spope

Hello all.
I'm kinda curious to know if anyone has owned or currently owns and ex-taxi Falcon. Any problems in terms of reliability or anything?
I was looking at getting one before deciding against and getting my current EA.
I had seen an EF advertised for $4000. No idea how many kms it had done. They seem like a reasonable deal though, full leather, air-con, auto, duel-fuel, etc. Although you'd have to get it resprayed, probably need to replace the dash, and it would take you ages to get it clean. And you'd probably be up for a new engine and new gearbox before all too long, because rebuilds will only take you so far, especially considering most of them would have 1,000,000+ kms on them.
I'm just interested, and wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

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EA GL-Ghia pseudo operator
3.9 MPFI converted 4 speed
2.5 inch exhaust
NC Ghia interior (except rear trims)
Fairmont audio (with 4 speakers)
Cruise control
S-pac cluster with white dials
Trip computer and Fairmont interior lighting.
Half wired Ghia BCM.

barry_v

make good fuel for the fire.

full leather - Ill bet my right nut its ****ed
air-con - will need regas and rebuild
auto - well, its got 3rd gear
duel-fuel - gas no longer in date

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1992 DC LTD 5.0
Duel exhaust, Genie extractors, Ported E7 heads, ported lower HO inlet, 70mm maf, Underdrive Pullies

John_xr6

im guessing it probably got full vinyl.
ive seen EL ex cabs in the trading post for $3000 recently.
these arnt worth it considering what you can pick up from the auctions these days.

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1994 COBALT BLUE ED FAIRMONT GHIA
Next Mod - T5 Manual Conversion
Pics Here

FalconIV

If you want an ex taxi EF, you should be able to get them cheaper than that. Carpoint has some for 3300 ish and ive seen one for 2800. Reliability is really a variable .

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Broken diffs, burnt out clutches, rusted shells. Yep, were in Kingswood Country.

docomo

It's not the point whether the car goes or not, it's the point whether it's safe or not. I would rather worry about their chassis integrity, with so many ks on the clock, the chassis may develope fracture / cracks along stressed area (especially around the mounting point of the strut towers) due to metal fatigue. Pay specially attention on the chassis as you can't really repair that, while most of the driveline components are servicable.

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EFFalcon

you said full leather, i'm assuming its actually vinyl?
should be able to get them cheaper then that, i've seen AU ex taxi's for about $4k :/

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1995 EF II Falcon GLi: Heritage Green, 4spd Auto, AUII 17" Rims, Custom BA Front Bar, Lowered, Gas Research LPG, Clear Indicators, JVC MP3 Headunit, Phoenix Gold 6.5" Splits, Coustic 481QE Amp, Clarion 12" sub, Leather Seats, Power Window Conversion, 3.45 LSD, Pacemaker Comp Extractors, 2.5" Exhaust, Mandrel Bent Intake, High Flow Filter, Wade 1004 110 cam.

In Progress: BA XR Side Skirts, BA XR Rear bar, BA Shifter Handle.

RaceCraft

I got one, although i'm biased as I manged 20 cabs for a crust

IMO you are getting a better car than one that has done 200k privately

They are reliable as taxis have an income.. They make nothing when they are broken so most owners keep them in good working order..In Qld anyhow every taxi must pass a 6 monthly inspection at a Main Roads station.. These inspections are more involved than your standard RWC..
You will usually find that the suspension has been rebushed (usually with neoprene units), large trans coolers fitted and LPG, new shockies and ball joints, tie rods etc, steeering rack, the diff and transmission have usually be reco'd

The real trick is to buy one from an owner driver as most have pride in their cars or one that has recently passed its machinery inspection..

Most cheaper cars over 150k need panel repairs or a respray anyhow so that doesn't come into it as far as im concerned.. The interiors on the Fords are VERY VERY durable, nothing a good clean can't fix.. The motors are tired but being on LPG nearly all their lives does minimal damage to the bottom end
750 000 klms on LPG = 250 000 on PULP as far as engine wear goes

It depends on what you want to do to it when you get your car.. If you want to trick the motor, respray it and mod the suspension why not pay less for the car in the first place

Here's a piccie of mine


and the link to my thread about it
Click here


Mine goes like a winner, not a rocket but all up on the road for less than $2k (i painted it myself) i couldn't get a clapped out XF for that

spope

That's an interesting point you make about owner-drivers, I'd never really thought about it.
We have two contracted drivers at work and they take damn good care of their vehicles, cause if they break, they have no income. I guess the same would apply to taxi-drivers.
And I had no idea about the Queensland regs, that seems like a damn good idea. Wish they'd introduce regular roadworthies down here.
Thanks for everyones responses, gives me something to think about while I fix up the EA. :)

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EA GL-Ghia pseudo operator
3.9 MPFI converted 4 speed
2.5 inch exhaust
NC Ghia interior (except rear trims)
Fairmont audio (with 4 speakers)
Cruise control
S-pac cluster with white dials
Trip computer and Fairmont interior lighting.
Half wired Ghia BCM.

psycho chicken

But on the other hand, what do they do when they simply become too shagged to be worth the money? Sell them is my bet.

RaceCraft

Nope.. it is legisation that determines when you sell or upgrade.. In Qld for example a taxi cannot be more than 6 years old.. 6 years form the complience date and the car must be retired..It is an aesthitic issue for tourism more so than anything to do with reliablity.. Lucky it is like that too otherwise the cities would be full of XF's