Question for taxi driving boardsies

Owen

I have to recommend a car for a friend's husband who is starting out in the Taxi business. Immediately, I was thinking 7 seater scudo when he threw me a curveball asking about a Laguna. Being the avid Renault fan that I am, I naturally told him he'd have a better experience if he nailed his [censored] to a tall building and jumped off, but I do have the quandry that I have to recommend a good reliable, abusable vehicle for his needs.

Looking at what the Taxi drivers around are currently driving, it seems to be Toyotas/VWs/Mercs. What do you guys out there actually use yourself, and what's best to avoid?

Mr.David

how about a skoda octavia? 55-60mpg and very reliable. if he needs a bigger car the new superb looks great!

ShayK1

I was thinking the exact same.

Cyrus

if a car then something like the skodas id imagine or an avensis.

if i was him id look for a 7 seater tho, surely that opens up more opportunities

altho i dont know the first thing about taxiing sorry

bazz26

Really depends on his budget, whether he is buying new or second hand, and if he values comfort aswell as reliability.

If he wants something reliable then Japanese is probably the way to go but a Jap diesel with an auto box is rarer than hen's teeth. If he goes petrol then something like a Camry or Maxima will give him and his passengers comfort. They can be bought for silly money these days.

Alternatively a diesel auto Merc E Class might fit the bill for driver/passenger comfort too but reliability on them could be iffy.

You might also want to pm Volvoboy as he recently started in the taxi business afaik.

eagerv

No experience of running Taxis myself, but noticed a good few Toyota Prius Taxis abroad. Was in one and noticed it was a lot quieter and smoother than the normal ones here. Also better leg room than most.

Perhaps the hybrid engine would be a bonus in stop start driving. Also you would have the "perceived" green image!

Googled a few links:

http://www.greentaxi.org/testimonials.php
http://www.caradvice.com.au/14639/toyota-prius-the-taxi-champion/
http://www.greentomatocars.com/

Guy:Incognito

Mr.David wrote: »

how about a skoda octavia? 55-60mpg and very reliable. if he needs a bigger car the new superb looks great!

They do have a huge boot...........

kuro_man

E-Class diesel (W124, to 1995)
cheap and bombproof (literally, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTedyrdAzV0&feature=related)


3L mulitvalue engine has the highest bhp/litre from a non-commonrail diesel engine at...wait for it...136! Wow but it won't break down, and last forever - ask any German taxi driver, some have done > 1m miles over there.

unkel

Skoda still sell the old model Octavia (which was replaced 3 years ago). This car in no-spec with the old 90s 1.9l tractor diesel is the taxi man's vehicle of choice. Up to 5th gear at 20km/h is where it is at to save the most fuel

Owen

Stekelly wrote: »

They do have a huge boot...........

I was waiting for that classic!

Guy:Incognito

ned78 wrote: »

I was waiting for that classic!

It's illegal for it not to be mentioned when the "O" word comes up.

Gypo

kuro_man wrote: »

E-Class diesel (W124, to 1995)
cheap and bombproof (literally, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTedyrdAzV0&feature=related)


3L mulitvalue engine has the highest bhp/litre from a non-commonrail diesel engine at...wait for it...136! Wow but it won't break down, and last forever - ask any German taxi driver, some have done > 1m miles over there.

Do you mean non-turbo?

Cosmo K

Toyota Corolla Verso, 7 seater, diesel. Japanese reliability combined with the flexibility of a seven seater people carrier.

Or maybe a Hyundai Trajet diesel?

Volkswagen Caddy Diesel. the passenger one, not the whiye panel van.

New model Fiat Scudo.


Its a bad time to get into the taxi business anyway, most of the drivers I have to deal with are complaining. Tell him to have a look at a wheelchair accessible taxi, licence is much cheaper.

BrianD3

he threw me a curveball asking about a Laguna. Being the avid Renault fan that I am, I naturally told him he'd have a better experience if he nailed his [censored] to a tall building and jumped off

Well I'm not a taxi driver but i do big mileage and rely heavily on my daily driver, also keep a close eye on what it's costing me to run it. It is a - shock horror - Renault Laguna 2003 with 182k miles up, all of them mine. Car has been very reliable.

But if you want something more concrete than anecdotal evidence check out the German ADAC reliability stats which are based on actual breakdowns, not some customer satisfaction nonsense. 2005 and onward facelift Laguna II is rated pretty reliable, in fact more reliable than same age Mondeo, Avensis, Octavia, Vectra and S40. And because of their poor reputation a 2005 Laguna in this country is literally thousands cheaper to buy than say a 2005 Passat.

The Peugeot 407 is rated better still by the ADAC.

And if it's a new car he's looking for the current Laguna has a 3 year warranty, among Euro manufacturers I think only Fiat give a longer warranty. In France, Spain, Italy, Greece etc. you will see loads of taxis from so called unreliable manufacturers - are taxi drivers in these countries stupid because they didn't get an Avensis like the "cute hoor" Irish taximan? Or are certain cars completely overrated in the Irish market?

Volvoboy

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Toyota/Carina/laburne/1192852/

Will go on a oily rag, comfort, 100% reliablity.

Tell yer buddy NOT to get a w/chair plate it'll work out more expesive in the long run.

samsham

ned78 wrote: »

I have to recommend a car for a friend's husband who is starting out in the Taxi business. Immediately, I was thinking 7 seater scudo when he threw me a curveball asking about a Laguna. Being the avid Renault fan that I am, I naturally told him he'd have a better experience if he nailed his [censored] to a tall building and jumped off, but I do have the quandry that I have to recommend a good reliable, abusable vehicle for his needs.

