# Looking for a new car..



## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

So I've been driving for a few months. I really enjoy it.. It's been a fun side gig. I have been driving two cars. A Chevy Cruze and a Chev Suburban.. For the most part, I've just been driving weekend nights and special events. My Suburban qualifies for uberSelect, and I have found that driving select on the weekends is a very profitable venture. The past few Saturday nights, I've cleared $50 per hour. Select is really slow during the week however, so if I go out during the week, I'm driving my Cruze. UberX rides are just not worth the time or gas money in the burb. This week, I started a new job that is near the airport. I've been going online in the morning and getting rides to the airport then going to work and then picking someone up at the airport after work for the ride home. Gives me a passenger for the carpool lane and someone else pays me for my commute..

The lease on my Cruze is up in November. I've been trying to decide on what to do going forward. I've settled on going for a low-end luxury car that qualifies for Select. So, I can still do X airport drives to and from work, and then on the weekend grab those high paying select customers. I should be more than able to cover my payment and insurance with the weekday rides, and then everything I do on the weekend is just gravy. I've been looking at either a Cadillac ATS sedan or an Audi A4. Any thoughts on the two? I'm leaning towards the ATS.

The new model year on the ATS is just coming out, so they are starting to discount the 2016 models. Which brings me to my next question.. Car age.. 

Model Year: Must be 3 years or less from current year
Does this mean that since the 2017s are coming out, that uber is phasing out the 2014s? or are they phasing out cars that are older than 2014? My suburban is a 2012 and as soon as the 2017s come out, I think that it will get phased out of select.


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## Tired of this (Apr 10, 2015)

For Uber Select, rear legroom is a big factor for ratings, so I would go with the A4. The ATS only has 33.5 inches of legroom, while the A4 is 35.1. Neither would provide a particularly comfy rear seat, but the A4 at least suffices.

3 year rule means you should be good driving a 2014 in 2017. Are you planning to lease this vehicle or purchase? I'm not sure of any lease deals but definitely check out leasehackr.com. 

If you aren't 100% set on one of these two, check out Infiniti Q40/50, Toyota Avalon , or Lexus ES. Should be more reliable, cheaper, and the last two provide the necessary rear seat space to maintain ratings.


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## ubercharlie (Sep 14, 2016)

Shad said:


> So I've been driving for a few months. I really enjoy it.. It's been a fun side gig. I have been driving two cars. A Chevy Cruze and a Chev Suburban.. For the most part, I've just been driving weekend nights and special events. My Suburban qualifies for uberSelect, and I have found that driving select on the weekends is a very profitable venture. The past few Saturday nights, I've cleared $50 per hour. Select is really slow during the week however, so if I go out during the week, I'm driving my Cruze. UberX rides are just not worth the time or gas money in the burb. This week, I started a new job that is near the airport. I've been going online in the morning and getting rides to the airport then going to work and then picking someone up at the airport after work for the ride home. Gives me a passenger for the carpool lane and someone else pays me for my commute..
> 
> The lease on my Cruze is up in November. I've been trying to decide on what to do going forward. I've settled on going for a low-end luxury car that qualifies for Select. So, I can still do X airport drives to and from work, and then on the weekend grab those high paying select customers. I should be more than able to cover my payment and insurance with the weekday rides, and then everything I do on the weekend is just gravy. I've been looking at either a Cadillac ATS sedan or an Audi A4. Any thoughts on the two? I'm leaning towards the ATS.
> 
> ...


What uber city requires a 3 year old select vehicle? I suggest you purchase a used approved uber select vehicle from the official list. There are certified used mercedez vehicles that includes the original warranty, plus unlimited miles , 2 year coverage after original factory warranty expires.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

ubercharlie said:


> What uber city requires a 3 year old select vehicle?


In Salt Lake City, select has a 3 year rule.. I thought that was pretty restrictive compared to other cities I've seen, but whatever.. http://saltlakecity.ubermovement.com/uberselect/ I'm going to try and get them to extend my suburban when they drop it. I still get a ton of compliments on it. "This is the nicest uber I've ever been in."



Tired of this said:


> For Uber Select, rear legroom is a big factor for ratings, so I would go with the A4. The ATS only has 33.5 inches of legroom, while the A4 is 35.1. Neither would provide a particularly comfy rear seat, but the A4 at least suffices.
> 
> 3 year rule means you should be good driving a 2014 in 2017. Are you planning to lease this vehicle or purchase? I'm not sure of any lease deals but definitely check out leasehackr.com.
> 
> If you aren't 100% set on one of these two, check out Infiniti Q40/50, Toyota Avalon , or Lexus ES. Should be more reliable, cheaper, and the last two provide the necessary rear seat space to maintain ratings.


