# Consumer Reports warning to would-be buyers of used Uber and Lyft vehicles for sale



## BurgerTiime (Jun 22, 2015)

https://www.consumerreports.org/buying-a-car/how-to-avoid-buying-a-used-uber-or-lyft-car/

*Vehicle history reports often don't say if cars were used as Uber or Lyft vehicles, which could have added engine wear and tear*

*Vehicles used for ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft can get a lot of wear and tear-often in ways that are different from what is found in a typical used car. And CR found that when they're done ferrying passengers, former ride-share cars can end up for sale without any warning to would-be buyers.

Even vehicle history reports designed to let shoppers know about crashes or other damage are often left in the dark.

Still, there are ways for you to avoid getting a car that's been used-or abused-as a ride-share vehicle.
*
*Ride-Share Wear and Tear*
CR checked the Carfax vehicle history report for a 2015 Ford Explorer we requested using the Lyft app in the Boston area, as well as one for a 2015 Hyundai Elantra requested for an UberX ride in San Francisco. Even though both are being used for ride-sharing, their Carfax reports show them as privately owned, not commercial vehicles or taxis. If those vehicles are put up for sale, potential buyers will be unaware of their prior use.

*That's not a mistake, according to Carfax spokesman Chris Basso. "Personally registered ride-share vehicles, for companies like Uber and Lyft, currently only show as personal use on Carfax," he wrote in an email to CR.

But some signs of abuse are immediately apparent to would-be buyers. Passengers can put excess wear and tear on vehicle interiors by getting sick, breaking off plastic trim pieces, and leaving stains on the upholstery, according to driver postings at ride-share forums, such as uberpeople.net and ridesharecentral.com. "It's not their car, so they're not super careful with it," says Harry Campbell, who runs the website ridegiyshare and conducts an independent annual survey of ride-share drivers.

Other issues are less obvious. A used car with a big discount for high mileage might be a good deal if it's been used by a single owner for long, gentle highway commutes. But if those miles were racked up as an Uber or Lyft, it might have endured a lot of abusive stop-and-go driving and extensive idling that could lead to costly repairs for the next owner.

In some cases, an automaker may even void some of a vehicle's warranty protections if it determines that a vehicle was used for ride-sharing, according to Mel Yu, automotive analyst at Consumer Reports.

Advocates say consumers need more-and better-information about the history of any used vehicle.

"Ride-share vehicles are now part of a larger problem, where consumers don't have what they need to make informed decisions about used cars," said David Friedman, director of cars and product policy and analysis for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. "From ride-sharing to cars with flood or crash damage, the current system fails consumers. The government should set a higher bar when it comes to reporting vehicle history."

Contrast former ride-share cars with vehicles used for taxi or limousine services. When a taxi is decommissioned and sold, a vehicle history report will usually indicate what it was used for. Some states even indicate taxi or livery use on the vehicle's title, the same way they would with a stolen or flooded car, to give buyers a head's up on its previous life. Such a disclosure could lower a vehicle's resale value by up to one-third, according to CR's Yu.

However, privately owned ride-share vehicles aren't subject to the same disclosure requirements. "Because these vehicles are privately owned and they're registered as personal vehicles, there's not going to be anything in the paperwork that's going to bring that up," said Dan Blinn, a consumer advocacy lawyer from the Consumer Law Group in Rocky Hill, Conn.

That's not the case in New York City, which requires owners of ride-share vehicles to obtain the same sort of registration as taxi or limousine owners. That's why, when CR purchased a Carfax report for a 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid used as an UberX vehicle in Manhattan, the vehicle history report identified the car as having been used as a taxi. 
*


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Well...

Sounds like in the near future the history of a car being used for uber/lyft are going to end up on the CarFox report.


This is something that NEEDS to be on these reports.


Good luck selling your cars after you quit doing uber!


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## transporter007 (Feb 19, 2018)

They needed to warn the public that a:

4YO vehicle
with 189,000 miles
Indentation and excessive wear of driver and rear passenger bottom seat area
Hole from shoe heel directly in front of accelerator
May of been used in ride sharing ?

How much does Consumer Reports charge for membership?


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## Direwolfismyspiritanimal (Oct 2, 2016)

Thank you for sharing this article. Very interesting...


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

An Uber car depreciated faster than a personal vehicle? I don't believe that. Are you really trying to tell me that excess mileage and a very used looking interior is going to make my vehicle worth less? Uber never told me that when I signed up to drive. I thought I was just going to "Make great money.....and....Work when you want to."


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

I think the article is referring to a black car in nyc which can be verified by registration as they require tlc plates but I am not sure how to check others

I guess you can just tell by the miles lol


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## Jesusdrivesuber (Jan 5, 2017)

So now we know where to used cars from enterprise and hertz are ending up after their deals with Uber and Lyft.

Surprised they didn't mention uber cars with reverted odometers, didn't someone make a post about doing that here?


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So now we know where to used cars from enterprise and hertz are ending up after their deals with Uber and Lyft.
> 
> Surprised they didn't mention uber cars with reverted odometers, didn't someone make a post about doing that here?


Well.. uber vehicles will present a high risk to me, when i REALLY think about it.

Uber vehicles will rack up an abnormally high number of miles in relatively short time. Let's be honest. Who is gong to suspect that a 5 year old car with 75,000 miles on it has a bogus odometer?

Well, quite honestly no one...

Now if for instance your 5 year old uber car has 250,000 miles on the odometer?

Cutting the mileage down to 75,000 doesn't sound like a terrible idea. You could easily cut the mileage by over 2/3rds and still be at the average range of miles driven for that make/model.
_

_
My feeling on it is...

These uber vehicles will be lemon flavored land mines at the dealers.

Except you can make lemonade out of them, if you do it will come out tasting like (*%*%


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

Never ever buy a car that's been owned by a rental car company. They never ever do any service on the transmission so it's ready to fail when they sell it. You must have the automatic transmission fluid changed at 30k just like an oil change or the fluid breaks down and excessive wear occurs. Never buy a Nissan with a CVT either. They are specifically designed to fail after about 65k or so, which is outside their warranty and the try to act like the owner did something wrong so they will pay to replace the ******. There have been numerous lawsuits over Nissans CVT's yet they keep making them. lol


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

BurgerTiime said:


> https://www.consumerreports.org/buying-a-car/how-to-avoid-buying-a-used-uber-or-lyft-car/
> 
> *Vehicle history reports often don't say if cars were used as Uber or Lyft vehicles, which could have added engine wear and tear*
> 
> ...


Great
A NEW WAY TO SCREW UBER DRIVERS !



Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So now we know where to used cars from enterprise and hertz are ending up after their deals with Uber and Lyft.
> 
> Surprised they didn't mention uber cars with reverted odometers, didn't someone make a post about doing that here?


Speedometers / Odometers are always CHEAP ON E BAY !

Only 20,000 miles !

Already had to replace the plastic under engine guard on my car ( $235.00) from uber in New Orleans.
Pot Hole Hell.
I replaced it to keep the oil pan in tact.

It was worn through from scraping bottom.


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> Great
> A NEW WAY TO SCREW UBER DRIVERS !
> 
> Speedometers / Odometers are always CHEAP ON E BAY !
> ...


It's illegal to roll back an odometer but not illegal to swap clusters.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Wont be selling mine till 180,000 miles most probably . . .



uberdriverfornow said:


> It's illegal to roll back an odometer but not illegal to swap clusters.


Yet you are supposed to enclose a piece of plastic stating the cluster has been changed . . .

There is always disconnecting the cable . . .
Cheapest way to go.

Reconnect it in a few years . . .

But putting a drill in reverse with cable attached is illegal.



transporter007 said:


> They needed to warn the public that a:
> 
> 4YO vehicle
> with 189,000 miles
> ...


Thick floor mats.
Already had accelerator hole on car at 2 years old.
Also
J.C. whitney sells front carpet panels for $38.00

20,000 miles AND NEW CAR SMELL !

Uber ?
Yes i tried it.
Only on sundays for tax writeoff . . .



Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Well.. uber vehicles will present a high risk to me, when i REALLY think about it.
> 
> Uber vehicles will rack up an abnormally high number of miles in relatively short time. Let's be honest. Who is gong to suspect that a 5 year old car with 75,000 miles on it has a bogus odometer?
> 
> ...


