Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

If we go with a Jeep it will likely be a two door Willys; with all the options we want(everything, basically) it's a tick over $50k.


Ditto for an Unlimited 80th Anniversary:

28firefighter

Looks awesome Q!

fintail

Even with the changes, CL is full of scams and spam. The housing sections are especially amusing, at least locally. And the wanted section has plenty of ads from industrious curbstoners/flippers looking for old cars and Toyota pickups, hoping some little old widow is going to sell them her house for 100K (so they can douse it in trendy colored paint, contractor grade discount clearance bin kitchen and bathroom bits, vinyl floors, sextuple the price and put it back on the market so it can sell to witless or overmonied transplants) or a series I E-Type roadster or 20K mile 1999 Toyota 4x4 for 3K.

sb55 said:

For one of the flippers out there. This Porsche seems way too cheap. And it's on Craigslist?
https://vermont.craigslist.org/for/d/burlington-porsche-boxster/7351983564.html

nyccarguy

@qbrozen

Very nice! I love the Sarge Green with the Saddle Interior!

fintail

I was thinking get it for around 4K (which is the new $2750), easily could have another 100K left in it.

Congrats on the Jeep - so many of these being bought now, makes me wonder what I am missing, but locally, they are like Subarus and Toyota 4x4s, can't throw a cat without hitting a dozen of them.

qbrozen said:

Not $4800 worth of life, IMHO.

Jeep arrived. Too late to get pics. Just enough time to take it to our appt tonight and back. About 10 miles or so roundtrip. Almost met its demise real quick when a deer ran in front of us. Found out it has surprisingly good braking.

I really like it. Definitely skittish. It could use less immediate steering response. But its quieter than I thought it would be. And she is a darned site quicker than she deserves to be.

I’ll make the wife drive it to my sister’s tomorrow to see if she likes driving it.

tjc78

@qbrozen
Perfect color combo.

greg128

I did my periodic survey of high mileage used vehicles for sale across the U.S. In the past I had used Cars.com but unfortunately they no longer have a filter for "300,000 miles and over" which I normally used. They now only have a filter for "300,000 miles and under" I then went to Autotrader.com and they have one for "over 200,000 miles" which I used. This time I filtered out all trucks from the search which I thought would better represent the data. Trucks generally have a longer service life as many are used commercially and owners are probably more willing to spend money to keep them going longer. The results represent mostly sedans, SUV's etc. or anything not a truck. I should also note that were quite a few errors in the results probably typos (like 2019 models listed with 42X,XXX miles when they really had 42,XXX miles)

The make and corresponding number for sale are as follows:

Acura 180
Audi 32
BMW 87
Buick 107
Cadillac 115
Chevrolet 1545
Dodge 301
Ford 1223
GMC 481
Honda 1489
Hyundai 160
Infiniti 93
Jeep 421
Kia 131
Lexus 428
Lincoln 87
Mazda 104
M Benz 131
Nissan 421
Porsche 5
Subaru 239
Toyota 2212
VW 88
Volvo 65

The results speak for themselves. Some makes stand out for their longevity relative to their numbers sold and others do not. For example there are more Acuras than Hyundais even though I am sure that the latter outsells the former by quite a bit. However the Hyundais are much less expensive I would think and owners would be less willing to pay the bill to keep them going given their relatively low value. Also the Lexus number is more than BMW, Audi, MB and Cadillac combined. Some low numbers might be a result of high repair costs on higher end makes. The Subaru number seems low considering their ads touting their longevity. Also note that if trucks were included Chevrolet would be at 3186, Ford - 3720, Dodge - 1010, GMC - 1068 and Toyota - 3023

oldfarmer50

sb55 said:

For one of the flippers out there. This Porsche seems way too cheap. And it's on Craigslist?
https://vermont.craigslist.org/for/d/burlington-porsche-boxster/7351983564.html

That does seem cheap. Maybe a salvage title.I’ve occasionally seen some real bargains in VT Craigslist.

Say, maybe you can answer this.

I have heard that VT is one of several states where it’s possible to “wash” a salvage title and get a new one which doesn’t show that the car had been totaled. Supposedly dishonest sellers will take a flood car, for example, that was totaled in another state and register it in VT without having to declare it salvage. With the new VT title in hand they can then sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.

