Cabbie

You may be looking for Cabby, a minivan taxi in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Vehicle

Cabbie
A Cabbie in GTA III. (Rear quarter view) A Cabbie in GTA III.
Appearance(s)	GTA III GTA Vice City GTA San Andreas GTA Liberty City Stories GTA Vice City Stories GTA Chinatown Wars
Vehicle type	Taxicab
Body style	4-door sedan
Capacity	4 (driver and 3 passengers)
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The Cabbie is a Checker Marathon-based four-door taxicab that has appeared in the following games:

• Grand Theft Auto III
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Overview

Design

The Cabbie is based on a 1956-82 Checker Marathon taxi; it is presumably based on the '70s and '80s models, considering the games' timelines, however its single headlights are reminiscent of the 1956 Marathon.

There are minor cosmetic differences between Cabbies in each game:

• In Grand Theft Auto III, the Cabbie sports a checker pattern running in a line from the front to the rear of the car.
• In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the Cabbie has a rounder front end, shorter wheelbase, widened wheel wells and a mesh grille instead of horizontal grille. The stripe also consists of a dark yellow chevron stripe, instead of the checker pattern.
• In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Cabbie's body is smoother, and lacks checker patterns.
• In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, the Cabbie retains the design featured in GTA III.
• In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the Cabbie retains the design featured in GTA Vice City.
• In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Cabbie does not appear, but has been replaced by a similarly-named cab, the minivan-style Cabby.
• In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Cabbie returns, and no other taxi types are present.

Players can enter Cabbies in GTA Chinatown Wars and take taxi rides to destinations.

• 

  GTA III
  (Rear quarter view).

• 

  GTA Vice City
  (Rear quarter view).

• 

  GTA San Andreas
  (Rear quarter view).

• 

  GTA Liberty City Stories
  (Rear quarter view).

• 

  GTA Vice City Stories
  (Rear quarter view).

• 

  GTA Chinatown Wars.

Performance

The Cabbie is generally slower and heavier than its more modern counterpart, the Taxi. Its handling is also inferior; the vehicle is somewhat unstable under heavy cornering, and its wobbly suspension can make it prone to rolling over, especially when driving at high speeds. These factors make the Cabbie a poor choice for the taxi side-mission, where speed is critical. Some players, however, favor its rear-wheel drive, which is more capable of powersliding in corners. But if the player knows how to control it, its large V8 engine can help you get in a fast getaway. And it is also a good car to actually go off roading, just it can't run over everything.

In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Cabbie returns as the sole taxi. Its performance has been improved. Acceleration is acceptable and so is handling. These factors make the Cabbie a good car for evading police (i.e ramming police cars).

Taxi side mission

Main article: Taxi Driver

Customization in GTA San Andreas

The Cabbie in GTA San Andreas can be modified at a TransFender, but is only offered a bare minimum of modification options:

Italicized pricing denotes prices at the Las Venturas TransFender, which charges 20% more except Colors.

Colors Car Color 1 (primary body color): $150 Nitro 2x Nitrous: $200 ($240) 5x Nitrous: $500 ($600) 10x Nitrous: $1,000 ($1,200)

Wheels Import: $820 ($984) Atomic: $770 ($924) Ahab: $1,000 ($1,200) Virtual: $620 ($744) Access: $1,140 ($1,368) Off Road Wheel: $1,000 ($1,200) Mega: $1,030 ($1,236) Grove: $1,230 ($1,476) Twist: $1,200 ($1,440) Wires: $1,560 ($1,872)

Car Stereo Bass Boost: $100 ($120) Hydraulics: $1,500 ($1,800)

Variants

• Borgnine
• Kaufman Cab
• Zebra Cab

Trivia

A rendering of the papercraft Cabbie from the GTA Chinatown Wars section of the Rockstar Games Social Club.

• Completing the Kaufman Cabs asset in GTA Vice City unlocks the special Zebra Cab, a souped-up Cabbie.
• After completing GTA Vice City Stories, hydraulics are unlocked for the Cabbie and the Taxi; this disables the vehicles' horns.
• The Cabbie plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
  • VCPR and Radio Espantoso in GTA Vice City and Vice City Stories.
  • Bounce FM in GTA San Andreas.
  • Radio Del Mundo in GTA Liberty City Stories.
• Under the "GTA Chinatown Wars" section of the Rockstar Games Social Club website, members may download a printable papercraft model of the game's Cabbie. The vehicle's design differs in terms of detailing, resembling a real-life Checker Marathon more so than a Cabbie.

Locations

In many cases, Cabbies are only available as part of city traffic, and are not frequently parked in specific locations. However, at least two of the games do spawn Cabbies in set locations:

GTA III

• Parked at the Mean Street Taxis depot in Trenton, Portland.

GTA Liberty City Stories

• Parked in front of the Francis International Airport terminal, Shoreside Vale.

See also

• Taxi
• London Cab
• Taxi Xpress
• Cabby
• Kaufman Cab
• Zebra Cab
• Borgnine