Looking to get a service van.

[scoobyxj]

After being informed that we will no longer be allowed to drive our company service trucks home, and will have to park them at the warehouses (a 60-70 mile round trip drive from home in my personal vehicle). I am seriously considering purchasing my own truck. The company pays an extra $15 per job (I do around 15-20 jobs a week),but I would incur all vehicle expenses (fuel, oil, tires, ect...) I'm currently driving a 06 1/2 ton Express with the 4.3ltr, and average around 10mpg. One of my work buddies is driving a 08 3/4 ton with the 4.8ltr, and says he gets around 12mpg. So with that being said I think I'm looking for a 3/4, or 1 ton van. Haven't decided on a Ford, or Chevy. I like the looks of the Chevy vans better, but it looks like the Ford bodies are built heaver. What do you recommend I look for? What are some of the problem areas on these vehicles? Can you deduct them as a loss on your taxes? I found a 2005 1ton Chevy with the "Access" package for $5,500, but it has the 6.0ltr V8, 205k on it, and needs a different style ladder rack put on it. I wonder about the gas mileage with that engine, and quite frankly the mileage scares me, but the rest of the van is exactly what I'm looking for.

[rudeney]

Have you considered a Sprinter? They are made by Mercedes-Benz, but sold under the Freightliner or Dodge labels in the US. They have very efficient diesel engines, plus tons of safety features with some models having stand-up headroom. The price may be high, but this might be a good "investment".

[Simmerman]

How about a 1/2 ton pick up w/ camper? Im pretty sure you will get better mileage than the vans.

I use a pick up but sometimes wish I had the extra room that a van has but I have a pretty good system in place as far as storage and functionality.

[Simmerman]

One more thing, DirecTV Home Services just put a policy in place mandating that any personal vehicles have to be 2004 and newer as well as white in color.

[my1423]

If you work as an employee buy an older vehicle to keep it cheap. If you subcontract / private contractor then buy a new one for you can write it off against your business and get tax rebates ect. I dont know the rules on it, but my Mother in law is an insurance agent and she buys a new vehicle every year. She says its cheaper since its all under warranty. She also buys an extra where All maintenance is free. She puts 40,000 plus a year on her car. If you are always running this can save a bundle and a real time saver.


The local rail road has fleets of all kinds of vans. Dodge Chevy Ford. Get the Ford. They weather better then the others. Quite inside, roomy, DONT develop those annoying rattles! The rail road always does cost analysis on all purchases. 90% of the entire fleet is Fords with the 4.6 so from their cost annalist you can see what they find cheaper to run. 40% of them have over 200,000 miles. Once they reach 60,000 they are usually pulled from road service and put into yard service or sold. Lately they have been keeping them to 100,000 do to the unlimited warranties. You might be able to pick one up cheap at the 60,000 or more mile mark. These are driven really hard but fully maintained. I have seen vans 8 months old with 120,000 miles on them.

[bb37]

Do you think you need a full-size van?

Would a mid-size pick-up truck (Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger) with a camper shell and ladder rack suffice? I'm pretty sure they would ge better fuel economy than a full-size van.

Or maybe Ford's new Transit Connect (http://www.fordvehicles.com/transitconnect/). They look goofy, but there's lots of room inside and the fuel economy rating is great. I guess this sort of vehicle is popular for city delivery or service work in Europe.

[joe diamond]

Home Service Providers.......shameless dudes.

They signed you up with the expectation of employment and an assigned truck. Now that they have you working they start rolling up the terms of employment. The truck costs them too much so they feel you can pay that expense better.

Everyone would come out better if they just routed you from your home address to the nearest job and then to the depot during the day for materials.

Tell them you will need the custom work money to pay for your new truck.

