NOW FOR SALE $4k - Commando's BF - Business Class Frequent F

[Commando]

Tax logbooks? Naw. I do <5,000kms a year of actual chargeable/taxable travel in the car. The rest is purely from home to the office.

25kms? My previous job (which I probs shouldn't have left) was 20kms from home, I used to do that on the bicycle sometimes. I'm eyeing off the DR200 in the shed & would love to get that road/rec ready.

I work for a private consultancy. I don't even have a work mobile yet I'm contactable on my personal mobile 24/7 for work. The only person with a company car might be our office (regional) manager, for everyone else it's private vehicles. We have zero perks of that nature. If I take a long shit, I either bill a client or I work back that 15 mins lol. (I get lost on my phone when I'm on the shitter)

Can't I have a dirty weekend with your Mrs?

But srsly my Mrs has been keen to go to the Werribee zoo for ages. Maybe we could tee something up if you'd like sometime late August or onwards? I'd like to learn how to do the IRS out of pure interest - wifey can go to the zoo and watch lions hump.

Stradbroke is only 7hrs away when the traffic is good. On my drive back from finishing work in Torquay it was the Friday of the Queen's B'day weekend. It took over 2 hours to get from the West Gate to the Hallam Bypass.

[Jayedxr6]

Home to office is tax deductible. This conversation about work is tax deductible. Who does your tax?

[apoc]

Haha I wish home to office was tax deductible. I drive 160km a day, you can only claim km if you carry your tools to work apparently

[Commando]

Home to office is tax deductible.

Surely not, otherwise I'd be claiming 50,000kms a year. I thought that deviations between home & regular place of work are tax deductible, but not direct home to work. IE Home --> site --> office (claimable), Home --> office (not claimable).

Who does your tax?

"Elephant". This year the wife has another accountant lined up.

you can only claim km if you carry your tools to work apparently

Does a laptop count as tools?

[apoc]

you can only claim km if you carry your tools to work apparently

Does a laptop count as tools?

hahaha I've claimed carrying my network tools and laptop before, feels a bit iffy though. Don't want to get fisted by the taxman again! Ive only ever claimed the 5000km though.

[nothin suss]

There's a small vid on the ATO website quickly explaining the cans and cannots.
Basically any 'bulky' item you require for your work that can't be stored securely qualifies.
You'd 100% be able to claim klms when you carry stuff in your personal car to an offsite worksite.

A lot of people will claim their Monday morning journey carrying a 'tool', then take it 'home' Friday evening to keep it secure over the weekend.

Laptop is a shady area.

And re: Bushes. Sure remind me in a month or so Dave. I'll see how my weekends are looking.

[Jayedxr6]

My word your laptop is a tool.
Even if you dont carry tools, does your accountant even care? I deduct 1 carton of beer per week on tax....

[NUT347]

You will car when you get audited jay lol.

You cannot claim home to your everyday worksite/office unless you carry tools that are unable to be left at office/site as nothin suss said.

[Jayedxr6]

Lol do you really think the ato are gonna audit a tax paying 80k salary.
I do carry tools (chippie)
I claim brisbane to sunny coast fuel. The bad thing is my accountant makes it look like I earn fk all. I paid $800 tax last year

[Commando]

$800! Holy shit I paid over $14k & my taxable income was/is mid 60s. I need a new fkn job.

[Jayedxr6]

I swear. Got a great accountant but hes as dodgey as most of the road worthys are. Bit of a worry later, but atm im going with it.

[nstg8a]

Lol, your gonna get ass raped by the ato one day dude.

As for the ato not auditing 80k salaries, my ex got audited last year, apparently it was just a random audit, she doesn't claim anything she shouldn't, also doesn't claim half the stuff she should. She only earns mid 50s I think.
She got the all clear, but was a monumental pain in the ass, because she had to provide all her tax paperwork for the last few years even though they were only auditing that one tax year,

[nothin suss]

All of a sudden 10k tax returns aren't so great when you have to pay back the last 7 years of them.

