Forgotten Tax Write-Offs: Don’t Miss Out on Money You Could Be Saving with Your New Work Truck

Buying a new truck has plenty of perks, but one of them is not taken advantage of nearly enough. If you use your truck for work purposes—and there is a wide range of what is considered a “work purpose”—you might be able to save a lot of money by way of tax write-offs.

The holiday season is the best time to purchase a new work truck. The savvy car-buyer knows that the end of year produces some pretty impressive deals, but this same buyer also knows that going for a new work truck has a hidden benefit as well—tax write-offs!

Why don’t more people write-off their work trucks? Confusion, most likely. Not so much in the process of making deductions, but confusion in what can be deducted and how to go about writing things off. Fortunately, the process of deducting your yearly taxes for mileage used is not difficult at all, just as long as you know what can be counted and where to file. At Liberty Buick GMC we are always looking out for our customers, even their taxes! So we did a little digging and have come up with a few key pieces of information for anyone looking to save a bit of cash come next tax season.
Let’s take a look at a few of the most common purposes for using a truck that can generate you some substantial financial returns.

Business Purposes
Though there is no compensation for driving from your home to your place of work, if you use your truck to drive from one job site to another, meet with clients, or even drive clients around, you are eligible for a write-off.

In order to deduct for business purposes, document your mileage on Schedule C if you are self-employed, and on Schedule F if you are a farmer—or, if you’re an employee, you can document as an unreimbursed business expense on Form 2106.

Medical Purposes
According to the IRS, driving to get medical attention for you or your dependents, as long as the drive is “primarily for, and essential to, medical care,” allows for a deduction that can be made on Schedule A of your tax form as part of your itemized medical expenses.

This is one deduction most people forget about or simply choose to ignore. But it’s easy to document, so why not?

Charitable Purposes
If you find yourself providing any type of service to a charitable organization, such as driving to perform volunteer work for a church, helping out with a charity, or volunteering at a local hospital, you can deduct driving expenses.

Simply document the deduction on Schedule A on your tax form as part of your charitable donations.

Making Deductions
Most people do not take advantage of work-truck write-offs because they don’t want to bother with the paperwork. But, after looking into the actual process of making deductions, there are only two options: use your actual expenses, or use a standard mileage rate.
If you want to deduct according to your actual expenses made, the following are what should be considered:

• Parking fees and tolls
• Vehicle loan interest
• Vehicle registration fees
• Personal property tax on the vehicle
• Lease and rental expenses
• Insurance
• Fuel
• Repairs—oil changes, tires, other routine maintenance

If you would rather use a simpler method, consider documenting according to the standard mileage rate. This rate varies depending on the year and reason(s) for driving your work truck, but you can get a significant amount of money back using this method.

The process is simple: take the number of miles you want to use as a write-off and multiply it by the applicable rate. Here are the rates for 2019:

• Business Purposes=58 cents per mile.
• Medical Purposes=20 cents per mile.
• Charitable Services=14 cents per mile.

In addition to deducting for mileage, you can also deduct for parking fees and tolls under this option.

If you have a truck and you use it for any or all of the purposes listed above, definitely consider your deductions! It may not seem to be much in terms of savings at first, but it adds up quickly and can be done every year.

2019 GMC Sierra: Your Office On The Go

These days it seems the idea of what the modern truck is and should do is changing. What began as a vehicle designed primarily for the working individual, one meant mostly for hauling and towing, is now being used much differently. Sure, trucks still haul and tow, but in a time when vehicles are becoming more versatile, the modern truck has had to evolve. It's much more than just transportation. Now, a truck is just as much a mobile office as it is anything else, and the way GMC sees it, in order to keep up with the times, the Sierra needed some reimagining. This next step in evolution for the GMC truck has created one of the most innovative and functional vehicles every created, the GMC Sierra 1500.

How do you decide which truck is right for you? Should you focus on power, pull, or strength? Do you need 6 cylinders or 8? Diesel or gas? Crew cab or max? Full-size, light-duty, heavy-duty? Four-wheel drive or two?

Think about how you will use it.

Today, most truck buyers are finding themselves using their vehicle as a method of transporting bulk and trudging through mud, as well as, a mobile office. It's a matter of getting the job done while getting the j-o-b done. You need something that can perform all the typical duties of a truck as well as one that has tech to support your business needs, a driver's seat comfortable enough for a long day of riding around, passenger room for your clients, and storage for all your paperwork, tools of the trade, and collection of coffee cups.

With this in consideration, which truck can go back and forth between the rugged and the professional on a whim, and do it with finesse? Let's have a look at two top contenders: the GMC Sierra 1500 and the Chevy Silverado. Both trucks are selling better than ever because they do well at creating a luxurious and spacious interior, all the while maintaining a tough exterior.

