Just got a job delievering pizzas what can I do?

[Z22_Z33]

I was just wondering what there was to do to my XJ, to get some better gas milage, and also make sure that all the short distance driving wont kill my Jeep.

 

[GI-John]

Buy a Geo Metro

 

[jpxj94]

don't speed!! you don't really save that much time. getting the pizza there is not worth the extra gas or getting a ticket. I have been delivering for almost a year now. Who are you working for?

 

[scoobyxj]

its not the short trips that is harmfull on a vehicle its the not getting it warm enough to evaporate all the moisture from the internal components that will do the bad anyway if i was in your shoes i would save up a few hundred bucks and get a beater car to romp on for work and save the xj for romping on the trail. just mho:greensmok

 

[bjoehandley]

I'd go for the beater too, but I'd look for something that would be cheap to replace and could get me out of a bad spot (i.e. attempted robbery) fast (I don't trust too many people around this area, hard to tell huh?).

 

[ZmOz]

Change the oil more often than usuall...3000 miles max.

 

[Z22_Z33]

I'm working for Pizza hut. I was thinking about getting a beater. but those still arent cheap, imagine what i can get my XJ for 500-2000 dollars, being robbed doesnt sound like to much fun as well, so i'd need something that can get me out real fast, and a damn junker probably wouldnt turn over, and instead i'd be the one being turned over so my corpse could be idenified .
Plus i'd need the money to get the car, then more money for insurance, then money for maintence I dont think i'd want to put all my money into anything but my XJ, a little maybe in a junker but i dont see how that would all pan out, money for car, insurance, maintence, breakdowns etc, etc.
There anything I can do to make sure that water doesnt ruin anything, leaving the car idle isnt an option, dont need to return from delivering a pizza only to find my XJ gone.
But luckly about this job the pay is good, well as long as people tip. So everyone reading this make sure to tip the pizza man.

 

[sportsguy]

Keep you truck as stock as possible. Keep it well tuned up, and skip the go-fast/makes-power goodies.

Go easy on the throttle.

There is no way to keep "water & moisture" from rotting things like your exhaust unless yu let the truck run long enough to heat up everythng properly.

Changing the oil more frequently is a good idea. Some folks will advocate a switch to synthetic oil. I run regular oil in my XJ and it's fine. I have run synthetic in past vehicles, and other than added peace of mind, the only differnce I noted was it was more expensive - and I did track fuel economy. Dropping 3-4 PSI from each tire had more of an effect on my fuel economy than the switch to synthetic oil did, so that's a wash.

Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned.

Make sure the cat and exhaust are in top shape - don't remove them.

If you have A/C - don't run it...

In the end, you'll have to face the fact that a Cherokee wasn't designed for fuel efficiency. Stats vary, but you can probably figure a max between 17 - 22 MPG, depending on driving style, state of tune, weather, type of gas, tire inflation, etc. These things were simply not designed to sip gas - they were designed to go where pointed, regardless of the terrain.

 

[Z22_Z33]

Well that’s good. I can deliver a pizza anywhere with no problems.
What I was really kind of asking about, was what I can do to make sure the XJ will continue to run for many years, even after I am no longer working there. I would like better fuel economy but it looks like there isn’t much I can do in that field. Like I said I want my XJ to last for many, many years.
I guess I probably will keep my XJ stock for a while, and then put a bunch of money into it after I am no longer doing this job, I just want to make sure my XJ is still around.
If there ain’t much I can do, then what would be some good beaters, one that would get decent mileage, be dirt cheap for insurance, will never breakdown, turn over on the first try, and most importantly get it for very cheap (then later on do stuff to it). This idea would be a last resort for me though, unless I knew the XJ wasn’t capable of doing the job, or because of doing this job it would practically kill the Jeep.

 

[JeeperG]

Trust me Go the Beater Route. I deliver for Pizza Hut as well. In the long run you will have more money driving a beater. You Gotta Figure in Oil changes, Tires, Gas, etc. I would keep an eye out for anything Foreign like a older Honda Civic or something.

Edit: Also just think if Your Jeep Breaks down your screwed. I had my Jeep Break Down and didn't have the money to fix it right away. Thus I was not making tip Money... If you have a beater and it breaks down you can drive your Jeep until you get it fixed or get another beater..

 

[Georgia Jeep]

VW rabbits are pretty cheap. I had one to drive to work about 65 miles away. Pretty good gas mileage, almost indestructable, easy to work on moonroof and 5 speed was pretty fun to drive. Alot more roomy than it looks I am 6'3 240 no problem. If i remember correctly the commercials for them had Dr. J or maybe it was Majic Johnson driving one to show that it was roomy.

