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Towncar for UberX?

6.5K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  Older Chauffeur  
#1 ·
Aside from the whole don't do Uber at all crowd I need some input. My wife and I recently switched roles at home with me basically being a stay at home dad now, doing Uber about twenty hours a week, she was ready for a break and has a better degree so she went back to work, we are also strongly committed to not having our kids in daycare. Uber is one of the few things truly flexible enough to meet our schedule needs. My income from Uber is basically our fun money and I do actually like doing this. So with that out of the way...

I'm looking at picking up a second vehicle mostly for Uber but also as a second vehicle (10%). In Phoenix there are lots of Lincoln Townecars 05-07 for between $3500 and $5000. Most have about 200k plus miles but are livery vehicles in good shape, black on black. What does the forum think about Towncars for Uber X all other things being equal. I'd be paying cash. I have always had V8s so that doesn't bother me. How well do these things hold up with higher miles. New engine/****** something you would avoid or is that a positive for these? Thanks in advance.
 
#21 ·
;)I've owned three Prius since the Gen II came out in late 2003. The current :p Plug In just hit 30k yesterday and will be three years old on Friday. I'm mostly retired, as the low mileage indicates. I did however put 70k and 60k on my '04 and '06 respectively, when I was working more. I agree they won't win any beauty contests or automotive styling awards, but for economy of operation the Prius is the clear winner. The '04 cost me 21 cents per mile to own, including depreciation, maintenance, gas, insurance, tires- everything. I was self employed, taking the IRS standard mileage deduction. Pretty sweet, IMHO.:cool:
While the Plug In advantage of all electric mode wouldn't be of much help by itself in Uber service, the larger storage capacity of the Lithium battery increases overall mileage significantly. For example, I got 67 mpg on a R/T of 122 miles yesterday in our infamous L.A. Traffic. My usual routine lets me run on the battery for weeks sometimes without the engine even starting, giving me overall 87 mpg. It costs me roughly 40 cents if the battery is empty, which happens maybe three times a week. But most of the time it is much less, as the donut shop where we old farts gather every morning for coffee is only 3.5 miles round trip.:cool:
I drove each of the first two Prius on somewhat long trips, Las Vegas, N. Calif, etc a couple of times. Not the most comfortable for that purpose, but I am fortunate to have a Lexus LS 430 that I normally drive for longer trips. And if it is fun driving I'm looking for, I have a '91 Miata.;)
Different strokes.......... :D
 
#8 ·
Image

Thanks for all the input, does look like Towncars are okay in this market, don't have a problem with it looking like a cab or livery car because that is what we are anyways. More interested in longevity, it will do a couple of trips the park a week and max thirty to forty trips a week for Uber, I'm a bit of a mechanic and know they are easy to work on, parts are readily available. If you had five grand cash what would you buy for Uber? Prius is off the table, I hate them, but interested in everyone's input.
 
#6 ·
I seen one with 545,000 miles, 2nd best car for what we do. Too bad uber hates them.
I still prefer the last of the Cadillac fleetwoods and will drive one again when uber starts allowing 1996's...
An affiliate here has one which is about to hit 500,000 miles. Apparently, Lincoln will buy the car from them when it does.We have one with about 180 K on it. It is still a favorite for several clients, and as long as we can keep it in pristine condition, we are going to keep it in our fleet. Passengers say it is still the most comfortable ride ever. The door swing makes entry/exit easy for them. Our chauffeurs say it handles like a chuckwagon compared to the newer vehicles. I guess what makes it comfortable in the backseat makes it drive like a boat.:p
 
#3 ·
As far as I know Towncars are excluded.
Make sure you verify this before purchasing.

From an old Uber FAQ

How do I know if my car is acceptable for uberX?
We accept most vehicles 2004 and newer with 4 doors. We do not accept Lincoln Towncar, Ford Crown Victoria, or Mercury Grand Marquis. When you visit partners.uber.com most accepted vehicles will be listed on the "vehicles" page. If you do not see your vehicle but you think it qualifies,email partnersphx@uber.com

They don't want anything that resembles a cab.

:mad:
 
#2 ·
I have seen one with 375k miles and was still holding well. Another had less than a coffee cup of oil left in it when I took it to oil change. It was stil working. Maybe it was burning oil. These happened when I was unemployed and a friend who owns a limo company offered me a job until I found my actual job.