[Jayedxr6]

So my accountant doesnt know what hes doing? Being a carpenter I can claim ALOT more then say a mechanic or office chick

[NUT347]

Are you on wages jay? Or subbie?

I got audited in 2012 and I was claiming things I shouldn't, I got fined $1500. I earn mid 70s.

[Jayedxr6]

Hourly.

[nothin suss]

So my accountant doesnt know what hes doing? Being a carpenter I can claim ALOT more then say a mechanic or office chick

You're the one that said he's dodgy.

[Commando]

Bump. 375k on the odo today & 1000kms to do between today and Monday, plus some paddock bashing, collecting branches/felled trees to build up an epic bonfire pile. Maybe I'll actually hit 400k by xmas. Does anyone know if I'm eligible to join the United Fuel taxi loyalty program? Surely these kms make my car an honourary taxi.

I've done roughly 100,000kms on the same set of plugs and coils now, and am up to $15k gross savings on gas. Liquid injection for the win!

Last weekend's oil change, which I'd let slide to 20,000kms, resulted in only 5L of black shit draining out. Lol.

[vegabass]

This is gold,

I just bought a BA XR6 5 speed manual with 413k on the clock. It seriously drives like it has 100k on the clock!

[Commando]

Holy damn, 413k! How's the gearbox/clutch, and what's the history on the diff?

You should start up a thread when you get the time.

[Commando]

I'm closing in on 400k (January 2015 - it's at 370k now). <snip>.

Pedders report from July:

Car's now at 385k. The reason for the bump is I'm starting a new job in January (still on track to hit 400k). My current job sees me travelling 160-200kms/day on mostly flat straight country highway in reasonable condition, so pretty easy on the car. As of January this will change to 100kms/day of Colin McRae rally track business. So with the list of broken shit above, what NEEDS fixing so that the car doesn't collapse when I hit a pothole on a touge hairpin midway through a Scandinavian flick (the manoeuvre, not pr0n) whilst avoiding the wildlife... I dgaf about ride comfort or clunks/other noises, just what's purely a safety factor.

When this car dies, which I predict will be either from suspension failure or hitting wildlife, I'll be rinsing & repeating with the wife's high-km Camry (I'm a slow learner + why munt a new replacement car on a rally track)

TIA

PS I broke the ride-on last night rallying through a paddock, snapped the welds holding the brackets to the cutting deck & dropped the lot. I keep on breaking shit!

PPS I hit a roo the other week, & the passenger headlight (which was out) started working again... Christine much?

[Commando]

DINGDINGDINGDING



Well, Hot Dog! We Have - A Weiner! FINALLY I hit 400k in a car of mine (EB parted out at 370k, EF sold in shit condition at 395k)



Other than the suspension issues that were semi-fixed at the time, this car still felt fine at the 300,000 mark. But now that it's hit 400,000 it's getting pretty sad, and feels like an old car. It's well down on power, it creaks & groans, its bushes are rooted, and I swear the other day it actually farted - I have no idea what the go was there, it just made this "phhrrrrt" noise & 5 secs later my eyes were watering & I was retching from the stench.

It's developed a temp issue also - if the car is idling or I'm doing low speeds, the temp gauge likes to climb up a fair bit. It'll do 110 down the freeway in 40*C heat no worries, but 40kph uphill on a 16*C day? Hello 2/3 temp gauge.

Still, having said all of that it gets me to & from work with no dramas & fires up every time without skipping a beat. I've even taken to the rally track to get to/from work (daylight hours only!) - crunching into the potholes on pebbly gravel helps mask the other underbody noises.

The wife's just bought a newish hatch for herself (2011 Corolla, yawn), so the bulletproof Camry can sit in the shed as my backup car in case the Fairmont shits itself. The current plan is to see out most of the year & get an Amarok on novated lease once I'm on shift work, then we'll flog off the Camry & the Fairmont.

Estimated LPG savings with this car to date - $19k gross, $16k net. We've basically gotten the wife's hatch for free with the savings made on LPG

I'll advertise the Fairmont later in the year - trust me the gas system is awesome, & if anyone wants to chuck a Fairmont interior into their XT, mine's still in good nick.