A Quick Comparison: the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Vs. the Chevy Silverado
Interior Comfort and Quality
After sitting inside both trucks one thing becomes clear, while the Silverado is considered the more value-oriented truck, the Sierra 1500 is pristine. Inside the Sierra there is thick leather seating, triple-sealed doors, and enough room to set up a computer, separate stacks of paper, even hold a meeting with a client! The expansive front seat is wide enough to hold three adult passengers comfortably.

Winner: GMC Sierra 1500

Cargo Space
There are three bed sizes to both the Sierra and the Silverado but the most common is the 8-foot bed. This larger size is perfect for setting up an exterior office on a nice, sunny day. If the 8-foot is too big, look to the 6-foot-6-inch bed. The Sierra provides the option for a regular cab, which has a 126.5-inch wheelbase, and an extended-cab and crew-cab version that sit on a 147.4-inch wheelbase. According to GMC, the longest of the two options offers almost three extra inches of legroom throughout. Both the Sierra 1500 and the Silverado do exceptionally well at offering roomy vehicles that can also carry work materials in back without sounding like a box full of bolts while you drive.

Winner: tie

Interior Features
The already-luxurious Sierra is available with Denali trim, which sets it even more above the competition. Ventilated and heated leather seats, wireless device charging, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and the Bose premium stereo system can turn your Sierra into the nicest office you have ever had.

Conversely, the Silverado has the High Country trim, which is Chevy's attempt at luxury with its 20-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated steering wheel, and 8-inch touch screen, but, yet again, it does not hit the mark set by the Sierra. When it comes to quality interior features, GMC's light-duty truck just can't be topped.

Winner: GMC Sierra 1500

Ride and Handling
With features such as direct steering and Magnetic Ride Control, both the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado have incredibly smooth rides. As a matter of fact, both offer drive handling at an entirely new level. The attention paid to making these trucks drive like luxury sedans has paid off well.

The ride and handling don't only impress on the smooth, open road either. Once you drop off a perspective client or you finish-up all that paperwork, it's a great idea to do a little off-roading. That's right, get your new truck a little dirty, see what it can do out on the open trail. You will be impressed!

Winner: tie

Reliability

Both trucks come with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, plus a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. However, if you were to look at the J.D. Power Reliability Scores throughout the years on both trucks you would notice they are pretty close. But "pretty close" and "the same" create a big enough difference to sway truck drivers in one direction, towards the GMC Sierra 1500.

Winner: GMC Sierra 1500

A Few More Reasons to Drive the Sierra 1500
With better comfort, content, storage, features, and reliability, the Sierra 1500 is the perfect work truck/mobile office, the all-new GMC Sierra 1500 doesn't just do well when stacked against its biggest competitor - it stands strong on its own as well.

The time spent designing and detailing the Sierra is evident. A true sign a vehicle has been made with purpose and precision is not just seen in what is present, it also depends on what is absent. The new Sierra has taken the "less is more" approach in many aspects of its new design, and it has paid off tremendously. There aren't a bunch of extra buttons and components that tend to break and cost money. Everything in and on the Sierra 1500 has a purpose.

The base level of the Sierra 1500 has a 4.3-liter, 6-cylinder engine with 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque. It can tow up to 7,600 pounds and reach a speed of 60 miles an hour in around eight seconds. Pretty impressive for a base-level engine, huh? Need a little more power? GMC still has you covered with the 1500. Sierra drivers can opt for the 5.3-liter, V-8 engine, which offers 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. And regardless of the engine size, all Sierra 1500s come with a tow/haul mode transmission and tap/shift controls. These controls make driving and distributing power much easier no matter the size of the load being carried.

There is the option for rear- or four-wheel drive, and the front strut and rear leaf-spring suspension offer an extra smooth ride no matter what. But, to truly understand the effect of the leaf-spring suspension you need to take the 1500 for a drive, preferably on a rough road or rigid path to experience the suspension take on any pothole or bump and translate it as smooth, easy driving. In addition to an undisturbed ride, 1500 drivers will enjoy the crisp steering that allows the Sierra to easily make its way around sharp corners and fit into tight spaces.

Inside the roomy cabin, the Sierra 1500 is filled with soft materials and pleasing aesthetics. The aluminum and wood trim pieces throughout the inside give of a sense of luxury, while the plush seats and polished dash create a comfortable, happy environment. Every aspect of the Sierra comes together to create a powerful and luxurious driving experience. The Sierra 1500 is surprisingly tough and pleasantly high-end. It offers superior comfort and power for being considered a light-duty truck.