Is this true or is it a myth.

tjc78

@greg128 said:
I did my periodic survey of high mileage used vehicles for sale across the U.S. In the past I had used Cars.com but unfortunately they no longer have a filter for "300,000 miles and over" which I normally used. They now only have a filter for "300,000 miles and under" I then went to Autotrader.com and they have one for "over 200,000 miles" which I used. This time I filtered out all trucks from the search which I thought would better represent the data. Trucks generally have a longer service life as many are used commercially and owners are probably more willing to spend money to keep them going longer. The results represent mostly sedans, SUV's etc. or anything not a truck. I should also note that were quite a few errors in the results probably typos (like 2019 models listed with 42X,XXX miles when they really had 42,XXX miles)

The make and corresponding number for sale are as follows:

Acura 180
Audi 32
BMW 87
Buick 107
Cadillac 115
Chevrolet 1545
Dodge 301
Ford 1223
GMC 481
Honda 1489
Hyundai 160
Infiniti 93
Jeep 421
Kia 131
Lexus 428
Lincoln 87
Mazda 104
M Benz 131
Nissan 421
Porsche 5
Subaru 239
Toyota 2212
VW 88
Volvo 65

The results speak for themselves. Some makes stand out for their longevity relative to their numbers sold and others do not. For example there are more Acuras than Hyundais even though I am sure that the latter outsells the former by quite a bit. However the Hyundais are much less expensive I would think and owners would be less willing to pay the bill to keep them going given their relatively low value. Also the Lexus number is more than BMW, Audi, MB and Cadillac combined. Some low numbers might be a result of high repair costs on higher end makes. The Subaru number seems low considering their ads touting their longevity. Also note that if trucks were included Chevrolet would be at 3186, Ford - 3720, Dodge - 1010, GMC - 1068 and Toyota - 3023

Cool exercise. I think the only fair way to do this would be to apply a weight based on units sold over say a 5 year period.

It is interesting about Acura vs Hyundai.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

With the warm summer weather, I've noticed a few things on the road. 1 - A LOT of people drive Wranglers. I see them all over with their tops down, flipped back, roof/doors completely off, freedom panels off. I've also noticed a decent amount of Miatas out there (I know, 'tis the season). The NB Miata (is this what you had @stickguy?) has quickly become my favorite "old" Miata. The styling is still current in my eyes. The ND is my favorite Miata.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3o7okmxw/2005-mazdaspeed-mx-5

There's a very pretty light blue MazdaSpeed Miata on FB marketplace near me. Looks ok, but the passenger seat is completely trashed.

I like that color. The style doesn’t look dated at all.

I get a kick out of “one owner until 2021”. Or in other words two owners,

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

That interior is too nice to be in a Jeep Wrangler.

au1994

Love the JEEP

fintail

Also in other words, a quick flip (or maybe an instance of not asking the spouse before making a purchase).

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

With the warm summer weather, I've noticed a few things on the road. 1 - A LOT of people drive Wranglers. I see them all over with their tops down, flipped back, roof/doors completely off, freedom panels off. I've also noticed a decent amount of Miatas out there (I know, 'tis the season). The NB Miata (is this what you had @stickguy?) has quickly become my favorite "old" Miata. The styling is still current in my eyes. The ND is my favorite Miata.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3o7okmxw/2005-mazdaspeed-mx-5

There's a very pretty light blue MazdaSpeed Miata on FB marketplace near me. Looks ok, but the passenger seat is completely trashed.

I like that color. The style doesn’t look dated at all.