Joe

[WestDC]

Originally Posted by scoobyxj

After being informed that we will no longer be allowed to drive our company service trucks home, and will have to park them at the warehouses (a 60-70 mile round trip drive from home in my personal vehicle). I am seriously considering purchasing my own truck. The company pays an extra $15 per job (I do around 15-20 jobs a week),but I would incur all vehicle expenses (fuel, oil, tires, ect...) I'm currently driving a 06 1/2 ton Express with the 4.3ltr, and average around 10mpg. One of my work buddies is driving a 08 3/4 ton with the 4.8ltr, and says he gets around 12mpg. So with that being said I think I'm looking for a 3/4, or 1 ton van. Haven't decided on a Ford, or Chevy. I like the looks of the Chevy vans better, but it looks like the Ford bodies are built heaver. What do you recommend I look for? What are some of the problem areas on these vehicles? Can you deduct them as a loss on your taxes? I found a 2005 1ton Chevy with the "Access" package for $5,500, but it has the 6.0ltr V8, 205k on it, and needs a different style ladder rack put on it. I wonder about the gas mileage with that engine, and quite frankly the mileage scares me, but the rest of the van is exactly what I'm looking for.

I would condiser a different line of work. I would also be looking at relocating to another part of the country.

The questions you asked here "Can you deduct" are better answered by a tax laywer, runnig out and buying anything with 205K on it is only asking to be buired in a deeper hole. Vrs $15

Get a $800 to $1000 4 banger and drive it to work and use there truck, when the car quits find another junker, you'll be money and time ahead.

[BattleZone]

A couple of points: since you will be carrying ladders on the roof, you will get horrible gas mileage regardless. What I mean by that is that getting a "super-efficient" vehicle isn't going to be worth much once you add the ladders, as they add a ton of extra drag.

"The" service van used to be the Chevy Astro, which was mid-size and perfect for a sat installer. Unfortunately they've been replaced with the near-full-size "Express" model. Vans have two main advantages: they have a ton of room in them and with the side door, you have easy access to everything. The downsides are the bad fuel economy and the known reliability problems with many models (the Astros always had transmission problems, for example).

I would strongly recommend a 2WD pickup with a rear shell that incorporates ladder carriers and has solid pop-up side panels instead of windows. Overall, the trucks tend to be more reliable, and being lower to the ground, are easier to get ladders on and off. They also get a bit better mileage.

[canesice]

at $15 per job, your estimated additional income:

$15 * 20 (jobs)* 52 (full year) = $15,600 High End
$15 * 15 (jobs) * 46 (removed 6 to account for slow weeks, holidays) = $10,350 Low End

If you could write off all of the expense of your vehicle (check with a tax expert), then you could shave off some expense dollars.

I don't know how many miles you are driving per trip... I'll estimate.

Per day:
65 there
3 installs per day (15 per week) * 30 miles each (guesstimate) = 90
65 back
Total = 220

Per week
220 * 5 = 1,100 miles / 12 miles per gallon = 92 gallons / week

92 * $2.50 per gallon = $230 per week.

Using low end of $10,350 - 230*46 = $10,580 = Negative 230 dollars.
thats without factoring any maintenance..

substitute your actuals into here, or better yet a spreadsheet..

If I'm close.. then I agree with the earlier poster. Get a cheap car, and use their van...

[hilmar2k]

Originally Posted by canesice

at $15 per job, your estimated additional income:

$15 * 20 (jobs)* 52 (full year) = $15,600 High End
$15 * 15 (jobs) * 46 (removed 6 to account for slow weeks, holidays) = $10,350 Low End

If you could write off all of the expense of your vehicle (check with a tax expert), then you could shave off some expense dollars.

I don't know how many miles you are driving per trip... I'll estimate.

Per day:
65 there
3 installs per day (15 per week) * 30 miles each (guesstimate) = 90
65 back
Total = 220

Per week
220 * 5 = 1,100 miles / 12 miles per gallon = 92 gallons / week

92 * $2.50 per gallon = $230 per week.

Using low end of $10,350 - 230*46 = $10,580 = Negative 230 dollars.
thats without factoring any maintenance..

substitute your actuals into here, or better yet a spreadsheet..

If I'm close.. then I agree with the earlier poster. Get a cheap car, and use their van...

Slight flaw. He would have to pay for the gas to and from either way.

