Section 179 Question for rental business

[Daniel Chen]

I am managing 4 rental properties that me and wife owns. All of them are LTR, I do have a full time job so this is something I do outside of that.

Regular activities include yard work, small repair & maintenances, activities relating to a tenant turnover. I currently use the two family cars we have to conduct these activities, and I am looking to buy a new vehicle that is more suitable (a truck) for the tasks that I have been doing. 

I do want to take advantage of the section 179 deductions if its possible. I do not have a LLC and I have been reporting my rental income and the expenses associated with it in Schedule E. I am wondering if it's as simple as just purchasing the car under my own name like a regular car and next year just add that car to a schedule C while I keep everything else still in Schedule E.

Thanks in advance.

[Kory Reynolds]

Generally if you only have a handful of rentals and you are fulltime doing something else (a W-2 job), it'll just make sense to claim the standard mileage deduction - @David Orr did a good job outlining all the related nuance to that.  

With 179 you are going to be limited based on your percentage of business use with the vehicle (so still need to track mileage), and if you go under 50% business use you can end up with a recapture of your prior 179 deduction - income with no related cash flow is always a bit uncomfortable!