• Why should I buy an ex-London taxi as opposed to one that comes from anywhere else? Most taxis begin their working life in London an owner driven cab. As they get older and therefore cheaper they go to work in the provinces for the last few years of their working lives. It is generally accepted that the testing regime in London is more thorough, leading to better maintenance standards.

• Why shouldn't I buy one of the cheap cabs from Ebay? We sell between 50 and 100 cabs a year. We know about cabs, it's what we do. We are a UK Limited company with a reputation to keep. The days of buying a taxi from the side of the road are long gone.

• Where abouts in the UK are Elite London Taxis Ltd? We are based in North-East London close to the M25, A406 and the M11. We are in close proximity to most of the major airports serving London. We are 15 minutes from London City Airport, 30 minutes from London Stansted, 50 minutes from Luton, 60 minutes from Gatwick and 80 minutes from Heathrow.

• What is the nearest station? The nearest station is Redbridge on the Central Line. This is only 20 minutes from the City of London and 30 minutes from the West End. Call us from Redbridge and we will pick you up in our London Cab!!

• What sort of condition are these vehicles in? Before you buy an ex-London cab you should bear in mind one thing - the vehicle that you are buying has been driven for around 50 and 150 miles every day for the majority of it's working life. It will also be between 10 and 15 years old so you can do the maths for yourself - it will have covered 'starship' mileage.

However, on a positive note the owner driver who owned it will also have expected to get into the taxi every morning and go to work - so it will almost certainly have been very well maintained during it's working life.

• Won't they be terribly rusty? Not usually. There might be places on the underneath and boot of the cab that have been repaired in the past, but they will not be 'full of holes.' However there might ne the odd rust spot on the body. Any really poor areas on the body of the cab will be usually be mentioned in the description and an allowance will usually be made in the sales price.

• What different models do you sell? These days we normally only sell LTI Fairway and Fairway Driver taxi. These cabs have the benefit of the 'bullet proof' Nissan engine. We can also supply Series I, II and III Metro cabs.

• What can you tell me about the different models? The 'Fairway' taxi is the standard shape London taxi. It has the fantastic Nissan engine coupled with a 3 speed auto gearbox with overdrive. Drum brakes front and rear, power steering, electric mirrors and central locking. This model finished in mid 1992 and was replaced with the 'Fairway Driver' taxi The newer model which was produced until late 1998 is basically the same as the 'Fairway' taxi but with the advantage of uprated front suspension and with front disc brakes replacing the front drums.

• What about the different types of engine? The 'Fairway' and 'Fairway Driver models both have the very durable 2.7 Nissan engine.

• Will I get a manual gearbox? Most of the taxis we sell will have an automatic gearbox. This is mainly because all of the taxis we sell are ex-London and London drivers prefer an auto gearbox.

• Can I have my taxi re-sprayed in a different colour for advertising purposes? Yes, although this might add  another £1,000 to the price.

• What insurance group are taxis? Taxis will be around Insurance Group 4.

• Who can give me a quote for my taxi? You can try CSI (Co-Operative Insurance Services) or Tesco Insurance or Norwich Union. You will have to phone rather than use the website quote system. Be sure to explain that you want to use the taxi for private driving.

• How often do taxis need to be serviced? Around every 6000 miles.

• Will it be expensive? No, A basic service should cost around £35.00.

• Where can I get spares from? You could try the Taxi-Mart Shop

• Are second hand taxi parts easy to find? This shouldn't be a problem especially around London or any of the other major cities. Try Steve on: 020 8764 3242 for cheap second hand parts Email: graham@taxismartok@freeserve.co.uk.

• How reliable will these used taxis be? They should be very reliable if you are only using your taxi as a run around. Don't forget these taxis are used to driving 100 plus miles a day around the streets of London.

• How fast do they go? The Fairway and Fairway Driver taxis will reach around 70 - 75ph.

• What is the average fuel consumption? Around town they will do about 25 to 30 mpg. On a run they will average about 30 to 35 mpg.

• Are all of the taxis wheelchair accessible? Yes

• What is the maximum number of passengers? Five in the rear compartment. Although some people add a tip-up seat in the front luggage area.

• Do taxis have seatbelts? Yes, FX4's and FX4 Plus' have 4 in the back, Fairways have 5 in the back. All drivers seats have seatbelts.

• What sort of mileage will an old taxi have clocked up? This is a difficult one. Most odometers on these taxis stop on or around 100,000 miles some are replaced some are not. There is no legal requirement to keep a check on vehicle mileage in the UK Will you be able to take my old car in part exchange? No, we only buy and sell taxis.

• What age are the oldest taxis that you sell? The oldest taxis that we sell are usually from 1986 or 1987.

• Can you change the paperwork to make a taxi appear older than it actually is? No.

• Can we advertise our taxi on your site? No, but you can on our sister site at: www.taxi-mart.co.uk 

• If the taxi has adverts on the sides what will the paint work be like underneath? The sides will almost certainly need painting afterwards as the adverts are ripped off and changed every 4 months or so.

• Will it fit in my garage? The dimensions of an FX4 or Fairway are: Height: 1.765m Width: 1.750m Length: 4.558m Weight: 1.650kg

• How big is the boot (trunk)? Pretty small. Just enough for a set of golf clubs.

• Do any taxis have a service history? Not generally, although some of the newer ones do.

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