Buying a Ex - Taxi

Volvoboy

Well while searhing for a new motor i've been coming across a few ex joers cars that have 150k miles to 200k miles would ya ever go for one or would ya be of the prostitue marrying stance? ya dont know who's been in it?




-VB-

Darragh29

Volvoboy wrote:

Well while searhing for a new motor i've been coming across a few ex joers cars that have 150k miles to 200k miles would ya ever go for one or would ya be of the prostitue marrying stance? ya dont know who's been in it?

-VB-

I'd say any car with that kind of mileage is going to need some maintenance in the next 12 months to 2 years, especically if you are going to be putting some mileage on it yourself.

Volvoboy

Not really going to be doing monster miles mainly tootling up to louth evey once a week and about 300 miles a week, dont mind doing work to it.



-VB-

Darragh29

I'd say it depends very much on the make & model. Also, depends on the service history. If the previous owner has been taking servicing and maintenance seriously, you should be ok. If items like timing belts & water pumps and also brake pads & discs have been changed on schedule then these tasks are behind you for a while and maybe shock absorbers and brakes have been replaced at some stage, then you could be ok. Also, see if a clutch was ever changed.

crosstownk

Hmmmm...........an ex taxi. If it's going for a song then why not, but all manner of sh1te could go wrong in a short space of time. Bear in mind that to a taxi driver, no car = no money, so chances are it was reasonably well maintained. But so many taxi drivers adopt the 'leave well enough alone' or 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' approach, you could have a few suspension/steering/engine jobs heading your way.

That said, VB, you're no stranger to ..... eh .... projects ..... so it sounds right up your street. So if the price is right then go for it.

What make/model is it? Carina? Avensis?

Volvoboy wrote:

prostitue marrying stance

scitpo

Its probably been well looked after and not driven to hard but if its got 200k on it then its probaly really got 300k equivalent with all the idling taxis do at ranks.

crosstownk

scitpo wrote:

if its got 200k on it then its probaly really got 300k equivalent with all the idling taxis do at ranks.

I can't see too many taxi drivers wasting fuel - especially given the price it is at the moment. Most taxis I get into at a rank are switched off. Maybe in the winter to generate a bit heat - but aside from that I reckon they don't waste the stuff unnecessarily.

Volvoboy

crosstownk wrote:

What make/model is it? Carina? Avensis?

You know me too well, its a neighbors car noticed the last few days that he has a 99 primera in the garden (guessing the new car) he has a 97 carina E black SLi, bit grubby but with a little TLC i reakon she'll be a little minter, had'nt planned in buying again until i'm 21 and can get me benz, if she's going under a G i'll get my arse into it.

partly why this is for sale adverts.ie/30060

-VB-

old boy

go on be a devil

unkel

Logical step up from the Carina II. If it has the "lean burn" engine, I'm told the Carina E will do 70MPG and typically lasts for 800-900k miles

No seriously, looks like the right car for you. Ex-taxi wouldn't bother me. It means it was driven 99% of the time with a warm engine. It means it probably wasn't trashed. It means it was probably maintained better than average. Thoroughly check anything to do with suspension before you buy!

Out of interest, what's the mileage?

RoundyMooney

I have to agree. Ex-taxis may not be a bad thing, at the end of the day they were somebody's office for some period of time, and unlike repmobiles or hire cars (which most punters don't seem to mind buying off a forecourt) they are owner driven at least in some cases.

Taximen are like the rest of us these days, they no longer *have to* drive clapped out yokes unless they choose to.

Use discretion and thou shalt not have a problem, I would imagine.

junkyard

For f**ks sake VB get help now while you still can!!! I'm a compulsive car buyer too but help is availaible.....at the first meeting of Compulsive Car Buyers Anonymous or CCBA as it's discreetly known as, I bought and sold 8 cars, I'm down to 3 now and just ring up inquiring about them now on the BUY an Sell for my fix. I know how you think, you see a car that you think you'll like, dream about driving around in it, dismiss all its faults and then when you buy it you realise that its a piece of sh*te really, needs tons of work and wasn't as exciting to drive as you thought it was going to be. At one time I'd buy up to 15 or 20 cars a week........ really!!!!:eek: But now I get my fix by looking at them for other people and I'd only buy 6 or 7 or if it's a real bargain, 9 or 10............;)

colm_mcm

I suspect your taste is a little more expensive than VB's!

I don't wanna belittle Volvoboys addiction, Carina E's and Almeras are well known "gateway" cars, You might think you can handle it now, but wait till 3 years down the line when you have half a dozen old man's cars littering the lawn with no idea how they got there....

Volvoboy

junkyard wrote:

For f**ks sake VB get help now while you still can!!! I'm a compulsive car buyer too but help is availaible.....at the first meeting of Compulsive Car Buyers Anonymous or CCBA as it's discreetly known as, I bought and sold 8 cars, I'm down to 3 now and just ring up inquiring about them now on the BUY an Sell for my fix. I know how you think, you see a car that you think you'll like, dream about driving around in it, dismiss all its faults and then when you buy it you realise that its a piece of sh*te really, needs tons of work and wasn't as exciting to drive as you thought it was going to be. At one time I'd buy up to 15 or 20 cars a week........ really!!!!:eek: But now I get my fix by looking at them for other people and I'd only buy 6 or 7 or if it's a real bargain, 9 or 10............;)

Hmm, do have a tendency of every Monday Wednesday and Friday morning hitting the spar and getting the latest issue of the buy and sell before work and having a quick brouse before i head in just to get me through to 10.30 small break!


Nah CCBA is for quitters!




-VB-

crosstownk

Just had a thought VB - based on a previous sig of yours...................

"It was rainin' hard in Frisco,
I needed one more fare to make my night............."

Buy the damn thing - you know you want to!

Volvoboy

LOL!!!!!!!!


THAT WAS CLASS!!! I Tip my hat to you sir!!!!!!! Have to shift this one first!

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=30060


LOL!!



-VB-

Volvoboy

Well i'm now a proud owner of a '97 Carina E 149k Mls resonable enough cond usuall holes in the dash board filthy inside, and outside, alloy wheels, tow bar nct'd till 02.08 and tax'd till 01,08, lots of knocks from the front suspension, no radio, and needs a fuel injector was stuttering and farting away when it gets hot, as for the bread?? €700 just need the fuel injector blue rail not green now and a quick service and thats me sorted for another month!!!:D



Still have the II GL might start a Taxi Biz!!!




-VB-

crosstownk

Volvoboy wrote:

Still have the II GL might start a Taxi Biz!!!

"and VB is flying in his taxi............
.......takin' tips, and gettin' stoned"

Harry would be proud

Seriously, best of luck with it. Post some before and after pics if you get a chance.

Volvoboy

crosstownk wrote:

"and VB is flying in his taxi............
.......takin' tips, and gettin' stoned"

Harry would be proud

Seriously, best of luck with it. Post some before and after pics if you get a chance.

LOL! Thanks CTK , I'll post some when i a chance needs a bit of TLC.

yer man had it as a taxi since jan of 2005

-VB-

el tel

With an ex-taxi you can be assured that the indicators won't be worn out...:D

Gran Hermano

el tel wrote:

With an ex-taxi you can be assured that the indicators won't be worn out...:D

Yeah but the switch for the 'park-anywhere' (hazard lights) may need
replacing.