# Used Car Lots



## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

Does anyone else drive by a used car lot, look at the cars and think, "Which one of those cars would be best for rideshare?" lol


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

My car has gone 180000 miles; so yea, I’m looking at used cars. As I see it I have three choices. 1) duplicate what I have which is a Ford Explorer 2) a full size SUV like a Ford Expidition, Lincoln Navigator or Chevy Suburban. 3) a small SUV or sedan

What turns my head as I drive by used car lots are the big SUV’s


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

Coyotex said:


> Does anyone else drive by a used car lot, look at the cars and think, "Which one of those cars would be best for rideshare?" lol


I'm always on the hunt for a bargain used car.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

oldfart said:


> My car has gone 180000 miles; so yea, I'm looking at used cars. As I see it I have three choices. 1) duplicate what I have which is a Ford Explorer 2) a full size SUV like a Ford Expidition, Lincoln Navigator or Chevy Suburban. 3) a small SUV or sedan
> 
> What turns my head as I drive by used car lots are the big SUV's


I LOVE my Honda CRV! I just wish it got a little better gas mileage. Also, because it's a 2004, I'm afraid at the end of the year, Uber will say, "sorry, you're car is too old, you can't use it any longer." I have to find something else I like. I'm partial to the CRV's (my parents have had several and they love them as well!). So, I'm on the hunt for one I can fall in love with!


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> Does anyone else drive by a used car lot, look at the cars and think, "Which one of those cars would be best for rideshare?" lol


Be wary of "Scrap Metal Lots" er, uh, I mean used car lots.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

Most used car lots have high mileage vehicles that will have upcoming repair issues. 

NO THANKS. 

I'll generally flip my car somewhere before 90k miles and start over with something that has 10-15k miles on it.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Fozzie said:


> Most used car lots have high mileage vehicles that will have upcoming repair issues.
> 
> NO THANKS.
> 
> I'll generally flip my car somewhere before 90k miles and start over with something that has 10-15k miles on it.


So where do you buy it if not from a used car dealer

I've alwaus looked for something about 5 years old and 50000 miles. Because it's still runs like new but has depreciated significantly. Your 10000-15000 mile car, not so much

Since my last two cars went 250000 miles and my current car runs like new at 180000 miles, I'm changing my approach. For my next car I'm lookung for a car that someone like you flipd at 90000 miles


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## Illini (Mar 14, 2019)

LOL, yes. I glance at the vehicles and look for potential ride share vehicles. But for the next couple years, I'm good with my 36K mile vehicle.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

oldfart said:


> So where do you buy it if not from a used car dealer
> 
> I've alwaus looked for something about 5 years old and 50000 miles. Because it's still runs like new but has depreciated significantly. Your 10000-15000 mile car, not so much
> 
> Since my last two cars went 250000 miles and my current car runs like new at 180000 miles, I'm changing my approach. For my next car I'm lookung for a car that someone like you flipd at 90000 miles


I purchase some vehicles new, and others I purchase used from major car dealerships. Current rideshare vehicles:

2016 Nissan Altima Purchased with 15k miles, former dealership loaner car. Came with new car warranty since it was never sold before, and included free oil changes for as long as I own it. ($11k)

2017 Nissan Sentra Purchased new w/ 11 miles on it.

Note that these are 100% work vehicles, and are separate from my personal use cars.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

I've never heard of getting free oil changes for the life of the vehicle. Nicely done!


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

Coyotex said:


> I've never heard of getting free oil changes for the life of the vehicle. Nicely done!


There's currently 55k miles on the vehicle, oil changes are done per the manufacturer schedule, and I haven't paid a dime for it.

Go figure.


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## WAHN (May 6, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> I've never heard of getting free oil changes for the life of the vehicle. Nicely done!


A fair amount of high end dealerships around here have done it in the past.

Apparently dealerships on Sesame Street do it too.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

Year and a half and I haven't paid a cent. I figure I have 6 months to a year left on this car, then will flip it and buy something newer.


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## Boca Ratman (Jun 6, 2018)

Bastards at Nissan told me the same thing, turns out lifetime is 2x / year for 5 years or something like that. 

I got into an argument with them and the "gave" me an additional 5 free oil changes. 

They are all weasels, 10 car buy here pay here lot out of a camper or a multi million dollar dealership. WEASELS!

Car salesman = conman.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

Car salespeople have always been snakes. Caution is key when dealing with them. 

