I like a 2010 Dodge Caravan that is in clean condition and drives reliable. Good air conditioning. You will not be eating up a bunch of depreciation on the vehicle and you can seat 6 passengers. This will allow you to accept both Uber X and Uber XL trips. Can get a lot of XL trips on weekends and this is where you can make some decent money.
If you want a Hybrid with dignity over a Prius there is always the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Stylish, Comfortable for both you and the passengers, and spacious. Oh right, and fuel efficient
I have a 2014 Fusion hybrid for the UberX car and a 2015 for the cab. Both are good on gasolene. The customers like the Fusion. I have heard customer complaints about the Prius. There are even a few who have stated that if the application sends a Prius they cancel or it is automatic one-star.
I know a lot of people think that’s an outrageous concept these days, but with a modest income I’ve bought my last couple vehicles outright – including the low-mileage 2006 Kia Sedona that I am now using for UberX/XL (although over 90% of its usage is to carry the family around).
Nissan Altima’s are awesome. Big, spacious cars that get great MPG. I get around 27 in the city, over 30 on the highway
Answer: Cheapest car you can afford to lose that’s clean AND comfortable with at least three years of Uber life left (ie: 2008+). Leather is a plus. I like the idea of Dodge Caravan - cheap to get, and XL pays almost double.
It really is an advantage having a vehicle that is eligible for XL also. I had 4 rides last night with one or two passengers that ordered as an XL ride. Some just want a bigger car and some just make a mistake on the app and wind up paying you more money.
Every once in a while you’ll get 2 couples ordering an XL so they can all sit in the back without anybody up front with the driver. When you have a 2x + surge XL rates make up for a lot of min fare rides.
My first (and only, thus far) XL ping was a group of three that had expected more riders. Thankfully, they didn’t cancel and re-order as an X, because it was a fairly long pickup. I thought that XL rate would make up for the longer distance to pickup, but it really didn’t.
I used to be a Honda Accord fan, but the 2008-2012 have piston ring problems, the warranty was extended to 125,000 miles but the problem is most don’t start burning oil 'till 150,000… and then they burn a quart every 500 miles!
I’d go with an XL vehicle, a mini-van is the most economical. I’m a fan of the Honda Odyssey, the only draw back to them is they have higher resale value than others. So finding one cheap is next to impossible.
Good choice on the Altima. Seeing how it’s a 2014 model so it has the new body style and better technology compared to Altimas older than 2013. Plus they don’t cost as much as Accords and Camrys but offer pretty much the same value.
Prius gets about 25% better gas mileage than the heavier, larger Camry. But the Camry has a lot more room AND trunk space for those airport runs, though my understanding is that the Camry loses some of it’s trunk space vs regular Camrys to batteries.
The largest Prius is the Prius V with about 50% more cargo space. I would get one with a leather interior. Makes the passengers go ooh-aah, and it is easier to clean puke off of.
If you buy any car so you can drive for Uber, look for a loan option that decreases payments each year. The reason you want this is because every year Uber cuts rates meaning you will earn much less.
The only issue I have with XL on my Flex (and you wouldn’t have this in a minivan but you would on a Highlander) is getting the pax to properly fold the seat down to access the third row of seats. Either I have to trust that they’ll do it or I have to get out of the car to do it. But the 60/40 split second row in the flex allows for 4 pax without access to the third row, which is nice.
Be aware that the back seats of a Hybrid Camry do not 40-60 split, Before I bought my 2015 Ford Fusion SE Hybrid. I test drove several hybrid Camrys I don’t remember which one didn’t split, if it was at 2015 or the 2016, it maybe both model years that the car back seats did not split…