I get a kick out of “one owner until 2021”. Or in other words two owners,

ronsteve

greg128 said:

I did my periodic survey of high mileage used vehicles for sale across the U.S. In the past I had used Cars.com but unfortunately they no longer have a filter for "300,000 miles and over" which I normally used. They now only have a filter for "300,000 miles and under" I then went to Autotrader.com and they have one for "over 200,000 miles" which I used. This time I filtered out all trucks from the search which I thought would better represent the data. Trucks generally have a longer service life as many are used commercially and owners are probably more willing to spend money to keep them going longer. The results represent mostly sedans, SUV's etc. or anything not a truck. I should also note that were quite a few errors in the results probably typos (like 2019 models listed with 42X,XXX miles when they really had 42,XXX miles)

The make and corresponding number for sale are as follows:

Acura 180
Audi 32
BMW 87
Buick 107
Cadillac 115
Chevrolet 1545
Dodge 301
Ford 1223
GMC 481
Honda 1489
Hyundai 160
Infiniti 93
Jeep 421
Kia 131
Lexus 428
Lincoln 87
Mazda 104
M Benz 131
Nissan 421
Porsche 5
Subaru 239
Toyota 2212
VW 88
Volvo 65

The results speak for themselves. Some makes stand out for their longevity relative to their numbers sold and others do not. For example there are more Acuras than Hyundais even though I am sure that the latter outsells the former by quite a bit. However the Hyundais are much less expensive I would think and owners would be less willing to pay the bill to keep them going given their relatively low value. Also the Lexus number is more than BMW, Audi, MB and Cadillac combined. Some low numbers might be a result of high repair costs on higher end makes. The Subaru number seems low considering their ads touting their longevity. Also note that if trucks were included Chevrolet would be at 3186, Ford - 3720, Dodge - 1010, GMC - 1068 and Toyota - 3023

I know there have been times that I searched for Subarus and found the majority of those advertised to be quite miled-up. It led me to believe that maybe Subaru owners just don't *sell* their vehicles, but rather drive them until they're no longer serviceable?

In terms of the full-line Japanese makes, Mazda stands out, and not in a positive way. Out of the luxury makes Buick, Cadillac, and Lincoln are fairly striking in the same direction.

qbrozen

Wife likes the Jeep!

Ok, actually, she said “I can live with it.” Not great praise, but I’m going to take it. I told her because resale is so good we could keep it just long enough for the market to correct and a great XC60 deal to come along.

Will sell this and order up one to her specs. Not a huge difference but hydro blue over brown and add all the safety nannies and locking diff. With the body colored hardtop, msrp is about $58.7k. If I get enough profit off this one, I’ll likely opt for a one-pay lease. Comes to about $14k for 36/12k.

sb55

oldfarmer50 said:

sb55 said:

For one of the flippers out there. This Porsche seems way too cheap. And it's on Craigslist?
https://vermont.craigslist.org/for/d/burlington-porsche-boxster/7351983564.html

That does seem cheap. Maybe a salvage title.I’ve occasionally seen some real bargains in VT Craigslist.

Say, maybe you can answer this.

I have heard that VT is one of several states where it’s possible to “wash” a salvage title and get a new one which doesn’t show that the car had been totaled. Supposedly dishonest sellers will take a flood car, for example, that was totaled in another state and register it in VT without having to declare it salvage. With the new VT title in hand they can then sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.

Is this true or is it a myth.

I am not sure on that. I think that there is something that after 15 years, you don't need a title. Just a bill of sale to register a vehicle.

henryn

jmonroe1 said:

qbrozen said:

jmonroe1 said:

I think punches from relatives count in here. Like a close relative, Son #1. If things go as planed this afternoon he’s getting a used Denali from Carvana.

TO BE CONTINUED (maybe).

jmonroe

Denali is a trim. What is the model?

OK, here goes. If this doesn’t count as a punch you guys have to promise to forget what follows:

Even though it is our anniversary today and we had plans, Son #1 wanted us to go with him and his wife and 2 sons (youngest and middle) to the Carvana place to get the truck. Their vending machine was not working but his truck was on the lot waiting when we arrived. Now about the truck:

It’s a 2015 burgundy with black interior Sierra, 4 door, SL something, 1500, all terrain with one of the Denali trim packages. He paid a couple ticks under 40 grand for it. It must be toward the top trim package because it seems to have everything except cooling seats. It had 16,865 miles on it and it was car carried to the Burgh from someplace in Indiana for only a $100 shipping fee. I don’t think our poster buddy @mjfloyd1 would have driven it here for that price.

