# Did I make a mistake?



## andrew124C31 (Apr 8, 2019)

I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.

Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?

I only plan to drive part-time just because I enjoy driving and enjoy being with people. I am just wondering whether or not driving part-time for Lytft I will wind up losing money? 

Should I have purchased a black car...(hey, there is always Plastidip


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## VictorD (Apr 30, 2017)

You can do Lyft Lux. Those cars don't need to be black.


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

andrew124C31 said:


> I will wind up losing money?


Money loss is nothing compares to something that is irreplaceable.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

andrew124C31 said:


> I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.
> 
> Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?
> 
> ...


Are you ok with someone leaving trash in your car, scratching it, vomiting in it? If not, get a better hobby.


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

Bought a $25k car to give rides for $3? 

It's no mistake when you like to volunteer your time.


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## PlanoGuber (Feb 14, 2019)

Cream colored interior? Be prepared to wipe down those rear seats daily. Uber/Lyft riders' rear ends seem to be extra dirty for whatever reason. 

I personally would have attempted to find a used ES Hybrid if I wanted to do Select/Lux rides. It's a Toyota... who cares if you have a factory warranty? I took a UberX one time in an ES with 250k miles on it.


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## 22531 (Jul 29, 2015)

Its uber BLACK. Yeah you made a mistake. You can always wrap the car with black and say its black. $$. 

Personally, id spend retirement in Thailand or buy an RV if you like to drive. Why people choose to spend their golden years w/ Uber kind of makes me sick. You're basically taking work from people who really need it and making a company rich that treats its drivers terrible. You probably havent done it long, but a few near miss car accidents, (Esp with someone in the car) and a few bad riders, you will quit.


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

https://www.uber.com/ride/uberblack/


> High-end *black* cars


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

andrew124C31 said:


> I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.
> 
> Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?
> 
> ...


You're a retired MD that doesn't know proper sentence structure or punctuation and would consider PlastiDipping a Lexus to do rideshare? Really?


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## hrswartz (Jan 4, 2019)

yamafx4dude said:


> Its uber BLACK. Yeah you made a mistake. You can always wrap the car with black and say its black. $$.
> 
> Personally, id spend retirement in Thailand or buy an RV if you like to drive. Why people choose to spend their golden years w/ Uber kind of makes me sick. _You're basically taking work from people who really need it _and making a company rich that treats its drivers terrible. You probably havent done it long, but a few near miss car accidents, (Esp with someone in the car) and a few bad riders, you will quit.


Really? and you consider ride-share a JOB that your willing to do to support a family? Maybe you've read too many posts on this forum, yeah, you're in the right job...but you're entitled to your opinion... just sayin'


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

andrew124C31 said:


> I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.
> 
> Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?
> 
> ...


Enjoy your community service.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Your car would probable Uber “Select” in my market


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## andrew124C31 (Apr 8, 2019)

Fozzie said:


> You're a retired MD that doesn't know proper sentence structure or punctuation and would consider PlastiDipping a Lexus to do rideshare? Really?


I keep forgetting that a sense of imagination and whimsy requires a modicum of intelligence. Do you really think I would Pastidip the car! I guess you missed the smiley which was supposed to convey that it was a joke.


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## MoonlightingPHD (Feb 11, 2019)

Doc to Doc: You're wasting your time with Rideshare. If you're bored and want to meet new people, go volunteer at the local library, or join a book club. You'd lose less money and have a more enjoyable experience.


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## andrew124C31 (Apr 8, 2019)

I think I should have clarified this a bit better. I make a particular round trip every day. In northern VA for instance, there are groups that "slug." Let's say a guy is in the habit of driving by himself from point A in VA to DC. He cannot use the express lanes or he must pay to use them without the minimum number of drivers during the am and pm rush hour times. So people form groups to "slug." They all rotate driving. Many years ago I had an idea that would have been called Along the Way...I guess now it would be a combination of Waze and Rideshare. An app would match a rider and a driver that just happened to be making a trip that was, yep, along their way.

I did not have the expertise to come up with such a program or even evaluate whether or not would work. It was never meant to be an avocation, just help someone else out and pick up a few bucks for expenses.

I think you get the idea. However, if the cost of insurance is going to cost more than what I make for my rides than obviously, I won't do it. I did not purchase the car for the express intent of doing rideshare. I purchased it because I like it. The along the way concept was an afterthought.

BTW, in 1971 while I was in college I worked initially from 4 pm until 6 am driving a yellow checker cab. One day I picked up an elderly woman whose tan was darker than mine. (I don't know what the pc word of the day is but I am sure it changed since then.) She wanted to go to an address in Harlem. When we arrived she offered me an absolutely outrageous tip which after quite a bit of negotiation, I managed to cut in half. I knew why. Many yellow cab drivers...meaning legally licensed by the city...refused such trips for fear of getting ripped off. I was a bit of a force of nature and knew my way around so it did not phase me.

