They say money isn’t the most important thing in the world, but they’re wrong. Sure, there are other priorities in life and things that might be more crucial than cash, yet you can’t really enjoy any of those things if you’re broke. Plus, there’s always the saying “it’s better to cry in a Ferrari than on a bike,” and all that. Unfortunately, it becomes harder to make money as times roll by, and most economies around the world aren’t exactly what you’d call prospering. People are looking for innovative solutions to escape the money dilemma. Some invest in real estate, others in the stock market. Then there are those who open startups and new businesses all the time. While all of these are valid ideas, they all require some money. Yet, you don’t need to think that far ahead or scramble to get an initial investment when you have a very valuable asset lying in your garage, a car. There are tons of ways to make money with your car, and these are some of them.
Rent the car
The beauty of living in a country with a developed transportation network is the fact that you don’t really need to use your car. Some people park it throughout the week, and rely on public transportation like the subway for their daily commute. They mostly use their cars during the weekends for family visits or spending some quality time somewhere. There are also those who travel a lot and leave the vehicle in the driveway for longer periods of time. Whether that’s the case or you’re going on a long holiday, you’ve got a jackpot lying in your garage unused. You could easily rent your car at the time you’re not using it, and you’ll be making easy money for no effort. There are plenty of car rental websites that can take yours and rent it to people who need it for certain trips or something. In any case, it beats leaving it lying around in the garage doing nothing, and you’ll be making some good money out of it too.
Uber and Lyft
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve definitely heard of either of the two apps, if not both. One of the best ways to make money with your car is to drive people around using either app. Uber and Lyft have changed how the transportation systems work, and they’ve gone to replace taxis in several places where it wasn’t exactly easy to find one, especially in suburban areas. Since their advent, millions of people have downloaded the apps and have come to depend on them for their errands, commute, and just moving around in general. The great thing about these apps is the fact that anyone can join in as a driver, as long as their car fits the description and they qualify to become drivers.
It’s an excellent way to earn money in your spare time, and in times like we live in, plenty of people work as Uber or Lyft drivers after their day job. You can make quite a few dollars for a couple of hours driving after work, and the great thing about it is you control the times you want to work in. So you can basically wake up at dawn and go earn some money if you want to.
Cover your car with ads
While this isn’t the optimum solution for many, it’s still an excellent way to make some money when you’re in a tight spot. There are companies that would pay you to put their ads on your car, and it’s basically like you’re renting it to them, but you’ll be doing the driving. It might be a bit much for some, but it can work just perfectly if you choose to put an ad for a brand or company you love. You’re essentially becoming a brand ambassador for that company, and you can rest assured that there are some perks that come with that.
Deliver groceries
Ever opened your fridge, found out it was empty, and just cursed your existence? Grocery shopping is not fun for most, and it needs you to be in a certain mindset to go for that monthly supply run. Well, since that struggle is real, you can help people with it by using your car to deliver groceries. There are several apps that allow you to basically become someone’s personal shopper. You can go and shop on-demand, and then deliver the groceries, or you just go to collect things from an already-made order and deliver them. You’ll definitely find an option that works for you. And the great thing is you also get to choose your hours that work best for you.
Deliver food
If you’re not really keen on driving people around and listening to endless chatter, and you’re also not a fan of doing someone else’s shopping, there’s always the option of delivering food. With apps like UberEATS and DoorDash, you can do just that. These options are also excellent in case you don’t always have your car because you can deliver the food in whatever way works for you at that time. Apps like these always want more people, and it’s an easy way to make money. Plus, you’ll also get exposed to several good restaurants you’ve probably never heard about before, and that’s always a good thing.
Airport shuttle
This one’s a bit of a niche, but it’s even better money than Uber and similar apps. You’ll probably need a big car to accommodate all the passengers and luggage, but once that’s settled, you can easily work as an airport shuttle to drive people around after they’d landed from their flights. It’s flexible hours, so you get to choose when you’d like to work, and you can work as much as you want. Planes land pretty much all day long, so you can choose your shifts and wrap it up to go home whenever you feel like it.
