# Maximum MPG for Lyft/UberX or Luxury for LyftLux/UberSelect?



## 155839 (Jul 28, 2018)

I'm a relative newbie, only driving for around 3 weeks now. For the first 3 weeks, I used a Lyft rental, just to see how I like driving. Now, I'm both Lyft and Uber approved, and have begun using my own car. But, I am thinking of getting a vehicle to use specifically for rideshare. 
Besides not wanting to mess up my own car, and add a ton of miles, I am thinking of maximizing driving income. So, my first thought was lowering fuel expense with a Prius or Civic hybrid, which might save about $80-100/week, based upon my average miles over the last 3 weeks and my area's fuel price. 
However, looking at the rate sheet for Lux and Select rides, it seems like there is a _substantial _fare boost for upscale rides, which looks _very _appealing. But, typically, those types of vehicles have poor mileage.
So, my question to the experienced drivers, based upon your own experiences, would the increased Lux/Select income surpass the fuel savings from a hybrid? I assume that there are far less Lux/Select requests, but that they tend to be for longer distances. Would that be a correct assumption?
FYI - I'm only looking to drive ~20 hours/week. (I'm on my last week of the Lyft new driver guarantee that requires a 25 hour/50 ride minimum. I'm looking forward to declining those Shared pings next week!)
Thanks in advance.


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## dryverjohn (Jun 3, 2018)

You should talk to other drivers in your area to see if there is any demand for Lux or Select rides. I was in Orange County, before Charlotte and there were hardly any requests for lux or Select. Depending on who and what you want to haul, I would only look at buying a 6-7 seater minivan for $3,000 or buy a used Prius. The minivan will allow you to pickup xl and plus fares and it won't matter that you get 2ompg. I just saw a honda touring package van here for $3900 obo, navigation, leather seats, dual a/c. 

I personally bought a prius, 50+ mpg is a realistic number. Depreciation is slower than most cars. Maintenance is minimal, 10k synthetic oil change, rotate tires, brakes last longer because of the regenerative feature that charges up your battery. Run the a/c while waiting with almost no effect on gas mileage. I would go with 2010 or newer, that is when they got the bigger 1.8 liter engine. With a $10 adapter that plugs into the aux port, you'll have bluetooth on the base model prius for navigation and music, don't trust it for hands free calling though.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

For lux not sure anything is better than a Lexus es300h, maybe Lincoln Mkz hybrid but Lexus bass more space.

However you are better off getting and SUV at that price so you can do xl, lux and SUV, as you can have a crappy day on all 3 and have a decent day.

Yiu will have long periods of time but with 1 ride it equals 4-5 x/pool rides


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## Skinny1 (Sep 24, 2015)

Be careful.... 

Big payment ... Big Gas .... less rides....

Consider yourself warned....

Now if you can afford the car without U/L .... and it’s extra... negate what I said above... except for the less rides.


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## 155839 (Jul 28, 2018)

dryverjohn said:


> You should talk to other drivers in your area to see if there is any demand for Lux or Select rides. I was in Orange County, before Charlotte and there were hardly any requests for lux or Select.


Orange County California? If one of the richest counties in the US doesn't get much demand for Lux/Select, how much can be in lesser moneyed areas?



dryverjohn said:


> Depending on who and what you want to haul, I would only look at buying a 6-7 seater minivan for $3,000 or buy a used Prius. The minivan will allow you to pickup xl and plus fares and it won't matter that you get 2ompg. I just saw a honda touring package van here for $3900 obo, navigation, leather seats, dual a/c.


A minivan sounds like an interesting idea, in terms of opening up XL business. BUt, it gets back to my original question, which is whether it will make up for the fuel savings of a hybrid doing regular rides?



dryverjohn said:


> I personally bought a prius, 50+ mpg is a realistic number. Depreciation is slower than most cars. Maintenance is minimal, 10k synthetic oil change, rotate tires, brakes last longer because of the regenerative feature that charges up your battery. Run the a/c while waiting with almost no effect on gas mileage. I would go with 2010 or newer, that is when they got the bigger 1.8 liter engine. With a $10 adapter that plugs into the aux port, you'll have bluetooth on the base model prius for navigation and music, don't trust it for hands free calling though.


I see used Prii listed in my area for $7000-$10,000, depending on age, mileage, and trim. But, I've also seen some Ford Fusion Hybrids at reasonable prices, which is a much nicer car from both a driving and pax perspective.



Kodyhead said:


> For lux not sure anything is better than a Lexus es300h, maybe Lincoln Mkz hybrid but Lexus bass more space.


That might be getting a bit spendy for a part-time gig.



Kodyhead said:


> However you are better off getting and SUV at that price so you can do xl, lux and SUV, as you can have a crappy day on all 3 and have a decent day.


