Would you buy a car that had been used as a taxi?

prospect

I looked at an 04 Superb today with 60,000 miles on it.
It had been used as a taxi for a while, and it drives well, in is generally in good condition.

But I am not sure, and have the feeling I should walk away and continue my search.

Am I being overly cautious?

Anan1

My main worry with such a car would be resale. It's definitely not worth as much as a 'normal' 04 60,000 miler. If it's cheap enough, though, then why not?

el tel

I'd be cautious about buying a taxi in terms of the use it's seen and potential for high wear and tear. I'd be concerned about high mileages (clocked mostly in an unban enviorment), gear box/clutch wear, marks left behind by aerials/roof lights and taxi equipment, upholstery wear, prangs and body repairs. The one you describe doesn't sound like it it is in the condition I describe but if I had any worry in the back of my mind I'd be inclined to walk away. Superbs (and Octavias) are smashing cars but they do make me think of...taxis!

Car Mad

why not.get a mechainc to look over it as u wud with any car (i should hope) you know its after doing 60kmiles probably driven round the clock and its still going that means good reliability.and im sure it probably is a bit cheaper than any normal 04 car.good car.but i wouldnt think taxi i dont see to many skoda taxis.fair few old mercs around

stifz

no.

TJM

60k in some cars means motorway mileage with little stress on the car or engine. But 60k in a taxi means stop start urban traffic with constant use of the clutch, brakes, etc. as well as amny more hours of wear on the engine. I'd walk away unless there's a *very* substantial discount to reflect the history. Bear in mind that subsequent buyers will be able to determine that it's been taxied, denting your resale price.

Wishbone Ash

The indicators should be in excellent condition as they won't have been used.

Mr Magnolia

same as that

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stifz wrote:

no.

bazz26

prospect wrote:

I looked at an 04 Superb today with 60,000 miles on it.
It had been used as a taxi for a while, and it drives well, in is generally in good condition.

But I am not sure, and have the feeling I should walk away and continue my search.

Am I being overly cautious?

60k miles on an almost 3 year old taxi seems very low to me. I have seen taxis that are not on the road 24 hours doing that mileage in a year. I would like to examine the service history on that car to verify that mileage. It should also have stated in the Vehicle Licencing Certificate that the car was taxed as a Public Service Vehicle, this will have a serious impact on resale value.

Even if the mileage was genuine 60k on a taxi is harder work than say 60k on a fleet or private car. Due to their nature extreme ware takes place on the clutch, brakes, steering, suspension and interior. I would also examine the bodywork in great detail for signs of crash repairs, due to taxis being on the road more than a normal car they are more likely to have been involved in accidents especially tips and shunts.

dubtom

If that 60K is a one owner taxi I'd say it's been clocked, or else that guy never worked. I have my car since the end of July and there is 11 1/2 K on it, and I took most of september off. Although a taxi will suffer more wear and tear than most normal cars they are generally well maintained,they have to be to pass an nct every year and it's a foolish for anyone working a car not to keep it in good condition. If the previous owner is still driving a taxi I'd wonder why he got rid with such low milage.

el tel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The indicators should be in excellent condition as they won't have been used.

Savman

Would you marry an ex-hooker?

Volvoboy

All depends on the previous owner, i remember my dad had a '99 ML320 4x4 91k mls that was used as a taxi, and he was selling, the only way you could tell that it had been taxi'd was two 'very' small holes in under the dashboard where the cables for the meter had run through, the car was a lovely driver always serviced by annsely and filled up with v- power petrol, the car took a big hit when it came to selling it on couldnt sell it at 15k let it go for 11k!!! that was less than a year ago.

-VB-

colm_mcm

Savman wrote:

Would you marry an ex-hooker?

feckin right I would, as long as she was half decent looking. Who did you have in mind?

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote:

feckin right I would, as long as she was half decent looking. Who did you have in mind?

As long as her meter has been removed too.

junkyard

I'd have no problems buying an ex-taxi as long as its been well cared for, its the fact thats its a Skoda is what would bother me.:)

bazz26

Nothing wrong with Skoda in my books. They are very popular as taxis, that is a positive vote of confidence in reliability to me.

colm_mcm

they are (wisely) rarely bought new as taxis.

Guy:Incognito

dubtom wrote:

the previous owner is still driving a taxi I'd wonder why he got rid with such low milage.

Thats what I was thinking. Surely it's not economical for a taxi driver to change after 2 years. Unles the car is falling apart of course.

Victor

prospect wrote:

I looked at an 04 Superb today with 60,000 miles on it.

Is that 160,000 miles or 260,000 miles?

prospect

Thanks for all the replies.

Seemingly, as the story goes, the previous owner is an army man, and taxi's part time!

Also, the book value of the car is €19,100, and its asking price is €19,950, so they are not really accounting for its history in their price.

I just don't feel right about it, think I'll let it pass.

unkel

prospect wrote:

its asking price is €19,950

That's just silly. From B&S:

Skoda Superb Exclusive 1.9L 2005, Leinster Laois €21500.00
31k kms, met, silver, ABS, a/c, a/b, alloys, CD, c/l, cruise cntrl, e/m, e/w, fsh, f/s, immob, p/s, as new. 087-2255908 [save ad]

Skoda Superb Exclusive TDi 1.9L ’06, Munster Limerick €25500.00
9k kms, beige, ABS, alarm, alloys, CD, c/l, e/m, e/w, spoiler, tax 03/07, immac cond, 6mths old, grfs. 087-2496852 [save ad]

Or buy new? A base 1.9TDI is yours for around €26k cash

It BeeMee

Victor wrote:

Is that 160,000 miles or 260,000 miles?

Having once been in a 2-yr old Octavia with 294,000 miles on the clock, I would be inclined to ask the same question.....