Lease your new car
You may think this is like renting your car, but it’s different. If you lease your car, you basically give up ownership of the vehicle for a specified period of time –– agreed upon when signing the contract –– and for an agreed upon amount of money. Still, sometimes unexpected things happen and a person can be unable to see their contract to its end. This is where you can do a lease takeover, which means allowing someone else to take control over the car by transferring the lease from the person currently holding it. The recipient of the lease becomes the one responsible for paying you the agreed upon payments as well as car maintenance costs until the contract expiry date. In any case, it’s quite easy to find someone to lease your car to, and even if they can’t make it through to the end of the contract, you can just as easily transfer lease ownership to another.
Medical transportation service
This is not only a good way to make money with your car, but also a chance to actually do something good with it. People with disabilities as well as the elderly might suffer from medical complications that prevent them from driving and going to and from the doctor’s. You can use your car to move them around, and you’ll be paid for it. This is especially a good idea if your car has a ramp or is an accessible vehicle. It’s one of those rare opportunities where you can make money and actually feel good about what you’re doing because you’re really making a difference in those people’s lives.
Child pickup services
This service is of huge importance for parents with busy schedules who are unable to pick their children up after school or soccer practice, and so on. It’d be a great plus naturally if you come from a child care background, but in any case, you could use your vehicle to move the children around and get paid for it. You’d be surprised how many parents have too much on their plates, so you’d also be doing them a favor by taking care of their child’s safe delivery home.
Amazon delivery
Everybody knows Amazon and everybody loves and uses them, at some point or another. You can be on the action, but from a different take this time. AmazonFlex is a service provided by the company where drivers could make money delivering Amazon packages. They pay really well –– you could make $18-25 an hour –– and the hours are flexible too, so you are your own boss. The job itself is pretty simple. You get the packages, you deliver them using the app, and you get paid. After you drop your delivery, you scan a barcode and move on to your next delivery. The fact that it pays excellent money and you can work at the hours you please make this a pretty good way to make money using your car.
Equipment transportation service
If you have it in you to lift and move heavy equipment, you should definitely try this one out. It’s a specialized service offered to clients and businesses that move supplies from one place to another. They usually are those who want to transfer large tools or professionals that want to shoot a video or something and want to transfer their heavy equipment safely. It pays well because you’ll be dealing with professionals or tradesmen, and it’s an always available option if you’re physically up for the task.
Mobile service provider
Chances are, at this very moment, someone is stuck somewhere with their car breaking down, running out of battery or fuel. How do you and your car fit in? Well, you could use your vehicle as a mobile mechanic service. In other words, you’d have all necessary equipment and cables ready in your car, and you’d drive to the customer’s location to fix whatever’s wrong with their vehicles. It’s basically an on the spot repair service, and it’s definitely one that will be welcomed by many who don’t know much about cars.
You could also use your car in the same manner, but for a cleaning service instead of maintenance. Using just your vehicle and some equipment and tools, you can drive to your customer’s locations and offer them a washing and detailing service. You basically go, wash and polish their cars, and get paid. It’s simple, easy, and quite effective for those who don’t have the time to go to a car detailing service.
Pet transport
There’s nothing quite like having a pet who loves you unconditionally –– or conditionally in the case of cats. Yet many suffer for not being able to get one because they don’t have time in the morning to sit around and play with their pets. There are pet daycares that can keep them company till you come back from work, but you need someone to get your cat or dog there. This is where you and your car come in. You can drive pets around to the daycare, the vet, or even grooming service and you’ll be handsomely paid by the owners.
Sell it
Last but not least, the most obvious way to make money out of your car is by selling it. But there’s actually more to that. There’s a whole business based on selling used cars. You could get into that. Sell your current used car, and buy two older used ones. Fix them up a bit and sell them for a margin of profit, and so on. It’s actually quite a good business idea if you know your cars.
Think out of the box
As cheesy as it may sound, you need to start thinking out of the box in order to make money in this day and age. The above was over 10 ways you could make money out of your car by thinking a bit unconventionally. If you make a little effort, you’ll probably find a dozen other ways to make cash out of things already at your disposal. Maybe after that you could start thinking about using whatever you earn for a bigger investment.
