# At what age or mileage does a car become too unreliable for Uber, Lyft, etc?



## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

I'm thinking of doing Grubhub on the weekends for a few extra bucks.
I don't want to use my brand new car, so I'll be using an old 2004 Chevy Impala 3.4 V6 with almost 92,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of changing the transmission fluid and filter now even though it's not due till 100k.
Do you think putting a lot of miles on an old high mileage car will actually lose me more money than I'd make it with Grubhub, or do you think there's still enough reliably on a car like that to make money.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

Sal29 said:


> I'm thinking of doing Grubhub on the weekends for a few extra bucks.
> I don't want to use my brand new car, so I'll be using an old 2004 Chevy Impala 3.4 V6 with almost 92,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of changing the transmission fluid now even though it's not due till 100k.
> Do you think putting a lot of miles on an old high mileage car will actually lose me more money than I'd make it with Grubhub, or do you think there's still enough reliably on a car like that to make money.


Even those those year impalas are kinda of junk to begin with , your notion of thinking that a car with 92k miles is high mileage is a big tell of what's wrong with society . I look at 92k miles on a car and think it's just breaking in , I've had cars with 400k miles that ran perfect and cars that had 65k miles need a new engine (usually american cars from the early 90s to mid 00's)

As long as you keep your maintenance up to date in your impala it should be fine for another 100k miles


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Sal29 said:


> I'm thinking of doing Grubhub on the weekends for a few extra bucks.
> I don't want to use my brand new car, so I'll be using an old 2004 Chevy Impala 3.4 V6 with almost 92,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of changing the transmission fluid now even though it's not due till 100k.
> Do you think putting a lot of miles on an old high mileage car will actually lose me more money than I'd make it with Grubhub, or do you think there's still enough reliably on a car like that to make money.


Your car should easily reach 200,000 miles. The v 6 is a tough,durable motor. Not the the most fuel efficient. It is a sturdy car.


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

tohunt4me said:


> Your car should easily reach 200,000 miles. The v 6 is a tough,durable motor. Not the the most fuel efficient. It is a sturdy car.


I hope you're right. I'm most AFRAID of big expenses like a blown head gasket or complete transmission failure.
I just put 4 new tires on and and new brake rotors and pads. I'd love to get at least another 70k miles out of it so I get full use out of the expense I put into the brakes and tires.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Sal29 said:


> I'm thinking of doing Grubhub on the weekends for a few extra bucks.
> I don't want to use my brand new car, so I'll be using an old 2004 Chevy Impala 3.4 V6 with almost 92,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of changing the transmission fluid and filter now even though it's not due till 100k.
> Do you think putting a lot of miles on an old high mileage car will actually lose me more money than I'd make it with Grubhub, or do you think there's still enough reliably on a car like that to make money.


Huuuh???

92k miles is like brand new.

I've never ever had a car with just 5 digits on the odometer


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## Unkar's Muffins (Mar 9, 2017)

The key is saving some of your earnings for car maintainance and repairs.

I would save at least 15% out of every paycheck for this. Let's say you make $500 a week. You'd already have $300 by the end of a single month.


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## kevink (Apr 18, 2016)

Sal29 said:


> I hope you're right. I'm most AFRAID of big expenses like a blown head gasket or complete transmission failure.
> I just put 4 new tires on and and new brake rotors and pads. I'd love to get at least another 70k miles out of it so I get full use out of the expense I put into the brakes and tires.


A cars longevity depends a lot on how well you take care of it.

That being said, GM's 3100/3400/3800s of that vintage are notorious for blowing intake manifold gaskets, thanks to GM's use of cheap gaskets and Dexcool. If you're going to choose between a transmission fluid change or a coolant change, my advice would be to do the coolant first. For all of their faults, GM is generally pretty good at transmissions. That intake gasket is likely to fail/give you issues before your transmission. Intake gaskets aside, those engines are old tech and pretty durable, if a bit thirsty.


