# Honda Pilot or Grand Caravan?



## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

Been doing a ton of research.

Spoke to a couple of happy drivers.

With all my house paid and some rental income helping, thinking of "retiring" and joining the Uber community and driving for some extra monthly income.

I have an existing 2017 Honda Pilot with 45K miles. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember the designation... Just below touring. Book value is around $24K with $18K owed.

From a pax standpoint and diver, I like the idea of a similarly age/mile vehicle like the Grand Caravan GT at around $17K. Leather, room, XL. 

The Odyssey, at least in my town seems to be $10K more... am I missing a benefit for the money?

Leaning Grand Caravan GT or keeping my Pilot for the short term.

Cons of the Pilot will be depreciation. I don't like the rear seat configuration as a true XL.


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

You might as well sell the pilot and enjoy the few thousand you have in equity. Or you can drive for Uber and trade your vehicles equity for your driving wages.

4 years into this with about 11,000 rides my advice to you is buy a cheap car. If you really want to get into this then don’t be a moron and use a nice vehicle for this gig. $5000 max. I suggest buying a car with 1-2 years of eligibility left for rinsing and repeating.

unless you feel like being a fool and pimping around people in a car they do not deserve being in. Boredom can be solved In so many other productive ways.

also since you have assets you are prime to be sued in case there is an accident. Your fault or not. 1 million dollar coverage seems like a lot but in reality it is not.


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## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

Any Chrysler product with the 3.6L V6 is an unreliable POS that should be avoided. That includes any vintage of Grand Caravan made after 2010.

I own a T&C with a 250K on the original engine and trans and it’s been good to me overall. It’s been my Ubermobile since the beginning and I beat on it hard in one of the most hostile environments this country has for cars. The ‘08 to ‘10 models like mine have the old reliable pushrod V6 engines they’ve made for decades. I’d recommend finding one of them to use for Uber. The 3.8L is more common and a better choice because it has a timing chain that never needs replacement instead of a belt that wears out every 50k and is costly to replace. 

If you need a new car, opt for a Sienna. I would never recommend using a new car for Uber under any circumstances. If i was you, I’d keep the pilot and get an ‘08-‘10 Chrysler minivan for Uber.


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

Will continue to look at cost of vehicle choices......

Left my notes at home...my math had my monthly nut at around $1200 and $1500 per month.... or between $60 to $75 per day.

Does that seem about right?

$250... car payment
$150... insurance
$400... fuel
$100... repairs
$250... depreciation/replacement cost
$100... miscellaneous, tags, taxes
FICA/State/Medi... ?????


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## Ssgcraig (Jul 8, 2015)

Are you a man or a woman? That should answer your question.


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

????

I am a man...


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

Buy the vehicle you can run the most platforms with= more money.


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

Thinking mini van because we have a large tourist population...


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## VictorD (Apr 30, 2017)

anteetr said:


> *Any Chrysler product with the 3.6L V6 is an unreliable POS that should be avoided. That includes any vintage of Grand Caravan made after 2010.*
> 
> I own a T&C with a 250K on the original engine and trans and it's been good to me overall. It's been my Ubermobile since the beginning and I beat on it hard in one of the most hostile environments this country has for cars. The '08 to '10 models like mine have the old reliable pushrod V6 engines they've made for decades. I'd recommend finding one of them to use for Uber. The 3.8L is more common and a better choice because it has a timing chain that never needs replacement instead of a belt that wears out every 50k and is costly to replace.
> 
> If you need a new car, opt for a Sienna. I would never recommend using a new car for Uber under any circumstances. If i was you, I'd keep the pilot and get an '08-'10 Chrysler minivan for Uber.


Why? The 3.6L Pentastar has been around since 2011. It's one of the most reliable engines around.


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

i would have to get the honda it will last longer then the caravan.
the caravan is a nicer riding van then the honda .
both vans transmissions are total trash expect to replace them about 100 to 120 mile mark.
the caravans all rust in the same spots and it will have many problems water pump very common ac issues common costing 500 to 700 
caravans are money pits . i like the caravan for ride quality but for ride share real world conditions hitting pot holes stop and go only way to go is the honda . from the 2 you posted . also the insurance on honda always is higher they used to have a theft problem with there older accords civics 
my first choice would be the kia sedona my opinion its a quality van i got 275k out of my last one .
ford chevy vans total trash .


