# What car should I choose if I want to do uberblack?



## Wardell Curry (Jul 9, 2016)

I was gonna get a 535 a few years down the line but now i hear an acura rlx can also do black. What car would be the most cost effective tor black? Maybe an e class?


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

I would go with something that can also do XL/SUV. Then you would have four solid platforms to run that has good base rates.


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

Get a 2015 suburban. You can do anything with it....including real livery work if you want to go for the licensure.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

honda civic 2000


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

steveK2016 said:


> I would go with something that can also do XL/SUV. Then you would have four solid platforms to run that has good base rates.


Hertz car sales has some 8 passenger S.U.V."s for sale used with lots w miles with very reasonable prices .
Much nicer than a suburban with leather. Every one that I gave seen so far has been black.


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## Wardell Curry (Jul 9, 2016)

ChortlingCrison said:


> honda civic 2000


Might as well ride an s2k.


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## uberLeshy (Oct 16, 2016)

Lincoln MKT
Just don't get one built on a Friday
We likes to git a bit tipsy eh


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

I had the same thoughts as you . I have a 335 and I thought "why not upgrade to a 535 and do black" the problem is I'm doing this full time with some side consulting work . So Uber/Lyft are over 50% of my overall income and some months they're 100% . I ended up just buying the most economical , fuel efficient and reliable car that would qualify for Select 2015 VW Passat (also because I got just an insane deal on it) and kept my modified 335 for weekend and track day purposes only (I've wanted to make it an non Daily for awhile) 

However I want to make the jump to Black still as I've been slowly getting more and more regulars and it would be awesome to do it without Uber . 
I've done a lot of research and while a car like the Suburban or Expedition are perfect with a ton of room to fit 6 and luggage after talking to a number of XL and SUV drivers I've been told that they rarely get a situation where they have 6 Pax with a lot of luggage . So I've decided on the Lincoln MKT , I had a Lincoln MKZ that I flipped and really liked it (although it was the hybrid and the trunk was unacceptable with the added battery) 

The positives to a car like the MKT is that it's not crazy big (I live in a downtown area and have a private garage that wouldn't fit anything bigger , heck my passat barely fits) from talking to people the V6 Twin Turbo AWD is averaging most of them around 20mpg on Regular Fuel , the Non Turbo FWD gets around 22mpg . I live in Denver so AWD and turbo is kinda important (especially since I'm a boost addict with no plans on recovery) . I like that all the seats fold flat for extra cargo (very positive for my non uber life) , The interior is very comfortable , and I've read they're very reliable. I regularly see them with 300k + Miles for sale and you can find a 2013 with under 50k miles for under $20k . 

Will I have to turn down the occasional large group ? probably but from my research I bet it happens no more then once a month . I also thought about putting a cargo carrier on the top (especially since I have one sitting in my storage unit collecting dust for the past 5 years ) 

Also I know most people think they're ugly but I find the MKT pretty cool looking especially if you black out all the chrome trim . They also make some great tuner programmers for them including tuning to increase fuel economy on the eco boost engine. A friend has an f150 with that engine and he says with his tuner set to eco he has gotten close to 30mpg on the hwy


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## thesatanicmechanic (Nov 5, 2016)

Don't get a car that requires the following.
Premium fuel
Expensive 19"+ runflat tires


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## papavbnmomo (Oct 25, 2015)

Acura mdx


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Acura MDX is good , it gets decent fuel economy (I believe it requires premium ) . Kinda small but reliable (stay away from the sport package with adaptive suspension I hear that's a night mare to repair )

Infitini QX56 is really nice also and can be head pretty inexpensive used I see 2012s for around $15k every once and awhile it allows the use of Regular fuel as well .

Audi Q7 TDI if diesel is available in your area ( in Denver diesel is more then regular but less then mid grade) they get 23mpg combined (I've heard of guys tuning these to get well over 30mpg)

If you're just gonna get a car and stay away from the SUV

Lincoln MKZ Hybrid I had a 2012 (sold it to my dad for him to do Uber Select) gets well over 40mpg , very very nice interior set up . The hybrid sacrifices some trunk space but on the redesigned 2013 and newer the trunk is much better . Also very reliable (stay away from the non ecoboost v6 as the waterpump install is a nightmare and places charge over $3000 for it) the Hybrid is a fantastic engine you get similar mileage to a prius but with a great ride and a little more power (it's still pretty slow but not as bad as a prius)

If you like the BMW the 2011 and newer 528i gets 35mpg on the highway and that turbo engine is really nice (it does take premium though)

I just feel if you're going to do it get an SUV three rows and be able to take SUV calls as well as XL in down time


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## Disgruntled (Nov 10, 2016)

I'd like to use a Hyundai Genesis but it's not on the list in my area. I believe Lyft has it on their list though.

Has anyone ever done the math to see if it's worth it in any scenario? Don't they charge an even higher rape fee (I mean commission) for Black and SUV? 28%?


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Disgruntled said:


> I'd like to use a Hyundai Genesis but it's not on the list in my area. I believe Lyft has it on their list though.
> 
> Has anyone ever done the math to see if it's worth it in any scenario? Don't they charge an even higher rape fee (I mean commission) for Black and SUV? 28%?


I believe lyft premier is a 28% commission


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

thesatanicmechanic said:


> Don't get a car that requires the following.
> Premium fuel
> Expensive 19"+ runflat tires


Switched down from 19's to 18's after a killed rim that I couldn't seem to find a replacement for

Now? Now finding tires is an even BIGGER pain.... you wouldn't believe how much easier it was to find 265/30/19's or 255/35/19's (vs 225/40/18, 235/40/18, 245/35/18)

More to the point, they're talking black car and your biggest concern is TIRES???

