For Sale FX4 Fairway Taxi – £300

[Sam Glover]

I bought this shitbanger a few months ago for £500, but I’ve failed to bond with it. The Fairway is ruined by the extra mechanical bits they fitted to try to fool people into thinking it’s not a 1950s tractor, plus it lacks the grimy metropolitan interior aesthetics and dystopian smells of proper FX4s. On the plus side, it has balljoints at the front instead of kingpins.

 

It’s MoT’d until October 13th and it’s more-or-less roadworthy.

 

There’s a fair bit of rust. I haven’t inspected it too critically, but I think there’s very little – if any – that’d fail an MoT. The sills are practically nonexistent, but they’re non-structural bolt-on panels.

 

The auto 'box is a bit whiney when hot. I haven't tried changing the fluid... or checked the level, for that matter.

 

The fuelling system is in need of a going-over. It’s got a fucktarded retrofit EGR system and it’d be all the better for having this (perfectly legally) removed. I fiddled with the throttle to make it open further and go faster. This was a success, but it now leaves a robust black smokescreen when you give it hammer. There’s also a light knocking from one cylinder, which I’m 95% sure is combustion-related.

 

There are certainly some minor ailments that I haven't noticed or mentioned.

 

In short: it’s not very good but it is very cheap.

 

It’s near Cirencester.

 

Sam

 

 

 

 

[matty879]

im off to get an insurance quote

[barefoot]

I'm not.

[matty879]

well that was crap,the meerkat site dont recognise the reg or list carbodies as an option,so looks like my weekends moonlighting,picking up pissed up birds is out of the window

[beko1987]

I've always wanted one of these! Luckily I don't have the cash or the skills/balls to take one on!

 

Trusted shitter payment scheme available? (please say no...)

[jollyfkr2]

Swap  a low mileage Xantia diesel?

[somewhatfoolish]

I've always wanted one of these! Luckily I don't have the cash or the skills/balls to take one on!

From memory of when these things were current and plying the roads with hackney licences, neither did the average taxi fettler; most were good from afar but up close had wobtastic repairs on all trailing edges and constant eruptions of the iron oxide kind bubbling through the Stevie Wonder paintwork.

[wuvvum]

It's very difficult to insure these as a private vehicle.  Older ones can probably be wangled onto a classic policy, but newer ones are a bit in limbo.  That's where a trader's policy comes in handy.

 

In fact were it not for Scrappy McScrapface going all tightwad on me, I'd be looking at train prices to Cirencester right about now.

[Cavcraft]

Trader's policies don't like them either, ask me how I found that out

 

You can get private policies, sadly I've forgotten who to use. The problem stems from the fact* that they think you'll use it as a cab. My trade policy company steadfastly refused insurance even though I sent pictures of the 'not for hire or reward' decals I had made.

In fact, they even said private hire taxis were not allowed on the policy, so technically a plated Mondeo or Vectra etc was off limits, even if just a part-ex or sale job.

[LostnotFound]

Surely you should be advertising this with an extra 0 at the end as a business opportunity.

 

'Ideal wedding car or sign van, you wouldn't believe the attention you'll get'

 

The range of random motors that come up on here is brilliant, I'm sure someone will sort out the insurance conundrum and snap it up.

[wuvvum]

Trader's policies don't like them either, ask me how I found that out

 

You can get private policies, sadly I've forgotten who to use. The problem stems from the fact* that they think you'll use it as a cab. My trade policy company steadfastly refused insurance even though I sent pictures of the 'not for hire or reward' decals I had made.

In fact, they even said private hire taxis were not allowed on the policy, so technically a plated Mondeo or Vectra etc was off limits, even if just a part-ex or sale job.

I s'pose it must depend on the policy then - I've had three Metrocabs on mine over the years and they never batted an eyelid.

[Christine]

Gr8 for making fake   Fake Taxi  films  

[Zelandeth]

I came up against this a few years back when I found one for sale silly cheap in Aberdeen. Glad I checked insurance first...

 

Pretty sure it was Lancaster I was with back then, they would cover it - but wanted something utterly ridiculous like £1200 a year for the privilege, which is more than I was paying for the other four cars in total. Suffice to say I didn't buy it.

[HillmanImp]

Gr8 for making fake   Fake Taxi  films  

 

I have absolutely no idea what you mean.

[somewhatfoolish]

Ideal for the budding Stephen Fry impersonator too.

[sierraman]

Gr8 for making fake Fake Taxi films

The irony is these days a search of 'Fake Taxi' doesn't bring up a host of stories about unlicensed private hire cars.

[Tamworthbay]

Ah crap, weird car I want, check, cheap price, check, needs enough work to be fun but not so much as to be a full on project, check, cheap insurance, fuck

[omegod]

I remember doing my work experience in a taxi garage when these were brand new, the boot floor is made in two sections so they are cheaper to fix when rear ended.

 

Guy I worked with on the bodywork side used to lock us in the spray booth when doing a big job and we'd get well stoned on his high quality Nepalese weed

 

It's got to be worth more in bits but that's not AS is it  

[sierraman]

Ideal for picking up attractive women who haven't got the sufficient fare for the journey.

 

These would be ideal if you'd got four kids or something, close the sliding window thing and then you'll not have to listen to inane questions like how many miles is it. That's assuming you could hear them over the din of the engine at 60mph.

 

Re the insurance, couldn't you demonstrate it's no longer used for hackney carriage by taking the hire light of the front, I'm sure they did a private car version of the FX4R that didn't have this.

[Eddie Honda]

I'm sure they did a private car version of the FX4R that didn't have this.

 

The FL2?

[mat_the_cat]

Just out of curiosity, what's the mileage? It's something I always check getting into any kind of taxi!

[Noel Tidybeard]

yes it was called a limousine! with two rows of forward facing seats- used to know of one that had had the "peak" fitted and was running as a toa taxi

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Where's Purplebargeken offering a swap with a Mark 3 Golf?

[Lord Sterling]

I've got trade plates and have always wanted to drive one of these. Driver for hire here if bought.

[purplebargeken]

Here I am!!! 

[purplebargeken]

I had one of these.I insured it via Peter Best or FJ I thing. Either way it was insurable quite easily.

 

Great ponderous old things to drive, people asked me for directions, nobody pulled in front of me or tried to cut me off, motorways are slowly conquered. Great turning circle. 

 

Basically a body bolted on a chassis. They do like to rust for shits and giggles though. 

 

I did like mine. 

[Christine]

Take the body off and hammer a Cobra fibreglass bodyshell over the chassis...instant sports car 

[Cavcraft]

I had one of these.I insured it via Peter Best or FJ I thing. Either way it was insurable quite easily.

 

Great ponderous old things to drive, people asked me for directions, nobody pulled in front of me or tried to cut me off, motorways are slowly conquered. Great turning circle. 

 

Basically a body bolted on a chassis. They do like to rust for shits and giggles though. 

 

I did like mine.

 

I remember when I bought that and you said it'd only cruise about 50-55mph and I mentally did that twizzly finger round my head looney sign, thinking I'd get on the motorway and do 65-70.

How very right you were

[oldcars]

That's class. Shame insurance is an issue. Suppose you could just park in in the drive, sit in it and repeat "Been busy tonight" over and over while pissed.

[Cleon-Fonte]

Where's Purplebargeken offering a swap with a blue AX?

 

EFA.