I really like the Caddy.. Plus I get some rebates being an existing GM lessee.. I'm not married to it yet though.. If I could go older, I'd go bigger for sure. I'd like to keep it at $35K or under. I haven't driven anything yet. I will probably do a couple test drives this weekend. I have a couple months to really decide what I want to do. The problem with a lease is the mileage. I'd use up 10k mile per year just driving to work, let alone any additional driving I'd do.. So I will probably need to purchase. I'll give the others you mention a look as well.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

atlanta just requires 2009 and newer for select, i love my Cadillac CTS. My pax do to. Its got great room and is such a comfortable ride. Much better than the 3 series and C class. The newer models are even nicer. I get the same MPG city as i got with my previous car, Sonata.


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## Mark Gutierrez (Oct 3, 2016)

Wow! 3 years is very tight. In NYC there is a 6 years requirement for all levels ranging from Uber X to Uber SUV.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

I drive select in Denver I started with my BMW 335 and while it was fine my rating at that point was around 4.84 and I knew when I had groups of more then 2 it was snug. 
I changed my car out for a 2015 VW Passat SEL and even my regular pax like it more as the back seats have almost 40 inches of leg room more then a 7 series bmw or audi a8. On top of a massive trunk. My rating is now 4.92 Not to mention it gets over 40 mpg on the highway and 35mpg overall

Denver has a tiered system if higher end cars can be as old as 2007 my passat for example has to be 2015 or newer I was told by uber that even though the requirement will go up to 2016 or newer next year I will still be able to drive it until the end of 2017 on select. 

If all your doing is doing 1 or 2 rides 5 days a week just to pay for you commute I would get the car you actually want and not worry really worry about passanger comfort


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## RDUber (Oct 3, 2016)

I would stay away from Audi or Cadillac. Your car will spend more time in the shop than on the road (maybe not initially, but sooner than later), last thing you want as a rideshare driver.

Toyota makes great vehicles (yes I own 2 of them currently) and for the most part, they run and drive forever.

My 2005 Toyota Highlander that I bought cash works great as UberXL, I keep it clean and in top shape.


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## neontutors (Oct 4, 2016)

my two cents. 2015 altima and up.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

The idea behind this was to be able to drive Select.. Nissans and Toyotas dont' qualify..

We went to the Cadillac dealership and the Audi dealer over the weekend and did some test drives. While the A4 has some cool tech, I liked the ride and the power in the ATS better. While we were talking with the salesman at the Cadillac dealer, he suggested a CTS as it had more room, and he can do a lease on a used 2015 model. We drove the CTS too.. Nice car.. The subject of Uber came up and he said that I might want to consider an XTS.. It's a full size car.. Plenty of back seat room. In addition, since they aren't as in demand as the ATS or CTS, he could get a used one for less money.. It's an interesting proposition.

Initially, I had planned on my wife driving our Suburban on the weekends and I driving my new car.. But it appears that my wife has decided to not drive any more. She had a pretty bad experience a few weeks ago on a Lyft ride (guy pulled a knife on her, she's ok, just scared) and she flat out refuses to go out and drive anymore. Can't say I blame her really.. So, I'm thinking that I may not go luxury for my daily driver for now. With the wife not driving, I'll just drive the Suburban on the weekends and drive whatever I buy during the week. My cousin who's the sales manager at the chevy dealer can get me a really good deal on another Cruze or a Malibu..


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Shad said:


> My cousin who's the sales manager at the chevy dealer can get me a really good deal on another Cruze or a Malibu..


Not a bad car, expensive cars are for the most part a hobby not an investment.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

So this afternoon it popped up that they were doing office hours and I went in and talked to the reps on my way home. I asked about SUV and he told me that they do require a black on black SUV and that there are a few that are not black but because our state doesn't list the color on the registration a few slip through and they deactivate them as soon as they find out. also I do have to register as an LLC which isn't a big deal then get an airport badge I'm not sure how much money that would cost but I don't think it's too much the big cost would be the insurance and I'm not sure it would be worth it for just two nights a week. he said that they should leave my suburban on select through the spring so I can at least drive all winner on select which is good because I Can drive Sundance on select and then maybe in the spring I'll trade in the suburban for a newer model.


