Oldest taxi

[charlie2555]

What's the oldest taxi/minicab any of you lot know which is still operating? Most of the taxis in my area are post 2000 rubbish, but there is one car which stands out: this 1986 Volvo 240GLE which I saw last year. 

Alternatively, does anyone remember any really elderly cars in the past still in use as a taxi?

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92622665@N08/10929865845/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92622665@N08/10929865845

[Ghosty]

Think you've already won with that one... haven't we had a taxi thread before?

[trigger]

That's impressive! There's still a couple of J reg Volvo 940's working in town, I'd love to know the mileage of them.

[mercrocker]

There was a Mk 3 Zephyr 4 working ranks in Southampton at least as late as 1982, and over the river from there were a couple of Farinas at the same date, although these could have been just over 10 years old at the time.    Most of the taxis in my town now don't even look like cars so I take no notice of them at all....

[fordnut]

I've saw a Taunus 17M in active service in Munich last month. That's getting on for 45 years old!

[Tayne]

Ah, well if we're including foreign countries...

 

These pictures were taken in 2010 in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

 

Peugeot 404 Taxi by Tayne, on Flickr

 

Peugeot 404 taxi by Tayne, on Flickr

 

I can't be certain when these were assembled in Chile but I'd say this one was somewhere between 20 and 50 years old when I saw it.

[Negative Creep]

There's an early 90's (not sure exactly as it's on a private plate) S Class around these parts

[charlie2555]

Came back about a month ago after 3 months as a teacher in Ghana.  Plenty of old taxis still going there! Oldest I saw was a battered Datsun Violet or whatever it's called, around 40 years old I think,

 

 

or perhaps this old Vauxhall Viva?

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

Didn't Eddy Ramrod spot an E-reg Mercedes 190 still working as a Taxi?

 

The oldest one I saw in the Midlands was a White Toyota Carina which I think was on a P or R plate.

[Junkman]

Germany's oldest taxi:

 

 

There was a /8 doing service in Vienna, which was claimed to be driven by the world's oldest taxi driver, aged 93.

Unfortunately they both, car and driver, had to retire recently.

Not because they weren't fit for the job anymore, but Vienna made air condition in taxis mandatory.

[warren t claim]

I take it my 09 plate Mondeo isn't going to win this?

[STUNO]

Maybe this thread had better have some regulations just like taxis.

 

Like, The taxi must be able to pass some kind of visual roadworthiness check !

Taynes' Chilean Peugeot would probably pass as it looks well kept , but would Charlies Ghanian Datsun !

 

Now for the arguments about what is a legal* taxi.

 

* Description of the word legal may vary somewhat

[phil_lihp]

There's a J-reg Peugeot 405 saloon still doing the rounds near me, diesel of course, appears to be a poverty spec model going from the wheel trims and looks extremely tidy.

[dave21478]

Last time I went back to Aberdeen, I got a taxi from the airport which was an old Vauxhal Omega. It had a private plate on, so no idea of actual age, but it was the original pre-facelift saloon.

Every single possible warning was lit up on the dash from low oil pressure to low screen wash via failed ABS and airbags and it had about 700k on the clock.

[Pete-M]

I saw a W123 Mercedes 200TD doing sterling service as a cab in Poland in May, if that counts.

 

Didn't get a pic.

 

As for warning light Bingo, last year I was in a York private hire Citroen C8 that appeared to have the full house on warning light bingo. It was complaining about all sorts. Gearbox failure, lack of adblue, pads. That was a 2008 car, so was possibly the last of them.

[quicksilver]

Isn't there a B-reg Audi 100 still serving the Isle of Wight that appeared in a spotted thread?

 

Nothing remotely old or interesting round my way, I don't know if there's an age limit but it's the usual dull fodder of Jap crap, Pisshats and Skodas, just a few Saabs for variety.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Is that 240 the one working around Salisbury ? I saw it last year, it's probably still going in true Volvo fashion.

 

There's a pristine W115 working as a taxi in Malta, I was quite amazed to see it in the airport taxi queue the last time I was there. Being a fairly sad individual, I actually waited until it was first in the queue so I could get a ride !

[TRW]

There's a M or N plate Cavalier 1.7 around the Neath and Port Talbot area still doing service as recently as the last few weeks.

[Squire_Dawson]

Rover 45 been used for some time now where I come from.

[michael1703]

There's a company in notting hill that uses Morris oxfords as cabs, " kharma cabs " or something similar

[cms206]

Two from the past few weeks...

R153 PSB by cms206, on Flickr

R616 OVJ by cms206, on Flickr

[NorfolkNWeigh]

There's a company in notting hill that uses Morris oxfords as cabs, " kharma cabs " or something similar[/quote

 

They're actually Hindustan Ambassadors ,hence the mystical,hippy, dippy Indian bollocks. So probably not that old.

 

Oh,it seems they're on J plates so 91/92, they're older than I thought.

[charlie2555]

Two from the past few weeks...

 

R153 PSB by cms206, on Flickr

 

R616 OVJ by cms206, on Flickr

 

Haven't seen any Mk2 Mondeos as taxis for at least 5 years!

[chaseracer]

The red one's a long way from Herefordshire...

[Hendry]

Scottish taxis are weird, in the major towns and cities have mostly brand new or under 2 years old Skoda Rapids, Octavias, Seat Toledos, Avensis, with some Passats and Mondeos, infact my dads 09 Jetta is one of the oldest I've seen in the greater Glasgow area, but venture a little further out and there's loads of stuff like the Mondeos Andy posted, others like a W reg Rover 45, out Kirkintilloch/Bishopbriggs way there's an N plate Cavalier, just shows how tough it must be to make cash on the taxis these days either they or these guys prefer them to the tidy 05 Mondeos/Vectras you can get cheaply to use as a semi respectable taxi these days.

[AnthonyG]

Re Ghana, the Viva would be older than the Datsun as I think that model Violet came out in '77 or 78, by which time that style of Viva badge had been replaced by a more boring typeface.

 

I probably should have got out more in the 1980s, instead of reading old car brochures.

 

Junkman's Ponton Mercedes wins for Europe I expect, as pre Fintail must be 1959 or earlier.

[warren t claim]

As a slight tangent, my 09 Mondeo Ghia Estate is an OMG CAT C repair and lacks the 2.0 badges on the wings I was thinking of getting a couple of Cortina wing badges, the shield shape with 2000 written on them. Classy or tacky? Sadly I'm an iPhone user so I can't link a pic.

[TRW]

Rover 45 been used for some time now where I come from.

 

 

That's only a baby! There's a Blue 45 TD floating around Ystalyfera doing service to this day, looks immaculate.

[2MB]

I guess suggesting Cuba is cheating? Apart from a few newish 'official' cabs anything newer than a '59 is a rare sight

[EssDeeWon]

Pretty sure my local taxi firm have certain rules and regs about Taxi's being no more than 8 years old. Sure I got told/heard that not too long ago. Nearly all 2009 Silver Vectra's, I'd rather walk.