The only scratches I saw were on the bottom of one of the rear doors and one on the opposite side rocker panel and they were both minor. Might even be able to be buffed out but you never really know a vehicle until you give it a wax job. Then you find EVERYTHING. There ain’t no way I’m waxing the behemoth, that’s for damn sure. The bed had some real scratches and also the wheel wells in the bed. Don’t understand why the original owner didn’t have a bed liner but my son is going to get a sprayed in liner from an outfit called Line-X which he said has very good reviews and was also recommended by one of his friends that had a sprayed in liner from that outfit. In fact it was this friend that got him thinking about a truck so he could write-off a part of it for his house flipping side biz that he is taking real serious lately. He said to get a write-off you have to get a real truck, at least a 3/4 ton job so he started looking a couple months ago and when he saw this truck from Carvana he decided he better jump on it before it was gone. It seems like a lot of money to me for a used truck but he says the write-off makes it worth it.

Anyway guys that’s it. I probably left out something but if this can be logged in as an official punch, ask and I’ll try to answer.

FWIW, we’ll celebrate our anniversary tomorrow night. When we got home Mrs. j said, “I can’t believe I was willing to give up going to a nice restaurant for going to look at cars stacked in a tall building that didn’t even work like it was supposed to. I must be getting old or gullible or both”. No comment.

jmonroe

This at least answers one question: Are people really buying those cars that Carvana has paid so blinken' much money for? Obviously they are, as hard as that is to believe.

28firefighter

Topless.

Note: the hard top is way heavier than expected.

henryn

28firefighter said:

Topless.

Note: the hard top is way heavier than expected.

You need to get you one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/HARKEN-Truck-Hardtop-Garage-Storage/dp/B000K16FIK/ref=asc_df_B000K16FIK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312111916046&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12527146562858609432&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027596&hvtargid=pla-469510313203&psc=1

mjfloyd1

@28firefighter said:

Topless.

Note: the hard top is way heavier than expected.

Way heavier than expected and awkward because the back is really heavy with all the glass

mjfloyd1

I’ve got a second 4xe VIN!

au1994

It looks so sexy topless though….

28firefighter

Unless you’re really jacked, it’s a 3 person job.

jmonroe1

Follow up on Son #1’s, new to him, GMC Sierra 2015 truck:

The simple answer is although it’s a 1/2 ton pickup truck it falls into the gross vehicle weight category that it is large enough that the IRS allows it to be partly written off as a company expense. Smaller gross vehicle weight trucks don’t fall into that category.

My Son said he knows about 4 guys that he has met via his sons hockey league who have businesses and are driving around in trucks that cost around 70 grand only because they can write off a good part of it as a business expense.

Nice work if you can get it but the rest of the tax paying public pays for this.

jmonroe

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Unless you’re really jacked, it’s a 3 person job.

Well, hey, at least taking it off is the easy part! Now you have something to which you may look forward....

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

Follow up on Son #1’s, new to him, GMC Sierra 2015 truck:

The simple answer is although it’s a 1/2 ton pickup truck it falls into the gross vehicle weight category that it is large enough that the IRS allows it to be partly written off as a company expense. Smaller gross vehicle weight trucks don’t fall into that category.

My Son said he knows about 4 guys that he has met via his sons hockey league who have businesses and are driving around in trucks that cost around 70 grand only because they can write off a good part of it as a business expense.

Nice work if you can get it but the rest of the tax paying public pays for this.

jmonroe

You keep saying that but I never had the IRS voice any objection about me deducting my trucks or cargo vans. They were all half ton or less.

Does your son have another vehicle for personal use? They always asked if I did. Maybe that’s the ticket.

qbrozen

Just for fun… at least until CCAP funds my deal… I plugged the Jeep into the usual suspects. First offer came in already from AutoLenders. $52.6k. Ummm… yes, please!

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

Now you have something to which you may look forward....

True, but I especially enjoy the use of the language.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Follow up on Son #1’s, new to him, GMC Sierra 2015 truck:

The simple answer is although it’s a 1/2 ton pickup truck it falls into the gross vehicle weight category that it is large enough that the IRS allows it to be partly written off as a company expense. Smaller gross vehicle weight trucks don’t fall into that category.