 

[OT]

When I was in high school, I delivered pizzas in my '69 Chevelle (read, "13 sec. drag racer"). A beater would've been great. Twice I walked the pizzas 3 and 4 blocks to the customer's houses because my hot rod didn't like the smell of pepperoni. Get the beater and save the one you like better.

 

[Z22_Z33]

There aint much out in my area even though I live in seattle.
All i've come across in the ads, is a 1986 Peugeot 505 for 625, a 1984 Honda Civic for 800 and a 1989 Mazda 323 wagon for 670. other then that all the ads say they need work, then again not much is said about these cars. My price cap would have to be 800 dollars, I could at least have a chance of making my money back, and still have some left over for my XJ.
Thanks for the side note, if my xj fails, then i'm out of a job till its fixed and can get very expensive.
I would still want a car that looks somewhat nice, and later on in a few years do stuff to it, but wont cost me a lot while delivering pizza's
Yeah gas milage sucks with the XJ I can about 2-3 days of working, till I gotta put 30 bucks in the tank. Would be nice not to have to worry about gas, until the weeks over.
I'm really thinking about the Peugeot, they dont look to bad, and heard from reviews on the net they get good mileage. But thats not a enough info on the car, I want to know excatly how much mileage, and how much I'll spend for maintence, and what parts are worth, are they cheap or expensive. I also heard they have some real comfy seats.

 

[red91]

When I was in high school, I delivered pizzas in my '69 Chevelle (read, "13 sec. drag racer"). A beater would've been great. Twice I walked the pizzas 3 and 4 blocks to the customer's houses because my hot rod didn't like the smell of pepperoni. Get the beater and save the one you like better.

Go this route, you'll be happier. A beater is the ONLY way you'll be able to work onyour jeep and do it right without getting your back up against the wall 2 hrs before work saying " I gotta have it back together NOW !" ( personal experience with my 72 Nova SS at 1 am Sunday morning)

Oh yeah, scam on the free pizza for dinner. More money for your jeep!

 

[sportsguy]

There aint much out in my area even though I live in seattle.
All i've come across in the ads, is a 1986 Peugeot 505 for 625, a 1984 Honda Civic for 800 and a 1989 Mazda 323 wagon for 670. other then that all the ads say they need work, then again not much is said about these cars. My price cap would have to be 800 dollars, I could at least have a chance of making my money back, and still have some left over for my XJ.
Thanks for the side note, if my xj fails, then i'm out of a job till its fixed and can get very expensive.
I would still want a car that looks somewhat nice, and later on in a few years do stuff to it, but wont cost me a lot while delivering pizza's
Yeah gas milage sucks with the XJ I can about 2-3 days of working, till I gotta put 30 bucks in the tank. Would be nice not to have to worry about gas, until the weeks over.
I'm really thinking about the Peugeot, they dont look to bad, and heard from reviews on the net they get good mileage. But thats not a enough info on the car, I want to know excatly how much mileage, and how much I'll spend for maintence, and what parts are worth, are they cheap or expensive. I also heard they have some real comfy seats.

OK - your budget is tight for a beater. You're not likely to find much that won't need something in that range. When a car goes that cheap, it's usually because the current owner isn't interested in putting anything into it.

You mention wanting a nice looking car you could do stuff to later - I'd suggest skipping this approach - drive this thing into the ground, or for a year or so and sell it for $500 if it's still running. Be sure, whatever you do, to make sure the rig is safe, inspected and insured.

I'll throw my hat in the VW ring - I grew up driving them, and while some parts can be expensive (those from Germany), you could also source cheaper ones (from Brazil) that were the same part. There are tons in junkyard, and as mentioned they're simple. Bonus point to VW for running fuel injection for a few years before most manufacturers - an '83 rabbit will be FI, not to sure of an '83 Honda.

As for the Peug 505 - new it ran 24 MPG combined - lord knows what a used one will net you, but it'll certainly be better than the XJ.

Use Google - the info is out there. If you find a car you like, do a search for something like this:

"1985 Peugot 505" - use the quotes.

Within the list will be opinion sites where owners post up info on how the cars hold up. there are also sites listing the original fuel economy figures. After that, look through the list for clubs and posting forums for the brand of car - post up some questions to those still running their rigs daily. be honest on how you will use it - they'll tell you whether it'll survive and if it's cheap to maintain.

