Need to buy a mini van for uber

[alex16]

I do all my maint, the insurance company claims we were both at fault when a lady hit my fender. I have a check for the dealership to fix it.

[alex16]

This is my first new car and I care a lot about "just a dent". Mirage taxi service is only for a limited time, soon I'll be putting another vehicle to work and the mirage will be a backup

[MobilOne]

Good for you on your maintenance. I was asking about the dealership doing body repairs because my experience is that they are a source of higher priced and lower quality work than a body shop with a good reputation.

[acparker]

I have owned 2 caravans and 2 T&Cs in three different styles. They have weak transmissions. The engines have been ok (except the Mitsubishi V6) but they have weak main seals. I don't think the 4 cylinder will give you enough power for a full load. Stick with the biggest 6-cylinder you can find. Look for the 4.0L. It had a lot of torque and got pretty good gas mileage mated to the 6 speed auto. Don't go less than 3.8L.

You will also need to reinforce the suspension. There are heavy duty springs available. Also, the front end wears out fairly regularly, so factor that in. You may want to consider getting heavy duty replacements with lube fittings.

Government surplus vehicles often come with the heavy duty springs, as they assume they will be driven with a full load most of the time.

I would have loved to have bought a Sienna, but they are just too expensive. The Caravan/T&C is tolerable and it is the right size and price for me -- and better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

To get what you want for uber use, I think you will need at least $5,000.

My brother bought a state surplus Ford Taurus for use as an uber taxi. I am not sure if he is making a profit or if he is just occupying his time productively while he looks for better opportunities.

[alex16]

I like the v6 but I'm sure the 2.4 will get me to 55mph which is normally the fastest I travel at. The springs worn out don't bother me, my mirage bottoms out with 4 passengers regularly, I don't plan to keep it, one year for 2006 two for 2007, then it's out the door in late February when everyone has income tax. Acceleration does not have to be fast for uber driving, it can be slow, passengers love slow.

[alex16]

My market pays 2.60 per mile and .50 per minute for a XL vehicle. During surge rates for special holidays I can get 5.0x surge pricing $13.00 mile +2.50 minute. A ride from Harrisburg downtown to Hershey (common trip) is approx $250 for 15 miles/24 minutes. If you drive a little slower it can eAsily be $260-270, or with multiple stops $280-350.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Detroit1

P.S. I own 3 porsches, a lamborghini gallardo, a suburban, and a 2006 Sienna; the Sienna is my favorite :P

Not counting the Suburban, the Sienna hauls more butts than the rest of them!

For whatever reason, I have owned three Hondas, but never a Toyota. I saw a 1991 Celica Saturday night and wanted to take it to a mechanic Monday morning, but they sold it on Sunday, so I took a 1987 Prelude to two mechanics, who only gave cursory inspections, and I repaired that car too often, although she was fourteen years old and had 150,000 miles when I bought her.

I bought my Civic for the lean burn. I am not sure that I would have done that had I the decision to make again.

A friend is an atrocious driver and keeps saying that she wants to replaced the 1990 Civic that she drove into the ground and other cars with a Suburban. I have a friend that sells used cars and always tells me that he would take me to an auction. She is a nanny and wants three rows for the kids; I figured a good minivan would be better for everyone, and I always prefer Honda and Toyota, although I planned on researching it first.

Right now she is babysitting for money towards her next vehicle and I had thought that if she had a new enough car, she could do Uber\Lyft and be a horrible professional horrible driver.

I had not taken Uber XL into consideration, but I do not know too much about that.