[MasterDriver]

I’m still looking around for a new vehicle which I would use to drive with Uber, Lyft and other platforms. (“New” as in different from what I currently drive; the replacement will be preowned.)

But I continue to vacillate among buying...

1. just a normal sedan (like a Volkswagen Passat) that qualify only for basic services, like UberX and Pool;

2. a higher-end sedan (like a BMW 3- or 5-series or Audi A6) that could qualify for luxury options, like UberBlack or

3. an SUV (like a Chevy Suburban or GMC Denali) that could qualify for UberSUV.

*
My question is specifically for those of you who drive (or have driven) luxury sedans or SUVs with these apps in New York (and, to judge from how frequently I see such vehicles on the road, there must be many of you):

Does the revenue you receive from such premium rider options with Uber, Lyft, et al (such as UberBlack and UberSUV) truly cover the higher expenses of acquiring, maintaining and operating such a vehicle. Does it really result in a profit that is noticeably higher? Or do you not see much of an increase in your profits?

In other words, is a higher-end sedan or SUV really worth its cost when it comes to these driver apps?

(The vehicle would also be for other business uses and even my own personal use, so the driver app issue is one of a few factors going into this purchase.)

Please share your experiences. Thanks.

 

[Brian-drives]

Only by a vehicle that you can afford without doing Uber .

Uber can change the rules at a moments notice of what qualifies for an acceptable car .

You could also be deactivated for no reason and a passengers lie.

 

[mangoman808]

Do the math properly and balance out the fact that Uber and Lyft situations can change at the drop of a hat and you will likely conclude that a used Prius or some kind of Japanese / hybrid car is your best bet for best margins on profit.

If you get a used BMW or an Acura MDX that’s gonna run you $30k minimum. Unless it’s older.

A used 2011 Prius is gonna be like $12,000 or less.

Add the fact that gas is the largest expense and you’ll conclude that it’s veey risky to get an expensive car.

The demand on select, lux, xl , plus are minuscule compared to UberX. You’re much better off studying the regular ride market and developing your own strategy rather than taking the seemingly easy way out by gettin an expensive car to cut down on how much work you put in.

For the record, I drive a gas 2014 Camry 60 hours a week and pull in $1800-$2100 per week. I do both apps. I often bang my head on the wall for saying that I didn’t want to drive a Prius and got a gas Camry instead. I should have at least gotten the hybrid Camry. My gas savings would amount to $3000-$4000 per year. That hybrid battery replacement would pay for itself after just 1 year of gas savings.

Study your market and develop a playbook for what to do next after every ride.

I started in 2016 and averaged like $20-$25 an hour. 2017 I averaged $28 an hour over the year. This year i am averaging $31 an hour. My market gets more and more saturated each year but I’m still making more money each year because I study the patterns of pax and the times. You can make money on X if you are smart and work hard.

Get a Prius or some kind of hybrid. And if not, a gas efficient sedan like a corllla or a civic , or a Honda Fit.

 

[RideshareGentrification]

I'd say yes I do Lyft luxsuv but not black as I don't have the puc permits or commercial livery insurance yet. But I get about 2 or 3 people a week on select or lux rides that want to use me again also the amount of extra income I bring in on lux while isn't much it's enough for me to realize adding black and private clients would be worth it. I've got 2 BlackSUV cars and a black eligible car in my fleet so might as well make it happen

You can buy great cars around $12k that will Be great for every platform for 2 years so even if you were to lose uber the car wouldn't kill you and you could cancel the expensive insurance.

 

[MasterDriver]

Thanks, everyone, for the very helpful posts.

I should look into the Camry hybrid (or a similar class of sedan); I never really thought of that. Just curious, though, Mangoman: where would I charge the car, given the fact I live in an apartment building without a charging station?

And, RideshareGentrification, which cars would you recommend for around $12K that are suitable for every platform? Are you still referring to SUVs? Clearly, I need to look beyond the New York City region to buy a car for a reasonable price. The prices I’ve seen for vehicles in greater New York are exorbitant (like everything else, lol).

 

[RideshareGentrification]

Thanks, everyone, for the very helpful posts.

I should look into the Camry hybrid (or a similar class of sedan); I never really thought of that. Just curious, though, Mangoman: where would I charge the car, given the fact I live in an apartment building without a charging station?

And, RideshareGentrification, which cars would you recommend for around $12K that are suitable for every platform? Are you still referring to SUVs? Clearly, I need to look beyond the New York City region to buy a car for a reasonable price. The prices I've seen for vehicles in greater New York are exorbitant (like everything else, lol).