My Son said he knows about 4 guys that he has met via his sons hockey league who have businesses and are driving around in trucks that cost around 70 grand only because they can write off a good part of it as a business expense.

Nice work if you can get it but the rest of the tax paying public pays for this.

jmonroe

You keep saying that but I never had the IRS voice any objection about me deducting my trucks or cargo vans. They were all half ton or less.

Does your son have another vehicle for personal use? They always asked if I did. Maybe that’s the ticket.

I don’t know when you had your trucks. As I understand it the IRS cracked down on the use of trucks being claimed for business use if they weren’t large enough to do real work for businesses. Like trucks with a 4 foot bed can’t do much hauling for a business. Station wagons can probably do just as much even mini-vans.

These regulations have changed over the years which is why only the larger trucks qualify today. I don’t know where the cutoff point is but it’s tied to the gross vehicle weight. Maybe our poster buddy @nyccarguy can expound on this since he has a truck which I’m sure he uses for his plumbing supply biz.

Yes, my son has 2 personal vehicles that are for typical family use.

jmonroe

xwesx

cdnpinhead said:

xwesx said:

Now you have something to which you may look forward....

True, but I especially enjoy the use of the language.

Okay, now that's funny!

Yes, if I was speaking aloud to @28firefighter , I would have likely said, "you have something to look forward to," yet I try to avoid ending sentences with prepositions when I write.

benjaminh

qbrozen said:

Just for fun… at least until CCAP funds my deal… I plugged the Jeep into the usual suspects. First offer came in already from AutoLenders. $52.6k. Ummm… yes, please!

Sounds good. What did you pay for it again?

benjaminh

Just got back from a work trip driving from Louisville to Dallas, which is a distance of about 850 miles. On the way we stayed for a night each way in Little Rock, which is about 530 miles from where we live, and it was nice that we could do that leg on one tank of gas in the TLX. Interstate speed limits in Arkansas and Texas are usually 75 mph, which means some are going a bit over 80. I usually had the adaptive cruise at about 78, and we got 36 mpg with the ac on at that speed, but with some zips up above 80 for passing. In addition to work we were able to visit the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, as well as the Dallas Art Museum, both of which are highly recommended. The DMA even has free admission to its vast collections, and the ac inside was wonderful on a hot Texas day. All the people we met in Texas seemed quite nice. As with some other places, the older folks had a charming regional accent, while the younger folks tended toward a more national accent. It's the same way in Kentucky. I was born and raised in California, and the accents in our vast country I think are interesting. Anyway, my three year old car already has more than 44,000 miles on it after that trip.

https://www.dallasarboretum.org/

https://dma.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcxByX6rh24

PS Here's a photo collage from the visit, including a Monet of a lily pond from the museum and a flower in a real lily pond from the arboretum

stickguy

Q, what’s the ballpark buyout cost?

greg128

Wife's 2018 Lacrosse showing the DIC indicating 43MPG as the best 25 mile reading.
That was on a trip a few months ago going about 65MPH and I did massage that reading.
I find that astounding on a large car with a 310HP V-6 using reg gas. Previous best was 41.7MPG.
Unfortunately around town in the winter it goes into mid teens.

Have had the car 2 years this month and has been flawless, but only added about 10k miles since then.
It is a smooth quiet ride, nice on center feel and plenty of power, Great for a long trip.

I was driving it yesterday and a Tesla 3 pulled up next to me. Of course he could blow my doors
off but I gave it half throttle hoping he would get on it but he didn't play. Apparently didn't care or
wouldn't play with a lowly Buick. Might have been different if I was driving a Mustang or Corvette.
Although the standard 3 model is about 2 seconds slower to 60 than the performance version.
(a bit more than 5 sec vs a bit more than 3 secs) There are only a few cars that can compete with
the performance model especially off the line. There are numerous YT videos of
Teslas embarrassing all kinds of performance cars at the drag strip

The new Tesla S plaid can do 0-60 in under 2 seconds and 1/4 mile time of 9.22. Yikes! Unfortunately a new
owner of one recently had to pull over after it went on fire and almost couldn't get the electric doors to
open. He did finally get out but that could be problem. The local FD had to call in multiple trucks to put
the fire out using 30,000 gallons of water. A gasoline powered car only reqluires about 300 gallons.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Q, what’s the ballpark buyout cost?

