Vehicle Expenses
Record the costs of buying, preparing, and carrying each vehicle.
Add each cost to the vehicle that incurred it. Your team can track what was paid and managers can review vehicle costs in reports.
Add an expense
- Open Inventory and select the vehicle.
- Open the Expenses tab.
- Select Add Expense.
- Choose a category.
- Enter the amount and date.
- Add a description, notes, and paid status as needed.
- Save the expense.
The new row appears in the vehicle's expense table and updates the summary cards.
Expense fields
| Field | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Category | Groups the cost for review and reporting |
| Description | Gives the row a concise, recognizable label |
| Amount | Stores the cost assigned to this vehicle |
| Date | Records when the expense occurred |
| Notes | Adds details that do not fit the description |
| Paid | Tracks whether your team considers the expense paid |
Amount and category are used in reports. Both paid and unpaid expenses are included in totals. Use Paid to help your team follow up.
Expense categories
| Category | Example use |
|---|---|
| Acquisition | Purchase or intake cost recorded against the vehicle |
| Repair | Mechanical or body repair work |
| Labor | Labor recorded separately from parts or repair invoices |
| Storage | Lot, storage, or holding cost |
| Detailing | Cleaning and presentation preparation |
| Part | Replacement or added parts |
| Other | A vehicle cost that does not fit another category |
Add acquisition, reconditioning, transportation, and other costs as separate expenses. Choose the closest category and write a clear description.
Read the summary
The Expenses tab shows:
- Total Spent: Sum of the vehicle's recorded expenses
- Count: Number of expense records
- Highest: Largest single recorded expense
Select a table row to edit it. The row menu also lets you mark the expense paid or unpaid, edit it, or delete it.
How expenses affect reports
Vehicle expenses feed two dealership reports:
- Profit Analysis subtracts recorded vehicle expenses from completed-sale revenue for the dates and filters you selected.
- Operation Costs groups recorded expenses by category for vehicles whose status is Sold.
Reports include the expense whether Paid is on or off.
Check totals before using them for accounting
DealerSpot reports only what your team enters. It does not match expenses against bank activity, invoices, taxes, or your accounting system.
Keep the data useful
- Create one row per meaningful cost instead of overwriting a running total.
- Use consistent categories across the dealership.
- Put the vendor or work performed in Description.
- Use Notes for invoice numbers or team details.
- Update Paid when the payment status changes.
- Correct mistakes promptly so reports stay accurate.
Example workflow
A newly acquired used vehicle might have separate expenses for acquisition, a replacement part, repair labor, and detailing. Four clear entries are easier to understand than one combined amount.