At one time, Oregon Taxi had a big fleet of nothing but Toyota Previas, bought used, repainted and put to hard work. They had their own maintenance building, where one could see parts cars sitting around, as well as new arrivals before they were painted. But the supply of available Previas has obviously begun to dry up, given that the last one was sold in 1997. There’s still quite a few around in Eugene, but in the hands of owners who aren’t likely to give them up. So Oregon taxi has diversified, and when I saw this one the other day, I thought I’d better shoot it in case it’s the last one.
From the replacements, it’s apparent that Oregon Taxi is solidly sold on used Toyotas, of one kind or another. I looked into the dash of this Previa, and it had a bit less than 500k on the odometer. I talked to one of the drivers a while back when I rode in one to the airport, and he said that the Previas typically ran 500-600k miles on them before they were mustered out.
Not ten minutes after taking this shot, I saw another Previa. So this isn’t quite the last one yet, but I didn’t want to take any chances. They will be missed as a fixture from our streets.
their replacements are commendable too, the second gen xb while universally panned is an excellent and reliable vehicle.
I wonder how long the battery packs last in the Gen2 Prius, and how much they cost to replace. I’d assume it’s almost as much as an engine replacement in gas powered car, but I haven’t heard or read much about it. I also wonder if cab companies junk them when the battery packs fail, or if they replace them and keep driving the battered bodyshells for 400K miles.
The Prius seems to be a popular taxi choice just about everywhere these days, and given that many are now 10+ years old and covered in dents, surface rust, have clouded headlights, etc… they obviously have a lot of miles on them and put up with cab duty alright.
Camry hybrids are popular cabs here and to keep Ford out of the taxi business were offered with 300,000 km warranties, how reliable do you want?I also see Hyundai ex taxis for sale quite often diesels with 500,000kms or thereabouts racked up described as running fine. Maybe Oregon taxis should get some Iload vans.
A friend just replaced his battery packs (I think his is a gen2). $2700 was the damage (he got two quotes, the other was for $3100). Pricey, but considering he liked the car and it was in good shape otherwise, it was worth it to him. I can’t argue too much with that logic.
Ouch, they saw him coming, see my comment below for market pricing for a reman (and improved) battery pack and they should not charge more than $200-$250 for install. All told assuming a reasonable parts markup you should get out the door for under $2K.
We have a Gen2 with just 102K miles. There’s an independent Prius specialty garage in San Francisco which has a night shift that works 7 days a week doing only taxi repairs. The owner’s blog is a must read for Prius owners. There are problem areas, like any car, but there are enough high-mileage Gen2 Priuses on the road that parts and knowledge are readily available. One interesting “weakness” is clogging of the battery cooling fan with dirt and hair …. a particular problem for dog owners. So cleaning that out is considered regular PM. But no, I haven’t done that yet. Back to Previas; they are very appealing to me … and a moderately lifted AllTrac SC would be a gear exploration van. And yes, people do lift them.
The battery packs in the 2nd US generation seem to last up to 200-300K mi in regular taxi use. They are relatively cheap to replace with reman packs running between $1000-$1300 wholesale (depending on where you shop) plus a ~$1000 core charge. (My local NAPA shows it in stock for $1389 retail) It is a quick and easy job of not much more than an hour total. So way cheaper than an engine or transmission replacement. So definitely worth putting one in if the vehicle is in otherwise still serviceable shape. Note the reman packs have all new cells and basically just reuse the case and some of the connecting hardware.
There were a lot of ugly mini-vans in the late 80s and 90s. IIRC, these used to be called eggs. GM had the dust busters, Ford had Aerostars, etc. Until they all began to follow the Chrysler mold of conventional design. Sales went up.
Yay dustbusters!
Up here in Canada folks are importing the second-gen Previas from Japan. I’ve seen them on Craigslist. Maybe the taxi folk could import some? Here’s an ad for a 2000 model. A drawback may be that they are of course right-hand drive.