GMC has realized that comfort doesn't only mean plush seating and soft-touch materials. True comfort is also created when there is more space to move and reposition. Comfort is when we can enjoy the interior of a truck with others. It's almost as if GMC could see that the modern truck is moving towards the creation of a modern office: one that is completely mobile yet just as accessible as any other. The Sierra's WiFi hotspot makes connecting to the internet as easy as in your (actual) office.

Our Favorite Aspects of the Sierra
At Liberty Buick GMC, we love the new 2019 Sierra 1500. Its boxy frame is offset by subtle curves running the length of the long truck. The large, shiny grille seems to point from the sides to the crystal clear LED headlights. On the SLT and Denali, GMC's MultiPro Tailgate, ProGrande Trailering System, automatic locking rear differential, and leather-wrapped steering wheel all come standard. And there are 11 different colors:

• White Frost Tricoat
• Deep Mahogany Metallic
• Cardinal Red
• Satin Steel Metallic
• Pacific Blue Metallic
• Quicksilver Metallic
• Summit White
• Onyx Black
• Dark Sky Metallic
• Red Quartz Tintcoat
• Smokey Quartz Metallic

We have a variety of 2018 and 2019 GMC Sierra trucks from which to choose. From the 2019 Crew Caw Short Box 4-Wheel Drive Denali to the Double Cab Standard Box, there's a truck that's right for you. We even have a section of pre-owned and certified pre-owned Sierra 1500s.

Don't Forget!
Are you in the market for a new car? Do you know what you can afford? Maybe you're willing to take on a higher payment for a shorter period of time. Maybe you're more comfortable with a lower monthly payment that will take longer to pay off. Regardless, there are ways Liberty Buick GMC can work with you to come up with financing arrangement that gets you moving.

You can value your trade in and get started on your financing application without even setting foot in the door. Liberty Buick GMC offers pre-approval, easy to fill out forms, a private, no-hassle process, and there's no obligation with any application. Our certified financial advisors are trained to work with any credit situation and leverage a network of hundreds of banks and lenders to secure the best rate for you. Our advisors are kind and considerate. They know that life happens. You shouldn't be worried or embarrassed about discussing your financial status with our advisors. Helping others work to meet their financial goals is what they were trained to do! Even if your credit score is something anyone would be proud of, our lenders may still provide you with benefits that you may otherwise not be able to access. 

Our customers come from Charlotte and surrounding communities - Salisbury to Rock Hill, Monroe to Waxhaw, Lake Norman to Harrisburg, Kannapolis to Belmont - to buy their new Buicks and GMCs as well as shop our great used car inventory. Come visit us at 9028 East Independence Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28105, shop online at clickliberty.com, or call 704.708.8000.

2016 GMC Sierra: The Truck With True Grit

Charlotte is under construction. Liberty Buick GMC in Matthews NC knows that every good construction guy needs a good pickup truck. The 2016 GMC Sierra is exactly what you need for Charlotte construction.

The goal with the GMC Sierra has always been to offer truck drivers what matters. Things like superior hauling, towing, and great performance and gas mileage. These are what we want, and we want them for a price that is affordable. Luckily, right now at Liberty Buick-GMC Trucks you can find all these things in the new 2016 GMC Sierra.

When referencing the GMC Sierra, most people end up comparing it to the Chevy Silverado. These two top-of-the-line trucks tend to work in tandem. When the GMC Sierra underwent a redesign two years ago, so did the Silverado. Both are similar in body-size, performance, and quality. And both lead the pack in terms of sales and popularity among true truck drivers. But despite these similarities there is reason to choose the 2016 GMC Sierra over the Silverado—beyond the fact that the GMC Sierra looks better. The all-new exterior physique is muscular and refined, much more so than others.

The bold grille, new LED lighting, and the Tri-Mode Power Steps elevate the 2016 GMC Sierra to a new level. And the comfort and quality are unsurpassed as well. For one, there are so many cab, bed, and interior options to choose from, it’s tough to pinpoint which is best. Inside the 2016 GMC Sierra you can choose between five or six-passenger seating. And both allow all passengers plenty of room to stretch and relax. You can also choose between bucket seats that are leather or cloth. Both of which are built to withstand heavy traffic and wear. Every bit of the 2016 GMC Sierra is built for quality.

Add in the tilt-wheel, heated seats, and ultra smooth ride, and you will find the 2016 GMC Sierra unbeatable. There are plenty of good options out there for a heavy-duty truck, but when it comes down to it, the 2016 Sierra just has too much to offer to be ignored.

Looking for a Blue GMC Sierra? Looking for a White GMC Sierra 1500? We have it all at Liberty Buick GMC. We are located at 9028 East Independence Blvd in Matthews NC. Schedule a test drive of the new 2016 GMC Sierra from our website or search our inventory. 

 By Andrae Bergeron

CCP Web Design Writer