Buying an ex-private hire vehicle
Discussion
Am looking to buy an 11 month old Peugeot 5008 which has 5,000 miles on the clock. Paid a small refundable holding deposit and looking at it physically in the next few days with intention of driving it away if all appears fine.
I did the full vcheck online car check and it has returned a positive in the "ex-Taxi" bit of the search. I have checked online the relevant district council list and the plate appears registered as a "private hire vehicle". I need to speak to the dealer to ask what they know about this, but should this raise any general concerns?
Clearly still very new, 2 years and a month on the manufacturer's warranty, the used/approved dealer intends to do its first service this week. The mileage is low - hopefully the car so new that clocking risk is minimal. I guess the 5,000 miles could be made up of lots and lots of short journeys but the wear inside the car appears very minimal/non-existent based on pictures/videos and dealer says it's immaculate....
I did the full vcheck online car check and it has returned a positive in the "ex-Taxi" bit of the search. I have checked online the relevant district council list and the plate appears registered as a "private hire vehicle". I need to speak to the dealer to ask what they know about this, but should this raise any general concerns?
Clearly still very new, 2 years and a month on the manufacturer's warranty, the used/approved dealer intends to do its first service this week. The mileage is low - hopefully the car so new that clocking risk is minimal. I guess the 5,000 miles could be made up of lots and lots of short journeys but the wear inside the car appears very minimal/non-existent based on pictures/videos and dealer says it's immaculate....
I would be astonished if a taxi has only done 5k in 11 months.
Id be getting a software check done to confirm the mileage hasnt been medled with.
Easier still, buy another one from else where. Not exactly a rare car.
Plenty of folk wouldnt run the check you did and would have bought the car blissfully unaware of its history.
Id be getting a software check done to confirm the mileage hasnt been medled with.
Easier still, buy another one from else where. Not exactly a rare car.
Plenty of folk wouldnt run the check you did and would have bought the car blissfully unaware of its history.
As Terzo123 says, find another one.
Hard to believe an ex Taxi would have only done just over 100 miles per week.
Most people would assume it's been clocked, even if it hasn't.
And if you don't gel with the car and want to sell it anytime soon you'll have the bother of trying to sell a late car that's been a Taxi.
Most dealers will simply say "sorry, not for me" if you offer them that car.
If you do go ahead, take a look at the date stamps on all the tyres, do they match?
At 5,000 miles I'd expect the front tyres to be original unless they've been very unlucky with punctures.
Hard to believe an ex Taxi would have only done just over 100 miles per week.
Most people would assume it's been clocked, even if it hasn't.
And if you don't gel with the car and want to sell it anytime soon you'll have the bother of trying to sell a late car that's been a Taxi.
Most dealers will simply say "sorry, not for me" if you offer them that car.
If you do go ahead, take a look at the date stamps on all the tyres, do they match?
At 5,000 miles I'd expect the front tyres to be original unless they've been very unlucky with punctures.
Edited by Trevor555 on Monday 4th July 15:13
Edited by Trevor555 on Monday 4th July 15:22
Definitely an odd one, isn't it?
I would definitely check the date stamp on the tyres as suggested, but it is difficult to understand how a private hire car/taxi would have such a low mileage.
The only thing I could think of is whether the previous owner tried Uber and didn't like it/didn't make enough money/got a better job/whatever.
I believe that, in those circumstances, they would have to register the vehicle for Private Hire with the local authority (and themselves as a driver). It might be worth checking out whether Uber is active in that area.
Is it really cheap?
I would definitely check the date stamp on the tyres as suggested, but it is difficult to understand how a private hire car/taxi would have such a low mileage.
The only thing I could think of is whether the previous owner tried Uber and didn't like it/didn't make enough money/got a better job/whatever.
I believe that, in those circumstances, they would have to register the vehicle for Private Hire with the local authority (and themselves as a driver). It might be worth checking out whether Uber is active in that area.
Is it really cheap?
It's not really cheap, a "great price" on auto trader but in the ballpark i.e. the same price as almost identical options.
The uber point did occur to me so I looked at the relevant district council's licence list and the name registered against this car is against approximately 20% of the licences they have issued for the current period, so looks like a taxi/private hire company.
I've spoken to the dealership but they're just giving me the usual waffle, V5 won't show x or y, and don't really have an answer to the potential sting in the tail if I tried to sell it in a few years. Tyres aside they're standing behind the condition that's apparently consistent with a car with only 5k on the clock, and are saying they don't think it can have been used as a taxi. All a bit odd.
"Car owned by taxi company and registered as part of a fleet of taxis with council licence directory is not a taxi" requires a lot of blind faith doesn't it...
The uber point did occur to me so I looked at the relevant district council's licence list and the name registered against this car is against approximately 20% of the licences they have issued for the current period, so looks like a taxi/private hire company.
I've spoken to the dealership but they're just giving me the usual waffle, V5 won't show x or y, and don't really have an answer to the potential sting in the tail if I tried to sell it in a few years. Tyres aside they're standing behind the condition that's apparently consistent with a car with only 5k on the clock, and are saying they don't think it can have been used as a taxi. All a bit odd.
"Car owned by taxi company and registered as part of a fleet of taxis with council licence directory is not a taxi" requires a lot of blind faith doesn't it...
Be careful, I know some companies, Ford used to be one, would void the warranty if the vehicle was registered for PH.
