# Rent a car from a rental company to drive?



## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

Hi, I would like to see if uber works for me but I don't want to commit by buying a used vehicle, or leasing long term. I'm wondering if it's possible to rent a car from a local car rental company(they charge like $125 a week plus taxes) for a couple of months to try it out? I understand uber will need to examine and certify the car. Is that process long and cumbersome? Have anyone considered this? I know uber offers rentals for some cities but my area is not on that list.


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> Hi, I would like to see if uber works for me but I don't want to commit by buying a used vehicle, or leasing long term. I'm wondering if it's possible to rent a car from a local car rental company(they charge like $125 a week plus taxes) for a couple of months to try it out? I understand uber will need to examine and certify the car. Is that process long and cumbersome? Have anyone considered this? I know uber offers rentals for some cities but my area is not on that list.


See if uber enterprise rental is in your city. Its about $300/week though. If they let you use a regular rental, you wont have the proper insurance in case of a collision.


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## pacifico (May 13, 2017)

No pay cash, if uber leaves or kick you out or you get sick you don't have any car debt 

regards


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## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

hmm. yes insurance is a big problem for rentals. If you buy the insurance from rental company it's very expensive. Plus, I read somewhere that uber need to inspect the car before you are allowed to drive for uber. With rentals things may get complicated. Anyway, if I buy a used toyota prius with high mileage(200k plus) will that be a problem? I can get one for under $3k, and I'm fairly good with car repair and maintenance. toyotas should last over 300k with proper maintenance. So when uber inspect a car with high mileage will the mileage be an issue if everything else is good?


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## MicDee (May 16, 2017)

Mileage is normally an issue with Uber, you'd have to find out what requirements they have set up in your city.

On the matter of renting. Normally rental companies have mileage limits and if not, they may not allow the use of the car for Rideshare. Hyrecar is a company pretty much made for such a thing, they're are like a in-between a person that wants to rent their car and a person who wants to rent a car, they cover insurance too. Though they may not in some places and while it can be cheaper then Uber rental program, it's not often by much. Anyhow, Uber and Lyft's programs are a bit...I would like Lyft's program if I had more hours to put into driving for them and they were more popular, since they cover the rental for you if you do a set number of rides in a week; but only if you can get that amount. Either of the two, if you get sick or just don't feel like working that week, it comes out of your own bank, you pretty much have to drive, if just to pay the rental fee. I don't like it.


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## mindthelines (Jan 2, 2017)

Do you not have a vehicle at all?


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## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

yes I have a minivan which is a family car(with car seats installed) so I don't want to use that car as the main car. The gas mileage isn't great either.


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## MicDee (May 16, 2017)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> yes I have a minivan which is a family car(with car seats installed) so I don't want to use that car as the main car. The gas mileage isn't great either.


Poor gas mileage will eat into profit a lot. A lot of people recommend getting a Prius, just like you are thinking of, one that you can buy for cash or a low monthly payment. Geico and Farmer give rideshare insurance, but it's on a city to city basis, of course they don't in Miami where I live; sadly.

Also the inspections are at improved places and it isn't like they lift the thing off the ground, so no biggie. Get...in...touch...with...Uber. Speak to someone there, they answer questions about most anything. Just...don't listen to them if they tell you how sweet renting a car from their people is. It's never sweet, you HAVE to drive weekly to not go into the negative from paying it off. At least it isn't like being a lease truck owner and everything, including repairs and insurance being on you. I was ball parked at about 220 a week to rent from Hertz(Now you all know it's likely to be more), I did the math with me doing a minimum of 40 hours a week with 11/hr with a Prius, 60 bucks a week on gas for 280 a week; it's not worth it. Buying a Prius with a monthly payment of like 200 and a insurance payment of 200(Never gonna let them know I do rideshare...Pleasure car baby), that'll be 160 bucks a week including gas, that looks much better.

Of course it'll be less if you bought the car cash. I've not even factor the bit of tax money you need to square away, the car wash monthly membership(If you don't do it yourself), and the cleaning supplies for your car your gonna need to stock every month or few months. You need to file taxes quarterly based on your state, but if you don't mind a bit of a hike on the amount, you can do it during tax time; use now repay later kinda thing. And you NEED to keep your car clean, and while I wouldn't buy everything the guy talks about or all at once, this video gives a good idea about what you may want to have: Youtube search '20 Items Every Uber Driver Should Have In The Car'.

Also, never, EVER lease from them. You will end up paying more then the car is worth and if you pay off early? They still won't give you the title because you have to wait till the contract ends.


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## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

Wait, you are saying uber driver only makes $11 per hour? That's barely minimum wage and you have to factor in the vehicle cost. If that's what average uber pays then it's not worth it at all. I was thinking uber pays around $20 per hour which makes better sense. I know it all depends on the traffic and area but $11 per hour is a just waste of time.


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## MicDee (May 16, 2017)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> Wait, you are saying uber driver only makes $11 per hour? That's barely minimum wage and you have to factor in the vehicle cost. If that's what average uber pays then it's not worth it at all. I was thinking uber pays around $20 per hour which makes better sense. I know it all depends on the traffic and area but $11 per hour is a just waste of time.


