# Is getting a different car worth it?



## Chris210 (Sep 2, 2018)

Hello everyone!!

I currently drive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-350 for uber. It only gets 20 MPG in the city if I’m lucky. I was wondering if you all think it would be worth it to trade it in and get something more fuel efficient like a Prius? My cars trade in value is only around $4,000 and I know most used fuel efficient cars are around $10,000, so it’s an investment for sure. 

Thank you very much!


----------



## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

I've had several riders tell me "thank god you're not a Prius!"

Just saying.


----------



## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Chris210 said:


> Hello everyone!!
> 
> I currently drive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-350 for uber. It only gets 20 MPG in the city if I'm lucky. I was wondering if you all think it would be worth it to trade it in and get something more fuel efficient like a Prius? My cars trade in value is only around $4,000 and I know most used fuel efficient cars are around $10,000, so it's an investment for sure.
> 
> Thank you very much!


Just my $0.02 here.

The way Uber constantly fornicates with rates/Surge etc. I would NOT make any vehicle buying decisions based on Uber.

If you don't have new Surge there yet, you will at some point. It's a pay cut pure and simple.

If you WANT a Prius for stuff outside Uber go for it. Don't get one solely to Uber in.


----------



## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

So how much do you spend on gas in a month now. I’d guess you will cut that expense in half. It would save me about $400 a month. Given your $10000 purchase price less $4000 trade in, it would be a 1 year to break even for me.

Your numbers will be different


----------



## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

It's worth it if you like the Benz and are willing to spend money on another car to preserve your current car a little longer.

A year ago I bought a Sonata that needed a lot of repairs to even be somewhat reasonable. It's embarrassing how much $$$ I spent fixing the thing up, but all repairs were paid for by Ubering and it did in fact get me to my day job, including in the winter (which kept road salt off my BMW).

I am now trying to sell the Sonata because it's simply too old and will continue to have issues, AND it doesn't get the fuel economy I was hoping for. If it sells, I will be tempted to buy a late model Mazda3, Sentra, or Elantra to -- once again -- keep the winter salt off the Bimmer, but this time in a more fuel efficient vehicle. 

However at the rate I'm going, my Sonata won't sell (high school kids with no money are the buyers interested in it) and I'll be driving it through the winter, and fixing it up again when it has transmission issues (again).


----------



## Chris210 (Sep 2, 2018)

Yes I love my Benz, she’s my baby. I don’t really know if it’s worth owning two cars, not really a point in paying smog/registration/insurance on two vehicles if I only need one. Then again if I’m going to continue Ubering on the weekend during college it might be worth the investment. 
I guess I was just hoping I would run across someone else who traded their poor gas mileage car for a more expensive high gas mileage/hybrid car and hear their story.


----------



## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

Since you're driving a 2007, your market obviously allows older model cars.

You might want to look for a 2007-2009 Prius with a lot of miles in the $4000-$5000 range. They will run to 300K miles easy.



Coachman said:


> I've had several riders tell me "thank god you're not a Prius!"
> 
> Just saying.


But they're not paying for your car, nor is Uber paying a reasonable amount, so eff 'em. For UberX, driving whatever is cheapest is what pax and Uber deserves.


----------



## Chris210 (Sep 2, 2018)

I drive in Palm Springs California and they allow to 2002 or 2004, not sure which but definitely older model. 
What makes you say they run to 300k easily? Personal experience or? And how often do you have to replace the electric side of the car? Is it expensive upkeep?


----------



## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

Mine was at 142K and going strong before I totaled it. 

The 300K thing is common knowledge if you do some reading on various forums. After I totaled mine, when I was looking for a replacement, I saw lots of Prius models for sale in good condition with 180K, 220K, 264K, 339K, etc. There was one being sold by a dealer with 400K. By the way, when they get over 300K it's hard to determine the actual mileage because the odometer only goes to 299K.


----------



## Chris210 (Sep 2, 2018)

AllGold said:


> Mine was at 142K and going strong before I totaled it.
> 
> The 300K thing is common knowledge if you do some reading on various forums. After I totaled mine, when I was looking for a replacement, I saw lots of Prius models for sale in good condition with 180K, 220K, 264K, 339K, etc. There was one being sold by a dealer with 400K. By the way, when they get over 300K it's hard to determine the actual mileage because the odometer only goes to 299K.


How often do things like the Lithium battery and other parts of the electric have to be replaced and are they expensive maintanice? 
So you would definitely say it's worth trading in for a Prius then?


----------



## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

The early models had nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. The Plugin began using Lithium in 2012, but the regular hybrid didn't get Lithium until 2015. Little maintenance required beyond 10k oil changes and 5k tire rotations. In CA the batteries are covered under the 10 year, 150k mile emissions warranty.
Re the odometer issue, I think I read that it was fixed for the 2006 Prius when a new instrument cluster was used. It wasn't limited to Prius, some Corollas and Matrix exhibit the same problem.
The decision is personal. You have to decide whether a Prius works for your needs. I'm on my third, a Plugin, and my daughter is on her second, a 2013 hatchback which recently rolled over 100k miles on the clock. We're happy owners .


----------



## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

You could trade, or if you love your current car but don't want to use it for rideshare, you could buy a used Prius and use it for Uber and Lyft.

I hate to be "that guy"... but check out the "Vehicles" section here. Prius reliability, maintenance, battery life and expense are discussed.

Edit: I just noticed this thread got moved to Vehicles (where it should be).


