 2 baseline pull, and every re-pull triggered by a new buyer claim. |

- | `outreach_strategy.md` | Phase 3 site dispatch, and Phase 4 channel selection. |

- | `outbound_email_sop.md` | Before composing Phase 4 outreach or any counter. |

- | `email_format_rules.md` | Before saving any Gmail draft. |

- | `cron_monitoring.md` | Phase 5, creating or debugging the three inbox crons. |

- | `negotiation_playbook.md` | Phase 6, before sending any counter or walk-away line. |

- | `pdf_review_checklist.md` | Phase 7, any dealer PDF in hand (CARFAX, service records, OTD proposal, PPI report). |

- | `ppi_booking.md` | Booking a PPI, Phase 6 or Phase 9. |

- | `state_fees.md` | Quoting any tax, doc, title or reg number; radius spans 2 or more states; plate-transfer decision. |

- | `payment_methods.md` | Capturing the Phase 1 payment method, or the financing gate fires YES. |

- | `trade_in.md` | Trade-in gate fires YES. |

- | `lease_playbook.md` | Buyer is leasing, or a cash-to-lease conversion is on the table. |

- | `private_party_playbook.md` | Seller-type gate answers private individual (FSBO). |

- | `ev_buyer_playbook.md` | EV gate fires YES (battery-electric or PHEV). |

- | `vertical_playbooks.md#part-1-pickup-truck-specifics` | Candidate is a light-duty pickup. |

- | `vertical_playbooks.md#part-2-heavy--commercial--luxury` | Candidate is heavy-duty, a commercial van, or a luxury brand. |

- | `glossary_es.md` | Producing any Spanish buyer-facing surface. |

- | `subaru_cpo_program.md`, `honda_cpo_program.md`, `toyota_cpo_program.md`, `mazda_cpo_program.md`, `hyundai_cpo_program.md`, `kia_cpo_program.md`, `lexus_cpo_program.md`, `genesis_cpo_program.md`, `acura_cpo_program.md` | Candidate is CPO, or is marketed as certified, for that brand. Load only the brand in play. |

- | `ford_bluecert_program.md` | Candidate is a Ford marketed as Blue Advantage Certified, either tier. |

- | `gm_cpo_program.md` | Candidate is a CPO Chevrolet, GMC or Buick. |

- | `stellantis_cpo_program.md` | Candidate is a CPO Ram, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge or Fiat (SPOTiCAR). |

- ### Assets (templates, copy and edit)

- | File | Use |

- | `criteria_template.md` | Phase 1 criteria skeleton (walk-away ceiling, OTD-vs-sales-price marker, heads-up block) |

- | `dealer_reply_template.md` | OTD ask / anti-pressure / walk-away / add-on refusal templates |

- | `tracker_template.md` | Tracker file skeleton |

- | `negotiation_prep_template.md` | Private prep file with OTD ladder |

- | `dossier_template.html` / `dossier_template_cn.html` | Print-ready 8-page dossier (EN / CN) |

- | `dossier_config_template.yaml` | YAML for dossier placeholder substitution |

-

- ### Scripts (utilities)

- | Script | Purpose |

- |---|---|

- | `otd_calculator.py` | Reverse-engineer sales price from OTD target + state tax + fees |

- | `mileage_adjustment.py` | $/mile depreciation comp adjustments |

- | `generate_dossier.py` | YAML → HTML + PDF dossier (Chrome/Edge auto-detect) |

- | `html_to_pdf.sh` | Chrome headless HTML to PDF |

- ## Outbound Email SOP

- **Full procedure: [`references/outbound_email_sop.md`](references/outbound_email_sop.md).** Load it

- before composing Phase 4 outreach or any counter. Two things stay here because they are checkable

- before you open a draft.

- **Pre-draft gate, all five must be Y or do not open a draft:**

- 1. Every load-bearing field in `criteria.md` confirmed current (see Mid-Cycle Pivot Protocol)?

- 2. Target vehicle list final, with stock number and VIN per dealer?

- 3. Attachment files already prepared at full resolution on disk?

- 4. Buyer's send window agreed?

- 5. Walk-away number set, and NOT going into the email?

- **Length limits, hard:**

- | email type | content lines |

- | first outreach to a dealer | <= 10 |

- | counter / reply | <= 10 |

- | close-day confirmation | <= 14 |

-

- **NEVER inline image attachments via MCP `create_draft`** (gotcha E5), the constraint chain forces

- unreadable 16-20KB images. Attachments are handed to the buyer as a per-draft recipe instead.

- ## Gotchas (index only, full incidents in `references/gotchas.md`)

-

- Cited by ID from the phase summaries and from other references. **Load `references/gotchas.md` when a phase points at one**, or before drafting dealer email (group E), before any counter (N, D), and at session start (H).