What happened was that the word got out and I wound up working pretty much exclusively in Harlem. It was a win-win situation. My riders got a Checker cab and paid only the legal fare rather than the rip off fare the unlicensed ********* drivers charged. I made more money doing this than picking up rich, spoiled, drunk people with no tan from the 3rd avenue bars. I also could cut down my hours and have more time to study and to the other things that guys my age would do in sin city. I do not recall anyone messing up the cab or leaving trash. There was a pimp named Ace and his two girls that needed a ride to Kennedy. It was winter and they decided that they might as well do business in a warmer climate, hence the need for catching a plane to Miami. Ace left a $20 tip which believes me was a lot of money for that trip as well as five joints which I politely declined as well as the offers made by his companions.

I understand today's rideshare would not offer me quite as colorful an experience. Times change.

So, at the moment I don't know if I will be doing this.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

@andrew124C31 Sorry i was a ***** in my response, I just don't condone lying. Luckily for you UP staff value numbers of new users over truth and actual participation here. Enjoy UP.

@UP Staff. Please delete my account. My replacement has arrived.


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## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

amazinghl said:


> Bought a $25k car to give rides for $3?
> 
> It's no mistake when you like to volunteer your time.


Only 8,333 rides until he OWNS that baby!


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## JohnnyBravo836 (Dec 5, 2018)

andrew124C31 said:


> I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.
> 
> Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?
> 
> ...


If you really want to do this, buy a $5000 car and use that. People _will_ trash your nice car, and you _will_ put a _lot_ of miles on it, and it will _definitely_ depreciate far more than is necessary. That's why it's smarter to use an older, high-mileage car which has already undergone the bulk of the depreciation.

Having said all that, I strongly advise against it. The only way I've found that it makes any financial sense at all is to drive only when significant surge pricing is in effect, which means bar closing hours, and ferrying snotty, spoiled college kids to parties and the other side of campus. But if there's a 2.0X or greater surge multiplier in effect, these junk rides become marginally worthwhile.

If you're really a retired physician and you didn't manage to squirrel away enough for a comfortable retirement without having to resort to rideshare driving to pick up a little extra dough, I have to think there's a good chance that you won't be able to do this ridesharing nonsense in a profitable manner; unless you're really careful and track your costs, you'll never really know exactly how much you're making -- or as is equally possible, not making.


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## andrew124C31 (Apr 8, 2019)

JohnnyBravo836 said:


> If you really want to do this, buy a $5000 car and use that. People _will_ trash your nice car, and you _will_ put a _lot_ of miles on it, and it will _definitely_ depreciate far more than is necessary. That's why it's smarter to use an older, high-mileage car which has already undergone the bulk of the depreciation.
> 
> Having said all that, I strongly advise against it. The only way I've found that it makes any financial sense at all is to drive only when significant surge pricing is in effect, which means bar closing hours, and ferrying snotty, spoiled college kids to parties and the other side of campus. But if there's a 2.0X or greater surge multiplier in effect, these junk rides become marginally worthwhile.
> 
> If you're really a retired physician and you didn't manage to squirrel away enough for a comfortable retirement without having to resort to rideshare driving to pick up a little extra dough, I have to think there's a good chance that you won't be able to do this ridesharing nonsense in a profitable manner; unless you're really careful and track your costs, you'll never really know exactly how much you're making -- or as is equally possible, not making. :wink:


I didn't explain this well. I don't need the money. Years ago before ride-sharing existed I had an idea called Along the Way. I think now WAZE may have something like Iike it...match single occupancy vehicles with pax who are headed in the same general direction. There would be a small fee to help defray some costs.

I do not have the tech knowledge, so I abandoned the idea. The hope was to cut down congestion and be affordable.

I thought I might do something like this for you daily and other trips. I just do not want to lose money in the process.


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

andrew124C31 said:


> I just do not want to lose money in the process.


Only way to tell if it will work for you is to try it. But using a $25k car to make $3 trips doesn't make sense to me.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

Fozzie said:


> You're a retired MD that doesn't know proper sentence structure or punctuation and would consider PlastiDipping a Lexus to do rideshare? Really?


