Recommend me a taxi

Lord Nikon

I'm looking to change car with the idea that it will be my taxi in the future.

I am currently driving a '00 5 Series 2.0 petrol, NCT is out a few months. I'm not sure to spend the few quid(about €500) to get it NCT'd, and trade it in for the new car, or trade it in "as is".

Since the car I am going for will be my daily driver, I would like to have some comfort like the car I already have, but have to be within budget too. I'm going to be taxing it as a taxi, so engine size won't be too much of a problem, but economy will be, and diesel is what i will be going for.

I would like to go up 3 or 4 years, 5 years if I'm lucky. 2 years is too short with the new taxi rules coming out. Budget without trade in €4500

Cars I am interested in are, Skoda Superb, BMW 530d/730D, Audi A4/A6, Merc S/C class, Honda Accord, VW Passat. Preferably no Toyotas or Nissans.


Any input or help would be appreciated.

You need a bigger budget if you want an 04 or 05 car like those you mention to be honest, the car you have is worth very little without NCT and needing work done.

mullingar

IMO, Budget needs to goto 8-10k, as it is for a taxi!.

The last thing you need is an unreliable car.

T-Maxx

From my experience it's always better to have a car NCT'd when trying to sell it on. Unless obviously there's something seriously wrong (in your case €500?!). Normally NCT issues are fairly minor provided the car has been reasonably well maintained.

I Was VB

All you need is two and a half words: Toyota Carina E.

Cookie_Monster

I Was VB wrote: »

All you need is two and a half words: Toyota Carina E.

:rolleyes:
9 year rule...

I Was VB

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

:rolleyes:
9 year rule...

Well if he bought a taxi plate before May 21st he could plate up a Carina for another year.

Lord Nikon

T-Maxx wrote: »

From my experience it's always better to have a car NCT'd when trying to sell it on. Unless obviously there's something seriously wrong (in your case €500?!). Normally NCT issues are fairly minor provided the car has been reasonably well maintained.

I do most servicing/maintenance myself. €500 is probably generous for work to be done, some suspension components, ABS sensor and window motor regulator.

Lord Nikon

I was probably being a little optimistic on what I would want to drive, but through it out there with what I like.

No offense VolvoBoy, but the last thing Joe Public needs, is yet another Carina E taxi

I Was VB

neuromancer wrote: »

I was probably being a little optimistic on what I would want to drive, but through it out there with what I like.

No offense VolvoBoy, but the last thing Joe Public needs, is yet another Carina E taxi

It comes down to cost per mile to drive a taxi, think about this, the Carina is a brilliant car to begin with mine is only broken in at 167K miles thier engines car withstand 400K miles without being rebuilt. Pars are cheap easy to service yourself, the general public love them because they're comfy and loads of legroom and bootspace.

Mc Love

A lot of taxis these days are automatic, maybe something you could look into

colm_mcm

I Was VB wrote: »

the general public love them

ah really.......

cadaliac

From what you have posted - Superb would be my choice.
Passat has the same running gear as the superb (and engine depending on the spec) - and is a smaller car. The Superb is just better value. The Passat will also command a higer price tag, so Superb wins again.
Merc and BMW options will be expensive to run (tyres, servicing etc) and this is where the Skoda option will win also. Tyres are 16" and can be got for €80 each. I am not sure but I thought the Merc and BMW tyres are bigger (wider by their nature) and more expensive.
Service costs are cheap as you have said but parts will be more expensive for the premium brands.
Cost wise no contest for the skoda. However, cost might not be the only deciding factor for you.
My2c.

tubsy78

Mazda 6 diesel,Passat 2.0tdi or 1.9tdi,Mondeo 2.0tdi,Avensis d4d,Peugeot 2.0hdi the ony thing i'll say is they all have dual mass flywheels which cause havoc with cars clocking up the miles,make sure you get a written guarentee i.e 6mths,1yr or mileage warranty, from an SIMI member Garage and get them to include the Dual mass flywheel Diesel will give you more mpg over a petrol especially as work vehicle and it will also allow you to earn extra cash

GERMAN ROCKS

peugeot 407 hdi. you wont beat it for comfort and its bullet proof engine

Del2005

neuromancer wrote: »

I'm looking to change car with the idea that it will be my taxi in the future.

