Re: purchase price + upkeep


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Posted by Rick Denney on February 11, 2003 at 13:31:27:

In Reply to: purchase price + upkeep posted by Kenneth Sloan on February 11, 2003 at 12:07:23:

I'd calculate it the way the IRS does: Those items that maintain its value are considered routine maintenance, and those items that increase its value are considered upgrades. The former don't change its base value for depreciation; the latter do.

So, the addition of a tuning stick adds the the price of the instrument, but removing that dent doesn't, unless you bought the horn with the dent in it.

If I buy a beat-up carcass and have it overhauled, then I add the cost of the two together. Thus, I paid about $2500 in trade fodder for my Miraphone, and $500 for extensive repairs to bring it up to its playing potential and to make it more fun to look at. I'd have expected to pay $3000 for it in the condition after the repair, so it worked out.

But I would not count the cost of various cleanings, replacements of bumpers, and other items of maintenance.

The purpose of counting this cost is to determine if it is cheaper to repair an instrument or buy another instrument just like it that is already in the desired condition. This is a valid consideration for a Miraphone, which are generally available in various conditions. But it would not be a consideration for my Holton, or my York Master, neither of which can be easily replaced. So, I might invest more in the Holton than it would sell for, just because I know I can't replace it with one already in better condition.

As to the value you get out of it, that cannot be measured in economic terms for amateurs. I use the subjective self-thanks factor. I bought the 621 F tuba by irresponsibly burning a hole clean through a credit card, and every time I put it to my lips I thank myself for doing it. The purchase of the Holton required dipping into savings below the minimum that my wife and I usually allow, mostly because of other expenses that surprised us around the same time. But last Saturday, when I played my first concert with the Holton in the Loudoun Symphonic Winds, and heard its sound couple with the upper-octave tone of the King owned by my section mate, I thanked myself for being so irresponsible.

One the other hand, I bought a Vespro VMI-stencil that was quite nice, but I never thanked myself for buying it in the same way. I sold it after a couple of years.

Were I a repair technician who was buying carcasses and selling them after overhaul, then I would count every penny that had to be spent to get it in salable condition. Maintenance is not an issue in that scenario.

Rick "who could really complicate this by considering the time value of money" Denney


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