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I know several doctors that have poor writing and spelling skills. Not certain what you consider writing violations. I only saw one spelling error.




andrew124C31 said:


> I just picked up a 2016 Lexus ES, Premium package with only 16,000 miles and 17 months of warranty left. It is gray with leather cream colored seats. I am a retired physician. I primarily purchased the vehicle for me and my wife's use. (She also has a vehicle.) I could have purchased a new vehicle....I just have learned that (my personal opinion,) it is a waste of money....let someone else take the depreciation hit.
> 
> Is this one of those special vehicles or does it have to be black?
> 
> ...


------------------------
First, the cream seats will take a hit. Second, I would not tell people that you are a doctor. Third, wouldn't it be more rewarding to work part time at a low income clinic, where your training can be utilized to the fullest ?


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## JohnnyBravo836 (Dec 5, 2018)

andrew124C31 said:


> I didn't explain this well. I don't need the money. Years ago before ride-sharing existed I had an idea called Along the Way. I think now WAZE may have something like Iike it...match single occupancy vehicles with pax who are headed in the same general direction. There would be a small fee to help defray some costs.
> 
> I do not have the tech knowledge, so I abandoned the idea. The hope was to cut down congestion and be affordable.
> 
> I thought I might do something like this for you daily and other trips. I just do not want to lose money in the process.


The Uber app has a feature called Destination Filter (DF), which seems to be somewhat along the lines you describe: the basic idea is that you can specify a destination, and then only Uber requests which are generally in the direction you've specified will be sent to you.

There are a couple of very important caveats, however:

(1) You can only use the filters twice a day. So, for example, you could set your workplace as a destination in the morning, and your home in the evening, and you won't be sent requests that are in the opposite direction. The idea is to encourage people to take a ride or two each way when they're commuting anyway.

However, this doesn't eliminate requests that are at essentially a 90 degree angle from your destination; the DF determines "in your general direction" to mean "just not in the opposite direction"! For example, if you want to go to a destination that's north of you, you'll still get requests that are significantly east or west of where you're headed -- just not south. If you're trying to get to work and you're taking requests far off course, you're going to wind up waaay off your intended route.

(2) I've read on this site that in at least some markets Uber has now implemented policies that penalize drivers financially for rides accepted when a DF is in effect. I can't remember what the number is, but you're penalized something like 40% for such rides, making them practically worthless. If you do a search here, you'll find the relevant threads. In short, Uber _hates_ it when drivers intelligently use the DF because then they are better able to screen out unprofitable rides, so Uber is making it financially impractical to use it.


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## andrew124C31 (Apr 8, 2019)

Fozzie said:


> @andrew124C31 Sorry i was a @@@@@ in my response, I just don't condone lying. Luckily for you UP staff value numbers of new users over truth and actual participation here. Enjoy UP.
> 
> My friend, let me set you straight. First of all, all I did was copy our posts and sent them. Cutting and pasting tells no lies. (Or is the singular tell?)
> 
> ...





yamafx4dude said:


> Its uber BLACK. Yeah you made a mistake. You can always wrap the car with black and say its black. $$.
> 
> Personally, id spend retirement in Thailand or buy an RV if you like to drive. Why people choose to spend their golden years w/ Uber kind of makes me sick. You're basically taking work from people who really need it and making a company rich that treats its drivers terrible. You probably havent done it long, but a few near miss car accidents, (Esp with someone in the car) and a few bad riders, you will quit.


Better yet....just write the word black in small letters on a window.
I don't want to live in Thailand or live in an RV fulltime....perhaps a road trip with my wife, but that is another matter.
I am busier now than I was when I was working because I have a lot of interests and that is the way I like it.
If you read my qualification regarding how this came about and my intent, I don't think you need to worry about my taking away any business from anyone else.

I have applied for Lyft and Uber but have not yet made a decision yet whether or not I am going to bother with either.

As I said in another post, I once drove a yellow checker cab in NYC and it was quite an interesting experience.



KK2929 said:


> -----------
> I know several doctors that have poor writing and spelling skills. Not certain what you consider writing violations. I only saw one spelling error.
> 
> 
> ...


As for keeping quiet about my prior criminal work called medicine, perhaps you are right. I have done quite a lot of volunteering and do a host of things with my skills to help people gratis.



JohnnyBravo836 said:


> The Uber app has a feature called Destination Filter (DF), which seems to be somewhat along the lines you describe: the basic idea is that you can specify a destination, and then only Uber requests which are generally in the direction you've specified will be sent to you.
> 
> There are a couple of very important caveats, however:
> 
> ...


I hope someone with more technical ability than I have, meaning to say the ability to write apps, comes up with one that will basically make both Uber and Lyft obsolete....wrong word....makes it possible to screw them by working on their own and taking closer to 100 percent of the ride fare.

I kind of imagine how it might work save for the hassle of those pesky things called state and local regulations....law.....that kind of thing.


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