Looking at what the Taxi drivers around are currently driving, it seems to be Toyotas/VWs/Mercs. What do you guys out there actually use yourself, and what's best to avoid?

Dont touch anything from Fiat or Renault. Most guys who start in the industry in minibuses usually go back to cars seven seaters and minibuses are expensive to run and repair. shocks, slideing doors on taxis don't last pissing time. If your friend has never driven a taxi rent one out and drive it for a few months first. because the back of the evening hearold is full of drivers leaving the industry, there a few bob to be made in Dublin, but if you anywhere outside Dublin don't waste your money. you cant even get on a taxi rank. Toyota Avensis diesel or corolla, forget the rest

ninty9er

Honda Civic saloon

Spook_ie

BrianD3 wrote: »

And if it's a new car he's looking for the current Laguna has a 3 year warranty, among Euro manufacturers I think only Fiat give a longer warranty. In France, Spain, Italy, Greece etc. you will see loads of taxis from so called unreliable manufacturers - are taxi drivers in these countries stupid because they didn't get an Avensis like the "cute hoor" Irish taximan? Or are certain cars completely overrated in the Irish market?

Or do they get a better deal from the indiginous car manfacturers? Mercedes Germany, Fiat Italy, Seat Spain. The predominant marque used in each of those countries is the main manufacturer. If we still had DeLorean we could all be driving a DeLorean taxi by now...then again maybe not!!

king_of_inismac

Posted in wrong place...sorry

Henry Ford III

BrianD3 wrote: »

Well I'm not a taxi driver but i do big mileage and rely heavily on my daily driver, also keep a close eye on what it's costing me to run it. It is a - shock horror - Renault Laguna 2003 with 182k miles up, all of them mine. Car has been very reliable.

But if you want something more concrete than anecdotal evidence check out the German ADAC reliability stats which are based on actual breakdowns, not some customer satisfaction nonsense. 2005 and onward facelift Laguna II is rated pretty reliable, in fact more reliable than same age Mondeo, Avensis, Octavia, Vectra and S40. And because of their poor reputation a 2005 Laguna in this country is literally thousands cheaper to buy than say a 2005 Passat.

The Peugeot 407 is rated better still by the ADAC.

And if it's a new car he's looking for the current Laguna has a 3 year warranty, among Euro manufacturers I think only Fiat give a longer warranty. In France, Spain, Italy, Greece etc. you will see loads of taxis from so called unreliable manufacturers - are taxi drivers in these countries stupid because they didn't get an Avensis like the "cute hoor" Irish taximan? Or are certain cars completely overrated in the Irish market?

Link please.

Zube

This ADAC survey?

Date of publication: 2008-04-29 18:50:41


These are the most reliable car brands, based on ADAC's 30 years of breakdown data (the figure in brackets is the number of first-place finishes in the individual vehicle categories):
- Toyota (34)
- Mercedes-Benz (32)
- Audi (20)
- Mazda/Mitsubishi (11)
- BMW (9)
- Ford/Volkswagen (7)
- Nissan (6)
- Opel (3)

These are the least reliable car brands, based on ADAC's 30 years of breakdown data (the figure in brackets is the number of last-place finishes in the individual vehicle categories):
- Fiat (24)
- Renault (23)
- Opel (22)
- Citroen (15)
- Ford (13)
- BMW (7)
- Volkswagen/SEAT/Skoda (4)
- Alfa Romeo (3)

According to the 2007 figures, ADAC found the most frequent source of breakdowns remained batteries and electrical systems, accounting for 40% of failures.

cashmni1

Zube wrote: »

This ADAC survey?

Date of publication: 2008-04-29 18:50:41


These are the most reliable car brands, based on ADAC's 30 years of breakdown data (the figure in brackets is the number of first-place finishes in the individual vehicle categories):
- Toyota (34)
- Mercedes-Benz (32)
- Audi (20)
- Mazda/Mitsubishi (11)
- BMW (9)
- Ford/Volkswagen (7)
- Nissan (6)
- Opel (3)

These are the least reliable car brands, based on ADAC's 30 years of breakdown data (the figure in brackets is the number of last-place finishes in the individual vehicle categories):
- Fiat (24)
- Renault (23)
- Opel (22)
- Citroen (15)
- Ford (13)
- BMW (7)
- Volkswagen/SEAT/Skoda (4)
- Alfa Romeo (3)

According to the 2007 figures, ADAC found the most frequent source of breakdowns remained batteries and electrical systems, accounting for 40% of failures.

Again, all of the above is based on stats.
Opel, Ford and VW appear in both the best and worst catagories. Well that's just another statistic really isn't it?

Henry Ford III

cashmni1 wrote: »

Again, all of the above is based on stats.
Opel, Ford and VW appear in both the best and worst catagories. Well that's just another statistic really isn't it?

Yep. What's 30 years worth of collected stats to do with the relative reliability of a Laguna vs anything else?

Reliability Index is far more relevant I'd have thought. The following is for manufacturers, but individual models from each manufacturer may be better or worse.

http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/man_index_2.html?apc=3128339010848601&searchtype=relindex

E92

How can BMW be the 6th most reliable car and the 6th least reliable make of car?

ninty9er

E92 wrote: »

How can BMW be the 6th most reliable car and the 6th least reliable make of car?

Based on finishing spots. BMW finished 6th last 3 times and 5th 9 times.

Mr.David

samsham wrote: »

Toyota Avensis diesel or corolla, forget the rest

What a stupid claim. Do you really think that Toyota are the only company that can build a reliable car?

I agree that they are good cars, but not necessarily the most reliable. Statistically Honda are better. Its such a typical Irish opinion. "Ah sure get yourself a Toyota Corolla, great motor, sure she'll go on for ever". What a load of cack.:rolleyes: