# When Do You Choose To Buy A New Car Instead of Repairing Current Vehicle?



## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.

Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs. 

Fellow/Lady rideshare colleagues, what would YOU do? Fix some or all problems with the current car? Or, trade it in on a newer car ASAP? 

Thanks in advance for any constructive advice!

-Allen In Chicagoland


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Give a car an annual budget. Let’s say $10k per year including initial purchase price and any loans (divided by years owned), fuel, scheduled maintenance, repairs, insurance, anything else, minus expected sale price. If you cross the mark and expect to keep crossing it from now on, you need a different car that doesn’t pass the mark. The number per year that you pick is based on what you make, what you can afford, and what is cheaper than that.

Budget.

If you are spending $3k this year on maintenance and repairs it could be a lot worse, but if you are doing that every year you might be better off with a cheaper to maintain car.


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


This is why you never rideshare in a new car.

You have paid 20K into the loan over five years, the car is effectively done.

If you had bought a 10yo used car for 5K, you would have needed the same maintenance items. Maintenance budget would be roughly the same, but you wouldn't have sunk so much into the loan and be under water.

My advice, if you cant do most of the work yourself, quit rideshare.

If you must keep ridesharing, sell the car and pay cash for a 10yo car.

If you are so upside down that you can't sell the car, and cant afford repairs, let the bank repo the car and get a job at Walmart like everyone else before you who made this mistake.


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## L DaVinci (Oct 26, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


It's cheaper to get a new car with a factory extended warranty. It'll cost you more and more to keep the one you have. BTW get a reliable car like a Toyota


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

L DaVinci said:


> It's cheaper to get a new car with a factory extended warranty. It'll cost you more and more to keep the one you have. BTW get a reliable car like a Toyota


Disagree for a car that does 30,000 miles per year on average. You'd have to start a maintenance budget again after the warranty is done in 1-2 years. Over 15,000 miles per year and a new car warranty becomes nearly useless if you are keeping the car for the long haul.

I have a new car still under warranty and the math suggests that I shouldn't let a single passenger inside it, so I don't.


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## L DaVinci (Oct 26, 2019)

waldowainthrop said:


> Disagree for a car that does 30,000 miles per year on average. You'd have to start a maintenance budget again after the warranty is done in 1-2 years. Over 15,000 miles per year and a new car warranty becomes nearly useless if you are keeping the car for the long haul.
> 
> I have a new car still under warranty and the math suggests that I shouldn't let a single passenger inside it, so I don't.


I have a 10 year bumper to bumper extended warranty on my Prius


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> Or, trade it in on a newer car ASAP?


And be even more upside down on that from the start? Save 4-5K cash and buy a used Prius which has had the hybrid battery replaced.

What's wrong with these Hyundais, especially Sonatas, and their engines, anyway? I see a boatload of them with barely over 100K miles with bad engines being sold for cheap. Or others where the engine has been replaced already.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

L DaVinci said:


> I have a 10 year bumper to bumper extended warranty on my Prius


This might work for you, but the associated depreciation/replacement/financing costs with new cars at typical UberX/Lyft Vanilla rates are high enough that you'd have to highly value a "new" car for non-rideshare reasons.


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## L DaVinci (Oct 26, 2019)

waldowainthrop said:


> This might work for you, but the associated depreciation/replacement/financing costs with new cars at typical UberX/Lyft Vanilla rates are high enough that you'd have to highly value a "new" car for non-rideshare reasons.


I look at cars as just machines that serve a purpose. As long as I make enough driving Uber to make the payments and insurance I'm happy, Uber is not a lifestyle.


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## UbaBrah (Oct 25, 2019)

Financing a Hyundai and then Uber driving with it is absurd. This brand holds its resell value terribly, and doing rideshare with it will depreciate it doubly fast. At this point I would honestly say do whatever you please because the initial decisions were poor and hopefully you can avoid this type of situation next time. As for repairs in general, I typically just take care of the safety issues first (such as brakes) and let the rest slide until I can comfortably spare the money.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Repair it and drive it until it ages out.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


Trade


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

Is this your personal vehicle as well? if so, trade the puppy in while it has 'some' value and get a new/newer vehicle. Hopefully the value comes close to the remaining loan balance. If not, that will be a nut to deal with......


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Probably you could’ve bought 2-3 years older Toyota Camry with same loan amount. At least you wouldn’t need that much repair at 147k miles. Plus if it was a hybrid you would have spent Half if the gas you’ve burned on the Sonata. 

This is the lesson that everyone should learn why older and Toyota or Honda car should be driven for this gig

I recommend that you get an appraisal from Carmax and don’t mention about repairs as long as you Have fair credit buy older toyota and roll your negative equity into minthly. That may be the way.


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

L DaVinci said:


> I have a 10 year bumper to bumper extended warranty on my Prius


Rideshare ages the interior of a car (and sometimes exterior) at 10x the rate.

Who would take a new car and let 2000 people in it over a year??

It will be 10 years old inside after a year of rideshare. That would be like a person smoking 2 packs a day, keeping a dark tan year round from a tanning bed, and getting blind drunk every night. Will hit 25 and wonder "why don't the boys like me anymore?"


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## kc ub'ing! (May 27, 2016)

AllenChicago said:


> new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.


You can do the brakes, $55! New suspension my ass! Struts, easy $125. Lower control arms bout the same. Rings, steep! Adding oil is inconvenient but buys you time until you can afford to fix or buy without feeling so desperate!


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


Everybody swears these cars will go for 300,000 miles.


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


Dump it! It's done, no use trying to renew garbage. And only SUCKERS buy new cars for doing rideshre! You have to get an older (at least 3-5 yrs) car with low miles. And not a Hyundai.



kc ub'ing! said:


> You can do the brakes, $55! New suspension my ass! Struts, easy $125. Lower control arms bout the same. Rings, steep! Adding oil is inconvenient but buys you time until you can afford to fix or buy without feeling so desperate!


Brakes are easy, yes. Struts for $125? Doubtful. Harder job, and same with control arms. Not everyone is mechanically inclined, and unless. You know someone, they will ALWAYS rip you off!


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## kc ub'ing! (May 27, 2016)

Jenga said:


> Not everyone is mechanically inclined


I'm not! But I can pull up a tutorial on YouTube and if I feel I can manage, tallyho!

Did struts, $125x2, brake pads, $54, rotors&pads $250, spark plugs $28, serpentine belt $26. One never knows until one tries!


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

TomTheAnt said:


> And be even more upside down on that from the start? Save 4-5K cash and buy a used Prius which has had the hybrid battery replaced.
> 
> What's wrong with these Hyundais, especially Sonatas, and their engines, anyway? I see a boatload of them with barely over 100K miles with bad engines being sold for cheap. Or others where the engine has been replaced already.


Hyundai used a "GDI" engine from 2013 up to 2019 model year. In the automotive industry, they call it a "dirty" engine. Sacrifices were made to make the engine lighter/stronger/more fuel efficient...all at the same time.

I had a 2010 Hyundai Sonata before buying this 2015 model. It went to +180,000 miles with no engine problems. Except for the oil burning, this 2015 has been totally trouble-free up to the current 148,000 mile mark.



UbaBrah said:


> Financing a Hyundai and then Uber driving with it is absurd. This brand holds its resell value terribly, and doing rideshare with it will depreciate it doubly fast. At this point I would honestly say do whatever you please because the initial decisions were poor and hopefully you can avoid this type of situation next time. As for repairs in general, I typically just take care of the safety issues first (such as brakes) and let the rest slide until I can comfortably spare the money.


I should have clarified in my initial post that I did not begin using the car for ridesharing until the car was almost 2 years old. From Aug 2014 thru Nov 2016, it was used just to transport myself to insurance appointments, and personal.

Ridesharing (Lyft) did not begin until ObamaCare caused Insurance companies to reduce our sale commissions to a level that couldn't pay all the bills. Lyft fills that gap.



UbaBrah said:


> Financing a Hyundai and then Uber driving with it is absurd. This brand holds its resell value terribly, and doing rideshare with it will depreciate it doubly fast. At this point I would honestly say do whatever you please because the initial decisions were poor and hopefully you can avoid this type of situation next time. As for repairs in general, I typically just take care of the safety issues first (such as brakes) and let the rest slide until I can comfortably spare the money.


I had planned on following your advice and getting the brakes taken care of first. Then last night while idling, waiting for a passenger to come back out of the grocery store, the "Check Engine" light started blinking.

Turns out the spark plugs are "fouled", due to so much oil coming around the piston rings. Had to replace the plugs 9 months ago for the same reason. Will cough up $180 and have them replaced on Monday morning.



kc ub'ing! said:


> You can do the brakes, $55! New suspension my ass! Struts, easy $125. Lower control arms bout the same. Rings, steep! Adding oil is inconvenient but buys you time until you can afford to fix or buy without feeling so desperate!


Brakes will be top priority. I'd try to do them myself, if they had one of those warm self-service centers in my area. YouTube instruction videos helped me dismantle, fix, reassemble my wash machine, so I'm ready take on almost anything now! :cools:



lyft_rat said:


> Everybody swears these cars will go for 300,000 miles.


Maybe the older Hyundai's could do 300,000 miles. Newer Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, might still do that much without catastrophic failure. Not a modern Hyundai though.



Jenga said:


> Dump it! It's done, no use trying to renew garbage. And only SUCKERS buy new cars for doing rideshre! You have to get an older (at least 3-5 yrs) car with low miles. And not a Hyundai.


Even though I only work rideshare a maximum of 5 hours per day, Lyft says I've carried over 1,450 passengers since Nov 2016.

But I'm not sure if it matters that a car is new. I've been in outside sales since 1988. Minimum of 35,000 miles every year. All of my cars run up to a high mileage level, and I then turn them in for a new one, with less than 100 miles on it. Wash-rinse-repeat for almost 4 decades.

I think taking the 6 year car loan is what screwed me up this time. Would usually own the car 100% by now, making the decision to trade it in easier.

***BIG THANKS to everyone who responded constructively to my questions! &#128077;

A FOLLOW-UP Question*: I went to pick up passengers going to Ohare Airport last week. Four adults and too much luggage for my Sonata sedan. I told the primary to request a Larger Lyft. She asked me to help. I cancelled our ride, and helped her get a Lyft XL.

*Her app showed $26 Regular Lyft....and $57 for Lyft XL.*

So if I get an SUV that qualifies as a Lyft XL, that would be the smart way to go, wouldn't it? I'd earn +50% more $$$$ on Lyft XL runs to Ohare. I go there 5 to 6 times a week anyway, so adding an additional, more lucrative income generating option is worth getting a reliable SUV, instead of another automobile, isn't it??


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Depends on the make/model. For example: a 2012 camry. Fix it even if the wheels fall off. Get another 250k miles on that chasis.

Not a Toyota, report it stolen near the Mexican border and lie about the miles.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

dirtylee said:


> Depends on the make/model. For example: a 2012 camry. Fix it even if the wheels fall off. Get another 250k miles on that chasis.
> 
> Not a Toyota, report it stolen near the Mexican border and lie about the miles.


Option 2,

leave the keys in the car and leave it in the wrong hood at 5:00 pm,

report it stolen in the morning, cause it Probobly will be.


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## Hybridbuster (Jun 23, 2019)

TomTheAnt said:


> And be even more upside down on that from the start? Save 4-5K cash and buy a used Prius which has had the hybrid battery replaced.
> 
> What's wrong with these Hyundais, especially Sonatas, and their engines, anyway? I see a boatload of them with barely over 100K miles with bad engines being sold for cheap. Or others where the engine has been replaced already.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


Pay it off, if you can, then....

First off, don't buy Hyundais, buy Hondas or Toyotas, they last twice as long as that.

buy a used toyota or honda ( 3 or 4 years old with as low miles as you can possibly find ) with with a loan that is small enough to double the monthly payments such that it will be paid off right about the time you are ready to buy a new car in 3 years.

That is they way to do it, buying a new car with a big loan that you can't double monthly will put you in the same situation 3 years from now.


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

I've a few cars, very fuel efficient, like 37 miles on highway and avg. 30 miles/city/highway. 

Cars are very clean, I bought them off Transportation Research Co. in Ohio(more like a donation to their research fund), interiors on both are just like new as these are research vehicles, no passengers ever sit in while in research phase. I'm just tired and sick of dealing with the inhuman AI operated nonsense. Please take these cars off my hands, I've done my research on this rideshare with human driver phase. 

These are Corolla and Civic, not sure if they're Toyota or Honda, but it certainly doesn't spell like what? Hyundai? Oh, BTW, I just fixed the brake and Suspension on Corolla. Brake pads, $30. suspension Cartridge w/o Spings, with ebay dollars, $32. What a feeling when it drives like new again. Out of 800+ rides I gave, only one guy asked what was that noise. But I've been clearly wrongfully (permanently) deactivated so many times on Uber and Lyft.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

AllenChicago said:


> So if I get an SUV that qualifies as a Lyft XL, that would be the smart way to go, wouldn't it? I'd earn +50% more $$$$ on Lyft XL runs to Ohare. I go there 5 to 6 times a week anyway, so adding an additional, more lucrative income generating option is worth getting a reliable SUV, instead of another automobile, isn't it??


It depends on your market.

In my market I find that on busy nights I can make more with XL, but on less busy nights it costs me money to run the SUV because if you wait for the XL rides you won't get enough to keep you busy and so you'll be delivering single passengers and food with an SUV.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


You lost me at 6 year loan.

What were you thinking? If it takes you 6 years to pay for a car, you can't afford it.



AllenChicago said:


> Hyundai used a "GDI" engine from 2013 up to 2019 model year. In the automotive industry, they call it a "dirty" engine. Sacrifices were made to make the engine lighter/stronger/more fuel efficient...all at the same time.
> 
> I had a 2010 Hyundai Sonata before buying this 2015 model. It went to +180,000 miles with no engine problems. Except for the oil burning, this 2015 has been totally trouble-free up to the current 148,000 mile mark.
> 
> ...


I think you need to spend LESS money on whatever vehicle you end up replacing this one with (whenever that is), not more.


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

Now I was told my accounts were permanently deactivated and Lyft said they will never reactivate unlike Uber, I regret to have bought cars just to experiment with the side gig. It probably will be a less costly mistake to start using a daily rental then to buy and own a business vehicle if no financial gains after depreciation and/or tax write-off. I observed a lot Hyundai's waiting for lease out as rideshare cars in Lyft Detroit Hub, that probably mean there going to be a perception anyone drive a Hyundai is just a cheap Rideshre driver that can't even own something decent.


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## Cold Fusion (Aug 28, 2019)

Perfect example of drivers
Not Earning
but Borrowing against their asset.⛔

👉once the asset is exhausted
game over and Zero Savings ✔


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> You lost me at 6 year loan.
> 
> What were you thinking? If it takes you 6 years to pay for a car, you can't afford it.
> 
> ...


The Sonata is at the dealer as we speak. There was a Service Bulletin issued on Sonata cars with my VIN number. If the repair is free, we're good to go. If it cost thousands of $$$, I'll get a replacement vehicle that qualifies as a Lyft XL.

Last week I had to not pick up a family, because they requested Lyft instead of Lyft XL. Four of them, with four large suitcases...heading for Ohare airport. I helped them cancel me, and request Lyft XL. Lyft XL was $57.00, compared to $26.00 for Lyft.

But I can't find a list of which vehicles qualifies for Lyft XL. The Lyft website just says "6 seats".


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## Cold Fusion (Aug 28, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> Last week I had to not pick up a family, because they requested Lyft instead of Lyft XL. Four of them, with four large suitcases...heading for Ohare airport. I helped them cancel me, and request Lyft XL. Lyft XL was $57.00, compared to $26.00 for Lyft.


Sounds like your Plan is:
To purchase a more expensive vehicle with higher maintenance & fuel ⛽ costs
to secure Higher Fares

or

&#127939;‍♂run in place &#127939;‍♂for another 6 years ✔


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

Trafficat said:


> It depends on your market.
> 
> In my market I find that on busy nights I can make more with XL, but on less busy nights it costs me money to run the SUV because if you wait for the XL rides you won't get enough to keep you busy and so you'll be delivering single passengers and food with an SUV.


I've noticed the highway mileage ratings on the new compact SUV's, are the same as my 2015 Sonata was rated. Since I normally get several Ohare Airport runs per week with just regular Lyft, if I pick up 2 or 3 more because I'm an XL, all the better.

Thank-you for the thoughtful response, Trafficat.



Cold Fusion said:


> Sounds like your Plan is:
> To purchase a more expensive vehicle with higher maintenance
> To secure higher Fares
> 
> ...


No. Less expensive. My Sonata was $33,000. The SantaFe or Tuscon is $26,000.


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## DriverMark (Jan 22, 2018)

Fix the breaks and tires (tires might be able to wait on). Then rings. Suspension stuff can then save up for, but keep in mind suspension can put uneven wear on tires. No idea whats up with your car. I would probably even get a 2nd opinion on the suspension stuff. Do you trust where you took it? They might see un-even wear on the tires and then toss in suspension to jack up your price. Un-even tear on ride share isn't unusual depending on what type of driving you are doing (city or more highway?). If you notice a lot of wear on the edges of the tire and not middle, over inflate your tires by 5 lbs or so. Doing a lot of city driving with turning can cause that type of wear.

XL - really depends on the market I feel if XL is worth it. Some nights I drive the XL and it works great. Others, I'm just burning extra gas. My overall thought is I would run an XL as each platform you drive on helps to stay a bit more busy. And if your focus is airport business, it helps. But I'm also a lot more apt to park and wait for pings in the XL than when I'm in my X. Isn't an easy answer here.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I've noticed the highway mileage ratings on the new compact SUV's, are the same as my 2015 Sonata was rated. Since I normally get several Ohare Airport runs per week with just regular Lyft, if I pick up 2 or 3 more because I'm an XL, all the better.


Compact SUVs won't qualify for XL.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

WAHN said:


> Compact SUVs won't qualify for XL.


Not 100% true. Acura RDX.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

waldowainthrop said:


> Not 100% true. Acura RDX.


Premium and Comfort, but not XL.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

WAHN said:


> Premium and Comfort, but not XL.


It can have a third row. I just got a ride from a guy who does XL. Arguably it shouldn't be XL but at least one Uber driver has it on the platform. It is definitely a poor XL choice.

What part of the XL needs doesn't it suit?

Tesla Model Y will likely be the same story. Same with the midsize Toyota 4Runner with factory rear seat. Kids only in the 3rd row but technically an XL car. Am I wrong here or is Uber wrong in having a platform that is too expansive?


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

Are you sure it wasn't an MDX?

No matter. If it's a thing, it's a thing.


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## Life is Short ~ Enjoy it (Oct 19, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


You could work in bio tech like transponder and make tons of money &#128176; and drive a Mercedes z&#128526;&#128526;


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

WAHN said:


> Are you sure it wasn't an MDX?
> 
> No matter. If it's a thing, it's a thing. :smiles:
> 
> View attachment 379195


You are right I think, I don't know how that guy was claiming to do XL rides but it sounded legit. Who knows!

I know the difference between RDX and MDX. 100% second gen RDX that I ordered through Comfort and he claimed he did XL rides. Weird!


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

waldowainthrop said:


> he claimed he did XL rides. Weird!


Never know. All things are possible with the technology company.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

So where are all the Kia and Hyundai are reliable fans?

Would this even be a topic if this was a Honda or Toyota at 150k miles?



AllenChicago said:


> The Sonata is at the dealer as we speak. There was a Service Bulletin issued on Sonata cars with my VIN number. If the repair is free, we're good to go. If it cost thousands of $$$, I'll get a replacement vehicle that qualifies as a Lyft XL.
> 
> Last week I had to not pick up a family, because they requested Lyft instead of Lyft XL. Four of them, with four large suitcases...heading for Ohare airport. I helped them cancel me, and request Lyft XL. Lyft XL was $57.00, compared to $26.00 for Lyft.
> 
> But I can't find a list of which vehicles qualifies for Lyft XL. The Lyft website just says "6 seats".


UberComfort is killing off Select and XL. If you buy an XL vehicle now you are setting yourself up for hardship and grief.


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

AllenChicago said:


> Hyundai used a "GDI" engine from 2013 up to 2019 model year. In the automotive industry, they call it a "dirty" engine. Sacrifices were made to make the engine lighter/stronger/more fuel efficient...all at the same time.
> 
> I had a 2010 Hyundai Sonata before buying this 2015 model. It went to +180,000 miles with no engine problems. Except for the oil burning, this 2015 has been totally trouble-free up to the current 148,000 mile mark.
> 
> ...


You need to be better at financial analysis. You seem to be ignoring the costs of your vehicle in your decision making. Any vehicle capable of XL is going to get much worse MPGs for ALL rides, and this will impact your profit on regular Lyft rides since you are paying the same mileage rate for those less lucrative rides. What % of your rides will be XL? And will that offset the extra cost per mile on all rides? You need to do the math for your market.

And you also ignored my point about buying a new car being for suckers. The reason is that new car miles are more costly than old car miles. The older the car, the less it is worth, and therefore the cheaper each mile becomes in terms of car valuation. So you should drive rideshare on vehicles that have low miles for their age. Since this is impossible for a new car (because it can't have less than 0 miles), you should NEVER purchase a new car for rideshare! Always buy a car with low miles for its age and when you drive it up to its "normal" mileage, rotate into another low mileage vehicle.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Jenga said:


> You need to be better at financial analysis. You seem to be ignoring the costs of your vehicle in your decision making. Any vehicle capable of XL is going to get much worse MPGs for ALL rides, and this will impact your profit on regular Lyft rides since you are paying the same mileage rate for those less lucrative rides. What % of your rides will be XL? And will that offset the extra cost per mile on all rides? You need to do the math for your market.
> 
> And you also ignored my point about buying a new car being for suckers. The reason is that new car miles are more costly than old car miles. The older the car, the less it is worth, and therefore the cheaper each mile becomes in terms of car valuation. So you should drive rideshare on vehicles that have low miles for their age. Since this is impossible for a new car (because it can't have less than 0 miles), you should NEVER purchase a new car for rideshare! Always buy a car with low miles for its age and when you drive it up to its "normal" mileage, rotate into another low mileage vehicle.


All mileages doubtful when buying used unless there is clean carfax with regular oil changes. These going for 2-3k above market

80% of used cars has carfax the only mileage record at right before its for sale.
"Vehicle washed and detailed" records in ghetto aS mechanic don't count.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


That sounds about right for a car with that mileage,

The problem is that if your using a car as a taxi (guess what?) it's going to have above average maitenance cost compared to a vehicle of that amount of mileage.

You not only have a 5 year old car that has 140,000 miles on it but you have a 5 year old car with 140,000 miles that's in worse condition than a vehicle of it's vintage.

at 147,000 miles i'd fix it, but then again i had a budget for large unexpected repairs. Truth is.... your very lucky that your car might survive 6 years. I beat the heck out of one and killed it in 3 1/2.

The math for uber/lyft just doesn't work, the reality is that as of you getting the estimate for the work that the $3,000 in repairs is $3000 you thought you made over the last 5 years but _didn't._

If i was budgeting this (knowing what i know about owning my own taxi) i would be saving the ENTIRE difference between the standard mileage rate and what i actually spend in costs and putting it into a savings account for a rainy day, like the rainy day you just had. This amounts to a sizable chunk of change going into savings every single day, as much as $90 A DAY.

200 miles driven? $20 in gas?, $75-$80 going to savings.
The difference is i can't possibly make the math work like this on uber, it just can't be done. Which expresses the reality that if the standard mileage rate is a little high, it's not outrageously so, but uber is so low it's just a sick joke.

Then when my transmission blows, i can go to the saving account and get a cashiers check printed out to the garage to do the work and then I'd hop on my motorcycle and get a motel for a few days at the beach and go on a vacation.

When your taxi is at 147,000 miles these sorts of repairs aren't unexpected, it's a matter of IF not when it happens again. You could easily get another 200,000 miles out of that car, but the next $3,000 bill to put your car back together could come sooner than you think.

When i was done with my last taxi (bought it new drove and drove it 230,000 miles) i had enough in my savings to buy a new taxi (paying cash), i just went a different way because it was 2014 and there was this new thing going on in California called uber and i was looking forward to it.


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## ColumbusRides (Nov 10, 2018)

Oscar Levant said:


> Pay it off, if you can, then....
> 
> First off, don't buy Hyundais, buy Hondas or Toyotas, they last twice as long as that.
> 
> ...


Brilliant post, I just picked up a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 25,000 miles (I put 5,000 miles on within 2 mths) It was a lease and in great shape, still smelled new and no dents and hardly any scratches. I don't even think the trunk or 3rd row was used, that's how good of a condition it was in. I bought it for 32k with a 5% loan (I traded in a 2012 Highlander and I got 13k) My payment is $389 a mth and I'm doing 1,500 a mth on principal (thanks Uber) My truck will be paid off in 12mths. Once my 2017 gets 90,000 miles I'll find another one with low miles... Rinse and repeat.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

ColumbusRides said:


> Brilliant post, I just picked up a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 25,000 miles (I put 5,000 miles on within 2 mths) It was a lease and in great shape, still smelled new and no dents and hardly any scratches. I don't even think the trunk or 3rd row was used, that's how good of a condition it was in. I bought it for 32k with a 5% loan (I traded in a 2012 Highlander and I got 13k) My payment is $389 a mth and I'm doing 1,500 a mth on principal (thanks Uber) My truck will be paid off in 12mths. Once my 2017 gets 90,000 miles I'll find another one with low miles... Rinse and repeat.


This is one of the only viable car purchasing strategies for rideshare.

- known reliable car
- not a new car
- low initial miles
- low debt obligation
- short term ownership
- a plan for length of service


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Chevy mechanic cape coral


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

ColumbusRides said:


> I just picked up a 2017 Toyota Highlander


I was just browsing Highlander's(hybrid version) yesterday.  I'll probably be getting a different vehicle around this time next year.

Not being able to know what demand for XL is makes it a crap shoot for me. I'll probably end up getting a slightly used hybrid Rav4.


ColumbusRides said:


> My payment is $389 a mth and I'm doing 1,500 a mth on principal (thanks Uber) My truck will be paid off in 12mths.


Like the OP, I wasn't exactly planning on doing this type of gig work when I bought my 2017 Elantra last November. Fortunately, I was making quadruple payments initially before my situation changed so it should be paid off by next summer.

Like the OP, I took a 6 year loan, but my rationale was to make at least double payments which would put more towards the principal while also making the minimum payment lower just in case something happens with my budget.

As for the OP's situation, I'd probably try to keep it running and try to pay extra payments if possible to maximize what little value it has left and avoid at least a little bit of the remaining interest on the loan.


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## ColumbusRides (Nov 10, 2018)

WAHN said:


> I was just browsing Highlander's(hybrid version) yesterday. :smiles: I'll probably be getting a different vehicle around this time next year.
> 
> Not being able to know what demand for XL is makes it a crap shoot for me. I'll probably end up getting a slightly used hybrid Rav4.
> 
> ...


Take it for a test drive, it's a great truck and qualifies on many platforms. Your hybrid will be a bit higher but you'll save on gas. I found mine on AutoTrader a local dealership.


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

Only buying a new Tesla, no other car or math works on Uber. Elon said the auto-drive Tesla makes $30000 /yr for the owner(s). No driver needed.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

WAHN said:


> I was just browsing Highlander's(hybrid version) yesterday.  I'll probably be getting a different vehicle around this time next year.
> 
> Not being able to know what demand for XL is makes it a crap shoot for me. I'll probably end up getting a slightly used hybrid Rav4.
> 
> ...


