The Central Asian taxi is typically an old car imported used from more well off nations in Asia and Europe. These cars are usually more than 10 years old with Volkswagen and old soviet Ladas being the common choice. However, newer Nexus models are sometimes available and touted heavily for a “better, more comfortable ride”, along with a much jacked up price.
The usual car has the prerequisite cracked windshield, broken fuel gauge (don’t know how the driver tells that he is running of out gas), and an engine which leaks gasoline fumes. Oh, and these cars have no AC. So we usually drive with the windows down, causing all manner of dust and dirt from the unpaved roads, along with the above-mentioned gasoline fumes to be sucked into the car. Furthermore, taxi drivers have no qualms about smoking while driving, and these fumes also get circulated in the cabin.
All this happens on roads with no lane markings indicating where opposing traffic should keep to. Drivers overtake slower cars by swerving into oncoming traffic at speeds topping 140kmh on windy mountainous roads, sometimes driving with only one hand on the wheel (the other is holding a cigarette). You can get your year’s worth of adrenaline rush by just sitting in the front passenger seat for a few hours. On retrospect, roads with no lane markings would be an excellent way to manage traffic on crowded thoroughfares back home where traffic can adapt freely based on conditions. 
Overall, the Central Asian taxi ride is an experience not to be missed. Photos do it no justice, but I’ll post some anyway…
A soviet-era Lada
Here’s one from the inside. Note the huge crack on the left side.
Out the rear. We spent most of our trip in Turkmenistan driving through parched, dusty desert.
