Create the record when you purchase
Start from the Autofindr listing so the available vehicle details travel into your register entry. If the purchase came from somewhere else, add an entry manually. Check the vehicle, currency and purchase date before saving.
The purchase date determines the two-year register retention period. Enter the actual date and export records that you need to retain beyond that period.
Record costs as they happen
Add each repair, inspection, transport or preparation cost with a short description. Individual entries are easier to review later than a single total labelled miscellaneous.
Keep your own invoices and receipts where you normally store them. The register helps organise amounts and notes; it is not a substitute for original records or any accounting records you need.
- Use the purchase currency consistently within the entry
- Separate expected work from costs already incurred
- Describe a cost so it still makes sense months later
Keep the next action visible
Use notes to record what is next: book an inspection, order a part, finish preparation or photograph the vehicle. Avoid placing unnecessary seller contact details or other personal information in notes.
A target sale price helps you compare the plan with your total recorded investment. It is a target, not a guaranteed outcome.
Close the loop when it sells
Record the sale date and proceeds, then check that all relevant costs have been entered. The result depends on the completeness and accuracy of your records.
Export your register periodically and before retention expires. An entry remains for two calendar years from purchase, or until you have had no Autofindr subscription for 90 continuous days, whichever comes first.
Check the numbers with a simple example
Consider an illustrative purchase of 8,000 in one currency, followed by 600 in repairs, 150 in inspection costs, 250 in transport and 100 in preparation. The recorded investment is 9,100. A completed sale for 10,000 leaves a recorded difference of 900 before any costs you have not entered. A target sale of 10,000 does not create that result while the vehicle remains unsold.
If a late repair invoice adds another 300, the same sale leaves 600. Enter it against the correct vehicle instead of adjusting the sale amount to make the total look right. Retain the original invoice separately. Accurate entries make the register useful for reviewing a purchase, even when the eventual outcome is less favourable than the original plan.
