While the usual tendency for us is to shy away from “novelty” vehicles, there are actually reasons why one of these would make a great city driver. Much as the Panther-bodied Ford Crown Victoria is a popular car among cabbies and private individuals alike for its durability and endless parts supply, the Austin FX4D was designed to be a cab in a city with narrow, bumpy streets. Gee, that sounds an awful lot like San Francisco, Boston, or New York! Your ultimate city car can be found in this 1966 Austin FX4 taxi for sale in Denair, CA for $3500.
Super-tight turning circle, automatic transmission for the stop and go, and a frugal, durable diesel engine. All that and it can hold six people while being narrow enough for city streets and not as long as a minivan or the aforementioned Crown Vic. This particular car is being sold to benefit a boy with significant medical bills from spinal muscular atrophy, so you can also feel good about buying a classic car! There are some features of this car that make it appear to be later than a 1966, including the lack of “bunny ear” indicators on the roof and rubber overriders on the bumpers.
The car is said to have some light rust, but is generally solid, and seems to have decent luster in the paint. If this is indeed a post-1973 car, it should have a 2.5-liter engine. The seller doesn’t offer much detail on mechanical condition, and the tires are described as “ok”, which, on an occasional-use car like this, probably means good tread but cracked from age.
The interior suggests this might even be a later car. What little you can see of the driver’s seat shows a very 1980s looking pattern, although the gauges look like something from a 1960s MG. And there’s plenty of room in the back seat to get around town with your friends, or haul something back from the shops. All in all, this could be a tough, cheap little city runabout that’s easy to drive and park.
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