[DJV8T5]

sounds like water pump might be dead with temp issues like that. 400,000km is a pretty good mark to reach anyway

[NUT347]

Do the thermos still go on high speed? Or low speed only?

[Commando]

Re water pump - good idea, I guess whatever it is it's probably academic, no more $ will be spent on this car!

They have two speeds? I've only ever heard the fans on nothing or LOUD.

[Dezza]

400,000 in a BF is a fair effort! Nice job!

[DJV8T5]

it could look like my friends water pump off her X-Trail

[Commando]

Wow, what did she run through the cooling system? Coke? Abrasive sand? Alien blood?

[Fingers]

Re water pump - good idea, I guess whatever it is it's probably academic, no more $ will be spent on this car!

They have two speeds? I've only ever heard the fans on nothing or LOUD.

My bet is the fans.
And, I would be trying to get it to 500,000 km

[nothin suss]

I've got some catching up to do. 240k on my BF Wagon and drives like its 2 years old still..
Not even a centre bearing or trailing arm clunk audible

[DJV8T5]

no idea, but it is/was pretty fucked. The closest to that I have seen was on my friends VT. Similar, but not as much missing.

How many more kms do you reckon you will get out of the wagon before you let it go? Or are you going to drive it until its death?

[Commando]

Now selling! Read thru the thread for entire history. Proper FS thread will be made with full rundown of parts, current photos, etc, but for now:

FOR SALE - $4000 COMPLETE FROM TODAY OR WILL SELL AS PARTS AFTER JUNE 30. No swaps. Pickup or local delivery only. Offers considered.

ITEM: 2006 Ford BF Fairmont Sedan

LOCATION: Near Sale, VIC 3850. PM me for contact details/address.

DETAILS:
* No rego or RWC
* 2nd owner since March 2010.
* JTG Liquid Injection gas system installed April 2010, has saved upwards of $16,000 on fuel costs, still runs perfectly.
* Engine, auto, diff all in good condition. Drives to & from work (150kms) fine all day every day.
* Has factory 1600kg tow pack.
* Dual Zone, Fairmont ICC, etc all work.
* Interior good, exterior average.
* Has done 410,000kms.
* I will link to the FS thread once it's been made.

[ClassicAU]

She has served you well! What's next? EB Fairmont 5L?

[Commando]

G'day Ev!

Yeah, the time's come to move it on, especially while the wife's Camry's sitting dormant in the shed. I did some sums on selling + recouping rego & insurance, & I'm better off driving the Camry for a while until I get an Amarok or Ranger. No EB Wheezer, maybe in another decade or 3.

I posted a half-assed advert on "BA & BF Group" on FB, I haven't checked today but I'm assuming there's a dozen replies about the high price ("offer u $100 lel"), how JTG = Egas, & whether I'll swap for a BA XT or some kid's BMX & X-Box games...

Proper FS posts will be happening when I can photograph the car in daylight, but I reckon I'll realistically sell it on gumtree rather than forums or FB.

"Local Delivery" for parts only, I'd be happy to drive to Melbs or elsewhere in the state to drop off the car whole for someone who wants to make coin off the car parting it out.

What are you bussing around in these days Ev?

[ClassicAU]

Sup Dave!

I'll believe you, as you've always been the king of the numbers when it comes to this! I hear those VW's are a nice bit of kit for a fourby, not that I know about them much. Surely you could squash a Wheezer into it once you've driven the original engine into the ground!

Don't bother with forums ads. Of the 15 cars I have owned and sold over the years, I have sold a total of zero through a forum. Chuck it on Gumtree and Carsales, it'll move eventually. Even ebay may work.

Still bashing around in a Wheezer myself! Once I went AU, I could never go back! Manual S3 in my sig. Does good skids, plus I live walking distance to my work at the moment, so I'm happy!

[Commando]

Walking distance ftw, i'll still be doing 25k/yr purely for driving to work & back with the new job.