JHZR2
Staff member
Ummmm. You’re going to drive nonstop? It’s a few day trip to do it smart/safe, you know.
62.5c/mile…
I’m a big fan of a road trip adventure. Not sure if this trip counts though…
2000 miles roundtrip to pick up a part instead of having it shipped.
- Thread starter atikovi
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62.5c/mile…
I’m a big fan of a road trip adventure. Not sure if this trip counts though…
So the grand adventure is over and the $400 shipping fee saved, and spent on gas, oil, tires, belts, etc. etc. plus food, hotel and miscellaneous. But who doesn't love back to back 1000 mile days? I'd have spent the $172 to ship it instead.
Umm I just got back this morning at 3:30 am. 35 hours driving 2100 miles with overnight at the Econolodge in beautiful downtown Waterloo Iowa.
You lernd the new maths in skool? My calculator says 7 cents/mile including the motel.
Agree with you, people have different priorities and I personally would never drive a Luxury car nor would I drive 10 miles out to save 10c/gal on a 13 gal tank. I'll likely be driving Prius or Corolla for the rest of my life and call it a day but that's just me.
If you are doing it as a hobby I can understand, but doing it as a business, it probably isn't the best return on investment driving that far to save $400 or taking the risk. Enjoy your journey.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...usg=AOvVaw3AlEW2bK5agEuYMwP5-avi&opi=89978449
That's what IRS said. Good for you if your expense is only fuel but not your time, tire, insurance, depreciation of the car, etc.
Didn't use any oil. Tires and belts were already new so another 2000 miles on them won't mater a whit. Food I brought from home I would eat anyway at home and no miscellaneous. Not saying it was enjoyable, but no pain no gain. I mean, why do people here replace their own brakes or do their own oil changes when a better use of that time would be to work their job and just take it to a shop.
That's probably if you're an employee using your personal vehicle when carrying out the duties of your job. Don't know how you deduct your time, as you get paid for it. And not sure how that applies here. I already deduct the expenses incurred from the price I'll sell the car for.
We all treat our time differently and manage it accordingly, either wasting it or being productive. I would probably do something similar if it saved me $400. The hole thing "my time is worth more doing something else" is silly. Doing what exactly? Posting on BITOG how OP just wasted his time?
JHZR2
Staff member
So 35 hours sitting (very unhealthy to sit that long), lacking sleep (safety/health ramifications).
I suspect you’ll write off the expenses and mileage when it comes tax time…
So are you going to claim your 65.5c/mile since it is for business use? Certainly you won’t defraud the rest of the tax paying public when you know your costs are only 7c/mile and now in the public domain…
Look, I’m a major fan of road trips… but don’t ask on a forum if it’s a stupid plan, then get feedback and make stupid comments over it.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Well done. I think there should be a little friendly vehicle rescue competition between GON and atikovi. The F350 saga was certainly more sketchy than this road trip. I’m pitching the idea to The Discovery Channel. 
That's not how it works when the mileage driven is on the very cars you are selling. Again, you seem to be confusing the mileage driven on a vehicle used for business with a vehicle that is what the business sells as a course of business.
JHZR2
Staff member
Perhaps I am. The reality is that the 65.5c/mile is set at that level for a reason. And there’s a reason why it’s not 7.
I sold one of these cars to cars to a guy who used it in his job going to remote job sites where he got reimbursed on a per mile basis, irrespective of what he drove. Said he makes an extra $800 a month just on the mileage, and that was some 5 years ago.
The IRS mileage rate is supposed to be the "big picture" of the average cost of driving a vehicle over a long span of time-I don't know what their exact number is but I'd guess somewhere between 10,000(a light year of driving) or 100K, 150K, or some other limit they've set as the "lifetime" of a vehicle.
It's not just the cost of gas but also factors in wear and tear items like tires and brakes(the two big ones), oil changes, and both major and minor repairs. I think it also factors in depreciation from the both time and miles.
It's far from perfect, and someone driving a compact or hybrid that never has any major mechanical issues will probably beat it(especially for brands like Toyota or Honda that tend to have fairly low depreciation anyway). Someone driving a big vehicle that needs frequent and/or expensive repairs plus will require expensive tires might find themselves in the hole at the mileage rate.
It's not just the cost of gas but also factors in wear and tear items like tires and brakes(the two big ones), oil changes, and both major and minor repairs. I think it also factors in depreciation from the both time and miles.
It's far from perfect, and someone driving a compact or hybrid that never has any major mechanical issues will probably beat it(especially for brands like Toyota or Honda that tend to have fairly low depreciation anyway). Someone driving a big vehicle that needs frequent and/or expensive repairs plus will require expensive tires might find themselves in the hole at the mileage rate.
That 2000 mile trip would cost $770 in our fj with Currant gas prices.
JHZR2
Staff member
No doubt someone could beat it. But my point is that it’s calculated to account for depreciation, wear and tear, insurance, etc.
You could tell me that you’re selling the car for the same price with 2000 miles more and that insurance is a sunk cost. I get it. And your labor is essentially volunteering. But the per mile cost is intended to account for the real costs of operation, not just fuel.
Is a big dealer like a Carmax that may sell 1000 cars a year keeping track of all the miles each car is driven and reporting that to the IRS on some form? I use schedule C and don't see a line item for that.
JHZR2
Staff member
I have no idea what carmax is doing. Your OP asked if it was a bad idea. There is more real cost involved than the 7c/mile, plain and simple. Your volunteering of 35 hours driving a just one of them, regardless of if you had something better to do or not.
What does an oil change in the car you drove cost? What is the OCI? You may not have "added a quart" midway but you definitely had cost. Same with tires, belts, etc. All cost money and all are used up a bit every mile driven. I get you don't acknowledge that fact but that's still money you spent. And it was more than 7 cents a mile. But even at 7 cents a mile that means it would have cost $250 to ship it, not $400. Factor a truer cost, say 12 cents a mile and it only actually cost $150 to ship it. And probably not even that.
Well, you made it there and back on a tight budget of time and money.
Not something I would have done, but obviously your preference.
I kind of thought from your first post that you'd go ahead and do it despite many of us advising you not to.
Not something I would have done, but obviously your preference.
I kind of thought from your first post that you'd go ahead and do it despite many of us advising you not to.
