# Need Help: What kind of Car should I get to reach $$ goal?



## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

Hi everyone.

I haven't started Uber or Lyft yet but I want to make some extra income every month $700-1k would be ideal. I have a full-time job where I work 40 hrs per week so since I cant drive full time what would be the best vehicle to have the best earning potential?

I was looking at a used 2017 Lincoln MKT with 22k miles on it. It has the 3rd row and turbo engine with 360hp. The dealer wants 30k for it. I think its a good deal but not sure if its worth investing in. 

The MKT qualifies for pretty much everything on both platforms but is it really worth it over a workhorse type of car like a used Lexus Hybrid or another Toyota that can take a beating and just grind. What ive read online it seems no matter what you have to take Uber X rides if you want to make money even if you do Select -LUX - Black etc..One other thing is for the SUV and XL rides. Do you really have to haul around 5-7 people? The would-be tearing up the tight spaces in the MKT if that were the case. 

Thanks!


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Prius will get you 45-50 mpg with very little maintenance.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> .One other thing is for the SUV and XL rides. Do you really have to haul around 5-7 people? The would-be tearing up the tight spaces in the MKT if that were the case.
> 
> Thanks!


Well that's the idea


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## KD_LA (Aug 16, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Hi everyone.
> 
> I haven't started Uber or Lyft yet but I want to make some extra income every month $700-1k would be ideal. I have a full-time job where I work 40 hrs per week so since I cant drive full time what would be the best vehicle to have the best earning potential?
> 
> ...


The model and the 3rd row seats are certainly major positive points, but the 360HP will definitely cost gas in traffic and dead miles.


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## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

Cableguynoe said:


> Well that's the idea


Yeah but with the Mkt you have to press a button to electronically fold the seat and then push it out the way to reach the 3rd row which is really only suited for kids, IMO. I think hauling 6-7 passengers is better suited for full size suvs as opposed to larger crossovers. It would be ok once in a while but if you constantly had adults trying to fit back there I'm thinking that folding system would break quick. In addition to being an unpleasant ride for passengers.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Yeah but with the Mkt you have to press a button to electronically fold the seat and then push it out the way to reach the 3rd row which is really only suited for kids, IMO. I think hauling 6-7 passengers is better suited for full size suvs as opposed to larger crossovers. It would be ok once in a while but if you constantly had adults trying to fit back there I'm thinking that folding system would break quick. In addition to being an unpleasant ride for passengers.


6 people going to a bar on a 10 minute ride arent too worried about being that comfortable.
They usually throw the skinny girls back there.

If you have an XL, you will get the requests from groups.

Wear and tear is part of the deal when you choose to do this gig.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

Get a new Yaris for $15,000.
It will cost you $15 to fill it up, reliability is one of the best in the industry and you'll be able to make $700-$1,000 per month in under 20 hours per week. And with Yaris' cheap monthly payment and high reliability - you can skip 2 out of 4 weeks in a month and will still do fine.

Buying $30,000 car for Uber/Lyft is ridiculous, especially the one that will average 15 mpg in real life driving.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

MKT is NOT xl in most or all markets

3rd row means nothing since its layout is 2+2+2... seats 5 pax. You need 6 pax (7-seater) or 7 pax (8-seater) for XL



Syn said:


> Get a new Yaris for $15,000.
> It will cost you $15 to fill it up, reliability is one of the best in the industry and you'll be able to make $700-$1,000 per month in under 20 hours per week. And with Yaris' cheap monthly payment and high reliability - you can skip 2 out of 4 weeks in a month and will still do fine.
> 
> Buying $30,000 car for Uber/Lyft is ridiculous, especially the one that will average 15 mpg in real life driving.


New yaris for PART TIME? Dear god thats insanity

As to OP, you realize how many YEARS it takes at $700-1k / month to pay off a $30k vehicle? Uber and/or Uber drivers might not even be around anymore


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## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

Adieu said:


> MKT is NOT xl in most or all markets
> 
> 3rd row means nothing since its layout is 2+2+2... seats 5 pax. You need 6 pax (7-seater) or 7 pax (8-seater) for XL
> 
> ...


I looked online and the MKT qualifies for All the lyft platforms and Everything on Uber as well. UBER even lists the MKT as a popular model for BLACK and SUV.

The second row seats 3 people and the 3rd row seat 2 people and of course 2 in front (driver included).

But I agree that even though it qualifies it wouldn't be wise to cram all those people in there.

