# What's The Most Cost Efficient Vehicle Over A Three Year Period?



## macarose (May 5, 2016)

I have been wondering for a while which vehicle is the best fit for Uber.

Here are a few thoughts...

1) A vehicle that doesn't require a timing belt change or other expensive maintenance.

2) A vehicle that has already been hit with very heavy levels of depreciation, but still looks nice enough to be a daily driver.

3) A car that is good on gas. Not great, but good.

4) An aside thought. Does UberXL make the idea of owning an SUV better? What if that SUV got in the mid-20s in terms of fuel economy? Would that make it a better profit maker than a sedan with a hybrid system?

5) Enough space to handle stuff. Interior materials that can handle rough customers.

Here are a few vehicles that come to mind.

Honda Insight - Thousands of dollars less than a Prius with a 10% hit in fuel economy.

Mitsubishi Outlander - Cheapest SUV that can seat 7. It gets 21 city / 28 highway and does not need a timing belt service. Could be used for UberXL and Lyft SUV service.

Chrysler 200 / Dodge Avenger - Heavily discounted Detroit metal that can average in the mid-20s in mixed traffic. 

Mitsubishi Galant - Perfectly nice car that gets bashed for its rental car origins. Cheap price but tough to find.


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## 14gIV (Dec 12, 2015)

i dunno know but thinking its #2?


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## kevink (Apr 18, 2016)

macarose said:


> I have been wondering for a while which vehicle is the best fit for Uber.
> 
> Here are a few thoughts...
> 
> ...


1.) Most foreign cars did use timing belts up until recently. I believe Honda is switching to chains, if not already done, not sure of Toyota. Nissan has been using chains for a while to the best of my knowledge. Also hear that Hyundai/Kia is going to chains as well. You'll have to do further research on particular models you'd be interested in.

2.) Not sure - "looks good" is subjective. What looks good to me might not look good to you.

3.) Any four cylinder will be good on gas and they are just as durable as most V6s these days. Gone are the days when a 4-banger couldn't get out of its own way or tended to be less reliable than V6s.

4.) Not sure about Uber XL rates. If you want a large crossover that can transport 6 people, look at GM's Lambdas - Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Saturn Outlook. We have an Outlook, and it's incredibly comfortable and has really solid build quality, plus rear climate controls that the passengers can adjust to their liking, and all the goodies in the way of plugs (standard wall plug, USB, etc. - it has them all). Probably forgot to mention a thing or two since my wife drives it for the most part. Gas mileage is respectable for a vehicle of its heft (bests a Tahoe or Suburban). Handling is very car-like.

5.) See above for SUVs. Car-wise if you're looking a large used car with lots of room a number come to mind - Buick Lucerne and LaCrosse, Ford 500/Taurus, Mercury Montego/Sable, Chevy Impala, Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima. Cars with what I would call Average room - Chevy Malibu, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Mazda6, Nissan Altima.


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## leroy jenkins (May 27, 2015)

Corolla if gas is not expensive. Prius if gas is expensive.

But ya getting a heavily discounted Chrysler 200/Dodge Dart probably would make it close.

And for Uber XL, probably something like a used Chrysler minivan---depreciation + easy to fix would make up for the low MPG.


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

4. No, minivan is the ideal XL. Prices on used minivans are much lower than used SUVs. Minivans are usually better on maintenance and gas than SUVs as well.


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## KGB7 (Apr 23, 2015)

Stay away from Mitsubishi. They have ungoing trans and transfer case issues since 1991.

Get your self Kia or Hyndai.

If you want dirt cheap small size SUV, then look at Saturn.

Suzuki is #1 on my list and meets all your requirements.
Sx4
Kizashi
XL7.

2007 and up models. 

Make sure you do a PPI at local authorised dealer before buying any used vehicle. Demand PPI paper work if you buying ..example: Kia at a used Kia dealer. Paper work or you walk.
Bring a friend who knows cars and or is mechanically inclined.

I can't tell you how many times, sales people try to sell me POS used car that were plagued with issues while lying to my face as I pointed out damages and mechanical problems.


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

Oldest reliable used Toyota Corolla that will still qualify for Uber.
I would guess it would cost less than 20 cents a mile to operate.


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## macarose (May 5, 2016)

If you type in long-term reliability, there's actually an interesting study that answers this question. They apparently have over a million vehicles in their database.


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## UberC-Max (May 15, 2016)

My other car is a 99 Grand Marquis so I needed to get a new vehicle for Uber. I made a spreadsheet of various vehicles and I used 450 miles as the sample. The two cheapest cars to operate (gas cost only) were the two Prius models followed by the Civic Hybrid. Ford C Max was third and that is what I bought. It costs $28-30 to fill up at Costco and I get more than 500 miles per tank. The C Max costs $7 more in gas than the Prius for every 450 miles. Lincolns, Caddy's and SUV's were at the bottom at $70 more in gas than the Prius for every 450 miles driven. Hybrids FTW.


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## Toyota Guy (May 18, 2016)

macarose said:


> I have been wondering for a while which vehicle is the best fit for Uber.
> 
> Here are a few thoughts...
> 
> ...


I work in sales for a Toyota dealership in PA.

The four most reliable, dependable, and cost efficient vehicles you can use in this business are 2008-2012 Camrys, Corollas, Accords, and Civics. They are extremely reliable and inexpensive to maintain. All have Chains, not belts.

The Insight has a kludge hybrid system-----the AC doesn't work when you're stopped.

I'd be very hesitant with a Mitsubishi and reject any Chrysler product outright.

Altima, Sentra, Mazda 3, Mazda 6 are OK.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Honda by far. 
1) They don't depreciate heavily
2) Consistently last past 200k miles if you maintain it.
3) Reliable. 

Mitsubishi are okay only if you get the manual trans, the cvt is terrible. AWC is also costly to repair.


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