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## MaxJoy (Aug 14, 2016)

If you want entry-level Luxury car for Uber Select, no car will beat the economics behind Lexus ES300h Hybrid. Reliable, Comfortable with large rear leg room, 40 city/39 highway MPG.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

So I got my new wheels last weekend. I ended up getting the new 2016 Malibu Premier.. This car has all the bells and whistles that the Cadillac does minus the AWD for 10K less. Since I am a Costco Executive member, I got supplier pricing and a $700 Costco cash card. In addition, I got 2 season passes to Solitude Ski resort. I also qualified for 0% financing. All in all, a better deal than any of the other choices.

Keep in mind that this is my commuter car.. I drive this to work every day and get rides along the way. On the weekends, I'll still be driving XL and Select in my Suburban.







[


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## kevink (Apr 18, 2016)

GM has done a nice job with the new Malibus! Best of luck with it!


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## MaxJoy (Aug 14, 2016)

New Malibu is quite impressive! Congrats and best of luck!


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## UberRazor (Oct 20, 2016)

I'm not a Chevy guy at all; all Ford or Honda (F150 Platinum, S2000 and Accord EXL for Uber) but that's pretty darn sharp! Congrats and here's to smooth sailin' out there!


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Shad said:


> So I got my new wheels last weekend. I ended up getting the new 2016 Malibu Premier.. This car has all the bells and whistles that the Cadillac does minus the AWD for 10K less. Since I am a Costco Executive member, I got supplier pricing and a $700 Costco cash card. In addition, I got 2 season passes to Solitude Ski resort. I also qualified for 0% financing. All in all, a better deal than any of the other choices.
> 
> Keep in mind that this is my commuter car.. I drive this to work every day and get rides along the way. On the weekends, I'll still be driving XL and Select in my Suburban.
> View attachment 69736
> ...


Nice car! Is it true that Malibus are basically a Saab design? I seem to remember reading something like that. GM owns or owned Saab.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

I gotta say, a lot of car company's are really stepping up their game in recent years. That's probably the best looking Impala to date. It's a shame that it doesn't qualify for Select, seems like quiet an investment for a daily driver but if you enjoy the vehicle then that's all that really matters!

It does look great!

PS I hate when they put those license plate holders on the front. Unless the state requires it (which my state doesn't) I would have had the dealer remove that sucker before I took delivery!


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

steveK2016 said:


> It's a shame that it doesn't qualify for Select


Yeah, with all leather interior and all the other bells and whistles, it would be nice to get it on Select, but I doubt they'd do it. Sad thing is, it's nicer than a lot of other Select cars on the road. I drove it last weekend because I need to get some work done on my Suburban. I got so many compliments on it. "Man this is a nice car.." "This is a Malibu?"

I'm not a fan of the license plate holder either, but state law requires a front plate.


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

You should ask about getting it into service for Uber Select. It is every bit as nice as a 4 year old Caddy.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

Actually it looks like a new really young guy did the design. Here's a video of him talking about it.








MrA said:


> Nice car! Is it true that Malibus are basically a Saab design? I seem to remember reading something like that. GM owns or owned Saab.


Any suggestions on how to plead my case for Select? Take pictures of the car, interior etc and send them in asking please? Go to the local guys office hours?

I just noticed that they updated the Select approved list and my Suburban should qualify at least another two years. Yay! But if I can get this guy on Select too..


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## ubermay74 (Mar 15, 2015)

Hey shad how are you? I drive down here in Miami and I'm interested in getting a 2015 or 2016 suburban ,i have never owned a chevy vehicle,i have been a volkswagen owner for about ten years but i don't want to do Uber x anymore it's just no worth it, .85 cents a mile is ridiculous,in the Suburban I qualify for xl lux and suv lux,what's your advice on that monster suburban?.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

ubermay74 said:


> Hey shad how are you? I drive down here in Miami and I'm interested in getting a 2015 or 2016 suburban ,i have never owned a chevy vehicle,i have been a volkswagen owner for about ten years but i don't want to do Uber x anymore it's just no worth it, .85 cents a mile is ridiculous,in the Suburban I qualify for xl lux and suv lux,what's your advice on that monster suburban?.


I have a Suburban because I have a large family. I just lucked out that it was eligible for Select and I am able to drive it to get the higher Select rates on the weekend. Would I go out and buy a Suburban specifically to drive Uber? Probably not. But my situation is perhaps different than yours. I have a regular full time job. I drive on the weekends to earn some extra cash to pay down the credit cards. In my case, it doesn't make sense to buy a car specifically for driving Uber, especially one that is as expensive as a Suburban. I'm also in a very different location. I'm in Utah. Come winter a Suburban should do well in the mountains running skiers around between the airport and the resorts. I'm not sure how well it would do in Miami. It's a big bulky gas guzzler. I'd ask around there to see what demand is. You may be better off buying a lower end luxury car like I was looking at earlier in this thread. It gets better gas mileage than the Suburban by far, and if you're just running select, it pays the same. If you drive full time, can meet all the requirements for SUV (insurance, licensing, etc), go for it.

