John Marwood
I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Ford Zephyr
Cancel the gym membership
Watch the girls swoon
It is 1972? right?
Cancel the gym membership
Watch the girls swoon
It is 1972? right?
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Stafford College
Well-Known Forumite
Hi Greg
Good luck with the lessons!
A few ways you can reduce the cost of insurance:
Take the PassPlus course after your test. A lot of insurers will give reduced premiums in return.
Consider the iKube (ikubeinsurance.com) which cuts the premiums considerably provided you don't drive between 11pm and 5am. If you really needed to do that, you can phone up and pay a one-off cost but if you could stay off the roads at night for a year or so, you'll get your NCB. To be honest, you'll be safer too and give your parents fewer sleepless nights...
Rather than having the main driver as your parent and yourself as a named driver, consider doing it the other way round, which has the added benefit of being completely legal. Surprisingly, most insurance companies will reduce premiums a little (not a lot but every bit helps) if you put a parent with a good NCB as a named driver on your policy.
Finally...I know your parents would prefer you to get a car from a garage and they are probably right about this, as about most things. But it might possibly be worth your while scouting around for an affordable and reliable classic car. That has the advantage of looking amazingly cool for surprisingly little money and best of all, you should be eligible for SOME standard classic car insurance policies. That was how I got on the road
If you choose that route, check the policy carefully to ensure it doesn't have age exclusions, get breakdown cover and consider enrolling on one of our motor vehicle maintenance courses!
Good luck with the lessons!
A few ways you can reduce the cost of insurance:
Take the PassPlus course after your test. A lot of insurers will give reduced premiums in return.
Consider the iKube (ikubeinsurance.com) which cuts the premiums considerably provided you don't drive between 11pm and 5am. If you really needed to do that, you can phone up and pay a one-off cost but if you could stay off the roads at night for a year or so, you'll get your NCB. To be honest, you'll be safer too and give your parents fewer sleepless nights...
Rather than having the main driver as your parent and yourself as a named driver, consider doing it the other way round, which has the added benefit of being completely legal. Surprisingly, most insurance companies will reduce premiums a little (not a lot but every bit helps) if you put a parent with a good NCB as a named driver on your policy.
Finally...I know your parents would prefer you to get a car from a garage and they are probably right about this, as about most things. But it might possibly be worth your while scouting around for an affordable and reliable classic car. That has the advantage of looking amazingly cool for surprisingly little money and best of all, you should be eligible for SOME standard classic car insurance policies. That was how I got on the road
If you choose that route, check the policy carefully to ensure it doesn't have age exclusions, get breakdown cover and consider enrolling on one of our motor vehicle maintenance courses!
Gramaisc
Forum O. G.
it might possibly be worth your while scouting around for an affordable and reliable classic car. That has the advantage of looking amazingly cool for surprisingly little money and best of all, you should be eligible for SOME standard classic car insurance policies. That was how I got on the road
Some classic car policies may have annual mileage limits, too - they're usually not stupidly low, but it's worth checking that you won't run out of road before the end of the year..
Nothing wrong with a Morris Minor..
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Ford KA, Fiat Panda, in totally unmolested condition are probably your best choices. Insurance for 17 year olds is often cheaper if one or more of your parents is on your policy as a named driver. Don't be tempted to get them to insure your car in their name, with you as a named driver as insurance companies are wise to this and will invalidate the policy when push comes to shove.
Calculator
A few posts under my belt
Thank you all for your words of wisdom and advice - I appreciate your help and look forward to taking it all on board! Greg
Carole
Well-Known Forumite
Our son had a Fiesta as his first car, he has had it for over a year now and still loves it.
We bought it from a garage, because you get a warranty whereas if you buy from an individual you have "buyer beware" or "sold as seen" and should the car have problems you will have no comeback. What may seem as good value can actually end up costing you more money.
When buying from a garage don't show keenness or you won't get a bargain. Barter them down ....they want to sell and they know you can go elsewhere.
We bit the bullet and put the insurance in his name. It's the only way to build up a no claims in your own name.
The fiesta is a fabulous car, 4 doors, good on petrol, brilliant really.
We bought it from a garage, because you get a warranty whereas if you buy from an individual you have "buyer beware" or "sold as seen" and should the car have problems you will have no comeback. What may seem as good value can actually end up costing you more money.
When buying from a garage don't show keenness or you won't get a bargain. Barter them down ....they want to sell and they know you can go elsewhere.
We bit the bullet and put the insurance in his name. It's the only way to build up a no claims in your own name.
The fiesta is a fabulous car, 4 doors, good on petrol, brilliant really.
photography_bloke
Well-Known Forumite
AA Silencers
Well-Known Forumite
Just to echo the previous comments really. Use an insurer who can offer you a black box recorder. They normally operate through an app on your phone so are cheap and will save a fortune. Classic and restricted mileage policies are an option. Fiesta and ka are great cars but they rust quiet badly. An elderly polo is a great buy, tough little car but they fetch more money. Corsa is a good compromise. Jap cars are solid and reliable. Buy a honda jazz and you'll never spend much time at the garage but they're not v exciting. Old french cars will hit you're pocket to keep them on the road. Given the choice buy based on service history over low mileage. A low mileage abused car can be a money pit. Someone who is willing to spend out on having their car serviced has probably taken good general care of their car. Of course there are extremes and exceptions.
