Oldest Working Taxi

[warren t claim]

2 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

As far as I’m aware, you can import ANYTHING into the US that’s more than 25 years old.

Send it to me.  I’m pretty sure I can find a redneck mechanic who can drop an LS engine into it! 

The brakes, and especially the bespoke taxi tyres, can barely cope with the limited power the cab left the factory with. As I'm sure I've mentioned elsewhere on here, I've been a passenger in a Fairway that'd had the pump cranked up that was showing 105mph and that was very scary indeed! The whole cab was shaking itself to death while leaving a trail of black smoke that would shame a Detroit Diesel powered truck.

The best way to get a TX into America is to source a pre 2000 logbook and I'll provide an 18 year old TX2 with no running gear for weighbridge money.

[Brigsy]

Taxi with bm diesel power from memory. Good for the burnouts

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1MsaKnZR8S/

 

[trigger]

I was following this today, a 20 year Merc E320 CDi with over 260k seemed pretty appropriate for this thread

[warren t claim]

 

[Dyslexic Viking]

For many years possibly in to the 2000s this worked the streets of Oslo. It had a mileage of well over 1 million km and the whole car had been rebuilt several times. 

 

From 2018 and the owner unfortunately had a stroke and crashed it.

Quote

Dad, born 17/10-27, is alive and well, despite two strokes and a slightly weakened physique. The first stroke caused him to drive straight into a buffer at a toll booth, where he himself was injured and the car, the green one in one of the pictures, was a total wreck. He lives at Torstadtunet in Asker now.

 

Torstadtunet is a nursing home. And unfortunately I can't find out exactly what year it stopped being worked as a taxi.

[DavidT]

We still have a fair amount of old cars working as taxis in the Wigan area 

[cms206]

No picture sadly but plying for trade outside Rochdale station this morning was S474 AGJ - a 1.8 petrol Toyota Avensis saloon on Rochdale taxi plates... doing well at 487k miles!

[Lord Sterling]

On 27/11/2025 at 12:28, cms206 said:

No picture sadly but plying for trade outside Rochdale station this morning was S474 AGJ - a 1.8 petrol Toyota Avensis saloon on Rochdale taxi plates... doing well at 487k miles!

@warren t claim stuck up a video earlier of it. Although its a video presented by a YouTuber who was sent a video of the car still plying its trade.

On 08/07/2025 at 23:40, warren t claim said:

[Lord Sterling]

Now, this isn't the oldest vehicle, but it is an unusual one. A plated BMW 330d;

This was actually spotted by @Imhotep on my road when we were walking about.

I can't think of anything that is the least appropriate vehicle to be using as a cab unless he does long/airport runs. Not CAZ/ULEZ compliant and certainly not exactly very economical. But, each to their own.

[Knotty Ash Towers]

5 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

Now, this isn't the oldest vehicle, but it is an unusual one. A plated BMW 330d;

This was actually spotted by @Imhotep on my road when we were walking about.

I can't think of anything that is the least appropriate vehicle to be using as a cab unless he does long/airport runs. Not CAZ/ULEZ compliant and certainly not exactly very economical. But, each to their own.

Someone in my neck of the woods uses a Toyota Yaris as a taxi, which seems even worse, especially for those of us who are over 6ft tall...

[colino]

Aren't there rules in those areas for suitable vehicles?  I can't remember if it was the Vectra or the Mondeo that was initially banned by Inverclyde council as the taxi inspector must have used a worn out tape when he first measured it and declared the rear seating area insufficient.

Two responses to a driver if they turned up in a city car.  Either FRO, or if in a hurry, take the ride and give half the fare for turning up in half a car