Definitely a difficult decision on which way to go.


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## MadePenniesToday (Feb 24, 2017)

I see a lot of rideshare/taxi MKTs in my area. Depending in your market, getting request for a higher paying ride besides uberX/XL will be rare. Also take in that Uber/Lyft are unstable income sources. You can be deactivated any day by a lying rider.


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## thatridesharegirl (Jul 7, 2016)

Used Toyota prius 2011-2015 for 5-6k.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

Adieu said:


> New yaris for PART TIME? Dear god thats insanity
> 
> As to OP, you realize how many YEARS it takes at $700-1k / month to pay off a $30k vehicle? Uber and/or Uber drivers might not even be around anymore


Why would that be an insanity? I paid off my brand new 2015 Yaris after a year of part time. I still easily pull $1,000+ a week by driving part time - and I have 2015 Yaris paid off.

Insanity is buying a $30,000 car that's used for Uber/Lyft. You'll have to drive a lot just to be at $0.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Syn said:


> Why would that be an insanity? I paid off my brand new 2015 Yaris after a year of part time. I still easily pull $1,000+ a week by driving part time - and I have 2015 Yaris paid off.
> 
> Insanity is buying a $30,000 car that's used for Uber/Lyft. You'll have to drive a lot just to be at $0.


Milwaukee is one of the highest paying markets in the US. 87 per mile on X and $1.50 per mile on XL.

The lowest paying is 53c a mile on X and $1.28 ON SELECT.

What market you are in has a bigger impact that how much you work as to how much you make doing this gig.

So for some markets... you need to take the $1000 minus $100 for gas?

and compare that to $500 minus $100 in gas for the same number of miles driven.

That's why are saying insanity.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

I don't even do Uber these days. I do Lyft only since they have great promotions ($235/week for 110/week rides). Uber hasn't had any promotions in ages.


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

This!


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## MadePenniesToday (Feb 24, 2017)

Syn said:


> I still easily pull $1,000+ a week by driving part time


Can you show screenshots? I call BS but anything is possible...and you do 110 rides a week part-time?!


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Any car that is priced between $5000-$6000. Pit an extra $1500 in the bank for maintenance and repairs. Buying a car for more than that is stupid in my opinion.


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## Skepticaldriver (Mar 5, 2017)

Buy a 30kcar for a gig u may not keep that long. Hope u really like tgat car. Do u like it enough without this horrible gig. Say if u got the boot. Anyways why not spring for a mercedes r350 diesel. Way better cars than that lincoln plus tgeyre true 7 seaters But y oh y. For uber and lyft. Lol .


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

MadePenniesToday said:


> Can you show screenshots? I call BS but anything is possible...and you do 110 rides a week part-time?!


Sure, here you go. This was last week (in all honesty I did 42 hours, but I'm usually 30-35). Milwaukee is a fairly small town. A lot of short rides in early am, under 5 min.


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## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

Skepticaldriver said:


> Buy a 30kcar for a gig u may not keep that long. Hope u really like tgat car. Do u like it enough without this horrible gig. Say if u got the boot. Anyways why not spring for a mercedes r350 diesel. Way better cars than that lincoln plus tgeyre true 7 seaters But y oh y. For uber and lyft. Lol .


Yeah after more research and talking to all the current rideshare people I def changed my mind about the MKT...lol Now i'm back to the drawing board about what kind of car.


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## Skepticaldriver (Mar 5, 2017)

Well. Keep in mind. Lyft and uber are capricious and arbitrary af. They are not to be relied upon to be decent. Or fair. Or anything. Theyve pissed off so many people over the world im extremely surprised that their hq has not been the victim of some type of attack or spree shooter. That being said, take tgat car i suggested for example. The r350. Now. If you wouldnt mind having it if this gig or your access to it disappears in a few months and its still a car youd like, and can afford, then booh yah. You could get it and use it for the gig. But if youre just springing for it to do this gig and its a work only car, what happens when you arent doing this anymore or get sh**canned. Still glad you had it? You got to be extremely reasonable when it comes to dealing with these unreasonable companies and all of the problems that they create. Another thing, your market may not support all of those classes and the riders in your area may only be taking ng pool and x. Maybe that isnt wise giving 4 dollar rides in a luxury vehicle. Maybe you only do upper tiers, but then you wait a very ling time just to get thise tupe of requests.

