DOTS: Stick shift Jetta taxi cab

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 06/02/2017 at 16:53 • Filed to: Wut?

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This crazy person has been using a stick shift Jetta for a taxi for three or four years. I can’t imagine what his running costs must be.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 16:57

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Manual VWs (well VAG cars like Skoda and Seat too) have been the taxi of choice for years here. The Jetta (Bora) wasn’t well liked here but I’ve still seen the odd one used as a taxi.

jkm7680 > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 16:59

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Probably not that bad if it isn’t a 1.8t.

There’s a couple Sportwagon cabs in DC. I wouldn’t make any new VW a service vehicle though, or buy a new VW regardless. Unless it’s a GTI or Atlas.

Ash78, voting early and often > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 17:07

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If anyone has to sit in the back seat, he has to pay them. So not a winning proposition.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 17:17

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They probably have a day job and run the car as a cab on the side just to keep the car on the road.

shop-teacher > jkm7680 06/02/2017 at 17:27

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Don’t forget, he probably spends a grand a year on window regulators.

shop-teacher > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/02/2017 at 17:28

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I don’t think so. I see him running around at all times of day

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 17:36

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Judging from the duct tape repairs I’d say pretty low.

Cé hé sin > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 17:36

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Well, taxi drivers here often use the Skoda Octavia which is mechanically similar and they seem to have sufficiently low running costs to make them viable so the answer is....low.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 06/02/2017 at 17:39

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Taxi drivers here often use the Skoda Octavia, mechanically identical to the Golf and its derivatives, and they seem to find them satisfactory.

fryguy > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 17:50

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First gear, it’s all right

Second gear, I’ll lean right

Third gear, hang on tight.

(Thank you to The Beach Boys)

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 18:19

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Aside from the even-present Tsurus and Versas, this looks like it could be a Mexican taxi. So many VWs down there.

Leon711 > jkm7680 06/02/2017 at 18:47

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Extremely common to see Euro Passat, Skoda Superb, Octavia and Rapid taxis in the UK, run to hundreds of thousands of miles with little issue.

shop-teacher > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/02/2017 at 19:10

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Notice the name of the cab company is Rivera’s.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 06/02/2017 at 19:16

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I also notice that ultra classy duct tape repair job.

In Mexico all the taxis are manuals, too. You just don’t see that here.

shop-teacher > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 06/02/2017 at 19:34

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The duct tape is new. It was fully in tact every time I saw it before today.

The stick shift part I find almost as amazing as using a Jetta for a taxi in the land of the free and the home of the Panther platform.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 06/03/2017 at 01:03

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A manual is odd here, no doubt, but in a lot of the country really random cars are used as taxis these days since the Panther platform went out of production almost 6 years ago. I could probably make a whole post on just pictures of random taxis seen in this area (if I ever noticed them enough to take photos).