[ndole_mbnd]

Originally Posted by Simmerman

One more thing, DirecTV Home Services just put a policy in place mandating that any personal vehicles have to be 2004 and newer as well as white in color.

Can you provide a source for this?

[Extreme2KEclipse]

Originally Posted by canesice

at $15 per job, your estimated additional income:

$15 * 20 (jobs)* 52 (full year) = $15,600 High End
$15 * 15 (jobs) * 46 (removed 6 to account for slow weeks, holidays) = $10,350 Low End

If you could write off all of the expense of your vehicle (check with a tax expert), then you could shave off some expense dollars.

I don't know how many miles you are driving per trip... I'll estimate.

Per day:
65 there
3 installs per day (15 per week) * 30 miles each (guesstimate) = 90
65 back
Total = 220

Per week
220 * 5 = 1,100 miles / 12 miles per gallon = 92 gallons / week

92 * $2.50 per gallon = $230 per week.

Using low end of $10,350 - 230*46 = $10,580 = Negative 230 dollars.
thats without factoring any maintenance..

substitute your actuals into here, or better yet a spreadsheet..

If I'm close.. then I agree with the earlier poster. Get a cheap car, and use their van...

You're forgetting that if he can deduct actual costs, or mileage on his tax return to recoup some of those expenses. (1,100 miles per week x 52 weeks = 57,200 miles * 0.558 = a $31,917.16 deduction). Definitely recommend speaking with a tax advisor/accountant first to make sure your eligible and what documentation you may need to maintain.

[Simmerman]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmerman
One more thing, DirecTV Home Services just put a policy in place mandating that any personal vehicles have to be 2004 and newer as well as white in color.


Can you provide a source for this?
__________________
Directv/Wildblue/Hughes Technician
[Talk Radio Junkie][Heartless Libertarian][GB.RL.LI.SH.GGL.MS Fanboy


No source. Just a verbal policy from our management. Didnt ask to see the policy since I was within the giudelines. Some of the guys were not happy about this. This is DirecTV Home Services ijn AZ and I have not seen any policy changes for the subcontractors in our area.

[looney2ns]

Originally Posted by WestDC

Get a $800 to $1000 4 banger and drive it to work and use their truck, when the car quits find another junker, you'll be money and time ahead.

Amen!
Don't go in debt when the company will provide the truck.
Move closer to work.

Anyone who's buying a new car every year is taking a huge financial bath.

[my1423]

Originally Posted by looney2ns

Amen!
Don't go in debt when the company will provide the truck.
Move closer to work.

Anyone who's buying a new car every year is taking a huge financial bath.

No they are not! I know many people who buy new vehicles every year and it SAVES them loads of money.

It all depends on how much you drive it. If you put 100,000 miles on a vehicle in a year tax rebates and dependability more then pays for itself and you can even make money on it. Why do you think soo many big businesses buy new every year or every other year?

[canesice]

Originally Posted by hilmar2k

Slight flaw. He would have to pay for the gas to and from either way.

agree. I could cut half the miles.. Id assume a 20+ mpg car as a replacement..

Id still recommend getting a good taxman, and working the angles:
miles tax deduction
other available deductions..

Work out all the tax details, and your choice should be obvious..

[WestDC]

Originally Posted by Extreme2KEclipse

You're forgetting that if he can deduct actual costs, or mileage on his tax return to recoup some of those expenses. (1,100 miles per week x 52 weeks = 57,200 miles * 0.558 = a $31,917.16 deduction). Definitely recommend speaking with a tax advisor/accountant first to make sure your eligible and what documentation you may need to maintain.

I like that number, from my past experience you won't be able to take the total deduction, you would have to spread it out over at least 3 years and be prepared for a audit!


Move closer, (or sleep in their Van) then you won't need to get a yugo to commute in.

[joe diamond]

IF you are sure you are going to stay with them for several years take a look at leasing a truck.

The + is for very little money you get a new vehicle and all lease fees are a deduction.

The - is that if you have no work for the truck the lease payment is still due.

AND there are several types of lease agreements. Some will allow you to purchase the vehicle at the end for about as little money as you paid going in.

