# Beater Minivans



## Tired of this (Apr 10, 2015)

An old beater minivan is the best vehicle to Uber with. In my opinion, better than hybrids.

1. Uber XL pings which generally pay higher than X and are usually for longer rides. XL is also offered in nearly every market whereas Select has effectively been killed off by stupid decisions on X/Select acceptance. 

2. Depending on the market, XL tends to be busier than X due to lower saturation of XL vehicles. Sometimes on X, it would be surging 2.5X and I still would not get a ping, whereas doing XL only, I would be able to receive one. 

3. No need to cancel punks who order X and squeeze an extra person or two in. Although, some people are able to designate themselves as XL only vehicles. And if you are only game in town, say at 5AM, and it surges, double bonus of surge and only one or two pax.

4. High depreciation compared to SUV/sedans, so low purchase price.

5. Minivan suspension designed for higher payloads. 

6. Easy to get into third row, so no shoes on seatRemove middle 2nd row seat if have an 8 passenger model.

The negatives:

1. Minivan transmissions, which seemingly can't handle higher weights and have shorter lives especially if doing Uber/Lyft

2. 3-4 drunk pax is bad enough, but it's difficult to maintain order when there are 6/7 drunks in your car.

3. XL commission at 28%. For cancellations, get paid $3.60 vs $4.

The options I am considering:

1. Kia Sedona - Poor reliability from Consumer Reports. Probably the best value choice.

2. Dodge GC/Chrysler T&C - notoriously bad ****** problems. Stow-and-go would be a horror show with vomit. If anybody has experience with this, I would definitely value your input.

3. Nissan Quest - CR poor reliability ratings 

4. Toyota Sienna - Comparatively pricey and needs timing belt for older models which could add another $1000 to price.

5. Honda Odyssey - ****** issues also.

6. Mazda MPV - Mechanic warned that water pump is super expensive to fix and also 5AT is not the most reliable transmission.

I'm targeting a 3000-5000 price on one of these. Hope to use it for a year before it falls apart and sell it at minimal loss.


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## Uber-Doober (Dec 16, 2014)

Tired of this Bullshit said:


> An old beater minivan is the best vehicle to Uber with. In my opinion, better than hybrids.
> 
> 1. Uber XL pings which generally pay higher than X and are usually for longer rides. XL is also offered in nearly every market whereas Select has effectively been killed off by stupid decisions on X/Select acceptance.
> 
> ...


^^^
Just in cruising around the internet I came across an article that stated that Mazda automatics seem to have an abnormally high failure rate while Toyota seems to have the lowest. 
This next statement has nothing to do with anything, but since you mentioned timing belts.... I once had a Saab, an incredibly beautiful silver convertible that when it came time to change the timing belt I almost fell over dead. 
The belt cost about 25 bux but the labor to remove everything from the inner splash panel from the fender, remove all external crap from that side of the engine, and the tensioner.... which as long as you're in there you might as well replace in addition to the water pump.... set me back about $1,500. 
That's my sob story. Get it? Saab story. 
Needless to say, that when the Spring rolled around which is the best time to sell a convertible, I had it mega detailed and dumped it with a fresh smog certificate.


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## Howie428Uber (Mar 4, 2016)

Your overall point may or may not make sense, but in my experience I'd disagree with a couple of your points...

For me XL trips tend to be shorter than X. The bulk of them are for groups of young people going to and from their night out destinations and typically they don't go a long way. Mostly those groups live near to the busy areas of the city. The other big group of XL users are people who are in the city from out of town and most of those groups are staying in hotels near the city center.

If I wait for XL trips there are plenty of times when I'm waiting all the way through what seems like it should be a busy time. Obviously there are extra pings that you can take with XL but they aren't that common outside the peak hours, so it's erratic. Also, you'll be routinely driving further to make the pick ups for XL.

The squeezing extra people in thing is more of a problem to me with XL than it is with X. I've arrived at trips and found nine people standing there expecting to all get in! Eight isn't all that unusual and seven happens a lot. Many PAX seem to think that since it's a big vehicle they can expect you to have no problem with this.

Often you've got no clue what is going on in the back. It's amazing how often you don't notice that one of the passengers is much more drunk than the others and has fallen asleep, which is worrying because it's the quiet ones who'll likely have the big problems.

XL groups are also way more likely to give you and each other shit about AUX cord and music issues, so much so that I don't let them use it anymore. They are more likely to take ages to get in the car, and more likely to have multiple drop offs.

Fuel cost is higher, which really bites on dead miles and when you're doing X trips, maintenance/tires cost is higher, and you're gonna have to spend the whole time driving a mini-van!

So yeah, there are positives, essentially the 1.6ish rate difference, but you're putting up with a lot to get the gains on that.


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## Squirming Like A Toad (Apr 7, 2016)

I'm driving the Dodge Grand Caravan. No sign of a transmission problem. I like it because a van is useful in my real life too. Not great on gas but not terrible. Very comfortable to drive all night, lots of features and storage and the back seats fold down flat so you can quickly convert it to a cargo van. You can get a decent one cheap because a lot of people dump them when their kids grow up and it's still young enough for Uber.

Had a few good XL calls already, they're about 15% of my fares. Popular with groups of kids going from the dorms to the bars, and I think being in the back of a minivan reminds them of who the adult is here and there isn't a lot of crap. I start the ride as soon as I open the doors and end it when the last person is out and I close the doors, because people do get hurt entering and alighting from a car a lot and I want it to be on Uber's time if that ever happens.


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## SafeT (Nov 23, 2015)

This is exacly why XL is now becoming just as saturated as X. People think there is a buck to be made and everyone is dumping X for XL. Think about it. If X is surging close to 2x you are making XL money with better gas mileage and less FUber passengers.


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## Santa (Jan 3, 2016)

Dodge Caravans are cheap and have stow away seats. The parts are cheap. They are great vans. The ****** doesn't go kapoot like it's made out of paper. So don't worry.

Also since many of X drivers squeeze in 5 riders instead of 4, they've screwed up the XL market.


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## Squirming Like A Toad (Apr 7, 2016)

Also a matter of what value the vehicle has for you in life beyond Uber. If I was still towing a big boat every weekend I'd have opted for SUV.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

I would go with a 2006ish Dodge Caravan I see them for around $2k all the time . Buy it give it a basic tune up , clean it up a bit etc. Maybe even have some fun with it (ie interior lights, weird decorations etc.. )
Get a very basic one they're very easy to work on and there are a ton of them on the road and in Salvage yards meaning used parts are dirt cheap
AVOID POWER DOORS , these always break which will only be elevated by every passenger getting out and trying to close it manually . I saw this going on the other day in a Uber Van the other night it took these guys like 5 minutes to get the doors to close. I know this all to well from my 2003 Odyssey with power doors 
Know that in any Mini Van the Transmission is gonna need to be replaced and it doesnt matter what Mini Van they all have transmission issues

Do Lyft Plus where they only take 20%

Also you could pan on getting a new van every 6-12 months . Drive it for 20k miles sell it and buy a new . If you did this smart you could probably even make a few bucks each time you sold one of the mini vans . Also it's very easy to sell cheap vans on craigslist someone is always looking for a cheap work van or family vehicle

If you can't do your own mechanic work I'd skip the idea all together because it will probably end up being a nightmare for you . But if you're handy with a wrench go for it .

I've been toying the idea of buying a $2k Caravan with Stow n Go since I could use a van for my other business and using it on the weekend for XL and Lyft Plus


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## SurgeMaker (May 9, 2016)

Thank you for taking out the time to gain knowledge on the subject. 99 to 2003 Honda accord Acura TL and Honda Odyssey's transmissions would take a crap every 40,000 miles 99 to 2003 Honda accord Acura TL and Honda Odyssey's transmissions would take a crap every 40,000 miles for those years. The best van you can get would be a 2005 Honda Odyssey or no or look for the highest mileage possible for the cheapest price these things will never die and you'll just get it cheaper with more mileage. The next best option would be the sienna but like you said timing belt and also I noticed they have quite a few electrical problems that are very hard to find


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## Tired of this (Apr 10, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have decided against buying a second vehicle for Uber purposes. I figured it's not worth the effort to try to optimize income from Uber and just to do what I can with my current vehicle while exploring more serious, lucrative job opportunities.


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## Tam N (May 18, 2016)

This has been all useful information. Thanks guys. I might get that Dodge Caravan.


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## occupant (Jul 7, 2015)

This is exactly my line of thinking. Not only would the higher XL rates apply when there are enough passengers, but it would be more useful outside of Uber hauling kids, cargo, and furniture. There's always someone who needs a couch moved or a washer dryer set or a dresser.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Tired of this said:


> An old beater minivan is the best vehicle to Uber with. In my opinion, better than hybrids.
> 
> 1. Uber XL pings which generally pay higher than X and are usually for longer rides. XL is also offered in nearly every market whereas Select has effectively been killed off by stupid decisions on X/Select acceptance.
> 
> ...


I find the fuel consumption to be excessive.


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Santa said:


> Dodge Caravans are cheap and have stow away seats. The parts are cheap. They are great vans. The ****** doesn't go kapoot like it's made out of paper. So don't worry.
> 
> Also since many of X drivers squeeze in 5 riders instead of 4, they've screwed up the XL market.


I have been guilty of this as an X driver. I was new, and let them in. I have since been concerned about insurance issues. I now kick out the fifth rider. Too many people in car, minors void your insurance coverage. a good MPG minivan seems like good way to go. Bonus- you can pack a sleeping bag and sleep in it comfortably. It gets rough trying to take a nap in a compact.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

When I first started I let a few groups sneak an extra person in but now I don't play around . If you have more people then I have available seatbelts you either need to call a 2nd Uber or order an XL . I don't care if they say they'll tip or anything it's not worth it, it's a pretty big fine if you get pulled over and you're financial life will be screwed if you got into an accident carrying too many people as I guarantee your insurance and Ubers Insurance would deny the claim

Not to mention you're screwing over an XL driver somewhere and that's not cool either . 
I'm looking at buying a select xl qualifying vehicle and if someone order a select but had extra people I would take them since it's a higher rate then XL and my car can safely accommodate that extra 1 or 2 people


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