Interesting. I'll check the lists for which models fit all vehicle profiles. I can't locate Uber's list on their website. Lyft's was easy to find. I would imagine a luxury XL SUV will have some pretty shitty mileage, though.



Kodyhead said:


> Yiu will have long periods of time but with 1 ride it equals 4-5 x/pool rides


I like the idea of less driving for the same or more money!



Skinny1 said:


> Be careful....
> 
> Big payment ... Big Gas .... less rides....
> 
> ...


That's definitely my concern with aa Lux/Select vehicle, which I would be getting _solely _for this part-time gig.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Did you think doing lux or select is going to be cheap?


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## Rat (Mar 6, 2016)

gaijinpen said:


> I'm a relative newbie, only driving for around 3 weeks now. For the first 3 weeks, I used a Lyft rental, just to see how I like driving. Now, I'm both Lyft and Uber approved, and have begun using my own car. But, I am thinking of getting a vehicle to use specifically for rideshare.
> Besides not wanting to mess up my own car, and add a ton of miles, I am thinking of maximizing driving income. So, my first thought was lowering fuel expense with a Prius or Civic hybrid, which might save about $80-100/week, based upon my average miles over the last 3 weeks and my area's fuel price.
> However, looking at the rate sheet for Lux and Select rides, it seems like there is a _substantial _fare boost for upscale rides, which looks _very _appealing. But, typically, those types of vehicles have poor mileage.
> So, my question to the experienced drivers, based upon your own experiences, would the increased Lux/Select income surpass the fuel savings from a hybrid? I assume that there are far less Lux/Select requests, but that they tend to be for longer distances. Would that be a correct assumption?
> ...


Depends on where you operate. There are zero high fares in my market


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## autofill (Apr 1, 2016)

gaijinpen said:


> Orange County California? If one of the richest counties in the US doesn't get much demand for Lux/Select, how much can be in lesser moneyed areas?


Rich people = zero tips


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## 155839 (Jul 28, 2018)

Kodyhead said:


> Did you think doing lux or select is going to be cheap?


I did not. A used _gasoline _ES isn't expensive. A used _hybrid _ES, OTOH...
But, I do like the idea of a luxury SUV, thus opening up XL rides in addition to the Lux/Select rides. If I get one in black, would it qualify for all of the higher fare ride types?


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## LoveBC (May 16, 2017)

gaijinpen said:


> Orange County California? If one of the richest counties in the US doesn't get much demand for Lux/Select, how much can be in lesser moneyed areas?


Orange County's wealthy residents are also conservative and at times downright cheap.

Compare that with nearby Los Angeles pax that are so recklessly wealthy that they will order an UberBlack to deliver an envelope to Las Vegas (over $1200 btw)

Without knowing your market I can't give you a recommendation either way.

If you have the drive to do this full time and develop a book of private business then by all means go for luxury. Just don't count on Lyft to actually send you any pings.

Otherwise, get the cheapest prius you can find. Get a car that is already fully devalued, you'll recover your investment in the first month.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

LoveBC said:


> If you have the drive to do this full time and develop a book of private business then by all means go for luxury. Just don't count on Lyft to actually send you any pings.
> 
> Otherwise, get the cheapest prius you can find. Get a car that is already fully devalued, you'll recover your investment in the first month.


I agree with LoveBC The key to making money in the Luxury market is developing your own book of business

I drive an XL. Its the car I already owned when I came to Uber so I didnt have to make the decision you are up against regarding a purchase. But at the rate Im putting miles on this thing, within a few years, I will have to buy that new car. . So I have been thinking about it. I am, like you seduced by the high fares that the SUV and Lux SUV get, And Im also thinking about the 30% or more that Uber takes as their commission

I want those higher fares, and I dont want to pay Ubers commission, So my plan, still in the development stage, is to buy a used Chevy Suburban, or Lincoln Navigator, get the necessary insurance and develop my own clientele...

I think if I was you, Id do what LoveBC says and buy that cheap Prius. Pay for it with your earnings, save your money, buy the luxury suv with your savings and develop your own private ride business... In other words, cool your jets, do your research, develop your plan, and make it happen


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## 155839 (Jul 28, 2018)

LoveBC said:


> Otherwise, get the cheapest prius you can find. Get a car that is already fully devalued, you'll recover your investment in the first month.





oldfart said:


> I think if I was you, Id do what LoveBC says and buy that cheap Prius. Pay for it with your earnings, save your money, buy the luxury suv with your savings and develop your own private ride business... In other words, cool your jets, do your research, develop your plan, and make it happen


Thanks. That sounds like pretty sage advice. For now, I'll soldier on with my own car until I decide to pull the trigger on a rideshare-specific one. It will probably be a cheap Prius or some other hybrid.


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