The Stafford Beast
Well-Known Forumite
Depending on your budget, if you're willing to spend a bit up-front for a car that will give you cheap hassle-free motoring, I'd recommend a Volkswagen Up! They're out there for below £6,000.
They stop by themselves if you're gonna crash below 19mph (useful when you're looking at girls going past).
Newer cars like this are usually cheaper to insure too.
They stop by themselves if you're gonna crash below 19mph (useful when you're looking at girls going past).
Newer cars like this are usually cheaper to insure too.
Jonah
Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
My son has bought himself an 06 Grande Punto 1.4 Active Sport and insured it through Ingenie. He has paid £1250 for the year with me on his policy as a named driver. The cost was reduced by about £600 by doing this. Previous quotes through the comparison sites were anywhere between £2000 - £6000.
Having your parent on the policy spreads the risk between yourself and your parent and reduces cost. As he is the named main driver and registered keeper this is a fully legal way of reducing the cost of the policy with no grey areas. I have actually driven his car as well - when he has let me!
If you want to get a good idea of insurance cost, look in the car classifieds at cars you like and can afford to buy, find the make, model and registration number and then do an online quote at places such as Ingenie. I did this for my son when he was looking at cars as it gave him a good idea on what he could afford to insure if he bought it.
Having your parent on the policy spreads the risk between yourself and your parent and reduces cost. As he is the named main driver and registered keeper this is a fully legal way of reducing the cost of the policy with no grey areas. I have actually driven his car as well - when he has let me!
If you want to get a good idea of insurance cost, look in the car classifieds at cars you like and can afford to buy, find the make, model and registration number and then do an online quote at places such as Ingenie. I did this for my son when he was looking at cars as it gave him a good idea on what he could afford to insure if he bought it.
Jonah
Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
Oh and one more point about Ingenie.
There are absolutely no restrictions on what time of the day you can drive your car - unlike a lot of "black box" insurers.
There is also a smartphone app which will send you feedback on your driving habits. Both my son and myself have it on our iPhones. He can see his feedback and I can keep an eye on his driving!
There are absolutely no restrictions on what time of the day you can drive your car - unlike a lot of "black box" insurers.
There is also a smartphone app which will send you feedback on your driving habits. Both my son and myself have it on our iPhones. He can see his feedback and I can keep an eye on his driving!
I don't own a car and tend to just hire one as/when I need one. Hence I've had quite a few small hire cars.
Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107 - all the same car. I've hired a few and I like them. Favourite small car. Good interior space for size. No silly toys to weigh the thing down. Good on fuel. Fun to drive. Lots of used examples about.
Daewoo/Chevy Matiz. No. Just No. NO.
Chevy Aveo. Same as above.
Hyundai i10. Nippy. Odd spec - four electric windows, alloys and fogs but no variable intermittent wiper setting, automatic rear wipe. Although it's less basic than the C1 etc. it doesn't feel half as well screwed together.
Vauxhall Corsa - all models. Avoid. Under steer in spades and in no way do they outshine:
Ford Fiesta - Either the current model or the previous one. Absolutely brilliant. The current version would be my first choice if I were to buy a car. Best handling in a small car. Lots of interior space, good sized boot. Comfortable too.
Renault Clio - French handling (if dulled down a bit through the power steering) makes it far more interesting than the Corsa but otherwise doesn't seem quite as sturdy as a Fiesta. I had a sporty version with hard suspension on hire once - good fun but very unforgiving ride. I'd had enough at the end of a 60 mile stint on B roads. The Fiesta Zetec-S has equally acute handling but a better ride.
Volkswagen Polo - I've loved every Polo I've ever driven. My last car was a 1.0 litre Polo Mk IV - I picked it up at 13 years old with 32k on the clock, and save for an Exhaust and a Battery it never wanted for anything non-routine. I've also driven more recent Polos. Second choice after the Fiesta because they are more expensive, but they're immensely practical and give a lot of owner satisfaction (imho).
Oh, one more. I've also had a Chevy Spark. Much better than the Matiz, probably better than an i10 but I'd prefer an original Ford Ka over one of these.
Ahh yes, Ford Ka. I've had an original one on hire and although it's small and not so practical with it's interior, it was a hoot to drive. Really enjoyed driving it along the Snake and Woodhead passes.
The new Ford Ka is on the same platform as the new Fiat 500. I've not tried either, but I've had bad experiences with Fiat Punto ownership and I can confirm from my experience changing a cambelt on one, they are made of cheese.