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## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

VictorD said:


> Why? The 3.6L Pentastar has been around since 2011. It's one of the most reliable engines around.


My personal mechanic has told me quite a few horror stories about under 100K mileage cars with that engine needing major engine repairs. I also have friends with personal experience of needing major repairs on that engine with under 100k. By major, i mean well over $1000 to repair.


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## Cold Fusion (Aug 28, 2019)

I've heard and experienced positive reviews of Honda
The opposite for Dodge/Chrysler


VictorD said:


> Why? The 3.6L Pentastar has been around since 2011. It's one of the most reliable engines around.


https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=167
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...e-new-3-6l-is-it-straight-out-of-the-gc.2908/


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## losiglow (Dec 4, 2018)

Our 2009 Pilot has 250K miles and still going strong. Burns a bit of oil but otherwise it's been a tank. However, that thing's worth about $7K at this point. As is my TL with 230K miles. Depreciation has pretty much leveled out so the operating costs are less. There's no way I'd use a $24K vehicle that was only 2 years old with 45K miles. Depreciation alone would probably increase operating costs by 5%-10%.

You really should crunch the number on all of this. Depreciation, maintenance, repairs and fuel. Most drivers ignore the first three. Uber banks on that. They don't want drivers to consider costs otherwise there'd be a lot less drivers on the road with their 2018 Accord's, 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe's, 2018 Toyota Rav 4's, etc. Even if it's a dependable affordable car, you're burning cash in depreciation. You'll likely be upside down on that Pilot within a year if you drive Uber with it.


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

The few Uber rides I have taken locally were done in a Chrysler 300 and a trashed Explorer. 

The 300 was a very nice ride and I appreciated the condition of the car!

Got me thinking Black down the road with possibly a Cadillac XTS.

Leaning XL capability and heading out to look at a Sedona after work.


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## Dammit Mazzacane (Dec 31, 2015)

The Pilot does have 3rd row seating, but like losiglow said : " You'll likely be upside down on that Pilot within a year if you drive Uber with it." Depreciation is higher than the earnings to cover the $18k owed on the car.

Make zero moves until you pay off that Pilot. If you trade it in now, you'll get hosed. If anything, run the pilot sparingly on UberXL and reject UberX rides.

And if you sell the Pilot, aim for a vehicle you can run multiple platforms on.
Keep in mind: The winter is a terrible time to experiment with starting with rideshare, plus SC gets snow, right?

If you have oodles of free time, you might want to try leasing a taxi first to see if you like ride-hail work.

Best of luck!

Does your rental side-revenue require you use your vehicle for station wagon / SUV-like functions, i.e. for hauling material goods to work on the property? The Pilot can hitch a decent** (3,500lb ) trailer as need be. Some vehicles can't.

You mentioned Black - UberBlack has waitlists etc. to enroll. (You can't just show and say "let me drive Black!")

Where's SuzeCB or Christinebitg to opine with rationale info? See also https://uberpeople.net/threads/dropping-some-pro-tips-for-drivers.360401/page-2#post-5551923


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

Started the quest hoping to get a vehicle down to $10K or less after trade-in.... maybe 15K max

Option #1... It was out of my budget, but looked at a 2016 Honda Odyssey for $22K with 35K miles. They lowballed my Honda Pilot by at least $4K and they came off nothing for their Odyssey. F'em… told them how far we are off and left it in their court. She just texted me back... Maybe 18K net is what I am looking at best case scenario. Odysseys are rare as hens teeth and priced like golden eggs.

Option #2... A Dodge caravan GT or Kia mini van looks more and more like a likely option.

Options #3...My uncle works car auctions and I saw a Black exterior/Black interior Cadillac XTS at $15K and 60K miles at a dealership in his hometown. Might inquire but would hate to lose any XL requests and not sure if Select is available or popular.

Option #4... Just go with the Pilot for a few months. My last Pilot was a trashed work vehicle with older body style that brough over $11K trade in w/105K miles.

Every option looks like a $10K to $15K hit in depreciation over the same time period of say 4 years.