Plenty of used egg shaped Toyota vans for sale here with only a million kms racked up ready for export.
I always admired the Previas. Wacky (though attractive) styling and mid-engine? This is one of the few minivans I would have willingly driven.
What about the next generation Previa ? Is it too big for taxi work ? Always thought the Xb , though cute, is a bit small.
There was only one generation of Previa sold in the US – it was replaced by the Sienna (which gets very little love, despite being a seemingly better vehicle all around).
There was a second generation of Previa elsewhere in the world.
And a third. (Can’t edit my comment, for some reason.)
For what it’s worth from a buyer’s perspective, the 1st gen Sienna seemed good to us but lacked rear headroom, so we got the bigger next gen instead. I suspect one reason for Chrysler’s initial success was, their size is just right for US customers, & Asian competitors had to catch up & abandon their domestic layout.
From what I have heard, I’ll bet that the maintenance shop was not a very fun place to work. My mechanic once dissuaded me from looking at these because they are such a PITA to work on. But, I suppose if work on these is all you do, you get pretty good at it.
Around here almost all the cabs are 2000-2007 Dodge vans.
Our taxi company has an eclectic fleet. Off hand, I can think of an early 2000s Avalon, a first generation Hyundai Santa Fe, a Ford Aerostar (With a 5 speed), a Lexus LS400, a Grand Caravan, and a Buick Skylark.
Though not pretty, I imagine that the Previa would be a pretty sound choice. Of course, I’d rather ride in a Panther.
An eclectic fleet – where is that? Our town has a random selection of Dodge/Chrysler minivans, an Astro and Sienna or two, a few old Crown Vics and several W123 diesels. The newest cabs I see here are Scion XB’s, I think. No Prius or Escape/Camry/Fusion/Altima hybrids like in the big city.
W123s still running as taxis? Wow, that’s rather remarkable to see a 30 year old car still in revenue service. But, if your area doesn’t have rules on what can or cannot be a taxi, there’s no reason I suppose why a small operator could not make those his vehicle of choice. There was a rather large fleet in Greensboro, NC, where I grew up, that used 1980 Dodge Aspens well into the mid 90’s, and I suppose a 15 year old Aspen and a 30 year old W123 might be similar from a repairs standpoint…
I also had an early 90’s Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine as a taxi in Raleigh, NC in 2012. Fares were the same as a “regular” taxi, this one just happened to be a former limo. Just the thing if you have a large group to split the fare!
Around here in Richmond there are a LOT of Prii and a LOT of ex-police Crown Vics. Some minivans of various makes as well. But Uber is taking off in a major way here, cutting into the “tradtional” cab market.
I’m in Santa Cruz, California. Sort of like Eugene on the coast. The W123’s (at least two, one sedan, one wagon) are self-styled “green” bio diesels. They live a block away from me and I hear them clatter by regularly, and see them all over town. http://www.gogreencabsc.com
We’re in Northwestern Wyoming. Our town has no rules that I’m aware of- you could probably use a coupe here if you wanted.
Strangely, there are no ex-police taxis here. Our town is small, though, so there are only two taxi companies, both of which are pretty small.
Still, though, a Skylark has to be a bit of a left-field choice for a taxi.
I was once stuck in Lovell for two weeks. Beautiful area, with the Bighorn Canyon as a little known gem.
We live about 30 minutes from Lovell. Everyone loves Yellowstone, but I actually prefer the Big Horn Mountains. It’s a very beautiful area for sure!
I have not liked Toyota anything since 1986. They can just stop making toasters and disappear.
Not very likely to happen, eh?
And just out of curiosity, what was the big change in 1986?
86? I bought a well used 71 4 speed Corona sedan and was quite impressed with how well it went and just kept going. I dont see Toyota disappearing in my lifetime they are just too good at what they do.
I’m guessing the Celica’s switch to front wheel drive.
