How to check the final paperwork before you sign

Numbers can move between the written quote and the paper you sign. Compare them line by line first. 1. Bring your written offer. The email, quote, or worksheet you negotiated from — ideally the version saved in your deal. 2. Get the real document. The buyer's order, finance contract, or lease agreement — not a summary. Photograph every page before you sit down, and read them before you sign. 3. Compare these fields in order. Selling price or agreed value, add-ons, doc and dealer fees, taxes and government fees, out-the-door total. For financing: APR, term, amount financed, monthly payment, finance charge, total of payments. For a lease: cap cost, money factor, residual, term, mileage, due at signing, acquisition and disposition fees. 4. Look for anything that changed. A small fee that appeared, an APR that moved, a term that stretched, a rebate that now depends on a condition you don't meet. 5. Ask about each change out loud, before signing. "This is different from the quote you sent — why? Please correct it or send me the revised number." 6. Check the trade, the deposit, and the payoff. Trade allowance, payoff of your current loan, and any deposit you've already paid should all appear on the document. 7. Confirm the add-ons. Anything you agreed to remove should be gone from the paperwork, not just from the conversation. 8. Read the parts that aren't numbers. Arbitration clauses, "as-is" language on a used car, mileage limits, excess wear-and-tear standards, early-termination rules, and prepayment penalties. 9. Never sign a blank or incomplete document. If something is missing, ask them to fill it in first. You are allowed to take the paperwork home and read it — the deal can wait a day. 10. Keep copies. Everything you sign, plus the final numbers, belongs in your own file. DealPilot's final-document check compares the document you upload against the offer you saved, lists every field that changed, and gives you the question to ask about each one. It does not tell you whether to sign — that decision stays yours.