My World Ended

Yesterday I hit the streets running. One trip after another. Perfect timing - just before I'd drop off I'd get another trip. I had a decent trip to the airport when IT happened.

IT happened as three lights on my dash lit. 'check engine' plus two others. I drop off my fare and off to the dealer I go.

Cause? Blown head gasket. Repair costs far more than the car is worth. With 300K, the car was just getting broken in.

So ... I'm dead in the water for now. No more Uber until I replace the car. Dang. Looks like a long day tomorrow - and a miserable weekend.

 

Sorry to hear that.

Sounds like you’ll be ubering in a shiny new car soon

 

I am sorry for your loss. What car do you have in mind? Are you considering new or used if you care to indulge us?

 

Looking at new. "Used" choices too limited, and don't appear to save much.
Exception: There might be a 2016 Scion iM available.

What models? Anything that is both cheap and recommended by Consumer Reports. This pretty much limits me to:
- Toyota Yaris iA
- Honda Fit
- Chevy Sonic
- Nissan Versa Note

 

People don't realize many of these cars are not built to be driven 12 hours a day 7 days a week

 

I have a hard time believing Chevy Sonic is a quality car because some American made cars have a not so pleasant history. But one of my friend's has one with over 300k miles. So I guess it can't be all bad.

When I lived in Hawai'i, I drove a 2008 Honda Fit for Uber and it did awesome!

Good luck with your journey and may you get back on the road soon!

 

Nissan is replacing the Juke with a Nissan Kicks, it looks affordable and may be an option. I use a Nissan Rogue and get compliments all the time.

 

Wow that sucks.

 

That's why my priority is first on reliability. Next concern is fuel efficiency. Finally, customer utility.

I can't possibly collect this information myself. Hence my reliance on Consumer Reports.

 

Hmmm...

 

Don't buy an extended warranty. They won't pay out if you use the car for Uber. And they'll find out.

 

What year is your car and how much would it be to replace the head gasket? I am always in the minority when I opt for repairs on my existing car rather than replacing the car.

If the tires are new, the brakes are good, the interior is clean, the body is solid, and the mechanic doesn't see anything else to be worried about - maybe consider the repair?

For me - I know my car. Sure it has plenty of miles on it. I know what's wrong with it. It isn't a gamble like a pre-owned car or even some new cars. But for $1,500, what are you really getting? $1,500 towards a new (or used car) depending on the loan is like $10-15 savings on the loan. If you own the car outright and its in good condition otherwise, why opt for a loan at $250-400 a month?

Before my Jetta was struck by a careless driver my friends laughed at me. 365,000 miles and still running strong (diesel). I replaced the clutch and timing belt at 300,000 miles. $2,500 cash sure beats any loan with interest for something that I knew was maintained and hadn't let me sit to date.

But if the car itself is worn down, older, and otherwise has flaws - then obviously consider replacing.

 

I assume your company doesn’t pay for repairs.

 

Are you guys freaking serious????

How in the hell do you get a car to 300k miles?

My minivan has about 135k (bought it with 92K) miles on it and am already planning on my next vehicle.

Also, let this be a lesson for Uber Noobs out there, squirrel away some of your pittance for a repair fund/new car fund.

 

So you were having a great day driving for Lyft before IT happened. That implies you did a lot of rides, so IT must have happened later in the day. Then you waited around for a tow truck to get the car to the dealership. Your car arrives at the shop just before closing and since you are a VIP they took it to the back and had it found the problem on the spot!

Your story is BS, if IT happened yesterday you wouldn't know what the damage was by 5AM today. I'm just not sure what you are looking for with this one......

 

There are multiple ways to quickly tell that a motor is basically trashed with most likely a blown head gasket, coolant in the oil, blowby or gurgling in the radiator are two easy and quick ways to know your screwed. The tow truck driver probably had a pretty good idea the car was finished.

 

It’s not anything anyone is doing, they’re lasting longer now, that’s all. Lots of cars built in the last decade go 200,000+

 

Easy, it's called maintenance. My very first vehicle in this business was a brand new '01 Suburban that retired in '07 with 378k miles. Major repairs were 2 ******s and a front end.

My 2nd vehicle was a very slightly used '05 Suburban that retired in '09 with 275k miles. I'm currently on my 5th GM SUV it's a '15 Escalade that has just over 200k miles and running strong. Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance

 

Sure there are ways to get an idea of what's going on quickly. But that's not how it works at a dealership, you dont talk to a mechanic you talk to a service advisor. They will tell you its $150 to troubleshoot but if you do the repairs with them they will apply the $150 to the repair. Also the OP also made it sound like the only indicator was a light, and she drove it to the dealership. If this is true the dealership had to be a block away or the car wouldn't have made it.

Cars are getting better? I'm not sure about that, they are built to break just out of warranty and attempting to make it more and more difficult to DIY your repairs. My 1995 F250 has a 7.3L Power Stoke with over 270K miles of heavy towing and still runs like new. Due to government overreach and bogus EPA standards they cannot build a car to its potential.

 

Well I’ve never done hard research on this but I’ve noticed articles mentioning it. I’m sure there are numbers to be found

By the way my Mazda 6 is approaching 150,000 miles with no major repairs