# Low cost car.



## TheDudeAbides (May 4, 2014)

My car's paid for it's a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis I only paid 4800 for it they wanted 6900. Have all the maintenance records for it. Leather interior heated seats auto temp control and I put an alpine cd player in it with i pod hook up, I keep it immaculate and have no problems with it no leaks, everything works. I've heard these cars will go 300,000 plus before giving out just keep up the maintenance . Only problem is gas mileage I get 23mpg city on a good day. Am I going to make money? I'm not really figuring wear and tear because I figure I'll run this one till it dies and then find another one these in good shape for the same price. I think this could work. Any thoughts? These are the work horses for the regular taxi industry it's the same as a crow vic, only mines much nicer. I'm ok with making 10 dollars an hour this is just second job for me. I think if i ran the hell out of it though I could do a lot more.


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## Jeeves (Apr 10, 2014)

How many miles are on it? 

At 20MPG, its going to average you about $2 an hour in gas driving with Uber. Thats not too bad. From the reports on the forum Id say average gross hourly fares are $15-$20 an hour after ubers cut. So you should be able to clear $10+ an hour, especially if you arent concerned about depreciation, can get cheap insurance, and keep repairs maintenance to minimum. 

I think its not a bad choice, the low cost of the car should balance out with the gas mileage.


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## Rich Chen (Apr 28, 2014)

It also depends on your driving habit. Generally speaking, the Japanese car is more endurable than the American car if the car is heavily driven. Remember, there are always overhead cost for any job you do. It's just that some are kinda hidden, and taxi/uber is obvious.


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## Dave (Apr 12, 2014)

Check out RockAuto for good prices on parts also. I replaced the shift column in my F350 for $32 instead of the $120 the dealer wanted for the part.


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## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

If you are just starting out, I vote for keeping your paid off used car that is in good condition. Also, not sure what the pattern for fare reductions has been compared to California and other cities nationwide. See how you like it, what your Net Income looks like each month and then end of year after taxes, and if/when Uber drops your Fares.

Comparing to Los Angeles (mature market) and other Washington State Cities:

Location Minimum Base Per Min Per Mile
Los Angeles $4.00 $0.80 $0.20 $1.20 * Two 20% Fare Reductions in 2014 already plus base fare cut by 50%.
Seattle $4.00 $1.35 $0.24 $1.35 * Looks like most Washington State cities are at this rate
Spokane $5.00 $1.50 $0.35 $1.65

Pattern is that after market introduction and building up of # of Drivers in your city, Uber will come out with a Temporary 20-25% Rider Promo Reduction (won't affect your Net, yet), then a 1-2 months later, Uber will introduce a permanent 15-20% Fare Reduction which will reduce your Net Driver Income. Or they might drop rates 20% and give you a bone such as a reduced Commission Split, or a player trade to be named later for your fantasy sports team, etc... But the permanent Fare Reduction most likely is coming.

Might suggest talking to other Washington State Drivers to see how this worked out in your WA cities just so you're prepared for budgeting over the coming 12 months. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.


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## UberOrlDriver (Sep 3, 2014)

Doesn't the car have to be a 2006 or newer?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the subject.


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## getemtheresafely (Jul 1, 2014)

UberOrlDriver said:


> Doesn't the car have to be a 2006 or newer?
> Maybe I'm misunderstanding the subject.


When I signed up in feb 2014 the minimum year to "qualify" was 2006 or higher (UBerX).........After you begin driving, the ruling in fine print says no car driving for uber shall be more than 10 years old......


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

TheDudeAbides said:


> it's the same as a crow vic, only mines much nicer.


Maybe not as nice as _my_ Vic  (although I _don't_ have tushy-warmers....). FWIW, I figured my fuel + maintenance + wear and tear cost is about 33 cents per mile, and that's using repair shop prices, not DIY.


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

The parts to fix the cars are so damn expensive. Just spent $80 on a stupid ass sensor.


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## SeattleUber (Aug 30, 2014)

http://ubersupport.weebly.com/

is where i was told to go today by UBER Seattle staff for lists of eligible years/cars for specific cities. there is NO make sense system/rules here as far as I can see every city has different years/models/rules...Black is closed in Seattle and other cities etc etc...VERY confusing system IMO but my biggest ? is if I go out and buy(current car too old) a 2004 which according to above list is ok (Seattle Craigslist ads say 2005 lol) will it be kicked out of Uber next year when model year requirements go up? Man I need a drink...


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

Whatever you buy, make sure the title is clean.


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## TheDudeAbides (May 4, 2014)

I love my grand marquis I have been using it on the system with no problems, someone just ran in to my turn signal so I need to replace that. I even gave an uber exec a ride and she loved the car and said they only ban town cars on uberx in this area. People who own these cars are usually die hard fans as they never break are cheap to fix have good power. 


mp775 said:


> Maybe not as nice as _my_ Vic  (although I _don't_ have tushy-warmers....). FWIW, I figured my fuel + maintenance + wear and tear cost is about 33 cents per mile, and that's using repair shop prices, not DIY.


 I know you have a nice vic MP. Hows it been doing for you ? You work a lot more than i do just curious to see how it likes the work.


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

I don't work that much - 5 hours or so most Saturday nights, plus the odd trip on my way to and from work or on Sunday afternoon - but I already drive 600+ miles a week for my day job. 30k miles on it in the last nine months and no serious problems yet (knock wood grain). Having dude-bros piling in the backseat probably hastened the demise of my air suspension (about $360 from Arnott plus $175 installation, not that hard if you have time to DIY), but my mechanic still tells me it runs "pissah" (Boston for excellent).


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

Depreciation is often a larger cost than gas for a car. Since yours is effectively depreciated so low already I say keep it and get as many miles out of it as possible, at least until repair costs start to make a newer vehicle a better option.


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