It can be good IF you have a business use for it every day AND can make enough to show a profit after the lease payments.

Joe

[carl6]

I would get a fuel efficient commuting vehicle, a small car or a motorcycle, and use their van. Advantage of a motorcycle is you can use HOV lanes (if you have to deal with any traffic issues on the commute).

[Extreme2KEclipse]

Originally Posted by WestDC

[/color]


I like that number, from my past experience you won't be able to take the total deduction, you would have to spread it out over at least 3 years and be prepared for a audit!


Move closer, (or sleep in their Van) then you won't need to get a yugo to commute in.

In your experience, were you deducting based on actual costs or on mileage? Based on your comment I'm assuming you were using an actual costs method which has different calculation methods.

Here's an article that may be beneficial:
http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools...ness/5887.html

Depreciation

This is the amount you can deduct over time for general wear and tear of the vehicle. The standard mileage rate includes an amount for depreciation and reduces the cost of the vehicle when you decide to sell or otherwise dispose of it. In the example above, it works out this way (for simplicity’s sake, we’re assuming all the driving was after June 30).

Standard Mileage Deduction: 16,202 miles x 58.5 cents per mile = $9,478.

Equivalent Vehicle Depreciation included: 16,202 miles x 21 cents per mile = $3,402

If you use the "actual" expenses method, the maximum first-year depreciation deduction for 2008 is:
Type of Vehicle Deduction
Cars, SUVs and light trucks under 6,000 pounds $10,960*
Light trucks, vans and SUVs built on a truck chassis $11,160

In the example above, your depreciation would be limited to the business-use percentage of 90% times the maximum 2008 first-year luxury amount of $10,960, or $9,864.

Since depreciation accumulates, each year's business mileage affects the adjusted basis if the vehicle. The adjusted basis will, in turn, be used to determine the gain or loss when the vehicle is sold or otherwise disposed of, so keeping good records is essential.

Note: Once actual depreciation has been claimed on a vehicle, the standard mileage rate cannot be used. So if you switch from the standard mileage rate to actual, a switch back to the standard mileage rate is disallowed. Similarly, if actual is claimed when you start using this vehicle for business, the standard mileage rate can never be used for that vehicle.

[joe diamond]

Originally Posted by Extreme2KEclipse

In your experience, were you deducting based on actual costs or on mileage? Based on your comment I'm assuming you were using an actual costs method which has different calculation methods.

Here's an article that may be beneficial:
http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools...ness/5887.html

And I think the exact opposite will also work. IF you bought a junker for scrap value you could write off all repairs in the year they took place. Build and spend as you go.

Bean counters rule!

Joe

[gen2rx7]

The cheapest way to get going would to get a Ford Ranger, I used mine for the last 3 years and did perfectly fine, the only problem I found was getting equipment for the week. I myself have a 60 mile trip to our warehouse, so I would unload the bed and fill it up and drop it off before my route. I had the 4 cyl that wasn't the greatest for power with my rack and equip, but it got the job done, I got 17-18 mpg fully loaded. You can find White 04 or newer rangers for less than 10K. But it sounds like you work for a contractor and not an HSP. I was paid for my mileage as well and the higher piece rate.

[dennisj00]

Disregarding the economics and suggestions of alternate transportation, I echo the 'Sprinter' van. It's made by Mercedes, high MPG diesel, standing headroom inside and should last 'forever' with proper maintenance.

They've been sold in the US under the Freightliner and Dodge brands and you should find good ones on the used market at a good price. (even auctions)

They are going back to the Mercedes badge since the Chrysler implosion.

[sum_random_dork]

Originally Posted by rudeney

Have you considered a Sprinter? They are made by Mercedes-Benz, but sold under the Freightliner or Dodge labels in the US. They have very efficient diesel engines, plus tons of safety features with some models having stand-up headroom. The price may be high, but this might be a good "investment".

"My" FedEX Ground delivery guy swears by his. He says gas mileage can be over 20mpg. He's a contract employee so on his own for everything, some slower days he'd actually drive his car to reduce cost but now he just uses the new van,