Voted Best Answer
Jul 18, 2018 - 09:07 PM
Hello there
Even with all the drama surrounding Uber (not just locally, but internationally as well), there's still a strong case to be made for the business: people need to be transported, and sometimes the public transport network just cannot support individual need. However, the days of Uber operating in a completely unregulated fashion will soon come to an end - a trend that's started overseas already. With this in mind, there's really no way for us to even guess what the future holds for Uber in South Africa, as taxis (both metered and minibus) aren't taking kindly to the disruption to their business as posed by Uber, which may lead them to put pressure on government to regulate ride-hailing services such as Uber.
For successful Ubering, you will need a four-door sedan, with a reasonable amount of cabin space and a big boot. This is why the Corolla is so popular - specifically the Quest. Other cars of similar configuration include the Ford Focus and even the smaller Etios, with the Etios's very low running costs counting in its favour. But if you're really clever, you could find a low-mileage previous-generation VW Passat TDI around the same price as a new Quest, with less than 100 000 km, which will easily give you another 250 000 km of faithful service with only routine maintenance. It's also a lot nicer to drive than an Etios, Corolla or Focus, and more comfortable for your passengers as well.
As for the mileage, it makes little sense to buy a new or fairly new car, as the distance you will log on the odometer will quickly erase its resale value in any case. Better to start off with a late-model car with less than 100 000 km, then - it will have plenty of useful life left, but it will also have already depreciated to the point where the mileage you add won't really matter anymore.
Your profit margins will depend on the amount of Ubering you do, so there's no hard and fast rule as to the ideal value of a car being used for this purpose. Generally, folks who use Corollas or Quests (which cost around the R200 000 mark) seem to make a reasonable income, so we'd guess that that would be a realistic purchase price for such a car.
Hope this helps!
The AskAutoTrader Team
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