Hi Scotty,
I am from Ireland. I am looking for almost 5 years old used car. My purpose is driving car as a Taxi. I am looking for best reliable, automatic and cheap on fuel car.
Would you please suggest me 2 or 3 options? It could be in diesel, petrol & hybrid.
Many Thanks
Alif
What are the options available in your area?
2014-2016 Toyota Corolla is almost perfect for you. Gets 40mpg, reliable, and affordable. Maybe a Honda Civic as well. Since its a taxi you might want practicality so you might want a hatchback I think they have the Toyota Auris in Europe
In Washington DC, Toyota Prius are very popular for cabs (and Uber), Though not right hand drive! Fortunately in Japan they drive on the "other" side of the road. Nothing gets great city mileage like a hybrid. How much does gas cost in Ireland these days?
It's about 1.45€ ($1.70) per liter.
I would chime in on a Prius also, though it's not a car I would normally want or recommend. Perfect for city taxi service though. Taxi companies in New York City are expert at figuring cost per mile and at least the last time I was up there a few years back the Prius was a very visible part of the taxi fleet.
Of course go back a few decades and nothing could beat a Checker cab! :silly:
Hi Alif, good to see a fellow Paddy around these parts.
As has been mentioned, a Corolla is never a bad call, but I will list a few other options below.
Petrol:
Toyota Avensis (larger and roomier than the Corolla with expected reliability)
Honda Civic Sedan (marginally more luxurious than the Corolla, avoid the smaller 1.2 turbocharged engine, stick to the 1.8 or 2.0)
Diesel:
Either of the above can be obtained with a diesel engine but they are usually quite small and underpowered
VW Jetta (Corolla, Civic size. VW diesels are tremendously reliable, the Jetta isn't specced ridiculously high either so very little overengineerd junk)
VW Passat (Large, reliable and 50mpg+ with the 2.0L Tdi engine, watch out for the electronic parking brake though then can cause headaches)
Hybrid.
Toyota Prius
Toyota Camry 2019+ ( these are great, basically a Lexus in terms of comfort, but pricey)
EDIT: Forgot to add the 2009-2015 Honda Accord, they're super rare in Ireland but the 2.2 Diesel iDTEC and the 2.0 VTEC petrol are your best bet here
Here in Toronto, we have lots of Camry Taxis and some Lexus ES here and there, so those would be great picks.
