since mb forum is the best for advice......

[IFFY100]

could we have a discussion on the easiest vehicle in terms of maintenance, part prices and general robustness. I am looking to replace a taxi vehicle hence the question. currently I have an astra which is OK but not liking the silly prices vauxhall charge for parts and some other stupid shi@ they do, like put the timing chain behind gearbox which needs to be changed around 130k

 

[IFFY100]

oh also would like something with super high profile tyres

 

[ALFAitalia]

I cant think of many cars with cheaper parts than Vauxhall and Ford to be honest............

 

[JHS]

I cant think of many cars with cheaper parts than Vauxhall and Ford to be honest............

Certainly not Mercedes!

 

[IFFY100]

I cant think of many cars with cheaper parts than Vauxhall and Ford to be honest............

brake discs and pads for mer cls 215
same for vaux 320

 

[Petrol Pete]

You want to move your taxi business up from 'mainstream' to Mercedes Benz. Whichever way you look at it there will be extra cost involved using a MB. If you can charge your passengers more for riding in the back of a Merc as opposed to a Skoda/GM, MB probably have a car for you .

It has been said that all Diesel powered 4 door E class that left the factories left as taxi's ....they just didn't know it at the time.

Now if you will excuse me I am going into hiding for a while .

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The answer's parked outside your local railway station, airport, or at your local Uber beck and call.

The boys who do it know what they're doing.

There's always the exception, like the Teslas who do private hire because someone fancies one, and the Mercs who do Corporate stuff, but broadly your competitors are driving the answer for you.

Personally, I'd say that the obvious answer is a Toyota (Auris five door rather than Prius, maybe). The one below did half a million miles in eight years.

But in London it's usually a Prius, in Reading it's usually a dodgy Car/Van hybrid, and at Heathrow it seems to be mainly TX4, Uber and Mercedes.

At the end of the day, you're the one imprisoned in the ruddy thing 50 hours a week so definitely your call

 

[ALFAitalia]

brake discs and pads for mer cls 215
same for vaux 320

A 320 is no taxi!!

The thing is that you get a much bigger choice of aftermarket cheaper parts for the Vauxhall and Ford than you will for Merc......where they like to charge more for a Merc pattern part...just because its for a Mercedes!

 

[ChipChop]

Don't taxi drivers get preferential prices on new hybrid Toyotas nowadays? Mercedes on the other hand seem to be 'going upmarket' with their one (ludicrous) price strategy.

 

[ToeKnee]

First question, is there a age limit from your licencing district in the maximum age of your newer taxi? If it has to be euro 6 try and get one without adblue, it adds to the possible problems. My previous taxi was a Vauxhall Insignia 2014, very reliable but too uncomfortable for me towards the end but I did put quarter million miles on it. Just replaced with a 2019 Mondeo, it's euro6 but without ad blue, so it's compliant for all the current low emission/ cleaner air zones. It's a lot more comfortable than the Vauxhall but the fuel economy is slightly worse. Spare parts for both are numerous and well priced. As you mentioned taxi I assume you're Hackney so probably cannot charge more for your fares to compensate for the higher running costs of a Mercedes. Whatever you buy, good luck.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , where I live on Portugal Mercedes E class Taxis are on the way out being replaced by Skoda Superb Estates.

Reason : Purchase price even with considerable discounts the Mercedes are not competitive.

A friend of mine has a Skoda and at 400,000 km not a single issue.

 

[johnsco]

If you are looking for:
Cheap to buy
Cheap and easy to maintain
Cheap after-market parts.
.......... I'm not really sure that an MB is the car you want.

I used to be a private hire driver.
The company did its own maintenance.
All our cars were Peugeot Estates.
All were bought with high mileage.
Most of our work was contract work, rather than casual-fare work.
All our vehicles were run into the ground and were usually retired after a collision.

A lot depends where you wish to position yourself in the market.

 

[grober]

Dacia Duster

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[Darrell]

Dacia Duster

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Brilliant car. I’ve got one in Greece that has been faultless in 8 years.

 

[Stratman]

Fiat Panda second generation.

 

[tonysmb]

What sort of use, city-based or long-distance such as airport-transfer, how many passengers? How many miles pa.?

 

[IFFY100]

thanks for all the replies. alot of questions asked, so will try my best to answer all.

moving in to the next category, i.e. executive will not bring much benefit to me. I do around 30 hours a week. I do both long and short distance. in terms of comfort, would like chunky tyres and hi suspension. dacia seems a good option actually. prius is good too.

 

[Stratman]

As an unscientific observation, when wandering around French ski resorts there seemed to be quite a lot of Dacia Dusters (French registered) in evidence. Given the French propensity for favouring their own products, I'd say that's quite telling.

 

[fabes]

Prius all day long (speaking to the Uber and taxi firms locally)
Estate one is handy for cruise ship or airport runs.

I can't like them, but I do respect them as a tool for the job.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

As an unscientific observation, when wandering around French ski resorts there seemed to be quite a lot of Dacia Dusters (French registered) in evidence. Given the French propensity for favouring their own products, I'd say that's quite telling.

Dacia is part of Renault through, and is even marketed as the Renault Duster is some markets.