When you pay double of min payment at your due date what happens? Will you be paying next months too or spreading over other installments?


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

2starDriver said:


> When you pay double of min payment at your due date what happens? Will you be paying next months too or spreading over other installments?


Make sure your loan have no prepayment penalty. Some contracts are designed to trap the other party. Some rideshare terms of service are designed for the same purpose. Before signing up for anything, know your rights and worst case scenario.


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

2starDriver said:


> All mileages doubtful when buying used unless there is clean carfax with regular oil changes. These going for 2-3k above market
> 
> 80% of used cars has carfax the only mileage record at right before its for sale.
> "Vehicle washed and detailed" records in ghetto aS mechanic don't count.


Here's a little trick I figured out in my state: you can get the safety check records for every year the car was inspected in your state. The mileage is part of that record. It may require the current registrant to request it directly. But they should be happy to do it if they're on the up and up. If not then just walk away. Even if you just have the most recent one for a not too old car, that will do as long as carfax shows only one owner. Also, buy direct from original owner. They often keep good records.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Jenga said:


> Here's a little trick I figured out in my state: you can get the safety check records for every year the car was inspected in your state. The mileage is part of that record. It may require the current registrant to request it directly. But they should be happy to do it if they're on the up and up. If not then just walk away. Even if you just have the most recent one for a not too old car, that will do as long as carfax shows only one owner. Also, buy direct from original owner. They often keep good records.


Good for you, here in cali first inspection 6th year of the car if bought new. I Don't trust annual inspection here; many neighborhood registration offices have smog check done w/o seeing the car for a fee.


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

ColumbusRides said:


> Brilliant post, I just picked up a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 25,000 miles (I put 5,000 miles on within 2 mths) It was a lease and in great shape, still smelled new and no dents and hardly any scratches. I don't even think the trunk or 3rd row was used, that's how good of a condition it was in. I bought it for 32k with a 5% loan (I traded in a 2012 Highlander and I got 13k) My payment is $389 a mth and I'm doing 1,500 a mth on principal (thanks Uber) My truck will be paid off in 12mths. Once my 2017 gets 90,000 miles I'll find another one with low miles... Rinse and repeat.


Yeah, brilliant except 25,000 on a 2017 is not nearly low enough. He's going to burn through the 10K miles of lowness in a matter of months. Much better to buy a vehicle with at least 30-40k low miles and that will carry you a couple of years before it's normal to slightly high in miles. If that means finding one that's 5-6 yrs old, then all the better, since the car is further depreciated. The ideal vehicle for me is a 5 yr old car with under 25K miles on it. Yes, extremely hard to find, but they are out there if you have the patience.



2starDriver said:


> Good for you, here in cali first inspection 6th year of the car if bought new. I Don't trust annual inspection here; many neighborhood registration offices have smog check done w/o seeing the car for a fee.


Wow! That's crazy and inviting rollbacks. I will make a note never to buy a CA car.


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

AllenChicago said:


> I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.





AllenChicago said:


> My Sonata was $33,000. The SantaFe or Tuscon is $26,000.


Fix your old car $3000 in repairs is the same as sales Tax alone on 26k car in Chicago. Sales tax is gone for good the second you buy the car, the repairs should last a while. If you can do some of the work yourself and save some $......even better!


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

ColumbusRides said:


> Brilliant post, I just picked up a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 25,000 miles (I put 5,000 miles on within 2 mths) It was a lease and in great shape, still smelled new and no dents and hardly any scratches. I don't even think the trunk or 3rd row was used, that's how good of a condition it was in. I bought it for 32k with a 5% loan (I traded in a 2012 Highlander and I got 13k) My payment is $389 a mth and I'm doing 1,500 a mth on principal (thanks Uber) My truck will be paid off in 12mths. Once my 2017 gets 90,000 miles I'll find another one with low miles... Rinse and repeat.


Ouch, those numbers don't sound too good.


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## LADryver (Jun 6, 2017)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


The whole idea of running a financed car into the ground only makes sense if you are committing to all of it's issues until at least the term of the loan. Fortunately you are near to the end, and are only having nine more payments. This puts you in a position of choices but the cylinder rings require an engine rebuild. I just had one done. My car had faulty cylinder rings as a defect. So the dealership rebuilt it. Had I paid for it I would have spent around $3000. A diesel engine rebuild I had done in 1984 was $2500. Funny that inflation hasn't hit this harder. Your suspension may cost $800 if done by the dealer. And brakes maybe $300. All added up, you may be looking at $4100 of very worthwhile repairs for a 2015 year car. If done, you keep that value in the car for any trade-in or sale. If you don't, you lose as much or more in acceptable price or value. So, one way or another, this money is being spent by you. Then the question becomes, do you want to limit your costs to only those associated with these repairs? I would guess you might. Here are some ideas for how to pay for it. The first that comes to mind might be a really good option. Refinance your car and add these costs to the loan with the confirmed amount, at a good interest rate and term. It could lower existing payments and you can also pay it off as quickly as you wish voluntarily. The next idea is to do the work as you go. Riders are not safe with compromised brakes. Just do them. Passengers are not comfortable with the bouncy feel of poor suspension. And the performance you are losing without a good engine is costing you a great deal. You should trade your loan in and incorporates these expenses to the new loan. I am not a financial advisor.


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

I would not put that amount of money into that car. I see a dog that is not worth fixing. (Look at Edmunds or similar.) This decision should be independant of how much you may still owe on it.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

LADryver said:


> The whole idea of running a financed car into the ground only makes sense if you are committing to all of it's issues until at least the term of the loan. Fortunately you are near to the end, and are only having nine more payments. This puts you in a position of choices but the cylinder rings require an engine rebuild. I just had one done. My car had faulty cylinder rings as a defect. So the dealership rebuilt it. Had I paid for it I would have spent around $3000. A diesel engine rebuild I had done in 1984 was $2500. Funny that inflation hasn't hit this harder. Your suspension may cost $800 if done by the dealer. And brakes maybe $300. All added up, you may be looking at $4100 of very worthwhile repairs for a 2015 year car. If done, you keep that value in the car for any trade-in or sale. If you don't, you lose as much or more in acceptable price or value. So, one way or another, this money is being spent by you. Then the question becomes, do you want to limit your costs to only those associated with these repairs? I would guess you might. Here are some ideas for how to pay for it. The first that comes to mind might be a really good option. Refinance your car and add these costs to the loan with the confirmed amount, at a good interest rate and term. It could lower existing payments and you can also pay it off as quickly as you wish voluntarily. The next idea is to do the work as you go. Riders are not safe with compromised brakes. Just do them. Passengers are not comfortable with the bouncy feel of poor suspension. And the performance you are losing without a good engine is costing you a great deal. You should trade your loan in and incorporates these expenses to the new loan. I am not a financial advisor.