You can sometime find the following cars for under $15k
-Volvo xc90
-acura mdx
-Chevy Tahoe /suburban or GMC equivalent
-Lincoln mkt
-Infiniti jx35/qx60

You're actually in the cheapest area for cars, I notice when I do nationwide vehicle searches (I'm guessing NYC is high) but New York state New Jersey and Pennsylvania always seem to be the cheapest areas to buy cars in the nation. Denver is where I live and the used car prices are some of the highest in the nation so I usually look to buy out of state. Arizona, Utah Nebraska and Texas are the cheap states in this part of the country

Although New York city might have different requirements for vehicles so check that out on the Uber site. I'm going by 2011 minimum on the car year

 

[dauction]

@OP... Look at used Lincoln MKZ hybrid ... I paid 17 for a 2014 , black leather interior qualifies for select/premium. Getting 40+ MPG .. Really didnt want to go the Prius path ... your X passengers will be "impressed" that they get to ride in a lincoln and seems to pull in more tips . Cant comment on Select rides yet as Uber and Lyft dont offer those services in my City..But just changing my City to Minneapolis ... I will be leaving Uber in Select and leaving Lyft in X. ..

 

[RideshareGentrification]

@OP... Look at used Lincoln MKZ hybrid ... I paid 17 for a 2014 , black leather interior qualifies for select/premium. Getting 40+ MPG .. Really didnt want to go the Prius path ... your X passengers will be "impressed" that they get to ride in a lincoln and seems to pull in more tips . Cant comment on Select rides yet as Uber and Lyft dont offer those services in my City..But just changing my City to Minneapolis ... I will be leaving Uber in Select and leaving Lyft in X. ..

I have a 2012 MKZ Hybrid in my fleet it's the last year of the previous body style and it has now done 160k miles with no major issues Getting 45mpg . Great car they're hard to find in the 2012 model year they did a refresh in 2012 and then a redesign in 2013 so the 2012 in a hybrid is tough to find but if you find them yo ucan get them for around $6500-$11k depending on miles and condition. Awesome little cars much better than a prius (except for the lack of cargo space in the trunk is taken up by the battery but it's still not bad)

 

[mangoman808]

Thanks, everyone, for the very helpful posts.

I should look into the Camry hybrid (or a similar class of sedan); I never really thought of that. Just curious, though, Mangoman: where would I charge the car, given the fact I live in an apartment building without a charging station?

And, RideshareGentrification, which cars would you recommend for around $12K that are suitable for every platform? Are you still referring to SUVs? Clearly, I need to look beyond the New York City region to buy a car for a reasonable price. The prices I've seen for vehicles in greater New York are exorbitant (like everything else, lol).

Hybrid cars do not need a charging station. They are not electric cars. Hybrid cars are Prius's, Camry Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid etc. You fill them with regular gas just like gas cars. --not a Tesla or a Nissan Leaf (those are electric cars that you plug into the wall socket and charge up).

 

[azndriver87]

is it profitable? yes.
will you make more revenue if you're doing uber black/suv only? maybe not. there's not enough leads.

 

[Kodyhead]

If you are gonna step up, go SUV, forget sedans. Most of the select/lux riders prefer suvs. Xl will be your x

 

[njn]

Black can legally do off app trips and build clients.

 

[RideshareGentrification]

Black can legally do off app trips and build clients.

Which really is the only reason to do Black . Building your clientele

 

[MasterDriver]

Which really is the only reason to do Black . Building your clientele

Hmm...I never even thought about the possibility of repeat clients. Good thing to consider.

So, if I go for an SUV, I'll probably be able to maintain about the same frequency of calls, especially if I'm open to most of the different rider options, including UberSUV and UberX (and the equivalents at the other apps)? I remember Uber saying that UberX was their most frequently used option and that most riders preferred sedans. But, maybe that isn't completely accurate in practice?

It does seem as if a full-size black SUV will give me the most rider options. Seems as if that should translate into more calls. Just wish they were more fuel-efficient.

If you are gonna step up, go SUV, forget sedans. Most of the select/lux riders prefer suvs. Xl will be your x

Good point. I imagine luxury riders in general (regardless of how they obtain their rides) prefer SUVs, if only for the added space.

 

[Kodyhead]

If you are doing x, it wont be the same frequency of calls, just paid more per less trips.

Some people want space, some people want better cars, some people think better drivers

What part of new york?