Well
After new strutts, ball joints, wheel bearings, springs, tortion bars, grommets, stabilizer bars . . . it will be like a new suspension.



SEAL Team 5 said:


> An Uber car depreciated faster than a personal vehicle? I don't believe that. Are you really trying to tell me that excess mileage and a very used looking interior is going to make my vehicle worth less? Uber never told me that when I signed up to drive. I thought I was just going to "Make great money.....and....Work when you want to."


Why did Uber quit Leasing vehicles ?

Because they LOST $9,000.00 a unit !

Even after High weekly Payments ?

Yet uber pretends ( PRETENDS) it has no idea of the expense we incur maintaining vehicles !
So Uber cuts Rates 4 Times !

" LOWER RATES MEAN MORE MONEY !"

Rent us New Vehicles at Lower Rates Uber !

It means MORE MONEY !

NO NEED TO TIP !
let us go to corporate to eat human hearts !


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## transporter007 (Feb 19, 2018)

tohunt4me said:


> Wont be selling mine till 180,000 miles most probably . . .
> 
> Yet you are supposed to enclose a piece of plastic stating the cluster has been changed . . .
> 
> ...


Right! Disconnect "the cable"! Maybe On a '62 Pontiac Catalina



SEAL Team 5 said:


> An Uber car depreciated faster than a personal vehicle? I don't believe that. Are you really trying to tell me that excess mileage and a very used looking interior is going to make my vehicle worth less? Uber never told me that when I signed up to drive. I thought I was just going to "Make great money.....and....Work when you want to."


Like wine, cars get better with age .

Gotta go, passenger arrived









jackass passenger !


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## transporter007 (Feb 19, 2018)

tohunt4me said:


> Wont be selling mine till 180,000 miles most probably . . .
> 
> Yet you are supposed to enclose a piece of plastic stating the cluster has been changed . . .
> 
> ...


"_Yet uber pretends ( PRETENDS) it has no idea of the expense we incur maintaining vehicles !"_
*Correction: they Know, they just Don't Care










They know most drivers lose money with uber, they just assume we have nowhere else to go and no one else will hire us.

Things that make you go Hummmm*


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## Chris1973 (Oct 9, 2017)

Don't ask don't tell. How long until every company that deals with your auto from insurance to mechanic will start asking, are you a rideshare driver?


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

I'm saving up for a classic truck, so miles don't matter to me.


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## at-007smartLP (Oct 27, 2017)

i would think miles would give it away theres going to be alot of newer vehicles with may more miles than normal on them

i bought a used xl vehicle before uber was legal so for other purposes put 80K miles on it in 3 years pretty much all highway after the first 90 days & would say least 2K a year on repairs, all original parts failing so who knows if they would of lasted, i do know i filled my tank up every 3 months before uber & every other day after lol i never drove, had 70K miles first 7 years from previous owner...

dont comprehend the select folks that depreciation not worth it, xl is best bang for youe buck can get a minivan for less than 7K & basically get select rates which require a 15+40K car

whats funny are the select idiots also doing x rides doh

find an xl bucket & ride it to the wheels fall off put zero into it, itll pay itself off in a month replace when the first major repair comes up get another...


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

at-007smartLP said:


> i would think miles would give it away theres going to be alot of newer vehicles with may more miles than normal on them
> 
> i bought a used xl vehicle before uber was legal so for other purposes put 80K miles on it in 3 years pretty much all highway after the first 90 days & would say least 2K a year on repairs, all original parts failing so who knows if they would of lasted, i do know i filled my tank up every 3 months before uber & every other day after lol i never drove, had 70K miles first 7 years from previous owner...
> 
> ...


I would have to agree with you now, was a great deal when I started. I do Select in what was a 32K car. I used to do really well 4 years ago with decent rates even before we got select. Now I pretty much only do select or 2X surge X rides. I've beaten about 20K in value off the car, fortunately I've pulled in quite a bit more than that. My plan is to beat the daylights out of that car for another 2 years and then dump it for 4 to 5 K with 175K or so on the odometer.


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## Veju (Apr 17, 2017)

transporter007 said:


> Right! Disconnect "the cable"! Maybe On a '62 Pontiac Catalina
> 
> Like wine, cars get better with age .
> 
> ...


I can't see your pax, his service animal is blocking my view.


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