Afaik The car has less ACV than owed on loan Can not be refinanced


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

LADryver said:


> The whole idea of running a financed car into the ground only makes sense if you are committing to all of it's issues until at least the term of the loan. Fortunately you are near to the end, and are only having nine more payments. This puts you in a position of choices but the cylinder rings require an engine rebuild. I just had one done. My car had faulty cylinder rings as a defect. So the dealership rebuilt it. Had I paid for it I would have spent around $3000. A diesel engine rebuild I had done in 1984 was $2500. Funny that inflation hasn't hit this harder. Your suspension may cost $800 if done by the dealer. And brakes maybe $300. All added up, you may be looking at $4100 of very worthwhile repairs for a 2015 year car. If done, you keep that value in the car for any trade-in or sale. If you don't, you lose as much or more in acceptable price or value. So, one way or another, this money is being spent by you. Then the question becomes, do you want to limit your costs to only those associated with these repairs? I would guess you might. Here are some ideas for how to pay for it. The first that comes to mind might be a really good option. Refinance your car and add these costs to the loan with the confirmed amount, at a good interest rate and term. It could lower existing payments and you can also pay it off as quickly as you wish voluntarily. The next idea is to do the work as you go. Riders are not safe with compromised brakes. Just do them. Passengers are not comfortable with the bouncy feel of poor suspension. And the performance you are losing without a good engine is costing you a great deal. You should trade your loan in and incorporates these expenses to the new loan. I am not a financial advisor.


Brakes and suspension are one thing, but engine rebuild? Really, it's time to move on when the engine or trans start failing. These jobs will NEVER pay off unless you are a mechanic and can do them yourself. But, if you were a mechanic, then you wouldn't be driving Uber in the first place! Those guys make $200/hr and up. And refi an old car?! Not doable, and definitely not advisable even if it was. That's got to be the worst advic ever. And more stupid than buying a new car for rideshare. I repeat: new car miles are valuable - don't throw them away on rideshare.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

Trafficat said:


> It depends on your market.
> 
> In my market I find that on busy nights I can make more with XL, but on less busy nights it costs me money to run the SUV because if you wait for the XL rides you won't get enough to keep you busy and so you'll be delivering single passengers and food with an SUV.


Thankyou for the WISE advice, obviously based on experience. It's strange that Lyft doesn't list which vehicles count as XL...only that they must have 6 seats. I guess the driver counts as 1 of the 6. That certainly narrows down the list of vehicles that qualify.



Cold Fusion said:


> Sounds like your Plan is:
> To purchase a more expensive vehicle with higher maintenance & fuel ⛽ costs
> to secure Higher Fares
> 
> ...


NEITHER... I'm praying that ObamaCare goes away, so I can return full-time to Health Insurance sales, as I was successfully doing since 1987, until that ___________screwed up the industry in 2013.



TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> So where are all the Kia and Hyundai are reliable fans?
> 
> Would this even be a topic if this was a Honda or Toyota at 150k miles?
> 
> ...


Thank-you. When I saw that an XL required 6 seats, I knew that it had to be a vehicle that consumes lots of gas.



Jenga said:


> You need to be better at financial analysis. You seem to be ignoring the costs of your vehicle in your decision making. Any vehicle capable of XL is going to get much worse MPGs for ALL rides, and this will impact your profit on regular Lyft rides since you are paying the same mileage rate for those less lucrative rides. What % of your rides will be XL? And will that offset the extra cost per mile on all rides? You need to do the math for your market.
> 
> And you also ignored my point about buying a new car being for suckers. The reason is that new car miles are more costly than old car miles. The older the car, the less it is worth, and therefore the cheaper each mile becomes in terms of car valuation. So you should drive rideshare on vehicles that have low miles for their age. Since this is impossible for a new car (because it can't have less than 0 miles), you should NEVER purchase a new car for rideshare! Always buy a car with low miles for its age and when you drive it up to its "normal" mileage, rotate into another low mileage vehicle.


I agree that an XL-qualified vehicle would not be worth the extra expenses for me. Especially now that azzholes @ Lyft has restricted the use of our "Destination Mode" to only twice a day. Otherwise, I'd work at home with my Lyft App set for Ohare Airport. Nice fare, fast trip, 80% of fares tip. Any XL runs would be a bonus.

BTW...I bought a new car...Hyundai Santa Fe 2020. The dealer was dicking around for 2 days, and I got fed up with it. Would rather have the peace-of-mind of a new warranty period. I've had monthly car payments since August 1985. Just par for the course.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> BTW...I bought a new car...Hyundai Santa Fe 2020


Which version? AWD?

You must like your Hyundai dealer. :smiles:


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

AllenChicago said:


> BTW...I bought a new car...Hyundai Santa Fe 2020. The dealer was dicking around for 2 days, and I got fed up with it. Would rather have the peace-of-mind of a new warranty period. I've had monthly car payments since August 1985. Just par for the course.


Wow, sorry to hear that. I feel like Ive been talking into the wind! You have made a costly mistake... After 4 yrs and another 150k miles, your $27,000 Santa Fe will be worth $10.000. You will still be in debt about 9,100 (assuming 25K loan amount). That means it has a net equity to you of (NEGATIVE) -$1,000 (remember the $2k trade-in or down payment), if you sell after 4 years. That means it will cost you $7,000 per year to drive this car! How much will you bring in on rideshare? $35K sound about right? If so, that's 20% of your gross yearly earnings LOST to the car depreciation. This does not include gas, oil change, and other maintenance. Put another way, that's 18.7 cents per mile for every mile driven - including non-paying miles. Now, let's say you get PAID for only 70% (conservative) of those miles. That converts to 26.7 cents per mile for every PAID mile - and those are the only miles that count. Add in your gas costs at 33MPG: that's about 14.3 cents per PAID mile. Add in 20 oil changes and 3 sets of tires: another $4,500 (4.3 cents per PAID mile). Add 26.7 + 14.3 + 4.3 =* 45.3 cents per paid mile.

NOW, *we need to deduct that straight out of our official Uber mileage rate. Let's assume 55.3 per mile. That leaves you with only 10 cents per mile (plus hourly, bonuses, and tips). Do you see how you have bought yourself into slavery? Put another way, your expenses on the vehicle will likely be more than 1/3 of your total earnings!!! $7k depreciation + $4,882 maintenance/gas = $11,882 for each of the 4 years. That's a whopping 34% of gross earnings on vehicle expenses!!! Contrast that with a used low mileage vehicle which can easily cost you as low as only $2,000 per year in depreciation plus the same gas/maintenance costs. Put another way: that's like throwing away $5,000 a year to drive the new car vs an older car, and that $5k is roughly 14% of your GROSS earnings!

Before I get a million dislikes on this, these are just guesstimates based on a base 2020 Santa Fe, 6 yr loan, typical driver market, interest rates of 3%, gas at 3.30, and other assumptions. But fill it in for your own market conditions, and you will see that the math tells us NEVER to buy or lease a new vehicle for driveshare. In this example it has nearly DOUBLED the overall vehicle costs vs a used low mileage vehicle.

It pays to do the math, and very few drivers do this. Too late in your case, but I post this for the vast majority of Uber drivers that think they should drive a newer car. How do I know this? I SEE the other Ubers out there driving these spanking new cars. And I alternate between scoffing, laughing, and pitying those drivers.


