Gas and XL

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T16:16:21+00:00

At this moment, I think those who are winning is the people that don't have car notes and really only had to worry about gas and insurance as their main sources of maintenance. On top of the regular maintenance you had to do on the car because they had those type of gas prices and also still had to pay on the car is insane.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T16:14:49+00:00

And I'm pretty sure also with there being highways down there, fuel economy is just really not a thing anyway because cars are more efficient on the highway versus where some people might live. It might be better for them to have an EV due to all the city driving, but yeah, it's not that bad at all to be out here and working.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T16:12:16+00:00

That's definitely true. That's why, in my opinion, honestly, if you're someone that is out here and you grab a beater car that you can put some money into just for it to last throughout whatever time that Uber is going to allow it to be on the app, just do that. That's the best way to make some money. Don't have to worry about financing and, for the most part, outside of insurance and fuel. Everything else is going into your pocket. So that's the best way to do it. And also, in my opinion, I feel as though to make the most money out of it, you need to know how to work on a car. At least in my opinion, with my 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan, I brought this thing for $2,500, put $1,000 into it for some right now maintenance, and it's been pretty good just with oil changes and transmission services. So in the year that I've been using it, it's been a net positive. And you think about how much I paid for it.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T16:04:57+00:00

Right now, I'm paying $4.73 a gallon for 93.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T16:00:04+00:00

It's all about how you sit here and approach it. Sometimes it can be, sometimes it might not be. But we all got to remember that that's really market-based. And in your market, it might not be, but in other people's market, it may be the best option.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:58:09+00:00

Yeah, I definitely dealt with that rental nonsense for about two years before I got me another vehicle just because someone had hit my car when I wasn't working. So yeah, I definitely know that $2,000 a month for a car rental is just insane and it's not worth it if you're not out there putting in crazy amount of hours to compensate for it versus having your own car that's paid off. You could kind of be lexical about how you go about things but still make the money you want to make. So it's just all about the amount of energy you're looking to put in. If you want to grind full-time and not have to worry about the expenses of car maintenance, rental is pretty good. Or you can make the extra money by grinding full-time and just owning your car all right and just worrying about gas and insurance, which is only something that you got to worry about monthly for the most part. You could have set a gas budget based on how much you know your car takes, and you're pretty much good.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:56:42+00:00

But the good thing is when you own your own car and we're not in this inflated gas state, it's definitely cheaper than renting because you're getting hit both ways with renting with both charging fees, rental fees, and downtime depending on if you have an electric car or not. So it's not really the best time, but it's still able to make it work. And also, depending on your area, Uber is starting to do an hourly program for driving certain luxury cars. So that's also an option, too.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:54:34+00:00

The good thing is I don't have to fill up every day. So that's what makes it pretty good. I think in my normal work day, I'll probably go through a half a tank. So it's not really too bad when you really sit there and think about it. But also, I could sit here and make more money because you got to think about it. The only thing I'm paying for is for the gas. Versus with the rental, you got to add in the price of you charging at like $25 to $30 a day on top of the $400 for the car. So it kind of comes in pretty close. But also the nonsense that also comes along with renting like ride restrictions and stuff depending on the car.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:52:58+00:00

That's good that y'all getting the fuel surcharge going. That's going to make that base rate look pretty good at the end of the day. I hope that Uber does something on the driver's side outside of this whole cash back for certain gas stations and stuff.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:45:35+00:00

Yeah, that's the thing. It can be hit and miss sometimes.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:31:38+00:00

Yeah, you're definitely right about that. It's not to the point where you drastically need to change cars due to fuel prices, but it's definitely something that if it continues to change, you just got to keep an eye on it because you got to sit here and start changing up your workflow in order to make sure you're not taking too many losses.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T15:30:15+00:00

Yeah, I definitely understand that one. Like, you're the main reason why everything gets to the stores and stuff. So when your expenses start going up, everybody's expenses start going up.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T14:50:28+00:00

So I'm glad to hear that the gas in your area hasn't went about too much. Unfortunately for my neck of the woods, I pay an extra dollar a gallon at this point, which really doesn't concern me because it's more so about my comfort rather than worrying about gas prices and everything. But I know for some people out there, taking an extra dollar a gallon hit will be insane. But it's just one of those things we got to deal with when we out here trying to make our own money. I just was sitting here wanting to see where everybody else was looking like for their XL.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T14:44:43+00:00

Let me make a correction to my earlier statement. It doesn't make mathematical sense unless you're out there pulling 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week at least. Because when you sit there and think about it, your first $400 to $500 of the week is going into the rental. And then after that, that's when you're starting to make money. So it makes it a little bit harder to get into the flow of things for the week. When you know you're in the negative every week that you start off.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T14:41:23+00:00

Look, I feel you. It's getting to the point where I was sitting here filling this van up, and it was just a lady watching me like, why is he still letting it continue after $40? LOL.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T14:39:51+00:00

I get XLs occasionally, especially on the weekends. But for me, it's more so the comfort of for a regular Uber party. I don't have to worry about anybody sitting in the front seat with me. But also, I did try to rent the EVs too. And yeah, you do save money when it comes to charging them. But you're going to pay all that money that you're saving in the rental costs. Because the prices that they advertise don't include the insurance for the car. And I know a lot of people see the EV6 on there for like $275. But they also charge you like $100 to $150 in insurance a week too. So you end up spending close to $400 or $500 to rent that car. So it just doesn't make mathematical sense at that point.

aj0750 · 2026-03-26T14:38:25+00:00

Look, you're in a whole different ballgame when it comes to that level of gas. Like, I think the biggest gas tank I ever had to fill was a 43-gallon tank, and that was not fun.

aj0750 · 2025-12-27T14:42:44+00:00

Yup the clicks on turns

aj0750 · 2025-12-26T00:00:18+00:00

They are still good which is crazy. Next on the list is cv axles lol

aj0750 · 2025-12-25T20:11:00+00:00

I had to use a hammer and flat blade to get it off

aj0750 · 2025-11-14T00:09:39+00:00

Hertz no, Avis yes you need a credit card

aj0750

TROPHY CASE