I think $46k

kyfdx

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Follow up on Son #1’s, new to him, GMC Sierra 2015 truck:

The simple answer is although it’s a 1/2 ton pickup truck it falls into the gross vehicle weight category that it is large enough that the IRS allows it to be partly written off as a company expense. Smaller gross vehicle weight trucks don’t fall into that category.

My Son said he knows about 4 guys that he has met via his sons hockey league who have businesses and are driving around in trucks that cost around 70 grand only because they can write off a good part of it as a business expense.

Nice work if you can get it but the rest of the tax paying public pays for this.

jmonroe

You keep saying that but I never had the IRS voice any objection about me deducting my trucks or cargo vans. They were all half ton or less.

Does your son have another vehicle for personal use? They always asked if I did. Maybe that’s the ticket.

There is limit on the amount of annual depreciation on a passenger vehicle. No limit on the high GVWR vehicles.

Assume the limit is $40K and straight-line depreciation over 5 years. That limits you to $8000 depreciation per year (making up these numbers).

If there is no limit, then your $70K truck can be depreciated by $14K/yr. (or, it might be eligible for accelerated depreciation: $70K the first year)

mjfloyd1

@28firefighter how is your current mileage? I remember you saying that after a few weeks, you still had 3/4 tank of gas.

tjc78

@greg128 said:
Wife's 2018 Lacrosse showing the DIC indicating 43MPG as the best 25 mile reading.
That was on a trip a few months ago going about 65MPH and I did massage that reading.
I find that astounding on a large car with a 310HP V-6 using reg gas. Previous best was 41.7MPG.
Unfortunately around town in the winter it goes into mid teens.

Have had the car 2 years this month and has been flawless, but only added about 10k miles since then.
It is a smooth quiet ride, nice on center feel and plenty of power, Great for a long trip.

I was driving it yesterday and a Tesla 3 pulled up next to me. Of course he could blow my doors
off but I gave it half throttle hoping he would get on it but he didn't play. Apparently didn't care or
wouldn't play with a lowly Buick. Might have been different if I was driving a Mustang or Corvette.
Although the standard 3 model is about 2 seconds slower to 60 than the performance version.
(a bit more than 5 sec vs a bit more than 3 secs) There are only a few cars that can compete with
the performance model especially off the line. There are numerous YT videos of
Teslas embarrassing all kinds of performance cars at the drag strip

The new Tesla S plaid can do 0-60 in under 2 seconds and 1/4 mile time of 9.22. Yikes! Unfortunately a new
owner of one recently had to pull over after it went on fire and almost couldn't get the electric doors to
open. He did finally get out but that could be problem. The local FD had to call in multiple trucks to put
the fire out using 30,000 gallons of water. A gasoline powered car only reqluires about 300 gallons.

I loved my 2012 with the 3.6. Great car with good power… but FE was not it’s strong suit. Teens city and low 20s on the highway at best.

nyccarguy

So my wife and I both use our personal vehicles for work. From what I’ve been told, if I keep a detailed log I would be able to write off a portion of my lease payment for business use. The majority of my miles are commuting miles which are not eligible. My commute is 65 miles per day round trip. I usually go out and make deliveries 2 days a week. On the low end, I’ll drive 6 - 10 miles making a few deliveries. The other day it was 34 miles. I probably could do it, but it’s not going to make me or break me either way.

My wife does a lot of driving for work. Her company pays her for mileage between patients, not to the 1st and home from the last. I’ve toyed with the idea of leasing her a a car just for work, but in the end I think it is just worth it to pile miles on her Pilot.

nyccarguy

@benjaminh

Glad to see you are still happy with your TLX after 3 + years & over 44K miles. Are you still on the original tires?

I’m starting to see more new TLXs on the road. Acura really did a sharp job with the redesign. I do like the A Spec model, but have no desire to own a car with such skinny sidewalls.

