new job..lots of travel, what to do with car?

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nolacola

Member
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08' Mazdaspeed3
Hey guys, figured I'd seek out some advice on here.

I have a 2008 speed3 sport with 19k miles on it atm. Payments are low, 262/mo and I owe about 9k still.

I just got a new job that is going to require me to be doing a lot of travel, somewhere in the range of 2,000-3,000 miles a month. Pay is good and I'm going to be reimbursed 0.55 cents per mile.

Anyways what I am wondering is what the best thing to do would be for my transportation, do I just drive the Speed3 and not worry about racking up the miles? Trade it in now before I drive it into the ground? Buy another car just for work and leave the speed for when I'm home? I imagine it could be a good tax write off, I'm not sure how that would work though or if it would even end up being worth doing that.

What do you think in two years an '08 speed3 with 100k+ miles would be worth?
 
Why dont you travel by plane? and i dont know if a speed3 is the right vehicle for a lot of travel considering its mpg. If you had the money, keeping the speed and maybe picking up a cheaper car, if flying is not an option, that gets good mpg could be best. Just dont get a prius
 
It's traveling a service route making several stops per trip in state so flying isnt a viable option..and yah no Prius, I couldn't live with that after driving this haha.
 
I'd say drive your speed and enjoy the fact that someone is paying you to do so. Besides, think how much quicker you can run your service route!
 
i bought mine with that type of mileage in mind. I needed something with 4 doors and 2006 or newer so I go the speed. I put on about 2500 miles a month for its first year and half in my possession. I figured if I am driving that much I better be in something I enjoy driving. Just remember it's only a mazdaspeed 3, not a Ferrari....
 
I would get something very comfortable. Something with an automatic transmission and quiet on the inside.


Keep the speed if you can to drive as a fun car. The speed as a work car traveling that amount.....no thanks.
 
that's a nice little reimbursment chunk that they're gonna give you. im not sure how your commute would be, but if you expect bumper to bumper i think i might get an auto as well. if it's smooth sailing and all highway i would get something that has better gas mileage and is quieter

if you're still looking for a little power during the drive, but don't keep the speed, i might go after a civic si. for one thing it will have the decent power, and the other thing is that it's a honda so putting that many miles on it won't be that tough on the car. sure, you may not get the value out of it that you want in the long run, but you really can't go wrong with putting miles like that on a honda. they pretty much have the least amount of dealer visits of any other manufacturer

personally i might get a slightly used tsx. i always liked the look and features, and i liked the inside as well. that was one car i was checking out a few years back
 
the the amount their giving you per mile is good. imo i would keep it stock get an extended warranty and have a blast with it on your road trips.
 
whatever you decide to do car wise. see if they match the national average when it comes to mileage. my company matches it so if gas goes up and the national average goes up they adjust the mileage. so im also at like 55 and a half cents a mile. if it drops itll go down but its nice to get paid at least what you should be getting. otherwise you can claim what they dont pay up to the average on your taxes. but you "have" to keep the paperwork or copies of it just in case.
 
55 cents is the standard the IRS set for 2009. It's great if you travel to and from one place for travel for work once in a blue moon. It's not great if all you do is drive.
 
I'd say get an old, reliable and comfortable beater. Pay cash if you can. High-deductible insurance (or no collision coverage, maybe). Carefully figure your cost-per-mile and make sure it's no more than $.55 (the IRS is pretty accurate about what it costs to operate a vehicle).

You may find the Speed isn't so comfortable if you stay in the saddle for a long time. I made a thousand-mile road trip in mine. It didn't beat me to death, but my Ram is more comfortable.
 
Getting the extended warranty if I keep it is a good idea, I didn't think about that.

If I do decide to trade the Speed for something a more comfortable to drive..any recommendations? Something Automatic, decent mpg, new or used say around $25k and under. Civic Si didn't look bad but no automatic transmission was available on those.

Or get an older user car around $10-12k range..any recommendations there?
 
What will you be doing in your travels? Service calls? Sales calls? BTW, if you're reimbursed for mileage, there is NO tax "write off" (for you, that is).
 
MikeHTally said:
What will you be doing in your travels? Service calls? Sales calls? BTW, if you're reimbursed for mileage, there is NO tax "write off" (for you, that is).
Click to expand...

^^ correct sir :) <accountant here> You either take the mileage reimbursement or you take the IRS tax deduction- Make sure you keep tabs on your mileage...should you get audited, the IRS will want to see a detailed history of your mileage reimbursement (to make sure the vehicle is actually being used for business purposes) ...basically make sure you keep tabs on your expense reports

As for what you should do...I agree with most...find something that your butt back and legs can tolerate for extended periods of time, over and over again...if it were me, i'd try out the Speed, I'm sure you bought it because you enjoyed driving it...if you find it becomes bothersome on repeated long hauls, then look into a 2nd car or replacing with one that's equally as fun to drive but is comfortable.

Good luck and congrats on the new job! glad someone could find work in this crap economy :) *i raise my drink to you sir*
 
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