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## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

When the cost of repairs is more than the payments on another car.


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## Bbonez (Aug 10, 2018)

islanddriver said:


> When the cost of repairs is more than the payments on another car.


More than one monthly payment? All of the payments? Be more specific.


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

Bbonez said:


> More than one monthly payment? All of the payments? Be more specific.


He obviously means on an ongoing basis. And @islanddriver makes a good point, except for one thing. Payments alone do not reflect the total cost of owning and depreciating a car over time. That is the trap so many drivers are falling into when buying NEW cars for driveshare. By severely running down the mileage value of a new car, you are losing MORE than the payments over time. Your car can become worth less than what you owe pretty quickly. See my above post.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

L DaVinci said:


> I have a 10 year bumper to bumper extended warranty on my Prius


Yeah with how many miles 100k? Gotta have a milage caveat ... And if so Rideshare blows that out...Next great purchase....

"NEITHER... I'm praying that ObamaCare goes away, so I can return full-time to Health Insurance sales, as I was successfully doing since 1987, until that ___________screwed up the industry in 2013."

Or attempted to fix a majorly flawed system where normal people had been priced out of the market..... Hmmm I guess that remains in the eye of the beholder.

While I dislike Obama I do appreciate that he attempted to fix a mess.... probably one of the only things he did do in 8 years ..


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

Dekero said:


> Yeah with how many miles 100k? Gotta have a milage caveat ... And if so Rideshare blows that out...Next great purchase....
> 
> "NEITHER... I'm praying that ObamaCare goes away, so I can return full-time to Health Insurance sales, as I was successfully doing since 1987, until that ___________screwed up the industry in 2013."
> 
> ...


Dek Obama Care was just a big missed opportunity. They should have went completely free though taxes etc or left healthcare alone.

We was promised free healthcare and instead got a healthcare mandate or fine.


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## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

Yes more than one ex: if I spending an average of $1500. Per year in repair that's less than $150. A month . Buying a better car costs $250. A month then I will keep repairing. . Other car experience have nothing to do with it you will have them no matter what car you have.


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## Asificarewhatyoudontthink (Jul 6, 2017)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


When the cost of repairs exceeds the cost of financing the new car.
The fallacy that "it costs more to repair than it's worth" is based on the car's worth being what someone will pay you for it.
This is wrong. Your car is worth what it costs you to replace it minus what it costs to repair it.
If your car is paid off completely and a new car would be 12,000 and repair is 3000 (new motor and trans, possibly rebuilt but will run another 5 years) then your car is worth the 9000 you saved by repairing it.



AllenChicago said:


> So if I get an SUV that qualifies as a Lyft XL, that would be the smart way to go, wouldn't it? I'd earn +50% more $$$$ on Lyft XL runs to Ohare. I go there 5 to 6 times a week anyway, so adding an additional, more lucrative income generating option is worth getting a reliable SUV, instead of another automobile, isn't it??


No.
Your devaluation on a new SUV that MUST have 3rd row seating to qualify for XL is higher per mile than uber pays.


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## Son of the Darkness (May 8, 2015)

kc ub'ing! said:


> You can do the brakes, $55! New suspension my ass! Struts, easy $125. Lower control arms bout the same. Rings, steep! Adding oil is inconvenient but buys you time until you can afford to fix or buy without feeling so desperate!


Also at that mileage I would run nothing but synthetic. It seals much better at a lower viscosity than any other oil. Under $20 if you do it yourself. Change it every 4k to 5k miles and it will last a lot longer, and most likely will not leak anymore. I have a flex fuel van I use for travel that has 141k miles on it, and I run alcohol I make myself. The valves and pistons look brand new


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## Jenga (Dec 10, 2018)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> When the cost of repairs exceeds the cost of financing the new car.
> The fallacy that "it costs more to repair than it's worth" is based on the car's worth being what someone will pay you for it.
> This is wrong. Your car is worth what it costs you to replace it minus what it costs to repair it.
> If your car is paid off completely and a new car would be 12,000 and repair is 3000 (new motor and trans, possibly rebuilt but will run another 5 years) then your car is worth the 9000 you saved by repairing it.


Good point... but at a certain age, there will be other surprises like alternator, CV joints, radiator, etc. And then there is down time - a week of no driving can cost you another grand. And Uber/Lyft will NOT allow you to drive your rental during the interim. Another thing is that Uber has an age limit for cars, regardless of condition or mileage. I had to stop driving a 2002 vehicle in 2018, so it's 16 years. Too bad, since the pathfinder had only 55k miles at the time!


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> The fallacy that "it costs more to repair than it's worth" is based on the car's worth being what someone will pay you for it.
> This is wrong. Your car is worth what it costs you to replace it minus what it costs to repair it.


No. I guess you don't believe in a free market. People always believe their shit is more valuable than it really is because of high replacement cost. You can drive your turd and be happy you didn't upgrade it to a diamond but in the end you still have a turd. Not that's that necessarily bad, but don't tell me the turd has the value of a diamond because of replacement cost.


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## mytheq63 (Oct 6, 2016)

I would have said sell the car and get what you can out of it, and buy something in the 6-7K range. Yes you will have to find a way to pay off the rest of the loan but you will cut your losses. But I see you already bought a new car.

I have bought 2 Corollas, both around 8 years old with 100K miles for 6-7K and paid cash for them, then drove them for two years, put another 100K on them, sold them for $2500 (total out of pocket $4-5K plus maintenance costs and gas costs), I calculated my total costs at 0.13/mile, made $40,000 over those 2 years (driving part-time), so $27K profit per car.


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

mytheq63 said:


> I have bought 2 Corollas, both around 8 years old with 100K miles for 6-7K and paid cash for them, then drove them for two years, put another 100K on them, sold them for $2500 (total out of pocket $4-5K plus maintenance costs and gas costs), I calculated my total costs at 0.13/mile, made $40,000 over those 2 years (driving part-time), so $27K profit per car.


Your math is bad. 100k/40mpg = 2500 gal of gas. Yout didn't get that for $4000. Then you never changed the oil or bought tires or brakes? Oh, did you for get to count the $4000 depreciation? $27k per car my ass. Uber loves your math!


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## mytheq63 (Oct 6, 2016)

lyft_rat said:


> Your math is bad. 100k/40mpg = 2500 gal of gas. Yout didn't get that for $4000. Then you never changed the oil or bought tires or brakes? Oh, did you for get to count the $4000 depreciation? $27k per car my ass. Uber loves your math!


Uh, I think you need to read my post again, who is it that can't do math? I said I calculated my operating costs as $0.13 per mile, that is $13,000 over the 2 years, which accounts for the depreciation, gas, and repairs. 
I haven't posted here in a while and now I remember why.


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

mytheq63 said:


> I haven't posted here in a while and now I remember why.


Because this is a tough group and we won't let you get by with any BS exaggeration.


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## mytheq63 (Oct 6, 2016)

lyft_rat said:


> Because this is a tough group and we won't let you get by with any BS exaggeration.


