WiseDollar

Are you willing to risk $4000-$8000 by buying a beat-up car that was previously used as an Uber/Lyft cab? No sane person would ever purchase such a car unless they are getting it for dirt-cheap or they are not aware of the prices.

With the rise of cab companies like Uber and Lyft, car owners are renting out their cars to cab drivers who work for these companies. To work for such a company, all you need is a driving license and no previous criminal record.

Due to this, user car buyers have to perform an additional inspection to find out whether the car they are buying is worth the price or not. There is no point in buying a car that has 30,000 miles a year.

What signs should I look for before buying a used car?

1. Look at the mileage of the vehicle

No car owner is going to drive more than 30,000 miles a year unless he/she has offered his car to a cab company like Uber/Lyft. It is very common for a cab to cover more than 30,000 miles a year. It runs all day 24×7.

Secondly, the Odometer readings are also not a good measure of the distance the car has covered. Some car sellers roll back the Odometer ratings using sly tactics. Make sure you get the Odometer inspected by an experienced mechanic to find out whether it was replaced with a new one.

2. Wear and tear

This is the second clear sign that will immediately tell you whether the car you are about to buy used to be an Uber/Lyft. No car used for personal use is going to have massive wear and tear on the back seats. This will only happen when the car had hundreds of passenger(per week) traveling in it.

A clever car seller may replace the seat cover, so make sure you check the seats inside out. The door handles and the gear knob also wears a bit with constant usage of the car. Check that too!

3. Sticker residue on windshields

This might work if the seller forgets to remove the sticker residue from the windshield and doors of the car. Every Uber/Lyft cab is required to put stickers with the company logo on the different parts of the car like windshield, door, trunk, etc. It is not easy to take them off from the car and some car owners intentionally leave them on. Especially, the ones on the doors and trunk, as they can scrape off the paint as well, making the car look uglier.

Does it make sense to buy a (previously used as an Uber/Lyft) car for Uber/Lyft?

It absolutely does make sense to buy a used car for Uber/Lyft. Why would you spend thousands of dollars to buy a decent car to be used by a cab company? To make good profits, buy something like a used Honda or Toyota which you can easily get for less than $2000 on AutoTrader. The less money you invest, the more profits you will make from your Uber/Lyft business.