I need to choose between two rot boxes

[warren t claim]

Here's something of an interesting dilemma involving two very different cars.

 

Firstly I really want an MX5. I've come close to buying one before but never managed to scratch the itch. I know I can get a decent one for between £1000-1500. It'll be cheap to insure and I still have the mk4 Mondeo taxi if i need to take more than one person out.

 

The second choice is an even more notorious rotter. I've been offered a 15 year old LTI TX1 with the indestructible Nissan 2.7 lump. It comes with a Hackney plate and although it's a bit tatty that's nothing a full body wrap advert wouldn't sort. It's had new outer sills and rebuilt inners. It also has the extra front seat so it's plated for six passengers. It's up for an affordable £6000.

 

As I own the Mondeo outright I could hire it out for £80 a week which adds another dimension to my dilemma.

[purplebargeken]

Sorry, HOW MUCH for the 15 year old taxi?

[garethj]

I hope that's a typo and the Taxi is £600, not £6000?

 

I'd go for the taxi because it's interesting and a middle aged man in a sportscar looks a bit off.

[purplebargeken]

I looked like a sex god in MGF I'll have you know.

 

Yes, please let that be a typo. Buy the taxi if it is 600 quid, just buy that damn thing.

[warren t claim]

Oops! The cab and plate are £3000!

[Lacquer Peel]

Why didn't they do those taxis with the 2.7 TD Terrano engine?

[Cavcraft]

One's an old fashioned granny magnet with a crap ride and a giffer image, the other is a taxi. Your call.

[brownnova]

I may be biased... But I'd go for the MX5 out of those two. They're fun little cars. And they've got pop up headlights!!! What's not to like!

[warren t claim]

To be honest the cab is only worth about £1200, the rest of the cost is the local authority plate.

 

They really are shit to drive and only do 25 mpg. The advantage is in having six passenger seats and the ability to ply for hire and the extra money it will earn me.

[warren t claim]

In fact £3k was his opening figure, I'm sure that there's room for further negotiation.

 

He also has another notorious rotter I could have in the form of a 10 plate Mercedes-Benz Vito automatic but he'll want about £11k for that and I've heard horror stories about the ignition modules on them plus the potential automatic transmission drama.

[cort16]

The taxi is a business and the mx 5 is going to make you look the business to ladies ( so hoped every mx5 driver ever). They're not really compatible so you should get both.

 

I heard something this week that a New York taxi badges that allow you to operate 1 yellow cab sell for 1 million dollars each. Or at least they did until uber turned up.

[skattrd]

The choice isn't really between 2 cars, it's between fun and business.

Buy the taxi then with the extra money it's made you buy an MGF at Xmas.

[warren t claim]

The choice isn't really between 2 cars, it's between fun and business.

Buy the taxi then with the extra money it's made you buy an MGF at Xmas.

I've driven an MGF and in all honesty I'd rather chew my cock off than own one .

[John F]

Do you want to look shit? Buy the taxi.

 

Do you like chassis welding? Buy the MX5.

[warren t claim]

Wirral has a two tier Hackney plate system. Plate numbers 1-124 are worth slightly more as they're first issue and can be put on any purpose built cab as long as it's wheelchair accessible and has an induction loop. If you were inclined you could put an adapted bulkhead in a 1958 FX4 and put it to work. Plate numbers 124-400 are called second issue and are different because they can never be put on a cab older than the last cab it was issued to. My potential purchase is a second issue which makes it worth slightly less unlike my last Metrocab but that was so unreliable the whole scenario ended badly with yours truly looking down the wrong end of a twelve bore and kidnapped in the back of an Audi A4 but I think we'll leave that story for another day.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Buy an MX5.

 

In fact, buy my MX5...

[Bear]

I've driven an MGF and in all honesty I'd rather chew my cock off than own one .

 

Christ, really? An MX5 is harsher, more cramped, worse on fuel and depending on model, quite slow.

 

Both are fun, though. There are many reasons not to own an MGF, but I'd never considered how they drive as one.

[Bear]

Buy an MX5.

 

In fact, buy my MX5...

 

That still hasn't been bought?! Goddam it. I'd have made an effort to flog the MGF once I got it fixed had I known that was still there!

[Ghosty]

Taxi, and use it as a quasi-investment to raise shite funds, meet new people, run your own business, etc.

[colino]

I'm sure this area isn't unique, but guys retire on what they get for their plate when they sell up.  Is this just one of the unlimited number that they issue for private hires?

[warren t claim]

Ohhhh no no no no no. You have to tell us now...

Well I've had better days... The Metrocab was incapable of reliability, particularly with the electrics due to it being made of GRP. I owed ten large for the cab and plate and had no way of earning the repayments. I must of spunked hundreds to various auto sparks with no luck and was in a deep hole. With the benefit of hindsight I should of paid an extra £30 a week for a maintenance contract but at the time I had blind faith in the Tamworth shitbox and the Ford 2.5di lump. The shittiest thing is that the cab and my subsequent kidnapping killed my marriage and I ended up losing everything. At least I now know that the Merseyside Police helicopter is incapable of finding a silver Audi. I have to accept a certain amount of 'live by the sword, die by the sword' and freely admit that I've probably done worse myself. Still my theory of if someone pulls a gun on you and he hasn't pulled the trigger within ten seconds he probably won't actually kill you has been proved true.

[Sigmund Fraud]

That still hasn't been bought?! Goddam it. I'd have made an effort to flog the MGF once I got it fixed had I known that was still there!

 

TBH, I haven't tried to sell it particularly hard... It was on C&C for a few weeks, but it only attracted timewasters - I dread to think what kind of punters it will attract if I ebay it

[warren t claim]

I'm definitely leaning towards the MX5. I've got no real problems with the MGF other than the fact that I don't really fit comfortably in them.

 

I'm in the position of owning the Mondeo taxi outright and therefore my fixed weekly expenses are about £135, I usually cover thatin the four hours between 10pm Saturday and 2am Sunday leaving me the rest of the week to please myself although it'll probably need about £300 spending on it before the end of September which isn't really a problem.

 

I really fancy an MX5 because it's so different from the Mondeo. Earlier on this year I bought a Mk1 Mondeo on a whim and to be honest it was a bit of a mistake because it didn't do anything better than my mk4 daily, still made a profit on it though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

These taxis make a great track-day blaster with the added benefit of a decent, quick-to-fit soft top and sweet handling and gearchange. I say go for it! Is that you mother??

[purplebargeken]

In all honesty, my interest in the cars was lost at the shotgun/kidnapping and boot scenario. 

 

This could be some kind of AS book possibility.