Anybody here work in classic car journalism?

[warren t claim]

I have always wanted to know what's the score with staff cars? Do you pay for them out of your own wages? Will EMAP/Baur bail you out with a full engine rebuild if you have a pissed on Ebay/£6k Mondial moment? Are you told what to buy and do you get to keep them if you move jobs? What's the company car tax situation? Sorry for being nosey!

[outlaw118]

Attention Dollywobbler!!

[chaseracer]

D Wobbler and Keith A to the white courtesy phone, please!

[whitevanman]

I think from memory that most of the staff cars are self funded, thought hey can be written of against Taxes

[scruff]

It isn’t the same in all cases but…Generally a purchase will have to be agreed by the editor, whoever ‘runs’ the car usually goes with an idea and pitches it. Purchase cost comes from the editorial budget as does any repairs. If the writer buys it himself (much more common) than that is different, the mag will very seldom pay for anything (they can’t afford it) but a lot of stuff will be blagged. Very few mag-owned staff cars actually get used as ‘company cars’ so the tax side of things isn’t an issue. When I was at Emap any fuel costs on staff vehicles went through expenses as ‘test fuel’, as most of the time the vehicle in question was being used in a feature anyway. When I left, I left my staff vehicle but they have no claim on my own motors.

[Tayne]

.

[scruff]

Yep!

[dollywobbler]

Sorry, I missed this one. My cars are my cars. I buy what I like but after discussion with the editor to ensure we don't duplicate cars and that we have a good spread of classics. I've got myself something much older for instance, though I can't go into details just yet.

 

The company owns some cars, typically the ones that absorb tons of cash and need loads of work - PC's Jag Mk2 is similar to the Ferrari situation. When I'm buying with my own cash, I tend to be more careful! And still get my fingers burnt every now and then... (usually Rover P6s!)