Axxess Taxi Driver

[taxidriver]

Hello All,

I've been driving a series of 1990-95 Nissan Axxess minivans as taxis since last July in a small town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The more I drive 'em, the more I like 'em. There is no forum for the Axxess, and a search revealed a lot of laughs and derision. Spend ten hours sitting in the average car and Robaxicet won't cut it. You'll be ready for spinal surgery. No so in an Axxess.

Our customers love them, especially the older ones who have trouble getting in and out of most cars. We have handles bolted to some of the front passenger side pillars to make it extra easy for the old folks. The back fits most walkers unfolded, and a folded wheelchair or luggage with ease.

The Axxess vans have been unbelievably reliable in some of the harshest driving conditions I have ever seen. Lots of animals, and about 10 feet of rain each year which downs trees, power lines, and washes out roads. There is a sawmill in town, which means logging trucks. Potholes you can hide bodies in and in winter it's either plenty of black ice on 12% grades or 3-6 feet of snow in a single day.

I have floated 1/2 mile downriver in an Axxess when I got caught in a narrow valley during a rainstorm. I had water up to the door handles and it still didn't quit. When the wheels touched again I drove out like nothing happened.

I've made it 16 miles to the hospital through two feet of heavy wet snow over slick ice. On a cliff face. In an Axxess. In two feet of snow in a car that small your *minimum* speed is ~25mph, even in hairpin curves, switchback hill climbs and narrow twisty lanes, of which we have plenty around here. Stop and you're stuck. It was white knuckles all the way and the most fun I've had at work in years. I drove 17 hours straight that day. Our local ambulance went off a (small) cliff and was hung on a tree. Every other taxi was buried or stuck.

Oh man.... the stories I can tell about these little bitty hunks of junk. I don't think one of them has less than 1/2 million miles on. We just got a "new" one with 75,000 miles for $2,000. It's a beauty. One of the rare Canadian models with both air conditioning and the folding third-row kiddie seats.

Looks like I'll be doing some work on these old beasts. We've got four running, a dozen or so including the "retired" cars in the back field. I've been very tempted to buy one for the wife. So I have a lot of learning to do.

I've never owned a car, never mind a little import. I drive trucks. Right now my daily driver is a 3/4 ton Ford 4x4 with a 445ci turbo diesel. The Axxess comes up to my mud flaps. This is 4x4 country.

I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions. I've been surfing suspension and steering stuff tonight, but most of it seems geared towards street racing performance rather than the rally-type extreme durability and washboarded-dirt-road comfort I'm looking for.

TD

[yeravgjoe]

We've had our 1990 SE AWD 5spd/5pass for about 3 years now and it has been nothing but useful from day one. There are few vehicles on the market that can take five adults and their luggage on a 1200km trip, then turn around and haul a 30" refrigerator home all while getting (9L/100km) 31mpg.

Sure, we had to remove the lower cushion of the back seat to get that fridge in there - but we got that sucker home!

We've hauled stoves, Christmas trees, aquariums, shelves, dressers, wardrobes, doors, all sorts of useful stuff. The best part is that at just 171 inches long, it is amazingly easy to park downtown. (A 2003-2007 Corolla is 178 inches long for comparison, and a Nissan Quest is 189 inches long) The sliding doors on the right and left make it easy to slide items into the low load floor.

The new Mazda5 manages to capture some of the versatile spirit of the Axxess, but for the money - you can't really come close for less than $5000. And, if you have an AWD model - there is a LOT more fun to be had. With two locking differentials - not even a frozen lake is a match for the mighty Axxess:


YouTube - Barnes Lake - Ice RallyX - 1.20.2008 - Nissan Axxess

And if you're looking for an Axxess only forum, check out: NissanAxxessOwners : To provide a forum for owners of of the rare Nissan Axxess minivan. Because there is so little information about this vehicle

Next time we're on the island, can we check out your Axxess fleet?

-Steve & Michael
East Vancouver, BC

[taxidriver]

Thanks for the links.

You're more than welcome to check out the fleet. Once you're on the island go anywhere between Crofton and Cedar then call 252-0905 (Saltair Taxi) and one will show up.

TD