Looking For A New Car

rebel.ranter

I'd be worried about fuel consumption. You'd end up working to keep the car going not make a living.

It is a nice car though.

bf

Think I know of that Lexus - its an ex fleet car so should have a full history. Bit high on the mileage site if you are going to br taxi-ing.

If it is the car I think, it stands them in about €14k....

Voodoomelon

You'd get this for a share over 20k no problems:



http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/S-Class/320CDI-A/200938195259323/advert?channel=CARS

VERY desirable taxi, the extra you'd pay in motor tax/running costs would easily be made up in tips. If I saw that at a rank, i'd be straight over EVERY time.

Esel

Volvoboy wrote: »

...Looking about €20k...

No money to be made in the taxi game, then?

Saloon R75 has very limited rear visibility. Tourer a different story.... A very smooth ride too. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

green123

bit early no ?
you dont need to change cars for a year and a half

ninty9er

Would you stretch to a GS450h. If you're going to be doing a lot of city driving the electric motor could save you a fortune.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200941195462682

biggus

How about a Prius ?
they're all automatic and a TOYOTA and you could tout for Green chauffeur business

45 to 55 mpg around town and Zero consumption in Dublin trafffic

€ 7950
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1017001

unkel

biggus wrote: »

and Zero consumption in Dublin trafffic

Anyway, the newer model Prius has not enough passenger space and not enough luggage space, but still makes it as a taxi according to this. Must be a mistake that it passes?

Volvoboy

ninty9er wrote: »

Would you stretch to a GS450h. If you're going to be doing a lot of city driving the electric motor could save you a fortune.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200941195462682

Boot is too small, it dosent meet the set criteria

esel wrote: »

No money to be made in the taxi game, then?

Saloon R75 has very limited rear visibility. Tourer a different story.... A very smooth ride too. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

There isnt i'll be getting it on finance, i'll be driving the car untill i cannot legally drive it no more. Not as if i'm going out and buying 4 year old cars every year.

unkel

Volvoboy wrote: »

i'll be getting it on finance

Did you actually get loan approval for €20k for buying a car to be used as a taxi, or are you assuming you can get a loan?

Leprechaun77

I think you would be stone mad to buy a car for €20k to use as a taxi, especially if it is only 05-06. You will get five years use from this and it will effectively cost you €4k per annum (assuming the car will be worth little or nothing when it is 9 years old and full of miles). Furthermore, if you are getting a loan for this, the cost will be substantially more when interest is taken into account on loan repayments. €400+ is a bit much to be paying on a car loan, especially considering the taxi market at present. I would look at a 2005 with a budget of €7-8k, if this was possible.

Volvoboy

Leprechaun77 wrote: »

I think you would be stone mad to buy a car for €20k to use as a taxi, especially if it is only 05-06. You will get five years use from this and it will effectively cost you €4k per annum (assuming the car will be worth little or nothing when it is 9 years old and full of miles). Furthermore, if you are getting a loan for this, the cost will be substantially more when interest is taken into account on loan repayments. €400+ is a bit much to be paying on a car loan, especially considering the taxi market at present. I would look at a 2005 with a budget of €7-8k, if this was possible.

Kearys down in Cork are selling 09 Strada old model Avensis for €19999, i know some cars on here are very nice to drive around in all day but yea your right i would want to be touched to buy somthing so big CC wise as a taxi, but as run of the mill Irish cars go i'm gonna have a time finding one that has all the bits and bobs that my current car has, that is Leather, Automatic, 4X elec windows (you've no idea how improtant this is) Sunroof, Bluetooth, and a Aux thingy for the I-pod, and antother thing i will have to have is Diesel.

VolvoMan

Volvoboy wrote: »

Nice car but have to have a Diesel, best of luck with the sale.

But is the GS300 not petrol as well

coolbeans wrote: »

Volvoboy, why don't you just get a Volvo? An S80 would do the job nicely and a diesel one would have the same engine as the Superb. Might be a bit back in the years though. Dunno what the D5s are like. Stay away from the BMW anyway, they're fond of a lot of expensive maintenance and are partial to the odd injector too. Downtime like that is not whopper, not whopper at all!

