Mondeo or Avensis for taxi?

Hi Guys,

I need advice on which car of two to buy: 2006 Mondeo 1.8 petrol or a 2006 Avensis 1.6 petrol. It's to be used as a taxi, but that the Avensis is €2,000 dearer to buy. Which car would you opt for and why? Just need help deciding, thanks.

David

David Lee (Gormanston)

Aug 2010 Filed under: taxi

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Expert answer

Hi David,

A quick look at any taxi rank or a chat with any taxi driver will answer this question for you pretty quickly. For any sort of high-mileage, high-intensity task such as taxi driving, then it is probably worth paying that bit extra for the Avensis because long distance drivers swear by them as they are capable of racking up huge mileage and prove themselves to be reliable. 

That is not to say that the Mondeo is a bad choice - they have served Gardai up and down the country for a number of generations now at this stage. However if you are investing your own money, there will be more value in a high-mileage Avensis than there will be in a high-mileage Mondeo. Obviously it would make more sense if either of these were diesel rather than petrol, but I am pretty sure the Avensis will age better and will put up with more abuse than the Ford. 

I hope this helps. 

Complete Car Adviser