HTH

 

[red91]

There aint much out in my area even though I live in seattle.
All i've come across in the ads, is a 1986 Peugeot 505 for 625, a 1984 Honda Civic for 800 and a 1989 Mazda 323 wagon for 670.
I'm really thinking about the Peugeot, they dont look to bad, and heard from reviews on the net they get good mileage. But thats not a enough info on the car, I want to know excatly how much mileage.

Peugeot - the french designed this car over a couple bottle of wine. Parts availablity - POOR to NO EXISTENT. No auto wrecker on the PLANET wants one. Ask your self how many do you see running?

84 Civic - Carb motor. Not bad, better than the Peugeot, and better gas milage.

89 323 - 1.6 fi motor. Probably the most reliable of the 3. Parts are cheaper to get than the Honda. Good milage.

You say you want to know exact milage which depending on the car, maitenance, etc... is IMPOSSIBLE to figure out.

Get a clean little car, that doesn't look too abused. Deal with the fixes as you go along. At $1000.00 budget you gonna hatfa look HARD. But it CAN be done. I personally like the rabbit idea. I owned one of those too. I had about a 1/4 inch of play in the crankshaft when I did the clutch and it always started, and never gave me any problems I couldn't fix.

 

[Darky]

right before my Cherokee I had a 90 Samurai. I got screwed at $500. It needed a new starter, ran on three cylinders and the clutch was way out of alignment (and I'm not sure if the transfer case would go into 4wd. I was afraid to try). While that one sucked, it always ran, and aside from stalling due the clutch needing alignment, ran reliably. It had no power and was rough because of the missing cylinder in the firing order, but it was ok. I hated it but loved it. It was a piece of crap, but it was a piece of crap that transported me reliably for a good 6 months til I could afford my XJ. If you can find one of them, I'd recommend it. Just be sure to check it over real good. Watch it idle for smoothness (mine shook like a chihuahua thanks to its cylinder not firing), drive it, make sure it drives good, etc. And later when you're not delivering anymore, you can get crazy with it and make your little trail rig. There's tons of parts available and they do great in the rocks with some work. Make the Cherokee your DD/weekend fun machine and tow the Samurai to trails after you get another job. Mileage is supposed to be around 25-35 or so for Samurais, in good shape. Mine got 21 even in the shape it was in, which is still better than I'm seeing now.

 

[woody431]

Hey, I have a 95 XJ and I deliver pizza as well. Aside from putting ALOT of miles on it, it's held up well. I change the oil every 3k miles with Quaker State and coming up on the next change, I'm servicing the diffs, brake fluid, power steering, and if I can afford it, the tranny. Currently I'm working on replacing the exhaust, I have no cat, but after I took it off I really noticed no difference. I also need new tires and an alignment, but thats coming up shortly. I use 90 octane gas, the 10% ethanol blend stuff, never had any problems. Like everyone said regular maintenance is the key. I'd suggest picking up a Haynes manual or something similar and go over their checklist of routine maintenance.

 

[Smh 94 Jeep]

yes tip the pizza man. i also happening to deliver pizza for pizza hut. not sure about your area but in mine people like to shoot other people and they dont care who is around. they make drug deals in the store parking lot. as far as saving gas. like the others had said dont drive like a nut and itll be fine. when i had my xj i used to fill up every 2 days. the money is good. im averaging around 300 cash a week at about 28 hours a week. just dont claim the tips when you clock out at night. the irs likes to tax you for it.

 

[Z22_Z33]

300 bucks a week. Thats good. Well I havent worked over 20 hours, but lets see the last 3 days I only made 40 bucks but those were just part time evening shifts. You think Saturday and Sunday would be busy but they arent. I've been warned about delivering down south. One driver we had, who just moved stores, got robbed twice down in the south end. It doesnt help that I'm a white guy as well, but all has gone well for me (knock on wood).
Somethings up with my drivers door, sounds like it catching on something, but I havent had time to look at it yet, and my engine doesnt always want to catch right away. everything else is going good except the gas mileage sucks, so i think i will try and get a cheap beater car, so that can be abused instead of my jeep.
You guys have any intersting delivery stories by chance? Oddest one I've had was "leave the pizza on the porch the money is in the mail box leave me 2 dollars in change".
Dosent that suck that pizza hut charges a buck 60 for delivery yet we only see 65 cents of that.
Just out of courisity how much do you get paid hourly? I'm from washington state, our minimum wage changes each year currently minimum wage is 7.16, but we get paid more then that about 7.60 so I have no idea if that has any effect on anyones pay.
Yeah i know i'm a little off topic, but I started this post.