My numbers are based on 4 years of data. Not my fault people can't do simple math.


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

Jenga said:


> Those guys make $200/hr and up.


Lol, no.

$50/hr is considered a six-figure salary.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

You guys play nice or I'll have to have you separated....


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## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

Jenga said:


> Struts for $125? Doubtful. Harder job, and same with control arms.


Depends on the car, but struts are generally two bolts and an alignment.

Control arms? 3 bolts and an alignment so do them both at the same time.

RockAuto.com for cheap parts.



AllenChicago said:


> Would rather have the peace-of-mind of a new warranty period. I've had monthly car payments since August 1985. Just par for the course.


Your poor life decisions amuse me.

All that that money, since 1985, and what do you have to show for it? NOTHING.

hahahahaha

Now tell me how you can't afford your health insurance or NEED to drive Uber/Lyft to make ends meet.

hahahahahaha

My last car payment was about 4 years ago. Guess where that $650 a month is going now?

hahahahahahaha


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

NOXDriver said:


> Depends on the car, but struts are generally two bolts and an alignment.
> 
> Control arms? 3 bolts and an alignment so do them both at the same time.
> 
> RockAuto.com for cheap parts.


That's a bit short sighted... Maybe a fully assembled strut with spring... But if your just swapping a strut and reusing existing springs.... That game gets fun.... Def. Worth the additional couple bux to buy a preassembled strut/spring combo if doing it yourself... But I def. Agree with swapping control arms at the same time.. hell do the brakes while your there for another $20 bux.... Anytime you tear into something deep to get at one item replace other used parts while your at it is always a smart bet...

Gotta pull belts to fix anything... Replace belts... They are cheap and it's a smart move...

Replacing a thermostat... Swap the hose while your at it... These little things only add a few bux but help alieviate future breakdowns!!


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## Asificarewhatyoudontthink (Jul 6, 2017)

lyft_rat said:


> No. I guess you don't believe in a free market. People always believe their shit is more valuable than it really is because of high replacement cost. You can drive your turd and be happy you didn't upgrade it to a diamond but in the end you still have a turd. Not that's that necessarily bad, but don't tell me the turd has the value of a diamond because of replacement cost.


How does choosing not to buy something even come close to equaling "don't believe in a free market"?
FFS the very premise of "free market" is it is my money I can choose how and when I spend it.

Are you this mentally deficient in all your arguments?

Oh, and if you think only new shiny things are diamonds you must think all classic cars, kept by their original owners and well maintained are only turds and certainly not worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars they command at auctions?

You certainly prove the very point I was making about how idiots think their cars are "worth" only what someone else would pay them for it with no intelligent consideration of cost to replace.



NOXDriver said:


> Depends on the car, but struts are generally two bolts and an alignment.
> 
> Control arms? 3 bolts and an alignment so do them both at the same time.
> 
> ...


You were paying 650.00 a month (tongue in cheek) 
Your poor life decisions amuse me.

Only fools think a "new" car that costs (assume 3 years of payments) 23,000.00 (though let's be honest you probably went with a 5 year 39,000.00 car because you liked it better) is a better choice than getting something for less than 10,000.00 bank financed and invest the other 450.00 a month in some 7%return (or better getting their homes paid off). 
But, hey, you do you.

Tongue in cheek mode off.

Seriously, 4 years with no car payments is pretty good.


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## Ttown Driver (Sep 24, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> *I've been in outside sales since 1988.
> 
> A FOLLOW-UP Question*: I went to pick up passengers going to Ohare Airport last week. Four adults and too much luggage for my Sonata sedan. I told the primary to request a Larger Lyft. She asked me to help. I cancelled our ride, and helped her get a Lyft XL.
> 
> ...


I'm 65, was in sales for most of 40 years, so lots of windshield time too. Time flies when you're having fun.

I'm in an inherited "paid for" 06 Taurus with just over 148,000. Shortly after starting rideshare, I was going to do a variable cost analysis on running costs. Went to the Ford Dealership and asked for a printout of SCHEDULED maintenance and their cost for a car at that mileage driving for the next 30,000 miles.
My thought was to figure that cost per mile AT DEALER COSTS, and sock that away each week in a credit union savings account.
Also figured some of that was optional, and much could be done at home and the rest at a much cheaper cost than the dealer, so I would have some padding.

I ASSuMEd that project would be a simple task for a dealership. I was wrong.
I think I ended up swag-ing $100 per week and actually did set it aside for a while.

I also thought, even though it's "paid for" I REALLY should sock away another $100/week, $400/month for "depreciation" to sink into the replacement.

So it wasn't quite so big a blow when the torque converter went out.
Then front brakes - Firestone about $150 pad AND rotors with Uber discounts and came with a lifetime guarantee.
Tires - Walmart with road hazard - pain in the a$$ to deal with them, but already replaced two & I now rotate them faithfully.
Then summer hit and there wasn't enough business to squirrel away anything.

Other stuff is now accumulating and now at a similar point. 
When do you stop putting money into it? And what the hell do you do with a car that's practically worthless?

I've also figured, like you, I need to step up to XL. No airport business to speak of here, but carloads of party girls and also 6-7 football weekends - Roll Tide - will more than pay for the difference. I don't care about how roomy, just making sure I have 7 seatbelts.
I see a ton of Volvo XC90s and I've been looking at 2010-2012 models - design has not changed.
In fact, I saw an Uber driver in one in Nashville and talked to him. He loves 'em and he's on his third.
Comparing those to biting the bullet with a Toyota Sienna which are much more expensive than the Volvo.
So no advice here but let me know what you decide to do.


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> Are you this mentally deficient in all your arguments?


You need some help in anger management and proper communication etiquette.


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## Asificarewhatyoudontthink (Jul 6, 2017)

lyft_rat said:


> You need some help in anger management and proper communication etiquette.


Not even slightly angry.
Pointing out that you have the cognitive ability of a grade school drop out, factually accurate in this case, is just what it is.
You, on the other hand went full on nutter claiming I was anti free market when the exact opposite is true of anyone that chooses when, where and how they spend their money.

Mayhaps you should reread the complete logic fail drivel you wrote.


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

AllenChicago said:


> I have a 2015 Hyundai Sonata with 147,000 miles. I now burn 1 Quart of oil every 300 miles. According to the 2 estimates, I need a new suspension system, new brakes, cylinder rings. In a few months, I'll need new tires.
> 
> Because I bought the car in late 2014, with a 6 year loan, it won't be paid off until August 2020. If I follow the auto mechanic recommendations, I'll be investing well over $3,000 in repairs.
> 
> ...


This is a good question. My way is buying a used car which has under 70K miles and drive 60k miles then sell it and buy another used car. That way I don't have to put too much of my money into repair expenses. And also I won't loose too much at dropping of the price on that car, let's say price dropping will be approximately $4000 on the car.


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

I would have pay the $$ to fix the brakes and keep putting oil into the engine every time you stop for gas and leave the suspension/engine alone.

Save up the money to get something better.

After getting your new car, you are stuck with a monthly payment plus *you are one false complain* away from being able to make that car payment.


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