Like seriously?


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

Adieu said:


> Switched down from 19's to 18's after a killed rim that I couldn't seem to find a replacement for
> 
> Now? Now finding tires is an even BIGGER pain.... you wouldn't believe how much easier it was to find 265/30/19's or 255/35/19's (vs 225/40/18, 235/40/18, 245/35/18)
> 
> ...


To go give benefit of the doubt tires are a concern when it comes to ride quality. My 300 has 275.45.20s and while the rides is decent, it's probably better with something like an 18" rim, but everyone seems to love the 20s so it's staying. Crazy how a 20" rim is pretty standard these days. Inflate them about 5psi over the recommended pressure and it smoothes everything out.


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## thesatanicmechanic (Nov 5, 2016)

Brakes, tires, fuel economy & type, these and myriad other things go into the $/mile calculations when ridesharing.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

rtaatl said:


> To go give benefit of the doubt tires are a concern when it comes to ride quality. My 300 has 275.45.20s and while the rides is decent, it's probably better with something like an 18" rim, but everyone seems to love the 20s so it's staying. Crazy how a 20" rim is pretty standard these days. Inflate them about 5psi over the recommended pressure and it smoothes everything out.


Tires are a big expense that are going to need to be replaced just about every year if you're doing it full time maybe even sooner then a year. I know my car that uses 17s only costs about $500 for a good set of new tires installed where as my BMW with staggered 18s is over a grand for middle of the road tires. My Michelein PSS cost me almost $1600 new and they wouldn't last me 5 months doing Uber full time lol

Everything should be thought out . Maintenance intervals , oil capacity , oil requirements, type of fuel, tires, etc... Heck even looking into how long things like brake pads, rotors and water pumps last is a good thing to look into whne putting 50k miles or more on a car a yeaar


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Jim, don't tell me you pay MSRP????


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Adieu said:


> Jim, don't tell me you pay MSRP????


Oh he'll no. But 275 rears and 245 fronts are just pricey I've actually never bought them as my car came with new ones and I bought a second set of rims for winter use and all season nitto motivo s only 245 rear 225 frot I paid $625 installed with warranty. I think retail was $800 just for the tires


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Used to run 235/35/19 & 265/30/19, there were good deals to be had

Currently on 245/45/18 rears, fronts are temporary used junk in 235/40/18 until I get around to dialing suspension in to fit 245/45/18 up front as well

Takeoff rims w/ mounted runflats, tpms and all, cost me $500 / 4 as-new


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Adieu said:


> Used to run 235/35/19 & 265/30/19, there were good deals to be had
> 
> Currently on 245/45/18 rears, fronts are temporary used junk in 235/40/18 until I get around to dialing suspension in to fit 245/45/18 up front as well
> 
> Takeoff rims w/ mounted runflats, tpms and all, cost me $500 / 4 as-new


That's a great deal I paid $750 for vmr710 with almost new pss and tpms

There's always great deals to be had. I use a couple used tires sites and local places too as take off tires are crazy inexpensive


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Lol that's the style I had before

What's annoying though is I still got 3 of em, dressed in nice Pirellis, and totally useless since they can't really blend with any other type of rim....



Jimmy Bernat said:


> That's a great deal I paid $750 for vmr710 with almost new pss and tpms
> 
> There's always great deals to be had. I use a couple used tires sites and local places too as take off tires are crazy inexpensive


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## thesatanicmechanic (Nov 5, 2016)

So the ultimate uber black car is an '08 Mercedes s350 with 17" wheels it sounds like? cheap tires, cheap brakes and 25 mpg?


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## Disgruntled (Nov 10, 2016)

thesatanicmechanic said:


> So the ultimate uber black car is an '08 Mercedes s350 with 17" wheels it sounds like? cheap tires, cheap brakes and 25 mpg?


Oh hell no! I would NEVER own an S class out of warranty even for 5 minutes!! That car has modules that go out on a regular basis, they're only available from MB and they cost multiple thousands of dollars. Not only do I know someone who suffered this but it's well documented on their enthusiast forums as well. Any Mercedes will have high repair bills but the S is guaranteed to have them, they'll be a lot of them and they'll be way expensive to fix.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

I would say the best black vehicle is a 2012 Lincoln mkz hybrid I picked up a nice black on black fully loaded at auction with 65k miles for well under 10k. Gets just I've 40mpg and has a nice big 17gallon tank

Its basically just a fancy Ford fusion so parts are cheap and it's relatively cheap


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Live long enough >>> hear Ford Fusion & UberBlack in same sentence


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

You'll do better with SUV, 'cause most of the trips on friday and saturday nights are SUV, so, if you are driving a towncar, whatever, you'll lose a lot of business, and the cost of maintaining the car is about the same. 

I drove an SUV for about a year and a half, but I was on a lease, and leasing is not worth it ( when biz is good, yeah, but when it's slow, you lose big time if you are leasing say $500 per week, which was what I was paying ), but owning would be, for sure. My slowest weeks were about $1000 per week, which I would have to be working back to back calls all week long in my X to do that good, but the insurance is cheaper, and no licenses to pay for, but on SUV, they take out 28%.


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## jmarmol (Nov 21, 2016)

I am debating between preowned 2015 Suburban LTZ or 2016 GMC Yukon SLT which one is better for the long run? Anyone has input?


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

jmarmol said:


> I am debating between preowned 2015 Suburban LTZ or 2016 GMC Yukon SLT which one is better for the long run? Anyone has input?


Those are basically the same car. Same engine etc.


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