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Do you recognise yourself in one of these vehicles?
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Independent Motoring
March 13, 2007
SECTION: MOTORING; Pg. 4
HEADLINE: I want some wheels for hire;
CAR CHOICE;
James Ruppert sets the meter running and hails some reliable, roomy diesels that will make perfect taxis
BYLINE: James Ruppert
John Shearne is looking for a car to drive as a taxi. He has a 1997 Audi A4 SE, which he likes a lot; he's sad to let it go. It's in excellent condition, with 100,000 miles on the clock and, after a respray, John aims to get £3,000 for it. His total budget is £5,000, at a pinch.
Obviously, John understands the chief objective of a successful minicab operation - find a spacious, frugal and reliable car. The Audi would reliable, but not that roomy for paying passengers in the rear. On the economy question, if it isn't a diesel, the petrol engines are not particularly frugal.
Diesels are essential in the taxi trade to ensure that every gallon of fuel returns the most paid-for mileage. Even so, I have come across some private hire cars with large petrol engines that have LPG (liquid petroleum gas) systems fitted; currently, that means half-price fuel, although installing the system costs more than £1,000 on most models.
John is aware that insurance and getting a local licence won't be cheap. Even so, I think he would still like to drive a quality car, such as an Audi; he tells me he doesn't like the look of a Nis-san Primera. My feeling is that the Primera is a perfect taxi, as it is utterly reliable and easy to live with.
John should ideally go Japanese, although there are many taxi drivers with diesel Peugeots, Fords and Vauxhalls. The sensible option would be to buy a mass-market car that will be economical to buy and run.
A CAR FOR THE HEAD
John should probably look no further than a Ford Mondeo. Here's a car specifically designed to be comfortable and to cover large mileages. Not only that; the running costs also need to be containable for the fleet managers who buy hundreds of Mondeos at a time. I would like to be able to recommend the Vauxhall Vectra as well, but within John's budget there are not enough of them around in decent condition.
Without looking too hard, I found a 2001 Mondeo 2.0TD with 80,000 miles on the clock. As the Zetec model, it has a decent specification, including air conditioning and metallic silver paintwork that will be easy to keep looking clean - that's an important consideration. The driver's seat is electrically adjustable - essential, as John will be spending so much time sitting in it.
Overall, this is a very comfy car to be in. As a hatchback, there's plenty of room for the passengers' luggage. Economy on the TD unit is 48mpg or so. It is not as sophisticated as the TDCi engine, but as a reliable unit it will do. The price from a dealer was £2,490 - and this car had a full service history.
A CAR FOR THE HEART
In John's heart, I think he still wants an Audi - and why not? He could get himself a larger Audi A6 model, which has good rear legroom, but I could not find a tidy enough example within John's budget.
Luckily, Volkswagen Group, which makes Audis, shares its technology, including excellent diesel engines, with other, cheaper models - so John can think Skoda. The Octavia may be a bit tight in the back, and the larger Superb is not within budget. So it has to be a VW Passat. Here's a model that set the standard for ordinary fleet cars and inspired Ford to raise the quality, performance and design of the Mondeo.
Again, John needs to watch out for Passats that are very high mileage or in tatty condition. Driving a Passat is an undemanding activity, but I think that suits the life of a taxi driver best. The interior quality is superb, meaning John and his passengers have plenty of space, and it won't look too shabby after a few years.
I found a 1999 83,000-mile 1.9 115 PD Sport for £2,900. It should return a taxi-driver friendly 53.3mpg.
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