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## CrimzonFiasco (Nov 25, 2016)

Sal29 said:


> I'm thinking of doing Grubhub on the weekends for a few extra bucks.
> I don't want to use my brand new car, so I'll be using an old 2004 Chevy Impala 3.4 V6 with almost 92,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of changing the transmission fluid and filter now even though it's not due till 100k.
> Do you think putting a lot of miles on an old high mileage car will actually lose me more money than I'd make it with Grubhub, or do you think there's still enough reliably on a car like that to make money.


It's all about maintenance, I've had my Sorento for about ten years and it runs smoother than some cars with half it's age. Still great on gas, strong transmission and engine 200k and counting. I've had cars go well over 300k. I have a new car as well but it won't see Uber life unless there's a drastic rate change.



Sal29 said:


> I hope you're right. I'm most AFRAID of big expenses like a blown head gasket or complete transmission failure.
> I just put 4 new tires on and and new brake rotors and pads. I'd love to get at least another 70k miles out of it so I get full use out of the expense I put into the brakes and tires.


Keep your fluids checked


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## TomBradysFanClub (May 8, 2017)

92k is nothing. Your over thinking it.


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## Safe_Driver_4_U (Apr 2, 2017)

Sell it while it has low miles and buy a Toyota


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

I'll only get $1600 to $1900 for it and I just spent money on 4 new tires, 4 brake rotors, and 4 brake pads.
I'm probably better off running it into the ground and then selling it for parts, and then for scrap after I sell all the parts I can.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

Sal29 said:


> I hope you're right. I'm most AFRAID of big expenses like a blown head gasket or complete transmission failure.
> I just put 4 new tires on and and new brake rotors and pads. I'd love to get at least another 70k miles out of it so I get full use out of the expense I put into the brakes and tires.


Engine mounts tend to wear out on those cars with lots of use.


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## Ballard_Driver (Jan 10, 2016)

LOL 92K is NOTHING. Most any modern car is good for 200K+ miles before they really become not worth fixing and ready for the scrap heap. Some are good for faaar more than that. I used to sell cars for awhile back in the day, and people are suckers for buying brand new, but it's also not best financially to even buy really low mileage couple year old cars either. Better than brand new of course, but not the "sweet spot" if you're looking for true best value for your money. 

In reality BUYING a car at around 100K miles plus or minus is where it's at for doing Uber/Lyft. You're not a ton more likely to have a major failure (engine or ****** going boom and needing to be outright replaced) than a lower mileage car, but they've lost the vast majority of their value through depreciation, thanks to people like you who think 92K miles is a lot. LOL 

The maintenance on small stuff that does start to go on cars in the 100K+ range is usually faaaaaar less than the depreciation you lose for sure on that first 100K miles. Even if you do have a major failure you're usually still better off versus the depreciation on a newer vehicle, and worst case scenario you end up being a wash if you have several major problems, which is unlikely on any given car. It's a small bit of rolling the dice, but it's a game that's very slanted in your favor to win. IMO the 100K through 150K/175K range is the perfect range to own an Uber car through as it's where you get the most value for your money. After that it depends on the model, but 100K-150K on most cars is practically no more maintenance than 50K-100K, and will cost you a tooon less up front.

Real world example: My first Uber/Lyft vehicle was a minivan I bought for $3,999 at 103K miles. It was a $30Kish van new. I spent $2502 on maintenance in a year, keeping in mind much of that was just oil and other regular maintenance that you have at lower mileage too. Even if a ****** blew it's not going to make up for the $26,000 in depreciation if I had bought it brand new. Even if you bought it for $15-20K when it was a low mileage, couple year old car there's noooooo way I could spend the $10-15K difference on repairs. It's just not possible. That would be a new engine, new ******, and replacing practically everything else that isn't nailed down too. 

So think about that math, and ask yourself is it worth it? The answer monetarily is NO. Buying new/almost new cars is the #1 thing that keeps most working and middle class people poor in this country. They eat all that depreciation on the car, but don't really get anything out of it versus being able to say their car has low miles... Even people who make well into the 6 figures keep themselves broke with the bad habit of buying new and expensive cars. Don't be a sucker like most people!


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

I don't believe Uber has a cut off point in regards to miles. They do have a cut off point in regards to years though. My car has is a 2010 with 158K mile on it and it's running strong. Maintenance is inexpensive at least in comparison to a car payment.


