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January 24, 2021
Question

how do record purchased car

  • January 24, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 14 views

i purchased a car $46,328.23 with trade in that gave me $9,250 

my old car still shows 33,615.32 under fixed asset after depreciation.  the loan for old car has been paid off already and the new car was paid in cash (1k down payment credit card) + (5k payment credit card) + ($9,500 trade in value) + (31,078.23 payment check)  the company will get a loan later from the owner to cover this instead of getting car loan from the dealer  How should i record this?  46,32823 include sales tax (4302.23) processing fee (85) DMV (30) registration ($15) emission exemption fee ($8)  should i include those tax and fees into the fixed asset or record as expense to appropriate category expenses?

4 replies

BigRedConsulting
Level 15
January 27, 2021

Use two different asset accounts to track the cars, and two different accounts for the new car:

1) Depreciate the old car down to 9,250, 'cause that's all it was worth when you traded it in.

2) Create a new asset account for the new car and enter 46,328.23 as the balance, using a new liability account (more or less a loan) as an offsetting account 'cause that's what it was worth and what you owed at the moment of purchase.

3) Transfer the old car's value of 9,250 to the liability account to reduce the balance

4) Similarly, in the credit card account, use the liability account for the 1k payment and 5k payments when you record those transactions.

5) Also, use the liability account for the 31,078.23 payment by check.

 

In the end, the liability account will have a 0.00 balance and the new asset account a 46,328.23 balance.

 

If course the new car isn't worth that you paid anymore, so perhaps use https://www.edmunds.com/ or similar site to value the new car and depreciate it as well.

mihosakaiAuthor
January 27, 2021

forgot to follow up on this...

 

so should i include all other charges, registration fee, tax, handing fee. so on in the car fixed asset account or should i simply take only car value of $41,888 and other charges should go to the appropriate expenses account each?

January 14, 2024

Did you get the answer to the above Q about how to journalize the Tax/License and Fees for the new car purchase in QBooks?