What? No. I said I did the math with the the worse case scenario in mind, meaning the lowest I'm willing to be paid per hour, when it comes to a job that gives me work hour flexibility. Also, minimum wage in Florida is $8.10 an hour, standard wise. If it was a sure thing that I'll make 20 dollars an hour, I'll give it another thought, but that is STILL pushing it. People recommend driving during surge periods, keeping up with events in your city, etc. I never take the estimated hourly pay that these companies feed you. If you come in expecting to make $800 net income for a 40 hour work week, I feel sorry for you son! Not like it can't be done though or so I've heard, it gets harder with how Uber tends to drop the $ per mile from time to time, the heyday is long gone.

If you have a gas efficient car, paid off or with low monthly payments, a desire for a flexible job, a decent handle of your city, a the desire to hustle, and the ability to know where to be and when; Uber can be good for you. I just don't look at it like a full time job, just side income that can sometimes bring in some good bank. Your car breaks down? You can't work Uber, but you can catch the bus or take an Uber to your standard job. Also, what if Uber fires you for some reason? No worker's comp.


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## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

I know making $20/hr is probably too rosy. Uber ads say you can make $35/hr which sounds too good to be true. I have another job offer which is an office job answering some phone calls and it pays $10/hr. Very low but at least I don't have to worry about cars, insurances, police issuing tickets etc.


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## MicDee (May 16, 2017)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> I know making $20/hr is probably too rosy. Uber ads say you can make $35/hr which sounds too good to be true. I have another job offer which is an office job answering some phone calls and it pays $10/hr. Very low but at least I don't have to worry about cars, insurances, police issuing tickets etc.


The ads also say gives off the feeling of 'That is, if you hustle enough' meaning it relies on you, after all you aren't an employee; they have no obligation to you. Uber is good as either a stepping stone to help you raise funds for something better or something to supplement your current income. It's not stable, it keeps you out in the streets all the time, and it can just up and disappear within the next 5 years.

Though I can see the appeal for those that dislike desk jobs, like being out on the road, or getting to know people.

Car payments, insurance, gas, keeping it clean, the waiting for a ping, and dealing with people that see you as a taxi without the bullet proof glass protecting your back. Those are a pain, I honestly hate driving people around.

Before even getting into all the above. Find out how old and how many miles your car can have for Uber. Then find a handful of Prius cars or any car with 25+ mpg on the market. Kelley Blue book is a good place to look at prices based on age, mileage, and condition. Remember per-certified just means they are required to take care of anything 'visibly' bad about the car, it's not a warranty that nothing will go wrong with it. It's recommended that you spend a bit of cash to get someone to look at a car you are planning to buy, for a Prius especially you need to search around for people certified for Hybrids. Per-certified is just another term for used cars they fix up a bit and throw on a slightly higher price tag, it isn't a warranty in and of itself Hell they tend to buy them from Auctions. Ah, also get in touch with drivers in your area somehow to get a standard on they're pay; through this forum or elsewhere.

I'd rather put a down payment of 1,000 bucks and spend a 100-300 bucks to make sure it's in a good condition to drive; then pay 800+ a month in rental fees. Though I'd love it even more to buy a car from the Auction, but not all of us have that much up front cash.


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## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

Thank you MicDee for the advice. I'll do some more research in my local area. We have a pretty busy commuter train station nearby. Do you think that's a good spot waiting for customers? I've seen taxis at the station.


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## MicDee (May 16, 2017)

I've added a bit to my reply above.

Any place with a lot of people coming in to the city from from other parts of the city or other cities altogether would be a good place. Though at times the ride may be very short, but that's a risk any ride can be. Also, if you've thought about it, other Uber drivers have as well, but prepared to smash that button when a Rider hails for a Uber. Airports are the same, they tend to have a 'queue' of drivers waiting. Oh and 1) Don't pick anyone up that isn't coming to you through Uber, you can face fines/jail time. 2) Confirm whoever is getting in your car is your rider before unlocking the door, ask them to tell you their name, don't say it. 3) Don't start the ride on your Uber app till the person is in your car and buckled in.


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> I know making $20/hr is probably too rosy. Uber ads say you can make $35/hr which sounds too good to be true. I have another job offer which is an office job answering some phone calls and it pays $10/hr. Very low but at least I don't have to worry about cars, insurances, police issuing tickets etc.


Take the office job then consider doing uber part time.

An office job usually has room for promotion so work hard, be on time (essential) and when you see an opening ask if you can have it. Even if they want a college degree, it maybe something you can learn on the job and they will probably waive the college degree requirement if they like you. (unless you need a license from the state of course).

What I did was ask my coworkers if they needed help. Of course, most of the time they don't like doing the mundane tasks, but this is how you start learning/showing your worth. You take a few phone calls and next thing you know, the phone calls are for you.

If this office does not promote you, then just stay there for the experience while looking for another office job.


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