# My head is spinning - Help!



## Marie Cox (Sep 5, 2015)

I've been combing through these forums and learning so much from all you great experienced drivers. 

I have a few questions for you all, but little background first.....

I'm considering becoming a driver but I keep reading so many opposing views, a lot of complaints and such that I don't know what to think anymore. There are some people who do seem to be doing well and are happy, though they seem to be in the minority. It sounds like you have to be lucky enough to be in a market that is not over-saturated with drivers and work it just right. 

My situation is that in order to be a driver, I'm considering leasing a newer Prius. I know this is a risk, but it is one I'm willing to take for a variety of reasons. I don't currently have a car and need one for other business reasons. I'm thinking of Uber as a way to help pay for and finance it. The monthly lease in my area seems very reasonable - $170 a month (through a dealership, not Uber). Believe me, I'm an informed car shopper and I know that leasing is not the smartest way to obtain a car, but I don't have the means to get one any other way at the moment. As I say, I would be using it for other business reasons besides Uber, so I'm not relying solely on Uber as the reason for leasing. 

What I like is that as a driver for hire I can deduct my costs from my taxes which makes it very affordable. Provided I earn enough, and there is the rub. 

Here are my questions and concerns.... Can I expect to at least be able to keep up with my lease and expenses each month as an Uber driver? This business of ratings and complaints has me worried. Has anyone been fired over ratings or complaints or is it not that common? If you are a good and cordial driver, do you usually get 5-star ratings? Or are there more ******bags out there than I think? I'm worried about the ******bags really. For anyone familiar with my region, I'm in CT and my main market would be New Haven, but I'm also reading that Fairfield is a good area. CT doesn't seem too saturated with drivers yet. 

Thanks for your help.


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

Marie, All good questions. In short, yes you will be able to cover your lease payment ($170) by driving one peak 8 hour shift a week. You probably could get away with only twice a month, but to be safe and cover fuel costs for the Uber time, insurance, etc.., I think once a week will cover you. As for worrying about your driver Rating - I do not think that will be an issue for you. Yes, there are the occasional 1 Star rider raters, but they are not that frequent. With Uber, the more you drive the less the low raters can ding you. Good luck and be safe!


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## df60532 (Aug 26, 2015)

Make sure you have commercial driver's insurance. Otherwise you can be sued if anything goes wrong. Not just having an accident, if someone slips and falls getting in and out of your car, bumps their head...... whatever. Wanna have that on your back for the next 20 years?
* If your insurance company finds out you're driving commercially, you will most likely be cancelled. Try getting new insurance after that. SKY HIGH PREMIUMS TO FOLLOW..... (do you think Uber will give shit?) *No, they won't.


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

df60532 said:


> Make sure you have commercial driver's insurance.


Or at the very least 'Hybrid' insurance....and I'm not referring to the Prius....but in some markets, like CA and IL for sure.....we have Metromile which covers you when you aren't actively transporting passengers....and Uber's insurance is active when you ARE carrying passengers. I put about 2-3k miles on my car each month (personal + uber) and my monthly premium usually runs about $100 a month. So do NOT drive ONE SINGLE passenger without having the proper insurance in place. Make sure your insurance company knows you are planning on using the car for Uber. Also, remember if you LEASE your car, there is usually a mileage limit. If you go over that mileage limit, you will be paying a big penalty. Make sure you have the highest mileage limit in your LEASE contract.....or that will be an additional expense if you end up turning it in! HTH


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

LEAFdriver said:


> Also, remember if you LEASE your car, there is usually a mileage limit. If you go over that mileage limit, you will be paying a big penalty. Make sure you have the highest mileage limit in your LEASE contract.....or that will be an additional expense if you end up turning it in! HTH


*Extremely important point...*


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## Walkersm (Apr 15, 2014)

If your other business model and pofit margin cannot support you getting a car to do it then do not participate in insurance and commercial fraud (your lease will clearly say you cannot use the car for commercial purposes) to have a vehicle. You are a business person do things the correct way for a successful business. Business owners job is to mitigate risk with insurance and proper investments. 

If you have a cake delivery business and only charge 10 per delivery then have to go out and do Uber to pay for the vehicle that is backwards. Charge more for delivery to pay for the vehicle on it's own. If the market cannot support that then don't offer it. No good business is built off of fraud. Well except Uber that is.


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## Marie Cox (Sep 5, 2015)

Oh boy more good news. I did not know these things.


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

Uber can, and has, _deactivated_ drivers from the _platform_ for whatever reason(s) they saw fit.

The driver has less than zero recourse in probably 99.998% of those events.
The remaining .002% only have to jump through hoops to *eventually* regain active status.

Do what you feel is best.

I know I'd never want to depend on Uber for anything more than grief.


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

If I had to lease the car to do uber I wouldn't do it.

Find the cheapest best looking and cleanest chevy cobalt 2010 for 4950 and pray. It only has 63,000 miles according to cars.com


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Don't do Uber. You'll be disappointed. Leasing a car with mileage restrictions and using it to drive for Uber is a horrible idea. You'll use up your mileage allotment just to break even on your car payment, if you're lucky.


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## Marie Cox (Sep 5, 2015)

Ok now I know what to do. I didn't realize that leasing was so restrictive. I've never leased and with good reason - I've always known it was the worst of all deals financially. The way to go seems to gather the dinero together to buy a decent used car that meets the Uber requirements. That way I'll own it outright without any rules or restrictions. This will take a lot longer, but seems the smart way to go.


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## PHXTE (Jun 23, 2015)

Do you own a car now?

Purchasing a car to go beat the crap out of to make minimum wage is a bad idea all around. New, used, leased, financed, purchased outright, doesn't matter.


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

Marie Cox said:


> Ok now I know what to do. I didn't realize that leasing was so restrictive. I've never leased and with good reason - I've always known it was the worst of all deals financially. The way to go seems to gather the dinero together to buy a decent used car that meets the Uber requirements. That way I'll own it outright without any rules or restrictions. This will take a lot longer, but seems the smart way to go.


Golden rule of Uber X is make sure you have the cheapest possible car. Lower cost, lower risk if you mess a cheap car you own. More $$ in your pocket. X is not too. Of the barrel service. If you have to buy buy the cheapest good car you can find that you can pay off in 6 months or less.


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## Doc Nyto (Sep 16, 2015)

I did ask my insurance company about Uber. They told me "we cover you when you are driving it as your personal car. Uber insurance covers you when driving for them." I have no idea how much the customer service insurance rep actually knows about Uber and insurance. But he basically told me not to worry about it.


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## Doc Nyto (Sep 16, 2015)

Marie Cox I did BUY a car to use and did some intense research into cost, age of vehicle, etc. I ended up getting low milage (50k range) 2007 Lexus 350 ES sedan for $12,250. One prior owner, totally babied. I do plan to put in long hours ... several 8 hr days weekly ... to pay the $227/mo pymt. But it is also my personal car for at least next two years.


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## Marie Cox (Sep 5, 2015)

PHXTE said:


> Do you own a car now?
> 
> Purchasing a car to go beat the crap out of to make minimum wage is a bad idea all around. New, used, leased, financed, purchased outright, doesn't matter.


I don't own a car now. If I did I'd use that. I do need to get a car and it seemed to make sense to also have a way to work an extra gig that allows me to deduct some of the typical costs. Uber would be a side gig for me and I'll likely not be doing it long term.


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## vesolehome (Aug 2, 2015)

how does insurance work for the Jimmie John and local pizza delivery person? I would think similar to Uber?


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