The D5's are a 100% Volvo unit that haven't been used in anything that isn't a Volvo.

bazz26 wrote: »

A few suggestions VB.

Volvo S60 D4:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200928194576304

They won't be allowed under the new rules. And it's a D5 by the way (five cylinders).;)

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200941195417776

Looking at the ford above, anybody have any feedback on them?

That S80 is about as Ford as your Carina E is. It was launched in 1998 and developed well before Ford ever got their hands on the company.

Although a Volvo platform underpins it, Ford have borrowed it for several of their US market cars in recent years, which definitely does not make it a Ford. Reliability on early cars wasn't supposed to be great, but that being a last of the line car means it should have had most of the niggles ironed out by then. I myself can also testify to the S80's comfort/space and definite suitability for a taxi. The D5 unit is also a great engine in those earlier cars. And while the autobox mightn't be the best around, it gets the job done with minimum fuss.

So in conclusion, I think you should bite the bullet and finally get yourself the Volvo you have been depriving yourself of for all those years of Carina motoring dullness. Trust me, you won't regret it.

junkyard

Why not import a London cab or buy a Scudo van with the wheelchair access and get the cheaper rate licence?

galwaytt

Volvoboy wrote: »

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200931194747416



Thoughts?

€17K

Thoughts ? er, lovely and.........I thought you said it had to be diesel... ?

Mind you, I can't see it every giving you any grief, and not a turbo in sight........

argosy2006

how about a vw phaeton

argosy2006

i'd buy the merc,, why not a s class 320cdi 02

Seperate

argosy2006 wrote: »

i'd buy the merc,, why not a s class 320cdi 02

Sure that'd be no use to him in 15 months? Hardly worth the hassle of changing into something he will have to change again so soon.

I must be the only person in the city that gets into whatever car is at the top of the rank, within reason. Assuming its not covered in dirt and not visibly falling apart, then I don't mind. Yeah, i'd love an S-Class everytime, but these lads are trying to make a living - i don't mind a primera or avensis or whatever once it's not falling apart.

I couldn't even tell you what make of car the two taxi's i got to/from the pub last night. As far as i'm concerned once it gets me from A-B to in reasonable comfort then it makes no odd what make or model it is.

I do agree with the 9-year rule though, as mentioned already, safety features have come on alot since 2001, so I think this is a step in the right direction.

Mr Benevolent

Buying a car for 20k at an exorbitant interest rate is slightly suspect business sense. Save for the next 18 months, get a credit union loan and you'd have 10k, easily enough to buy a high spec diesel auto.

Volvoboy

Confab wrote: »

Buying a car for 20k at an exorbitant interest rate is slightly suspect business sense. Save for the next 18 months, get a credit union loan and you'd have 10k, easily enough to buy a high spec diesel auto.

Ya make a good point, i've got 17 months left in the Carina, never know what might happen mean time. Chances are the cars i'm looking at now will be sub €10K.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/

I've been looking at alot, new model 09 Avensis diesel automatic on Irish plates is about €26K from the north, same car here only diffrence is the leather, a garage wants €41K in Donegal.

unkel

Volvoboy wrote: »

I've been looking at alot, new model 09 Avensis diesel automatic on Irish plates is about €26K from the north, same car here only diffrence is the leather, a garage wants €41K in Donegal.

41k for an Avensis :rolleyes:

VolvoMan

Volvoboy wrote: »

I've been looking at alot, new model 09 Avensis diesel automatic on Irish plates is about €26K from the north, same car here only diffrence is the leather, a garage wants €41K in Donegal.

I think you need a serious reality check.

Mr Benevolent

VolvoMan wrote: »

I think you need a serious reality check.

+1. Jebus*

*Yes, I did say the new Avensis is a nice car. But as a taxi? No way.