-

- - **E. Email & Drafting Hygiene**, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5

- - **I. Inbox & Cron Monitoring**, I1, I2, I3, I4, I5

- - **D. Dealer Behavior & Communication**, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D11

- - **S. Data Sourcing & Sources**, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5

- - **N. Negotiation Mechanics**, N1, N2

- - **V. Vehicle Verification**, V1, V2

- - **P. PPI & Test Drive**, P1, P2, P3

- - **H. Session & State Hygiene**, H1, H2

- ## Language and Audience Separation

-

- The skill operates in two language registers simultaneously. Drift between them causes either confusion (buyer sees an internal jargon dump) or unprofessionalism (dealer sees Chinese characters in a counter-offer email). Hold the separation strictly.

-

- | Surface | Language | ASCII required | Notes |

- |---|---|---|---|

- | Internal reasoning + agent-to-buyer dialogue (chat window) | Buyer's preferred language (English / Chinese / Spanish / etc.) | No | Render math, gotcha names, anchor citations in whatever language the buyer is using. The bilingual triggers in this skill's description ("buy me a car" / "帮我找车") signal acceptable buyer-side languages. |

- | Buyer-facing artifacts: `criteria.md`, dossier (`*.md`, `*.html`, `*.pdf`), tracker, negotiation prep | Buyer's preferred language | No (HTML/PDF can carry Unicode CJK glyphs; see `dossier_template_cn.html` for the CN variant) | The CN dossier template exists for this reason. Confirm the language with the buyer at Phase 1 close; default to English if not stated. |

- | Dealer-facing emails (every Gmail draft, every counter, every walk-away, every follow-up) | **ALWAYS English** | **ALWAYS ASCII** (Rule #1) | Plain English only. No Chinese, Spanish, or other non-English content under any circumstance. No emojis. No markdown. See `references/email_format_rules.md` and `assets/dealer_reply_template.md` § Voice Specification. Dealer reps in US markets read English; CRM systems may strip or mangle non-ASCII Unicode silently. |

- | Skill metadata (gotchas, references, SKILL.md, phase files) | English (source of truth) | N/A (markdown source, not transmitted to dealer) | All gotcha IDs, rule numbers, section names, and code-like identifiers are English. Translations of these into other languages happen at the agent-to-buyer surface only, never in the source files. |

-

- **Buyer-spoken refusal carve-out.** A buyer may *speak* the F&I hard-no refusal at the desk in their own native language (Spanish / Chinese / etc.), speech is the agent-to-buyer surface, not a dealer-facing artifact. Everything *written* or *transmitted* to the dealer (Gmail drafts, counters, signed-agreement line items, the printed hard-no card you hand across the desk) stays English + ASCII per Rule #1, with no exception. Translated verbatim scripts live in `skills/close-day-checklist/SKILL.md` § "Verbatim Refusal Script (buyer-spoken language)" and are labeled spoken-only; they are never pasted into an email body or handed to F&I as a written document.

-

- **Verification at draft time.** Before saving any Gmail draft via `create_draft`, scan the body for non-ASCII characters and any non-English content. If the buyer's preferred language is Chinese and an internal note about the dealer email leaked into the draft body, strip it. The draft is the dealer-facing surface; English-only, ASCII-only, no exceptions.

-

- **Mixed-language `criteria.md`.** `criteria.md` may be authored in the buyer's language, but values pulled into dealer email are buyer profile data, not buyer voice: translate them to English at draft-creation time. Rules: `references/email_format_rules.md`.

-

- ## Post-Cycle Feedback

-

- Fill `assets/feedback_log.md` at every cycle close OR abort, **and after every gotcha violation even if the cycle continues**. Append-only; a gap recurring in 3+ cycles becomes a skill change. Concrete entries only, "P1 was OK" produces nothing actionable. Takes 10-15 minutes, and skipping it means the next iteration has nothing to act on.

- Protocol: [`assets/_feedback_protocol.md`](assets/_feedback_protocol.md).

- ## Quick Start

- To begin a new car search:

- 1. Read this SKILL.md (already loaded if skill triggered).

- 2. Phase 1: gather requirements from user, save to `criteria.md`.

- 3. Phase 2: pull baseline market data (`references/deal_data_sources.md` pipeline).

- 4. Create working directory `C:\Users\<user>\car_buying_<year>\` and copy `assets/tracker_template.md` → `dealer_outreach_tracker.md`.

- 5. Phase 3: dispatch parallel research subagents.

- 6. Phase 4-5: outreach + cron monitoring.

- 7. Phase 6 onward: reply drafting, PDF review, dossier, close.