# Only $5000 to spend



## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Probably a Toyota Corolla.


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Coyotex said:


> If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


Spend $4000, save $1000; When the vehicle suddenly enters commercial service, a couple extra repairs may be nessary the 1st month.


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## losiglow (Dec 4, 2018)

1.5xorbust said:


> Probably a Toyota Corolla.


Yup. Or Camry if you can afford it. 4-cyl model.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

doyousensehumor said:


> Spend $4000, save $1000; When the vehicle suddenly enters commercial service, a couple extra repairs may be nessary the 1st month.


What do you mean"suddenly enters commercial service"?


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## TemptingFate (May 2, 2019)

https://uberpeople.net/threads/best-cars-for-ride-share-under-5000.216511/


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## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

Coyotex said:


> What do you mean"suddenly enters commercial service"?


Throwing a well used car in to a ride sharing gig will most likely need immediate repairs. Your $5000 car won't do you any good if you need $600 for a repair and don't have the money for the repair.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

I was actually thinking about a minivan, something like a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan 110K miles for 5K. Sucks on ga but XL pays a lot better on Friday and Saturday nights when I typically drive. During the week not much XL business here.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

My market does not have XL. Bummer.


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## BuberDriver (Feb 2, 2016)

do not put $5000 down payment on a car that has 120,000 miles. only put $3000 down and spend $2000 on water and mints...you'll need backups to pay for that car


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Coyotex said:


> What do you mean"suddenly enters commercial service"?


A car that appears to be mechanically sound --and technically is--- will experience a "shock" because if the Previous Owner babied it, only driving a few miles per day, the parts and components are suddenly subjected to a higher load.

Think of each part in the car having "hit points" like a character in a video game. Previous Owner babying the car with some parts that are at the end of there life span. Suddenly that same car becomes an uber vehicle, 1000lbs of pax, whacking over speedbumps, idling all the time... you get the idea.

ALSO dont forget, many cars are being sold for a reason.... you may discover that reason soon after you buy it... a little surprise, mechanically.

So I recommend being prepared. Be realistic about taking a risk.

Last two cars I got, revealed little surprises for me during the first month. I expected it, and once I corrected the issues, the cars remained reliable.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Buy a huffy and spend the $4,800 on taxi rentals,

turn it into $15,000


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> My market does not have XL. Bummer.


Really???  That's definitely a bummer. But yeah, if I was to use a few Gs on a RS vehicle, it would be something that can do also XL. I've kind of half-seriously eyeballed some, but still haven't seen the need to pull the trigger.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

Ooops....lol.....typo. I meant to say: MY vehicle doesn't do XL in my market! I don't know if my market has XL or not, sorry for the confusion.


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## Cold Fusion (Aug 28, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


Anything Toyota that gets over 35mpg


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


This is easy to do in a 15 year market, harder to do in a 12 year market, very difficult in a 10 year market.

If its a 10 year market, or you plan to use the car for more than a year or two, you probably need a domestic.


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## gooddolphins (Apr 5, 2018)

Spend 20 dollars on a crowbar to bust car window and car is free. Invest the rest in Uber Stocks.


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> Ooops....lol.....typo. I meant to say: MY vehicle doesn't do XL in my market! I don't know if my market has XL or not, sorry for the confusion.


I can't imagine why there wouldn't be XL in your market. So, my suggestion still stands: get yourself something that will be able to do XL.


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## IthurstwhenIP (Jan 12, 2018)

Anything with a Jatco CVT


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

Coyotex said:


> If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


Buy two of them for $2500 each as one of them is going to break down and the repair going to be more than what the car is worth.
If you can make it through this year with one of them still running & u haven't gone bankrupt get a lower mileage vehicle and look after it.

Anything over a hundred thousand miles is going to need significant reinvestment to a tune of what the vehicle is worth many times over. Doubly so if it on it last legs and haven't been looked after. With high mileage vehicles you always need 2 of them. 1 primary and the 2nd for back up for when it spending time in the workshop :thumbup:

If the repair bill come up at once in the tunes of multiple thousands of dollars you can scarp it & keep driving the back up until you get a back up for the back up :roflmao: Welcome to ridesharing! Oh yes remember to put away 50-100 dollars a week for a replacement vehicle.


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

Coyotex said:


> If all you had was $5000 to buy a car, and all the cars you're looking at in your area had over 120k miles, which vehicle would you lean towards for U/L?


I would try an get a 2009 Prius if it's still qualifies in the given market. A Corolla would be the second best choice.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

Immoralized said:


> Buy two of them for $2500 each as one of them is going to break down and the repair going to be more than what the car is worth.


I agree with buying two cars for $2500, but not because I think one will break down and cost more than it is worth, but because if you only have 1 car and someone pukes all over the backseat, you'll have to take the night off unless you have only one. Plus when something breaks and it is in the shop for a few days, you have your other car.

I'm sure there are lots of good cars out there. I wouldn't limit myself to a specific make, but just look for a car in nice shape and with a good reputation.