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## Delilah5 (Mar 20, 2017)

Im driving UberX 900 miles a week, and my Toyota has 174k on the mileage now. Its a 2007 model. And I got it 6 months ago at 147k.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Sal29 said:


> I hope you're right. I'm most AFRAID of big expenses like a blown head gasket or complete transmission failure.
> I just put 4 new tires on and and new brake rotors and pads. I'd love to get at least another 70k miles out of it so I get full use out of the expense I put into the brakes and tires.


Head gasket kit is $85.00.
Valve guide rubber and everything.
Take head out , bead blast, black light inspect for microscopic cracks, check for warpage all for another$85.00 at a local shop. The one mechanics send their head work to. Have clean shiney new inspected head with all new valve guide rubber installed with new gaskets for under $200.00

All


Ballard_Driver said:


> LOL 92K is NOTHING. Most any modern car is good for 200K+ miles before they really become not worth fixing and ready for the scrap heap. Some are good for faaar more than that. I used to sell cars for awhile back in the day, and people are suckers for buying brand new, but it's also not best financially to even buy really low mileage couple year old cars either. Better than brand new of course, but not the "sweet spot" if you're looking for true best value for your money.
> 
> In reality BUYING a car at around 100K miles plus or minus is where it's at for doing Uber/Lyft. You're not a ton more likely to have a major failure (engine or ****** going boom and needing to be outright replaced) than a lower mileage car, but they've lost the vast majority of their value through depreciation, thanks to people like you who think 92K miles is a lot. LOL
> 
> ...


All Of this PROVES uber could NEVER make this work without us !
They cant afford REGULAR CARS MUCH LESS ROBO CARS.

CANT BE DONE.
DRIVERs SUBSIDISE UBER.


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## Delilah5 (Mar 20, 2017)

tohunt4me said:


> Head gasket kit is $85.00.
> Valve guide rubber and everything.
> Take head out , bead blast, black light inspect for microscopic cracks, check for warpage all for another$85.00 at a local shop. The one mechanics send their head work to. Have clean shiney new inspected head with all new valve guide rubber installed with new gaskets for under $200.00
> 
> ...


I don't know how you can take the head out without taking off the top plenum and then the lower intake. Before that remove throttle body, maf. Iac. Vacuum lines. Coolant lines. Hoses. Fuel rails. Injectors. Valve cover. Exhaust manifold.

This is only for one side there is the front and back banks. Even at incredible low shop rate of $40 per hour it's hard to take both heads off in less than 1 hour. Then another hour to put back on. This is after you drain coolant clean everything fill back up. Etc. New valve cover gaskets, intake Gaskets? Exhaust gaskets? . Coolant. Another half hour Might as well change plugs too.


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## Ballard_Driver (Jan 10, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> All Of this PROVES uber could NEVER make this work without us !
> They cant afford REGULAR CARS MUCH LESS ROBO CARS.
> 
> CANT BE DONE.
> DRIVERs SUBSIDISE UBER.


Well there could be ways. Taxis usually ride their cars til they die. So in theory if Uber were to run electric (no gas! So cost savings.), driverless rigs to 400-500K miles or something (probably doable since electrics are theoretically going to last longer as they have fewer moving parts etc) they might be able to get cost per mile reasonably low by the end of life on the vehicle.

Alternatively, once driverless cars are mainstream models they could do what many cabs already do, which is buy used cars and then convert them to taxi specs.

Either way cutting driver compensation out is a big piece of the pie and will more than make up for the vehicle costs. The thing is they might only be making similar margins to what they make now with drivers! But then they'd have no drivers to deal with, so that could cut other back end costs.

Any which way full driverless is not going to be 100% ready to replace human drivers for Uber purposes for some years. Too many drunks that need a person to deal with various issues (pickup/dropoff locations, puking, etc), super bad weather events (no road lines visible in snow etc) and so on and so forth. I'd guess at least 10 years out before they could handle 95% of situations... Although they might be able to handle 60% or 70% in 2 or 3 years that's not a high enough percentage to replace human drivers... So there may be both for a time, or they'll just hold off with all human until the robo cars are totally ready. Who knows.


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