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

AllGold said:


> Mine was at 142K and going strong before I totaled it.
> 
> The 300K thing is common knowledge if you do some reading on various forums. After I totaled mine, when I was looking for a replacement, I saw lots of Prius models for sale in good condition with 180K, 220K, 264K, 339K, etc. There was one being sold by a dealer with 400K. By the way, when they get over 300K it's hard to determine the actual mileage because the odometer only goes to 299K.


The Electric Motor takes the brunt of acceleration.
Thus keeping engine R.P.M.' s Low.

Saves engines via same method it saves Gas.


----------



## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

Chris210 said:


> Hello everyone!!
> 
> I currently drive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-350 for uber. It only gets 20 MPG in the city if I'm lucky. I was wondering if you all think it would be worth it to trade it in and get something more fuel efficient like a Prius? My cars trade in value is only around $4,000 and I know most used fuel efficient cars are around $10,000, so it's an investment for sure.
> 
> Thank you very much!


Mercedes are trash which is why you will see the resale value plummet compared to a Toyota or Lexus. Get rid of that thing asap. Your bank account will thank you. The repairs on those are so ridiculous and they break all the time since computers run the entire system.

Go get you a workhorse vehicle. Stay away from anything German - Chrysler - Italian - New Nissan - Dodge - Chevy - GM

Go for Toyota/Lexus (fancy Toyota) - Honda - Ford in that order


----------



## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Mercedes are trash which is why you will see the resale value plummet compared to a Toyota or Lexus. Get rid of that thing asap. Your bank account will thank you. The repairs on those are so ridiculous and they break all the time since computers run the entire system.
> 
> Go get you a workhorse vehicle. Stay away from anything German - Chrysler - Italian - New Nissan - Dodge - Chevy - GM
> 
> Go for Toyota/Lexus (fancy Toyota) - Honda - Ford in that order


I agree with part of this. Get the workhorse vehicle for Rideshare but keep the Benz for fun / nice evenings out.


----------



## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

First of all, don't trade it in. You'll get 50% of the BlueBook Value.
Sell it on Craigslist, Cargurus or Ebay.
Then, buy what you really want.


----------



## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

oldfart said:


> So how much do you spend on gas in a month now. I'd guess you will cut that expense in half. It would save me about $400 a month. Given your $10000 purchase price less $4000 trade in, it would be a 1 year to break even for me.
> 
> Your numbers will be different


96% of Uber drivers quit in the first year. so unless your payoff is a few months your advice is bad


----------



## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

NOXDriver said:


> 96% of Uber drivers quit in the first year. so unless your payoff is a few months your advice is bad


I don't think I gave any advice in that post. I simply calculated the break even point for a full time driver like me

In fact I say "your numbers will be different"

My advice is to crunch your own numbers and do what's best for you



AllGold said:


> Since you're driving a 2007, your market obviously allows older model cars.
> 
> You might want to look for a 2007-2009 Prius with a lot of miles in the $4000-$5000 range. They will run to 300K miles easy.
> 
> But they're not paying for your car, nor is Uber paying a reasonable amount, so eff 'em. For UberX, driving whatever is cheapest is what pax and Uber deserves.


Oh but your passengers are paying for your car


----------



## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

oldfart said:


> Oh but your passengers are paying for your car


----------



## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Not only do my passengers pay for my car, they pay for my groceries too and my other bills too


----------



## whiskeyboat (Oct 14, 2017)

New2This said:


> Just my $0.02 here.
> 
> The way Uber constantly fornicates with rates/Surge etc. I would NOT make any vehicle buying decisions based on Uber.
> 
> ...


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
especially since you are only driving part-time you will not recoup the cost
keep the Benz, it is a great car and only drive during surge
make sure your gross per hour is at least 25-30
otherwise find a different gig


----------



## 2015NissanVersa (Sep 24, 2018)

I wouldn't get rid of the Mercedes. Buy something cheap cheap cheap and keep the interior vacuumed.

I drive about 30 hours a week in LA in 2016 Nissan Versa. 30 mpg freeway, super barebones, maintenance costs are minimal. Sure, it has the horsepower of a lawnmower going up hills. But who cares? The pax? They are free to pay more for a higher tier of service.


----------



## Chris210 (Sep 2, 2018)

Yeah I found someone selling a 05 prius with 200k miles for $3,000, I could probably talk them down a few hundred too... might be worth it to get a second car for ridesharing ‍♂ I hate to pay double for insurance and registration and stuff, but it might be worth it.


----------



## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Most of us have a spare tire, why not a spare car , I would try to sell it to another uber driver for a quick $1000-2000 profit


----------



## occupant (Jul 7, 2015)

Look for a CDI or Bluetec E-Class then. Not cheap to buy, not cheap to run, but loads better than der Gasser.

Probably looking at $7K or higher for an 06-08 in nice shape. You want the newer W212 (2011-2013) it'll be $12K and up. You want the facelifted W212 (2014-2016) figure $20K and up. 2016 is the newest diesel Benz you can get, they won't sell diesel W213's here.


----------



## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

oldfart said:


> Not only do my passengers pay for my car, they pay for my groceries too and my other bills too


96% of Uber drivers every year prove you wrong.

Unless you are in a top market and work 40-60 hours a week Uber is NOT paying for anything.

If you want say that you represent teh average driver is a lie and you should stop doing it.


----------



## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Chris210 said:


> Hello everyone!!
> 
> I currently drive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-350 for uber. It only gets 20 MPG in the city if I'm lucky. I was wondering if you all think it would be worth it to trade it in and get something more fuel efficient like a Prius? My cars trade in value is only around $4,000 and I know most used fuel efficient cars are around $10,000, so it's an investment for sure.
> 
> Thank you very much!


If your local Market has a strong XL business i'd look for a 2006-2008 Sienna van.


----------