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

So my wife and I both use our personal vehicles for work. From what I’ve been told, if I keep a detailed log I would be able to write off a portion of my lease payment for business use. The majority of my miles are commuting miles which are not eligible. My commute is 65 miles per day round trip. I usually go out and make deliveries 2 days a week. On the low end, I’ll drive 6 - 10 miles making a few deliveries. The other day it was 34 miles. I probably could do it, but it’s not going to make me or break me either way.

My wife does a lot of driving for work. Her company pays her for mileage between patients, not to the 1st and home from the last. I’ve toyed with the idea of leasing her a a car just for work, but in the end I think it is just worth it to pile miles on her Pilot.

If you are an employee, it takes a lot to hit the threshold for deductibility.

Also, it appears she is being reimbursed for her mileage. The to and from the first and last patient is her commute. I doubt any of her mileage would be eligible for a deduction.

nyccarguy

@kyfdx said:
If you are an employee, it takes a lot to hit the threshold for deductibility.

Also, it appears she is being reimbursed for her mileage. The to and from the first and last patient is her commute. I doubt any of her mileage would be eligible for a deduction.

Exactly. I’m an employee.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen - so you are going to flip your Sarge Green 4Xe & order another one for the Mrs?

greg128

@ tjc78 said

I loved my 2012 with the 3.6. Great car with good power… but FE was not it’s strong suit. Teens city and low 20s on the highway at best.

9 speed transmission, cylinder deactivation, 300-400 weight reduction and really low ground clearance
(probably too low....not good for snow) on the newer generation probably the difference.

qbrozen

@nyccarguy said:
@qbrozen - so you are going to flip your Sarge Green 4Xe & order another one for the Mrs?

Yes

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Follow up on Son #1’s, new to him, GMC Sierra 2015 truck:

The simple answer is although it’s a 1/2 ton pickup truck it falls into the gross vehicle weight category that it is large enough that the IRS allows it to be partly written off as a company expense. Smaller gross vehicle weight trucks don’t fall into that category.

My Son said he knows about 4 guys that he has met via his sons hockey league who have businesses and are driving around in trucks that cost around 70 grand only because they can write off a good part of it as a business expense.

Nice work if you can get it but the rest of the tax paying public pays for this.

jmonroe

You keep saying that but I never had the IRS voice any objection about me deducting my trucks or cargo vans. They were all half ton or less.

Does your son have another vehicle for personal use? They always asked if I did. Maybe that’s the ticket.

There is limit on the amount of annual depreciation on a passenger vehicle. No limit on the high GVWR vehicles.

Assume the limit is $40K and straight-line depreciation over 5 years. That limits you to $8000 depreciation per year (making up these numbers).

If there is no limit, then your $70K truck can be depreciated by $14K/yr. (or, it might be eligible for accelerated depreciation: $70K the first year)

All my trucks were cheap enough that I just sec. 179 them so they were fully depreciated the year I bought them. Maybe that’s the difference.

benjaminh

nyccarguy said:

@benjaminh

Glad to see you are still happy with your TLX after 3 + years & over 44K miles. Are you still on the original tires?

I’m starting to see more new TLXs on the road. Acura really did a sharp job with the redesign. I do like the A Spec model, but have no desire to own a car with such skinny sidewalls.

Yes, I'm still on the original Goodyear Eagle LS tires. They've been rotated almost every oil change and have maybe another 10k in them, and perhaps more. Last time I was at the Acura dealer a few months ago the tech there said the tires looked fine and had plenty of tread, which is what my eyes are seeing as well. I've already started tire shopping, but I think it's at least a year away before it actually needs to be done. Might go with Michelin next time, but the oem tires seem to me good for performance and comfort and would cost less.

Yeah, I've started to see the new TLX on the road too, and I do think the new model looks sharp. But I'm just grateful that my car's paid off. Now, knock on wood, I'm hoping it'll last to 200k.

How many miles on your Prelude?

au1994

mjfloyd1 said:

I’ve got a second 4xe VIN!

I’ve had my VIN for a while. Do you have a scheduled build date on your first one?

mjfloyd1

@au1994 said:
I’ve had my VIN for a while. Do you have a scheduled build date on your first one?

No

28firefighter

I just crossed 1200 miles on it. I’m on my second tank (refilled with 1/4 tank left) and have about 7/8s left. I drive mostly on electric.