For me, i use a legacy subaru wagon 6 spd manual thats been modded. I own it outright. I did think about getting a work car or a beater and ive thought about a luxury car but honestly, forget these people and these companies. I put part of my earnings into preventative maintenance. Modding. Body kits etc etc. and even if i stop tomm im fine. I still like or love my car. Im not stuck with a beater to sell or lofty payments on some luxury car. 

Theres not a single part under my hood or frame thats original. I live to experiment with my car. 

You definitely dont want to be in a situation like tgat guy who chewed out the old uber ceo. His point was people were going into severe debt as a result of investing in high end cars and insurance policies just to have these companies change the rules of tge game again and again. Because cars bought just for this gig tgat people dont need without this gig are a mistake.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

This guy is in Denver you want a car that qualifies for XL/Plus/Select/Premier especially if you're part time you're gonna want to maximize your earnings per hour . It doesn't take long to net $250 a week in a car that qualifies for everything, on a good day I can make that in 3-4hours in the morning with just a couple of good airport runs . I've said the MKT is the best bang for your buck the only issue is you're not gonna want that car if you're not doing this type of work . Buy a car that you want and you'd want to keep XL/Plus is by far the one thing you want to be able to do so look at 3 row suvs or vans that you'd like to keep not considering Uber 
But in all seriousness if you like the MKT looks it's an amazing car the ecoboost engine is fast 0-60 in around 6 seconds stock , the car is designed to run on 85 octane , it drives good and has a ton of tech features that make everyday life in the car nice ., I have the explorer with the same engine and am over 120k miles without one repair over $100 (a sticky seat belt buckle is the only thing to go wrong with the car) 

Take a look at the following too

MB GL320/350
MB R320/350 (I'd get an mkt before I got this car )
Acura MDX 
Audi Q7 
BMW X5 35D (best car on this list but the 3rd row is practically useless and very hard to find ) 
Chevy/GMC Suburban/Tahoe/ or anything part of that family get the 5.3 V8 instead of the 6.2


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## FIdel Cashflow (Feb 23, 2018)

UberDezNutz said:


> This guy is in Denver you want a car that qualifies for XL/Plus/Select/Premier especially if you're part time you're gonna want to maximize your earnings per hour . It doesn't take long to net $250 a week in a car that qualifies for everything, on a good day I can make that in 3-4hours in the morning with just a couple of good airport runs . I've said the MKT is the best bang for your buck the only issue is you're not gonna want that car if you're not doing this type of work . Buy a car that you want and you'd want to keep XL/Plus is by far the one thing you want to be able to do so look at 3 row suvs or vans that you'd like to keep not considering Uber
> But in all seriousness if you like the MKT looks it's an amazing car the ecoboost engine is fast 0-60 in around 6 seconds stock , the car is designed to run on 85 octane , it drives good and has a ton of tech features that make everyday life in the car nice ., I have the explorer with the same engine and am over 120k miles without one repair over $100 (a sticky seat belt buckle is the only thing to go wrong with the car)
> 
> Take a look at the following too
> ...


Nice. Everyone is making good and valid points. Seems like being happy with what your driving is the most important thing. If you enjoy being behind the wheel of your car you'll most likely enjoy interacting with people you drive in average.

Overall how are Fords? I've always owned Toyota's so I know those cars are beasts and it seem like Fords are just as durable. Also 85 octane on a 365hp engine is amazing



Skepticaldriver said:


> Well. Keep in mind. Lyft and uber are capricious and arbitrary af. They are not to be relied upon to be decent. Or fair. Or anything. Theyve pissed off so many people over the world im extremely surprised that their hq has not been the victim of some type of attack or spree shooter. That being said, take tgat car i suggested for example. The r350. Now. If you wouldnt mind having it if this gig or your access to it disappears in a few months and its still a car youd like, and can afford, then booh yah. You could get it and use it for the gig. But if youre just springing for it to do this gig and its a work only car, what happens when you arent doing this anymore or get sh**canned. Still glad you had it? You got to be extremely reasonable when it comes to dealing with these unreasonable companies and all of the problems that they create. Another thing, your market may not support all of those classes and the riders in your area may only be taking ng pool and x. Maybe that isnt wise giving 4 dollar rides in a luxury vehicle. Maybe you only do upper tiers, but then you wait a very ling time just to get thise tupe of requests.
> 
> For me, i use a legacy subaru wagon 6 spd manual thats been modded. I own it outright. I did think about getting a work car or a beater and ive thought about a luxury car but honestly, forget these people and these companies. I put part of my earnings into preventative maintenance. Modding. Body kits etc etc. and even if i stop tomm im fine. I still like or love my car. Im not stuck with a beater to sell or lofty payments on some luxury car.
> 
> ...


