# Decisions decisions



## Jbat32 (Aug 6, 2018)

So I'm thinking about buying either a toyota Prius or a dodge grand caravan the prius has great mpg but I also want to do xl what do you guys think


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## Toyota Guy (May 18, 2016)

It's really a question of whether you want to go to Heaven or Hell. The Prius is the most reliable vehicle on the American road and gets super gas mileage. The Dodge is a POS that will cause you to rethink your life as in, "What did I do to deserve this?" I know that three or four people have had good experience with Chrysler products, but the honeymoon is usually over within two or three weeks. Yes, you can do XL with the minivan when it's actually running, but that won't be long or often.


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## Jbat32 (Aug 6, 2018)

Toyota Guy said:


> It's really a question of whether you want to go to Heaven or Hell. The Prius is the most reliable vehicle on the American road and gets super gas mileage. The Dodge is a POS that will cause you to rethink your life as in, "What did I do to deserve this?" I know that three or four people have had good experience with Chrysler products, but the honeymoon is usually over within two or three weeks. Yes, you can do XL with the minivan when it's actually running, but that won't be long or often.


How do you feel about the sienna that was another mini van I was looking at or is it just as bad as the dodge


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## Toyota Guy (May 18, 2016)

The Sienna is a quality vehicle that will give years of service after the Dodge has been taken to the junkyard.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Jbat32 said:


> How do you feel about the sienna that was another mini van I was looking at or is it just as bad as the dodge


Thumbs up on the Sienna. I owned one and was very happy with it.


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## Toyota Guy (May 18, 2016)

Disclaimer: I used to sell Toyotas. I have a car buying rule: If you're looking for a vehicle and either Toyota or Honda (or Lexus or Acura) make one, why are you looking at anything else? This is particularly true when looking for rideshare vehicles. Look at the big city taxi companies; the vast majority use Toyotas.


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## Jbat32 (Aug 6, 2018)

1.5xorbust said:


> Thumbs up on the Sienna. I owned one and was very happy with it.


I know the mpg is it still very profitable as far as doing x and xl rides together


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## NorCalPhil (Aug 19, 2016)

Jbat32 said:


> So I'm thinking about buying either a toyota Prius or a dodge grand caravan the prius has great mpg but I also want to do xl what do you guys think


Which one are you paying cash for?


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## Jbat32 (Aug 6, 2018)

NorCalPhil said:


> Which one are you paying cash for?


That wasn't a answer I was looking for but good effort


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## NorCalPhil (Aug 19, 2016)

Jbat32 said:


> That wasn't a answer I was looking for but good effort


No problem. Too many rideshare peeps financing cars. Not enough money in it to bother with payments, not to mention the depreciation. Painful to watch.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

NorCalPhil said:


> No problem. Too many rideshare peeps financing cars. Not enough money in it to bother with payments, not to mention the depreciation. Painful to watch.


It makes no difference whether you finance a car or pay cash>>>> My point is that if you pay cash you have to plan for the eventual replacement of the vehicle... If its a $10000 car and you plan to drive it 3 years you better be saving about $300 a month If you finance the same $10000 vehicle over 3 years your payment will be about $300 a month... Either way you have to pay to play

If you are buying a car to Uber, my advise is to buy something that qualifies for two of the better ride choices. In my market we only have X, XL and Select. I drive a Ford Explore that qualifies for X and XL, but not select. I owned the Ford before I started Uber, but I find its an excellent XL vehicle. The 3rd row has enough leg room for 2 adults and even when the 3rd row is up I have room for luggage.... Ive only had to turn down 2 airport runs in the last 8 months. I have 120000 miles on this car and the only maintenance has have been the routine oil, and tires and brakes. I drove my old Ford Explorer over 200000 miles before I needed anything more than that, and expect to get this one to 300000 before replacing it,

I had always been a Toyota guy but I gotta say, Ill be buying another Ford when the time comes to replace my explorer. Im already looking at the Lincoln Navigator, that qualifies for Select and XL.. and I can drive it 2 hours to a neighboring market that has the LUX SUV class that pays like $4 a mile

anyhow, Thats my advice, Buy a car the qualifies for two ride classes above X


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## NorCalPhil (Aug 19, 2016)

oldfart said:


> It makes no difference whether you finance a car or pay cash>>>>


That's not true.

If you finance, you pay interest, and you have an outstanding balance you think you're going to pay off by doing Uber. All it takes is an accident or a false report by a pax to get kicked off the platform. Not to mention Uber monkeying around with drivers pay making this a pretty crappy paying job all things considered.

Financing a car for this gig loads up all kinds of risk on the driver, and puts someone in a difficult position when Murphy comes knockin.

Everybody's situation is different, but purposely buying a car on credit to do this job is just dumb.


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## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

I have a Sienna. It's very reliable. It qualifies for XL. 06-09 can be had for under $10k.

It REALLY depends on your market and gas prices. The van will get 18mpg (realistic mileage for short city Uber trips) vs 45-50 for the Prius. The XL rides will save you from going home broke. But they might be far in between.

If my van was totalled and I was forced to buy a new car, and I was buying just for Uber, I would pick the Prius, assuming both vehicles were the same price.

Never anything over $10k.


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