2005-2012 Ford Focus seem to be really good cars to me but I wouldn't get a model newer than 2012 due to issues with transmission, ABS, traction control, and electronics.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

I currently drive a Honda CRV. I LOVE IT! Gas mileage could be better, but it has plenty of room. Unfortunately, it's a 2004 and U/L can, at anytime, give me the ax on that car. Would love to get another one, but the ones I'm finding within the $5000 price range have a TON of miles on them. 

The Ford Focus seems a bit small, but I haven't actually been in one.
I did the Prius for the gas mileage. People say there is a lot of room in the back, and for the couple I've driven in the past, it did seem like it, but I never sat in the back of one. 

Oh well, my search continues!


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> I currently drive a Honda CRV. I LOVE IT! Gas mileage could be better, but it has plenty of room. Unfortunately, it's a 2004 and U/L can, at anytime, give me the ax on that car. Would love to get another one, but the ones I'm finding within the $5000 price range have a TON of miles on them.
> 
> The Ford Focus seems a bit small, but I haven't actually been in one.
> I did the Prius for the gas mileage. People say there is a lot of room in the back, and for the couple I've driven in the past, it did seem like it, but I never sat in the back of one.
> ...


Youre still driving with a 2004? My 2007 was deactivated post haste in a 12 year market.


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## Immoralized (Nov 7, 2017)

OldBay said:


> Youre still driving with a 2004? My 2007 was deactivated post haste in a 12 year market.


It seems like his in a market with relaxed age limit on a vehicle & low on drivers. 
High numbers of drivers here & uber mandates the car need to be no older than a decade. However taxi in the same market have no age limit just have to be road legal.



Coyotex said:


> I currently drive a Honda CRV. I LOVE IT! Gas mileage could be better, but it has plenty of room. Unfortunately, it's a 2004 and U/L can, at anytime, give me the ax on that car. Would love to get another one, but the ones I'm finding within the $5000 price range have a TON of miles on them.
> 
> The Ford Focus seems a bit small, but I haven't actually been in one.
> I did the Prius for the gas mileage. People say there is a lot of room in the back, and for the couple I've driven in the past, it did seem like it, but I never sat in the back of one.
> ...


Keep driving and keep saving up for a car until they off road you. Cross that bridge when you get there. Just make the most of the car you got now if they allow you to drive it. You won't be making anymore money with another car that not required unless you are moving up to XL or something.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

In my market, there is no way you can make a full time living doing rideshare. On a good Saturday night, I've only hit the $200 mark one time in a year. I just drive enough to pay for a few bills is all. Oh, if I drove to a bigger market, different thing altogether. But, it's 1.5 hour drive there and 1.5 hour back, all dead miles. It's not worth it for only a Friday/Saturday night. 

Am I putting wear/tear on my vehicle now? Yes. Is it like most people in big markets? Nope. My income is lower, but my overall expenses are lower as well.

If/when I get a different vehicle, I want to get one with better gas mileage (I average 23mpg) and one where I don't care if I beat it up or not as it will ONLY be for U/L, not a personal car. Does that make sense?


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## MarcoAutoDude (Feb 8, 2020)

my time in sales has shown me that it really depends on the car individually more then anything else. Any brand can be great at that price and miles but it all depends on how it was treated. did it have regular tune ups? oil changes? are they highway miles? city miles? any accidents? salvage title? young drivers old drivers? I my self have had a subaru since 1998 and I've abused the hell out of it and has close to 300k miles but the only thing wrong with it is rust, but I would trust it another 100k with out anything major going wrong with it. I mean i've seen fords with that many miles and age in that rice range that are in better shape then corollas or prius's in the same category. So theres a lot of factors


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## June132017 (Jun 13, 2017)

Chevy Cruze looks like a good car. Toyota Corolla would be good, but you probably will get such an old one that it will become obsolete from the platform in a year, or two.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

MarcoAutoDude said:


> my time in sales has shown me that it really depends on the car individually more then anything else. Any brand can be great at that price and miles but it all depends on how it was treated. did it have regular tune ups? oil changes? are they highway miles? city miles? any accidents? salvage title? young drivers old drivers? I my self have had a subaru since 1998 and I've abused the hell out of it and has close to 300k miles but the only thing wrong with it is rust, but I would trust it another 100k with out anything major going wrong with it. I mean i've seen fords with that many miles and age in that rice range that are in better shape then corollas or prius's in the same category. So theres a lot of factors


Unless there is service receipts from AUTHORIZED DEALER (pop-up oil change places on carfax not count) never know if the car treated well. You can minimize the risk by buying toyota & honda. Those cars hard to kill. If the car is more than 10 yo, better to change water hoses and belts. Majority of breakdowns due to hose leaks and causes overheat.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

You can probably get 2015/16 Toyota Yaris with 80,000 miles or so. You won't be able to do Lyft with it.


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## Nina2 (Oct 6, 2018)

A Prius best MPG


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