Girgs - got told once that the best types of cars to have as a taxi driver tend to be Volvo's, Volkswagen's et al. Stay away from Ford's/Vauxhall's etc.
Things have changed.
Fords have been pretty reliable for the last few years and the likes of VW and Mercedes have slipped. I don't think VWs are better than Fords these days. Volvos aren't going to be any more reliable than Fords, as Volvo was owned by Ford up until very recently and they must have a lot of shared parts etc.
I think Vauxhall have been getting better recently too,
You'd probably get something more reliable than a Ford if you bought Asian, but I don't know about the overall cost.
Maybe Skoda's may work out better as someone said, but there can't be a lot in it especially if you get a ford that has taken the depretiation from the first year or two.