I am currently driving a '00 5 Series 2.0 petrol, NCT is out a few months. I'm not sure to spend the few quid(about €500) to get it NCT'd, and trade it in for the new car, or trade it in "as is".

Since the car I am going for will be my daily driver, I would like to have some comfort like the car I already have, but have to be within budget too. I'm going to be taxing it as a taxi, so engine size won't be too much of a problem, but economy will be, and diesel is what i will be going for.

I would like to go up 3 or 4 years, 5 years if I'm lucky. 2 years is too short with the new taxi rules coming out. Budget without trade in €4500

Cars I am interested in are, Skoda Superb, BMW 530d/730D, Audi A4/A6, Merc S/C class, Honda Accord, VW Passat. Preferably no Toyotas or Nissans.


Any input or help would be appreciated.

For the sake of €50 would you not stick it into the NCT and see what needs fixing? If it's not too bad you could do it yourself and if it is bad at least you can show potential owners what they need to do to get it to pass. Or if it's really bad don't show them;)

dunsandin

I'd say the best car to use as a taxi would be one driven by someone else, that you hail as you walk along the street. Thats usually the cheapest route into a cab, and saves a lot of pointless driving around, hassle with the repo man, and marital strife. If you are into masochism, you can get a russian bird to beat you with a riding crop for €220.00 per hour, that usually works out cheaper than getting into the taxi game, and you wont put on as much weight.(or get piles) Just my opinion though, mind you.:)

sdanseo

With the greatest of respect to the OP - why in the name of god are you going into the taxi game?

Lord Nikon

I've done it before, part time, and made a few quid out of it. Also, where I work is downsizing(jump ship before it sinks)

I've looked at my budget and i can probably afford another 2.5K. I looked at the Peugout 407 2.0HDi and seems like a good buy, cheap motor. Other on my list that potentials are Saab 9-3 2.2, or Jag X type 2.0, both diesels.

I like some luxury that's why the Jag popped into my head. The Saab cause it can be bought for buttons and doesn't look dated.

Any opinions?

I Was VB

neuromancer wrote: »

I've done it before, part time, and made a few quid out of it. Also, where I work is downsizing(jump ship before it sinks)

Gonna be serious for a moment,

I'm not gonna state the obvious here but the taxi trade is a diffrent game to be in as opposed to when you worked it before.

The only advice i can give ya is that dont spend big money into this game i only had a chap tell me his woes of driving a taxi as my last fare tonite, so much so that he hasnt driven the taxi since the middle of Febuary (he's a plumber and getting nixer work) He said it was the biggest regret he's ever had.

I'd rent a taxi for atleast 3 months to find your feet before you put any money into buying your own taxi.

After 3 years in the biz i still enjoy the job and the freedom, but its not for everyone. It takes a certain type of person to be a taxi driver and stay taxi driving.

I wish ya the best, but please rent before you think about buying a taxi, PM me if you want the number of a taxi renter in Lusk.

Vertakill

My dad had a nice 2.4ltr Camry for a little while and swore by it. A lot of taxi drivers were interested in it when he came round to selling it.
Had enough power, had lots of legroom front and back and same with the boot. Looks pretty decent and it was surprisingly light which meant it returned deceptively good mpg for a 2.4 petrol - around 35-45mpg is what he got.


Slightly higher tax bracket than you may be comfortable with, however.

Might be worth a look at one of them nonetheless:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Camry/2.4-VVTI/201015197652619/advert?channel=CARS

blahblah06

Ok you obviously haven't looked into this properly.

For 1 a 407 falls short on the boot space allowed to be used under new regulations by 13 litres so that's no use.

2 if you have no licence yet but are planning on getting one your car can't be older then 3 years old

Lord Nikon

I didn't know that about the 407, thanks. Oh, and I have a license by the way.

blahblah06

No problem. Drive one myself so it sucks I'll have to change it. Defo research the cars eligible all info on the trs site.

Good that u have a licence so all you have to worry about is the 9 year rule.

Remember though make sure u don't spend to much on your car and still owe money on it when the 9 yr rule is up.

I bought my 407 last feb and it's an 07 then the reg said it was not suitable a few months back.

It's an absolute joke. Just be prepared for what your getting into.

I defo agree on the renting side of things for a few weeks I did that myself

Fresh Pots

8 20 20 20!













*Sorry just popped into my head when I saw the title!

Lord Nikon

I plan on renting a plate from the start, buying one is too much expensive.