1. Know your credit scores, etc. Knowledge is negotiating power;
2. Get loan pre-approval from your credit union; 
3. Don't throw in the trade in until you have an agreed upon price on the car; Know the value of your trade, or sell it beforehand;
4. Know the KBB for the vehicles you're looking for. Don't let them rip you on the price;
5. Tell them EXACTLY what car you want and what you're willing to pay, Don't let them put you in the hit car that nobody wants;
6. Don't let them make you wait around for hours. It's all a tactic to wear you down. 10 minutes and I start heading to the car;
7. "You want how much for that vehicle? That's ****ing insane. I'll buy one from (competitor)." WALK
8. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WALKING AWAY. 
9. Know what incentives and specials the manufacturers are running. Don't let them pocket your money!


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

Fozzie said:


> Car salespeople have always been snakes. Caution is key when dealing with them.
> 
> 1. Know your credit scores, etc. Knowledge is negotiating power;
> 2. Get loan pre-approval from your credit union;
> ...


Or just do what I do.
Patiently scour the private used listings on a daily basis. Provided one is in no hurry, there are ALWAYS great deals to be had. Inform yourself about the vehicle(s) you are interested in beforehand (ie: reliability, etc)
Has worked well for me for the last 30 years or so!


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## VictorD (Apr 30, 2017)

No.


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## rkozy (Apr 5, 2019)

I only do rideshare as a part-time gig (15-20 hours per week) and I've never owned a car with less than 100,000 miles on it since graduating high school. You can probably see where I'm going with this...

Last October, when I finally made the decision to drive for Uber, my only car was a Mitsubishi Eclipse with 153,000 miles on it. Obviously, there was no way you can drive for U/L with a two-door sports coupe. Since I was unsure how I'd like doing rideshare, I settled on buying a 2008 Pontiac Torrent. It's a mid-size SUV (now known as the Chevy Equinox) and gets about 17-22 MPG depending on my route. I scored this car for $3995. It had 133,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Seven months into my U/L career, it seems to be holding up pretty well, and has now "Eclipsed" the 150,000 mile mark. I'm targeting it for replacement at around 200,000 miles...even though two previous Pontiacs I've owned made it well past 200k.

As someone who is doing this part-time, I can't justify spending $18k on a car that will depreciate very quickly. Even doing U/L part-time, I'm putting 25,000+ miles a year on my vehicle. My strategy is to stay within a $5000 purchase price. Yes, cars in that price range will have more things to fix, but a $10,000 car can have major problems as well. By cutting $5000 off the price, I have some extra wiggle room for repairs...and the depreciation factor is much less.

Just my thoughts on the subject. If you're going to beat the Hell out of your own car to make Dara some extra bonus money, might as well be a car that won't cost you very much. If you're handy with a wrench (or know somebody who is) upkeep on such a vehicle isn't all that bad.


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

rkozy said:


> I only do rideshare as a part-time gig (15-20 hours per week) and I've never owned a car with less than 100,000 miles on it since graduating high school. You can probably see where I'm going with this...
> 
> Last October, when I finally made the decision to drive for Uber, my only car was a Mitsubishi Eclipse with 153,000 miles on it. Obviously, there was no way you can drive for U/L with a two-door sports coupe. Since I was unsure how I'd like doing rideshare, I settled on buying a 2008 Pontiac Torrent. It's a mid-size SUV (now known as the Chevy Equinox) and gets about 17-22 MPG depending on my route. I scored this car for $3995. It had 133,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Seven months into my U/L career, it seems to be holding up pretty well, and has now "Eclipsed" the 150,000 mile mark. I'm targeting it for replacement at around 200,000 miles...even though two previous Pontiacs I've owned made it well past 200k.
> 
> ...


If your Torrent is still running fine at 200k, why replace it? Just keep driving it for rideshare.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

Coyotex said:


> Does anyone else drive by a used car lot, look at the cars and think, "Which one of those cars would be best for rideshare?" lol


I was behind a nissan rogue awd turbo star wars edition yesterday. I was thinking that's one of the cars that if driven for rideshare depreciation would be a factor and should be figured in. Dont ya know I then made out the airport trade dress through the tinted window. I guess they will figure it out by themselves....


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Used car lots? Hell no!!! I avoid those like the plague.


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## rkozy (Apr 5, 2019)

RideshareUSA said:


> If your Torrent is still running fine at 200k, why replace it? Just keep driving it for rideshare.


If it isn't "nickel and diming" me to death, or on the verge of a major problem (like a transmission replacement) then I will likely keep driving it past 200k. My personal record for mileage on a Pontiac product is 366,000 miles. That was a 1995 Grand Am, and the car was still running like a top when I sold it for $400.

I can only pray I get half as lucky with the Torrent.


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## Rich2nyce (Jan 25, 2016)

In my market (Atl) used cars lots have alot of hit/damaged vehicles. I know that's nothing new but the amount of hit vehicles on the lot outways the clean vehicles now. And now with rideshare around, dealers are cutting no slack on the hit vehicles and overcharging on the clean ones. Buying cars have become headaches!


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