 

[MasterDriver]

You can sometime find the following cars for under $15k
-Volvo xc90
-acura mdx
-Chevy Tahoe /suburban or GMC equivalent
-Lincoln mkt
-Infiniti jx35/qx60

You're actually in the cheapest area for cars, I notice when I do nationwide vehicle searches (I'm guessing NYC is high) but New York state New Jersey and Pennsylvania always seem to be the cheapest areas to buy cars in the nation. Denver is where I live and the used car prices are some of the highest in the nation so I usually look to buy out of state. Arizona, Utah Nebraska and Texas are the cheap states in this part of the country

Although New York city might have different requirements for vehicles so check that out on the Uber site. I'm going by 2011 minimum on the car year

Thanks for this list and info. For the Chevy and GMC SUVs, what's the maintenance like, especially on the older cars? At what point (years & mileage) do they tend to start to need a lot of visits to the shop? Also, is 2015 the year these cars became equipped with their backup cameras?

If you are doing x, it wont be the same frequency of calls, just paid more per less trips.

Some people want space, some people want better cars, some people think better drivers

What part of new york?

I'm in New York City.

Actually, being paid more per trip while driving fewer trips seems as if it would be a plus as long as my overall profits at least remain the same.

With a vehicle that can accommodate a larger number of passengers (say, six or seven) would the maximum number of riders for each party in Uber Pool, Lyft Line, and comparable options remain at two? Or does that number increase? Intuitively, it seems better for drivers if the number remains at two...

 

[Kodyhead]

The challenge in NYC would be finding places to park and wait for free preferably near a bathroom.

 

[RideshareGentrification]

You might want to ask some of these questions in the New York sub forum as I believe things are much different when it comes to UberBlack etc...

Speaking only with what I know of requirements for Denver for UberBlack/SUV is most cars are a 2011 or newer to be eligible so I wouldn't buy anything newer than 2014 , as you're gonna log in a lot of miles and I would recommend flipping the car every 18-24 months to minimize depreciation loss .
Also in regards to your question about the GM vehicles they're gonna probably be the most reliable out of the list I listed they are the industry standard for a reason . I know the 2014 and newer Tahoe, Yukon Suburbans have bad transmissions that can fail early so I'd stay with a 2012 or 2013 model year they're some of the cheapest and easiest cars to work on . Any car can have a backup camera and I believe that option was very common on those vehicles 2011 and newer , if it's not you can add one for incredibly cheap . I'd stay away from the top of the line models with the air ride suspension it will fail and you'll end up wanting to convert to a traditional suspension anyway . I see a lot of the 2011-2013 Suburbans for sale from Limo companies for $8k-$11k with 250k-400k miles that right there tells you how far they can go with good maintenance and preventative repairs .

Also if you're going to be driving a large car that gets terrible gas mileage and costs more to operate you really can't do X or Pool unless it's surging and expect to make any money .
I only do X or Pool in the following situations

1) Airport rematches , at Denver International Airport we have about a 2 minute window to get re matched with a rider after we have dropped off another rider . I usually leave myself available only for XL or higher for about a minute than click to start excepting X and pool . Our airport is 25 miles from the city so getting 77-83 cents a mile to get back into town is better than a deadhead .

2) I get a ride to an area where premium rides aren't going to happen and I just want to get back into the city . Say Boulder , Colorado Springs tryign to get back to Denver I'll be available for everything but only except UberX or Pool with a long trip notification and then call to make sure they're actually heading in the direction I want to be or a better area .

3) Consecutive Ride Bonuses if Uber is offering say a $13 3 ride bonus and I've take 2 premium rides but want to call it a day I position myself in an area that will get me a minimum fare ride to get that bonus . Basically turning a $4 ride into a $17 ride . Doesn't always work out and sometimes I'll get a crappy 8 mile UberX ride but it all evens out in the end


Again strategy and requirements are very market specific my guess is the way I do things wouldn't work as well in New York City and if I was working in NYC I'd be figuring out my own strategy

 

[MasterDriver]

The challenge in NYC would be finding places to park and wait for free preferably near a bathroom.

Haha. That's already a problem with the Toyota Camry I currently drive. It would be a problem regardless of how small the vehicle. Finding a spot to park legally can be time consuming in and of itself and I often do pay the meter. I just can't be bothered to worry about whether or not, in the name of saving a few dollars and minutes, I'll return from my short break only to find a pricey ticket on my windshield. The traffic police tend to appear out of nowhere.

I recall seeing, just a few weeks ago, a motorist park his car illegally and stroll away. Within literally five minutes, an officer ticketed the car. A couple minutes later, the same officer ticketed the delivery truck around the corner, which was also parked illegally. The only time I stop on a street illegally is when I wait to pick up or discharge a passenger and then, obviously, I stay in the car the whole time and move it immediately when requested or to not block active traffic.

 

[Kodyhead]

I used to work in Manhattan years ago, I can imagine now with technology how bad it is now lol