That might have changed in later years.
No company or self employed driver would make a living on 5k miles in 11 months, so either it has been adjusted or it was registered as a PH vehicle but maybe for the personal use of one of the owners, for example, and run through the business for tax purposes.
A genuine PH vehicle would probably need to do around 40k miles or so a year at least to pay its way, and most of that would probably be shorter journeys around the local area with the subsequent wear and tear associated with that mileage and type of driving.
Many will do much more than that, sometimes worked 24/7 with more than one driver.
That might have changed in later years.
No company or self employed driver would make a living on 5k miles in 11 months, so either it has been adjusted or it was registered as a PH vehicle but maybe for the personal use of one of the owners, for example, and run through the business for tax purposes.
A genuine PH vehicle would probably need to do around 40k miles or so a year at least to pay its way, and most of that would probably be shorter journeys around the local area with the subsequent wear and tear associated with that mileage and type of driving.
Many will do much more than that, sometimes worked 24/7 with more than one driver.
Im not saying it will be the case with this car, but unscrupulous folk will sign up for a cheap deal on a car, use it as a taxi., then give it a hair cut and trade it in prior to it requiring its annual taxi test. That way the mileage is never logged and they never have to service it.
As folk above have said, tyres may be a giveaway. Also a check of the ECU to see if its been messed with.
As folk above have said, tyres may be a giveaway. Also a check of the ECU to see if its been messed with.
Tommy1000 said:
I've spoken to the dealership but they're just giving me the usual waffle, V5 won't show x or y, and don't really have an answer to the potential sting in the tail if I tried to sell it in a few years. Tyres aside they're standing behind the condition that's apparently consistent with a car with only 5k on the clock, and are saying they don't think it can have been used as a taxi. All a bit odd.
Sounds like a right load of waffle, get it in writing/email before you take delivery of it....Condition of a car with 5k, and 20k, isn't that easy to tell apart even for an expert buyer. The interior probably won't show a difference.
You need to have a look underneath, and at the engine. Compare them with another 5008 with only 5,000 miles. New engines start off shiny, and start to lose that shine with use, compare them.
Subframes/wishbones can corrode quite quickly on modern cars nowadays, they can be a good indicator of a car's usage when comparing with another.
And on the point they've not commented on, resale of an ex taxi?
Trust me, you'll have trouble unless you don't declare it.
But the used car purchase invoices that dealers use will ask the question "has it been a Taxi, or used as a private hire vehicle?" And you'll have to sign it.
Unless this car is a bargain, and you intend to keep it for a long time, avoid.
Look at question H below, pretty standard used car purchase invoice.
Edited by Trevor555 on Monday 4th July 17:31
If it was me I wouldn't trust the mileage at all on the car as its been registered as Private Hire.
I would be convinced it's been used for 12 months and clocked back before sale by a previous owner.
Also if I was the next buyer after yourself OP I wouldn't buy it either knowing its been a private hire before
I would be convinced it's been used for 12 months and clocked back before sale by a previous owner.
Also if I was the next buyer after yourself OP I wouldn't buy it either knowing its been a private hire before
I know someone who purchased a nearly new BMW a couple of years back. They sold it to one of the online car buyers last year who did a check and it showed as a taxi. This was raised with BMW and it turns out it was an ex rental car that had been lent to an Uber driver for a few weeks as an accident replacement who in tern licensed it to work.
BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
South tdf said:
I know someone who purchased a nearly new BMW a couple of years back. They sold it to one of the online car buyers last year who did a check and it showed as a taxi. This was raised with BMW and it turns out it was an ex rental car that had been lent to an Uber driver for a few weeks as an accident replacement who in tern licensed it to work.
BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
Happens all the time. Especially with lease cars. No leasing company will touch taxis or Private Hire for obvious reasons. Big city councils do all the paperwork checks - V5c, MOT, insurance, Taxi Test, and issue a plate. They don't care if it's leased rented or whatever. They don't even see the car. Let's just say that one man leases a five series through his restaurant and his cousin who just happens to be an Uber driver...you can guess the rest. And lots of Private Hire cars are plated well away from where they operate. PH vehicles can operate anywhere in the country. So a lot of Wolverhampton plated PH Ubers are in Bristol, London, Manchester...BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
South tdf said:
I know someone who purchased a nearly new BMW a couple of years back. They sold it to one of the online car buyers last year who did a check and it showed as a taxi. This was raised with BMW and it turns out it was an ex rental car that had been lent to an Uber driver for a few weeks as an accident replacement who in tern licensed it to work.
BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
Thanks for posting that, not something I'd have thought of.BMW did the right thing and made up the loss of value.
Learn something everyday on here.
I bought a proper cheap Lancer estate from BCA Notts a while back, sold as an ex taxi, but in near mint condition. May explain that one.
Register1 said:
I dont get the bit about checking the tyre date stamps
There are 4 numbers on all tyres , first two are the week in the year of manufacture, second two are the year of manufacture. My parents viewed a 6 month old Citroen c1 with bald tyres at 2000 miles - I didn’t check the dates of the tyres at the time but in that example someone had either done burnouts every day or it had been clocked. Obviously we walked.
Register1 said:
South tdf said:
Register1 said:
I dont get the bit about checking the tyre date stamps
A car with 5000 miles should have the original tyres.5k car should be on original tyres, made before its registered.
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