If you're asking about how I like the Burb itself, I love it. I drove it off the lot with less than 10 miles on it almost 5 years ago, and haven't had a hint of buyers remorse ever. I've had to get a few things fixed, the A/C went south twice, was having a misfire problem, and had a problem with the 3rd row seats not folding forward like they should. Most of those items were covered under warranty or extended warranty and were minor really. It's been a great solid car for my family with plenty of room for everyone, and all our stuff. We've driven it to California a couple times, and driven to Michigan a few times, no issues whatsoever.


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## kevink (Apr 18, 2016)

MrA said:


> Nice car! Is it true that Malibus are basically a Saab design? I seem to remember reading something like that. GM owns or owned Saab.


Yes...and no....The 2008-2012 Malibus (along with the Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras) were built on GM's Epsilon platform, the same one which underpinned the Saab 9-3 (GM did have some degree of ownership of Saab for quite some time, taking a 50% stake in the 80s and the other 50% in the late 90s, early 2000s). They were not a Saab design, per se. If anything the Saab was brought more closely in line with its cousins and lost a lot of the "quirkiness" that Saab owners seemed to enjoy.

I believe the latest generation Malibu (and possibly the one before it) was built on the Epsilon II platform, which "Old GM" had started developing prior to its bankruptcy.


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Shad said:


> Actually it looks like a new really young guy did the design. Here's a video of him talking about it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Just ask, you never know. a car as nice as the Malibu may get you a higher rate on Lyft? I don't know much about Lyft. GM is a major investor in Lyft. Maybe some pull because of that?


kevink said:


> Yes...and no....The 2008-2012 Malibus (along with the Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras) were built on GM's Epsilon platform, the same one which underpinned the Saab 9-3 (


 Yep, that rings a bell. I was looking at a '06, 9-3 Saab and came across that in research.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

So I went in to office hours last night after work.. Was told that the only Select exception added the he knows of was an Audi that wasn't on the pre-approved list. It's more the name badge that they are looking at, not necessarily how nice the car is..  Not sure if there is a way around this.. But I still have my Suburban to drive Select.

As far as Lyft.. My mentor on lyft rejected me, and they won't reconsider, so I can't drive lyft.. No idea why... Uber keeps me busy enough though.. Usually..


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## njn (Jan 23, 2016)

Slap a Cadillac badge on it.


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## ubermay74 (Mar 15, 2015)

Shad, i also have a full time job and i won't be buying it brand new ,its a 2015 with black on black with 39000 miles on it for $ 38500 ,and I'm planning just do uber about 3 days a week .so i guess the price is reasonable .


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## ubermay74 (Mar 15, 2015)

Also XL is pretty busy here ,that's why I'm not considered a lux sedan ,so i know i won't be very busy on only lux and lux suv ,if i get 1 or 2 rides on lux per day it can add up at the end.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

2014+ Malibus Qualify for Select in Denver. Go into the local office tell them that show them your nice new car and they will porbably add it. Heck someone got a 2007 Audi A3 on Select (nice car but crazy small) I'd much rather be picked up in your Malibu then an A3 . Especially if you're driving Select XL with your suburban ..Now I saw you say UberLux if your market only has Lux and not Select they probably won't add the Malibu


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## Samuel ad (Oct 30, 2016)

My jag xj8 was bliss, but some ****** totaled it so now I'm in an uber Dodge Dart rental-totally vile.


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## Sueron (Sep 16, 2016)

Here in Alabama, the 2007 is now too old. Upgraded to a 2011 Toyota Camry LE (only used for Uber) First full month 150 pick ups.


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

Jimmy Bernat said:


> 2014+ Malibus Qualify for Select in Denver. Go into the local office tell them that show them your nice new car and they will porbably add it. Heck someone got a 2007 Audi A3 on Select (nice car but crazy small) I'd much rather be picked up in your Malibu then an A3 . Especially if you're driving Select XL with your suburban ..Now I saw you say UberLux if your market only has Lux and not Select they probably won't add the Malibu


There is't a local full time office here.. There is a team that does local "office hours" at a hotel by the airport. I went in last week and asked if I could get on to select and he said no.. But SLC does apparently report in to the Denver region.. When I asked about destination filters, they said that they were waiting on someone in Denver to do something.. Since the Malibu is eligible in Denver, maybe I can go back in and do some more pleading.. The way that the local guy talked was that he had to send off a request and someone else had to approve it, presumably in Denver...


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Shad said:


> There is't a local full time office here.. There is a team that does local "office hours" at a hotel by the airport. I went in last week and asked if I could get on to select and he said no.. But SLC does apparently report in to the Denver region.. When I asked about destination filters, they said that they were waiting on someone in Denver to do something.. Since the Malibu is eligible in Denver, maybe I can go back in and do some more pleading.. The way that the local guy talked was that he had to send off a request and someone else had to approve it, presumably in Denver...


Yeah it's worth a shot , maybe even print out the denver select list

I was wrong about my years for the Malibu I thought it was 2014 or newer but it's 2015 or newer


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## Shad (Jul 9, 2014)

Update: was driving around this morning trying to get a ride toward work.. All of a sudden, I get a Select call.. Wha??? Am I signed on to my Suburban profile accidentally? No, I just took an X call. Weird.. Went and picked up the rider, finally made my way to work. Just logged in and they updated the approved car list to include 2015 and newer Malibus and Impalas. They must have just done that some time this week. No complaints here!


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Lyft pax pulled a knife on your WIFE??????

Tell me pieces of him might still be stuck on your Suburban's undercarriage and THAT'S why you're switching

Never had no wife, but if somebody tried that on a girlfriend, first their house would burn down mysteriously, and then I'd be swapping wheels and bumpers at a cash only place like a junkyard, and buying a pressure washer...



Shad said:


> The idea behind this was to be able to drive Select.. Nissans and Toyotas dont' qualify..
> 
> We went to the Cadillac dealership and the Audi dealer over the weekend and did some test drives. While the A4 has some cool tech, I liked the ride and the power in the ATS better. While we were talking with the salesman at the Cadillac dealer, he suggested a CTS as it had more room, and he can do a lease on a used 2015 model. We drove the CTS too.. Nice car.. The subject of Uber came up and he said that I might want to consider an XTS.. It's a full size car.. Plenty of back seat room. In addition, since they aren't as in demand as the ATS or CTS, he could get a used one for less money.. It's an interesting proposition.
> 
> Initially, I had planned on my wife driving our Suburban on the weekends and I driving my new car.. But it appears that my wife has decided to not drive any more. She had a pretty bad experience a few weeks ago on a Lyft ride (guy pulled a knife on her, she's ok, just scared) and she flat out refuses to go out and drive anymore. Can't say I blame her really.. So, I'm thinking that I may not go luxury for my daily driver for now. With the wife not driving, I'll just drive the Suburban on the weekends and drive whatever I buy during the week. My cousin who's the sales manager at the chevy dealer can get me a really good deal on another Cruze or a Malibu..


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## BMWUberSLC (Apr 14, 2017)

That's awesome your new car got approved for Select Shad!


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

This will be a good car to consider buying used in about 3 years. >30k miles, >$18k
Built Volt hybrid platform.
2017 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
Mid-size car
8.7/10US News Cars - US News & World Report3.5/5Motor Trend4.3/5GottaBeMobile

MPG: 49 city / 43 highway
MSRP: From $27,875
Horsepower: 182 hp
Warranty: 3 yr/36,000 mi basic, 5 yr/60,000 mi powertrain
Fuel tank capacity: 13 gal
Battery: 1.5 kWh lithium-ion


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## PepeLePiu (Feb 3, 2017)

steveK2016 said:


> atlanta just requires 2009 and newer for select, i love my Cadillac CTS. My pax do to. Its got great room and is such a comfortable ride. Much better than the 3 series and C class. The newer models are even nicer. I get the same MPG city as i got with my previous car, Sonata.


I been thinking about buying a caddy, like a 2012/13, but select is not a viable think in my city, no airports and no upscale restaurants or venues. But I do get a lot of people that is tall enough to be uncomfortable in my Civic, so still in the back of my mind. If you don't mind my asking, what is you average MPG on the Caddy?


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

PepeLePiu said:


> I been thinking about buying a caddy, like a 2012/13, but select is not a viable think in my city, no airports and no upscale restaurants or venues. But I do get a lot of people that is tall enough to be uncomfortable in my Civic, so still in the back of my mind. If you don't mind my asking, what is you average MPG on the Caddy?


20 but I got the 3.6 v6 performance.


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## Engz (Apr 11, 2017)

Mark Gutierrez said:


> Wow! 3 years is very tight. In NYC there is a 6 years requirement for all levels ranging from Uber X to Uber SUV.


Shit I thought it was 10 years??


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