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## gotrocks (Dec 27, 2017)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> You might as well sell the pilot and enjoy the few thousand you have in equity. Or you can drive for Uber and trade your vehicles equity for your driving wages.
> 
> 4 years into this with about 11,000 rides my advice to you is buy a cheap car. If you really want to get into this then don't be a moron and use a nice vehicle for this gig. $5000 max. I suggest buying a car with 1-2 years of eligibility left for rinsing and repeating.
> 
> ...


^^^What he said^^^ Buy an older model with a few years of eligibility left for around $5,000. Look at the used Odyssey's or Siennas in addition to a Pilot.


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## Clint Torres (Sep 10, 2019)

Life is to short to drive a Dodge


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## ColumbusRides (Nov 10, 2018)

Get the Pilot, Who cares about miles or depreciation... I'm assuming you have an accountant. I drive a 2017 Highlander and once I get 90,000 miles, I'll trade it in (I don't go over 100k miles in my cars) You'll get a higher trade in if your trade it in under 100k miles.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> You might as well sell the pilot and enjoy the few thousand you have in equity. Or you can drive for Uber and trade your vehicles equity for your driving wages.
> 
> 4 years into this with about 11,000 rides my advice to you is buy a cheap car. If you really want to get into this then don't be a moron and use a nice vehicle for this gig. $5000 max. I suggest buying a car with 1-2 years of eligibility left for rinsing and repeating.
> 
> ...


Yes buy a cheap car; you open windows when ac doesn't blow.. you listen squeaky engine noise instead of stereo when cruising 65 mph at 3000+ rpm. You see below 20 mpg. If you think you deserve this go ahead.

Pax don't seem mind or care what you drive. Most of em going 1 to 10 miles away. Unless you open doors / offering snacks you just giving rides.

Dont go that cheap and don't buy new car. Uber on!


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## FerengiBob (Nov 6, 2019)

Well... went shopping today. Looked at Toyota Camry and Prius but nothing in my price range. 

I need a Van/SUV for alot of reasons. 

Was headed to the next dealer to look at a Dodge Grand Caravan but they had blocked off the parking with a crane to hang a sign. 

Scooted over to the Kia dealer and fell in love with the Sedona. The new ones were not an option but a 2016 with 38K miles had just been traded by a local soccer mom, bought, and serviced at that dealer. Lower end but with leather. Started negotiations and ended up right at the higher end of my budget of $15K net OTD.

There were other low priced options but they were 2 and 3 hours away, and I had already lost one.

Pick up the Sedona on Monday and then start the registration with UBER


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## Iann (Oct 17, 2017)

Brotherlove said:


> Well... went shopping today. Looked at Toyota Camry and Prius but nothing in my price range.
> 
> I need a Van/SUV for alot of reasons.
> 
> ...


I really hope you got a carfax to see the maintenance was kept up with.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Iann said:


> I really hope you got a carfax to see the maintenance was kept up with.


That's very rare the ones have maintenance regularly will shown as a "regular oil changes" on Carfax. Majority one will change every 30 40,000 miles what happen between those did they change? It's a gamble.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> You might as well sell the pilot and enjoy the few thousand you have in equity. Or you can drive for Uber and trade your vehicles equity for your driving wages.
> 
> 4 years into this with about 11,000 rides my advice to you is buy a cheap car. If you really want to get into this then don't be a moron and use a nice vehicle for this gig. $5000 max. I suggest buying a car with 1-2 years of eligibility left for rinsing and repeating.
> 
> ...


That's totally wrong advice. If your market offers upper end platforms.. select,Lux, black you should look into a vehicle NOT NEW By any means, but one that qualified for as many platforms as possible including XL thus increasing your exposure and profitability.

Don't leave money on the table buying my Luxury capable ride has been the best decision I've made...

Good Luck...


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

Clint Torres said:


> Life is to short to drive a Dodge


Charger happens to be one of the best non-luxury sedans in the world.


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## VictorD (Apr 30, 2017)

Syn said:


> Charger happens to be one of the best non-luxury sedans in the world.


Yeah. 6 MPG. You'd have to be an idiot to use a vehicle like that for rideshare.


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

VictorD said:


> Yeah. 6 MPG. You'd have to be an idiot to use a vehicle like that for rideshare.


Who said anything about using it for rideshare?


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