There’s a guy in town with the nick “Previa Guy” named Scary Gary. He’s the go-to guy for Oregon Taxi and others. He has a shop over by Wal Mart on West 11th. I’m guessing there are quite a few more of these around still in use than you think. I spent quite a bit of time over there recently and learned a lot. They routinely break 500k miles in livery use without that much repair needed. I want another 5 speed Previa!
This generation Toyota Previa is an awesome vehicle for use as a taxi cab. I got to ride in one while I was visiting England several years ago. I was more than disappointed when Toyota discontinued the Previa.
It’s not common as a taxi here but I suspect it makes a god one. Lots of seats and space, Toyota dependability and decent performance.
I really think off-the-shelf minivans should’ve been allowed to displace the old “Black Cab” by 1990 or so.
Here in Toronto the Camry (with both hybrid and conventional drivetrains) has become quite a common sight as a taxi. Since the Panthers went out of production, there’s quite a variety of different vehicles pulling taxi duty, including Impalas, Altimas, Buick Allures, Chrysler 300’s and minivans…the list goes on. I’m not surprised to see the Previa still in service – Toyotas pull the same and tougher duty around the world.
I’d buy a Toyota Previa if I could find one in decent condition. I’ve always liked the 1991-96 Toyota Previa.
Paul, are the Ford Hybrids popular in Eugene for Taxi use?
No. I don’t remember ever seeing one. The only Fords are a few CVs, and they’re getting thin on the ground.
I’s think a lighter color would be wiser to make cooling it easier .
L.A… is jammed with Prius’ these days , apparently they’re near indestructible in Livery Service .
There were several places buying the wrecked ones and assembling good used ‘rebuilt’ batteries out of them .
! TAXI TAXI ! in Sta. Monica ran a fleet of Mercedes Diesels until fairly recently , W-123’s and W-126’s as they’re cheap to buy and simple / cheap to maintain .
-Nate
Yeah, I always think it’s stupid when I see a dark coloured Prius. You want to be ‘green’, yet you waste energy cooling a dark-coloured car?
Actually, body color plays a very small role in what heats up an interior. It’s mostly how much sun comes in, and all modern cars with their steeply sloped windshields and side windows are quite bad. Of course glass is treated to minimize that. And the interior color also plays a bigger role than the exterior color, and most Prii do tend towards lighter interior colors, FWIW.
Interior is more important than exterior. I have a Dodge Dakota and a Chevrolet R10 with basically the same exterior color. The Dodge has a tan interior, and the Chevrolet a dark red one. The Dodge is always much cooler inside.
There was a Lincoln Town Car L (long wheel base) on CL the other day, had been in black car service, had over 500,000 miles on it. I would be curious to drive a really high mileage TC just to see how it behaves. Every cab I’ve ridden is seems to be ready to fall apart, and the drivers seem to be spastic…abrupt lane changes, hard braking at the last minute, etc.
Are these taxis painted black or dark green and is that a name on the Previa’s front fender? Could be amusing to buy an Oregon Taxi Previa and keep the graphic on it. Sure is an odd choice for a taxi since I assume Astros and Aerostars would be more durable as well as easy to work on. I doubt I will ever see one of these in Portland though I did see a Radio Cab at Timberline Lodge once.
I wish I had taken taxi photos when in New Orleans in 2008 since I saw a mid-90s Caprice, Suburban, and some late 80s Town Cars among other oddities still in service. Even saw at least one 91-95 Caravan. Until then I was used to New York City and its strict Taxi rules or rust eating away the oldest of cars.
Yes. And it says “Blessings”, so I doubt it’s a name.
I think it’s a very good choice, as these Previas have a rep for being extremely durable. They’re inevitably good for 500-600k miles without a major drive train issue.
The Ford Aerostar? That van had a very iffy rep. The Astrovan was mostly pretty rugged, although it got perpetual black circles in CR.
Did you get the e-mail I sent you? I’m trying to get in touch with you.