Buying an ex minicab - discuss

[Vince70]

Well I did say I didn't know much about the Octavia lol..

I get my Octavia's and Superb mixed up..

[dieselnutjob]

Our 806 is an ex airport taxi bought at 4 years old and 120000 and actually it's been great, though it had a knackered injector and power steering pump when I bought it.  I think it must have spent most of its life up and down the M3 to Gatwick and so probably had an easy life.

 

A mate has had a quite a good experience with a VW Caravelle also bought from an company near Gatwick.

[trigger]

I went out last night and used a couple of taxis, There's one company called Ipswich Cabs in town who are cheap but still use old cars, the first cab out was a 02 plate Volvo S80 2.4D, that was a lovely old thing, burgundy with full cream leather, it had done 220k and was still quieter than my 08 plate Focus with only 67k!

 

On the way back we got a 03 plate Mondeo TDCi, that was a silver Ghia model and was rough as old boots, 230k on the clock and the DMF had gone so it was clonking and ticking over like crap, I know which car I'd sooner be driving all day!

[Formula Autos]

^{The Octavia taxi I was taken to the pub in the other night had 364K on the clock and, apart from the usual clonk from the back-end and check engine light, seemed in fine fettle. Everything worked, and only the meter rattled in the dash. This taxi firm runs a fleet of them and, short-lived gearboxes aside, they swear by them. They occasionally pick up other cars cheap, such as Mondeos, Vectras, and even a Mitsubishi Lancer recently, but these tend not to last long with them. Skodas are where it's at for the taxi trade, apparently.}

[Bobthebeard]

Strangely attracted to this: http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/221377333115?nav=SEARCH

Is this in any shape or form a reasonable idea or the nightmare of pain most would imagine?

Not a good idea IMHO.

Anything ex minicab (or indeed ex farmer) will be utterly clapped out. That is why they sell them on.....

[Doctormop]

Looks like someone has taken a gamble and bought it off him, ;

listing has ended as item is no longer for sale'

Have to admire the optimism of some folk!

[Cavcraft]

It still amuses me when people who own or drive Skodas on a regular basis feel the need to tell everyone how great they are, as if we were back in the 1970s/80s when they really were bad.

 

Perhaps it's because they're (often, but not always) bought by VAG fanboys?

[jonathan_dyane]

It wasn't me that bought it!

 

I have bought something almost as silly howeve; I am now the proud owner of a 2.0 DTI Vectra C with various dents, snapped seat adjuster cables and a non opening NSR door. I'll never learn...

[Cavcraft]

F'LOL! Pictures a must!

[jonathan_dyane]

I knew you'd appreciate it Billy! You'll have to wait until tomorrow I'm afraid to see it in its dented glory. It's so council it's even got that plastic film on the windows that makes seeing out of the back windows difficult...

[MrDuke]

It still amuses me when people who own or drive Skodas on a regular basis feel the need to tell everyone how great they are, as if we were back in the 1970s/80s when they really were bad.

 

If I ever get to own a Rapid/Estelle I will never tire of telling everyone how awesome it is  

 

Thing is, there haven't been any actual Skodas since the Felicia (or the Favorit, depending on your level of purism) - yes, we all found the self-deprecating adverts funny, but they were already just re-styled VWs by that point.

[HH-R]

A family member has a 2004 Octavia that has been a bad buy but it sounds like they might have been unlucky. It's had three turbos (that they know of) in 150k miles and did the runaway diesel thing. The interior is pretty tired and they want rid because it's forever knackered but have plowed money into keeping it going so I think the next time it is sold it will be via the weighbridge.