All great points. Seems like that's number one. Love the car you drive, with or without Uber. Can't go wrong then.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Nice. Everyone is making good and valid points. Seems like being happy with what your driving is the most important thing. If you enjoy being behind the wheel of your car you'll most likely enjoy interacting with people you drive in average.
> 
> Overall how are Fords? I've always owned Toyota's so I know those cars are beasts and it seem like Fords are just as durable. Also 85 octane on a 365hp engine is amazing
> 
> All great points. Seems like that's number one. Love the car you drive, with or without Uber. Can't go wrong then.


Stick with Toyota. Don't buy one from Houston.


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## Skepticaldriver (Mar 5, 2017)

No. Be okay with the car youre going to have if everything works out and u can use it to make money or if a month from now you get terminated and cant pick up people with it. Hedge your bets.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Overall how are Fords? I've always owned Toyota's so I know those cars are beasts and it seem like Fords are just as durable. Also 85 octane on a 365hp engine is amazing


I've owned a few Ford Products but have always been a German fan , when I bought the explorer I was actually looking at the Audi Q7 and BMW X5 . The X5 was my favorite of the 3 I was looking at the Diesel one but the 3rd row seat was only suitable for small children and it was complicated to set up I'm sure if I owned it I'd get it down to a quick science, if it wasn't for Rideshare I would have bought the X5 diesel , so then the Q7 with the 3.0 V6 Supercharged engine I test drove 3 of them and they were a massive disappointment , one of the Dealerships happened to have an Explorer on the lot so I test drove it and it blew the Q7 out of the water in almost every aspect . While the Explorer is a slightly smaller car it had a lot more interior volume, more passenger space and a lot more luggage space behind the 3rd row, 3rd row access was much easier and the power folding seats in both rows was great , the Q7 also had almost no tech on it 2012 Q7 didn't have bluetooth audio , adaptive cruise control or a back up camera only sensors . The Explorer was faster got better mpg , more room , more tech than you might know what to do with , more comfortable layout , and I think slightly more masculine well as masculine as a crossover can be I guess . I should note that I don't always run 85 I usually throw a tank of shell 91 in there every 2nd or 3rd fill up or anytime I'm planning on going in the mountains but if I'm doing Uber it doesn't seem to make sense to spend an extra 60+ cents a gallon when I'm never even giving it more than half throttle

As far as reliability I'm guessing a 4runner or highlander would be a more reliable car however I have not had one mechanical issue in my Explorer and it's now pushing 125k miles I believe I bought it was around 50k miles on it . A new battery and a sticky seat belt buckle were all that have gone wrong , I haven't even had to replace a break pad yet , and upon inspection I believe my pads still have at least another 20-30k miles left in them (I do mostly hwy driving) . My auto parking recently just stopped working I read online that it's usually a software reflash that fixes it but I take pride in my parking and in my mind it's more of a cool gimmick feature that I don't use .

Ford makes some real craptastic cars also , all their base model / entry level cars are huge piles of dog crap , the transmissions fail , they have random issues but for some reason the higher end stuff is pretty solid . I heard the 2011 model years of the new body explorer has a lot of issues that were fixed for the 2012 year . I also have a Lincoln MKZ hybrid pushing 160k miles and has been completely flawless other that some suspension parts wearing out . I have a friend with a F150 with the same ecoboost engine and he works for an oil company and drives back and forth to North Dakota , and some other places regularly and now has 350k miles on his truck he averages 22mpg and has not had an major mechanical issues , obviously he's gone through some suspensions parts and other wear items but he thinks he'll easily get 500k miles out of the truck


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## Tom Harding (Sep 26, 2016)

FIdel Cashflow said:


> Hi everyone.
> 
> I haven't started Uber or Lyft yet but I want to make some extra income every month $700-1k would be ideal. I have a full-time job where I work 40 hrs per week so since I cant drive full time what would be the best vehicle to have the best earning potential?
> 
> ...


 A car like mine works well for XL and X. 2015 Ford transit Connect XLT. 2015 or 2016 should be uner $18K with low miles. Mine has 105K now and is going strong,


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