Serious talk about EMA

[oi veh.]

You say you just put brakes on 2x per year? Are you regular? If so you must have a VERY short route, as I put brakes and rotors on every 3 and or at most 4 months.

i'm regular, 85 mile route, 630 boxes and put on brakes/rotors twice a year.

most of my roads are dirt/gravel and i don't go faster than 15 - 20 miles an hour on them. approaching a box, i ease off the gas and let the vehicle slow down "naturally".

that was a parting tip to me as an rca from an old reg...because i used to go thru brakes like water.

 

[Gotrope]

Most in my office say they make money off it. Not a single one actually tracks expenses . All I do is shake my head smile and nod.

I've never heard of anyone making above replacement, repair cost in my life. Either they don't understand math or are very good at delusion.

 

[ATCBigE]

I mean I think I make some money on mileage, but it isn't enough to be like look at me or even buy a halfway decent replacement.

I mean right off the back, 40% of my EMA goes into a gas tank (I mean though I do get 10 cents off at shell & 2% back on credit card for gas purchase) But still by time you look at brakes, tires, and etc. You may come out with 1k, and it TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOUR ROUTE TOO.

I have 84 miles and roughly 370ish stops, while friend of mine has jeep on 58 mile route with 500ish stops. I make out better than she does on her route.

 

[Gotrope]

I mean I think I make some money on mileage, but it isn't enough to be like look at me or even buy a halfway decent replacement.

I mean right off the back, 40% of my EMA goes into a gas tank (I mean though I do get 10 cents off at shell & 2% back on credit card for gas purchase) But still by time you look at brakes, tires, and etc. You may come out with 1k, and it TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOUR ROUTE TOO.

I have 84 miles and roughly 370ish stops, while friend of mine has jeep on 58 mile route with 500ish stops. I make out better than she does on her route.

You factor in depreciation value, yes? Like...has anyone( and I mean anyone) other than a desperate rca ever walked to your vehicle and said, " wow, that's a great car!! Can I buy it?"
Most Neighbors would prefer you garage it to hide the embarrassment from potential real estate buyers.

I won't even get into your whimsical finance charge ideas

 

[Worve]

Are we able to see our yearly EMA totals anywhere? I have never crunched the numbers. I do know that 20-30% of my EMA goes to fuel alone. My taxes and insurance are cheap since I don't drive anything of value.

I was a mechanic before this job, have always done my own work. Usually go through two sets of tires in a year. 3-4 oil changes. Brakes x2. In addition to incidentals.

I certainly have never felt like I "made" anything. Just paying myself to do mechanic work. There's also the added mental load of being responsible for that vehicle, which is worth something.

I do feel like it's a bit of mental game, those bigger paychecks feel good, and we don't think about the expenses as much.

Track hours your time spent repairing even basic oil change tires brakes. Pay yourself minimum 100$ an hour. Watch that green category drop like a boulder. Was good year for you I had a new tranny put in sent me definitely in the negative. Used cars here around 100k mikes I could use are roughly 12-15k. 26k miles a year minimum for my route.

 

[Worve]

You factor in depreciation value, yes? Like...has anyone( and I mean anyone) other than a desperate rca ever walked to your vehicle and said, " wow, that's a great car!! Can I buy it?"
Most Neighbors would prefer you garage it to hide the embarrassment from potential real estate buyers.

I won't even get into your whimsical finance charge ideas

Cash is king at the station I use 4% decrease because they factor in charge for credit card.

 

[ATCBigE]

You factor in depreciation value, yes? Like...has anyone( and I mean anyone) other than a desperate rca ever walked to your vehicle and said, " wow, that's a great car!! Can I buy it?"
Most Neighbors would prefer you garage it to hide the embarrassment from potential real estate buyers.

I won't even get into your whimsical finance charge ideas

Oh trust me if I posted photos of vehicles I drive, people would laugh especially my classic 88 Delta 88.....

But that old car is one of the most reliable mail vehicles I have ever had.

 

[Shannonboy]

Oh trust me if I posted photos of vehicles I drive, people would laugh especially my classic 88 Delta 88.....

But that old car is one of the most reliable mail vehicles I have ever had.

I'd take a pic of mine, but it would break my phone camera....
It looks like a giant baked potato on wheels, and now with all this snow, it looks more like a burnt marshmallow over a bonfire....mud showing around the edges of all the snow....

 

[Shannonboy]

Oh trust me if I posted photos of vehicles I drive, people would laugh especially my classic 88 Delta 88.....

But that old car is one of the most reliable mail vehicles I have ever had.

I went through 3 chevy luminas....best car I ever used for mail delivery....bench seat, tons of room, front wheel drive. Great cars. Never got stuck in bad weather either....

 

[Boondocksaint]

EMA is a joke. Some years I broke even, others I spent way more than is given. I only came out ahead by like $100 one year. Late nights fixing things. Nah, glad I got metris now. Nothing to worry about. I mean it's not perfect either. POV had it's benefits, but long term I think metris or llv will be better on the body. No repairing or straddling and reaching. Just something to consider.