In terms of buying second hand, there are good bargains to be had but I've seen a lot of people selling cars trying to pass them off as things they are not. I've had a couple of Mondeos (they used to be dirt cheap second hand) and had two in a row with over 100k on the clock which served really well, but in hunting down those two good cars I saw a lot of duds. Cars with warning lights on left/right/centre, cars with poor accident repairs, cars with an array of warning lights on in the dashboard, cars with oil leaks, coolant leaks, clear signs of head gasket problems. It really is a minefield. Take someone with you who knows about cars, ideally a mechanic.
It was even worse when I started hunting for a Polo and in the end I went all the way to Newcastle (upon Tyne) to pick-up a good one. I think because they are a car that people will buy second hand, lots of unscrupulous 'dealers' will do all sorts of things to try and shift poorer examples for the same money as good examples. I also had the Honda Jazz on my short list at the time and it was the same story there.
Car ownership is very expensive, especially starting out at 17. It's all I spent my money on at that age and the insurance was a lot more reasonable then. It does give you a lot of independence with one hand, but in the other it takes it away because you have less free cash. A year's insurance could almost pay for a once in a lifetime holiday. Or something else, if you are starting a career, a business or there's something else you want to dip into like photography or forming a band or something.
That's a lot of information. I hope you find some of it useful. Apologies for going on a bit.
Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107 - all the same car. I've hired a few and I like them. Favourite small car. Good interior space for size. No silly toys to weigh the thing down. Good on fuel. Fun to drive. Lots of used examples about.
Daewoo/Chevy Matiz. No. Just No. NO.
Chevy Aveo. Same as above.
Hyundai i10. Nippy. Odd spec - four electric windows, alloys and fogs but no variable intermittent wiper setting, automatic rear wipe. Although it's less basic than the C1 etc. it doesn't feel half as well screwed together.
Vauxhall Corsa - all models. Avoid. Under steer in spades and in no way do they outshine:
Ford Fiesta - Either the current model or the previous one. Absolutely brilliant. The current version would be my first choice if I were to buy a car. Best handling in a small car. Lots of interior space, good sized boot. Comfortable too.
Renault Clio - French handling (if dulled down a bit through the power steering) makes it far more interesting than the Corsa but otherwise doesn't seem quite as sturdy as a Fiesta. I had a sporty version with hard suspension on hire once - good fun but very unforgiving ride. I'd had enough at the end of a 60 mile stint on B roads. The Fiesta Zetec-S has equally acute handling but a better ride.
Volkswagen Polo - I've loved every Polo I've ever driven. My last car was a 1.0 litre Polo Mk IV - I picked it up at 13 years old with 32k on the clock, and save for an Exhaust and a Battery it never wanted for anything non-routine. I've also driven more recent Polos. Second choice after the Fiesta because they are more expensive, but they're immensely practical and give a lot of owner satisfaction (imho).
Oh, one more. I've also had a Chevy Spark. Much better than the Matiz, probably better than an i10 but I'd prefer an original Ford Ka over one of these.
Ahh yes, Ford Ka. I've had an original one on hire and although it's small and not so practical with it's interior, it was a hoot to drive. Really enjoyed driving it along the Snake and Woodhead passes.
The new Ford Ka is on the same platform as the new Fiat 500. I've not tried either, but I've had bad experiences with Fiat Punto ownership and I can confirm from my experience changing a cambelt on one, they are made of cheese.
In terms of buying second hand, there are good bargains to be had but I've seen a lot of people selling cars trying to pass them off as things they are not. I've had a couple of Mondeos (they used to be dirt cheap second hand) and had two in a row with over 100k on the clock which served really well, but in hunting down those two good cars I saw a lot of duds. Cars with warning lights on left/right/centre, cars with poor accident repairs, cars with an array of warning lights on in the dashboard, cars with oil leaks, coolant leaks, clear signs of head gasket problems. It really is a minefield. Take someone with you who knows about cars, ideally a mechanic.
It was even worse when I started hunting for a Polo and in the end I went all the way to Newcastle (upon Tyne) to pick-up a good one. I think because they are a car that people will buy second hand, lots of unscrupulous 'dealers' will do all sorts of things to try and shift poorer examples for the same money as good examples. I also had the Honda Jazz on my short list at the time and it was the same story there.
Car ownership is very expensive, especially starting out at 17. It's all I spent my money on at that age and the insurance was a lot more reasonable then. It does give you a lot of independence with one hand, but in the other it takes it away because you have less free cash. A year's insurance could almost pay for a once in a lifetime holiday. Or something else, if you are starting a career, a business or there's something else you want to dip into like photography or forming a band or something.
That's a lot of information. I hope you find some of it useful. Apologies for going on a bit.
Kickstart
Well-Known Forumite
Hi
It can be worth checking some oddities. A friend found that a fairly old and large Mercedes was quite cheap to insure as a novice (on a normal policy, not a classic policy). Partly seems to be that cars that are popular with novices get loaded due to the number of novices who crash them.
Adding an older driver as a named driver can help greatly.
Sometimes it can be worth buying a new car which comes with free insurance. However if you do this be very careful as with some of these deals a claim cancels the policy; hence you could land up having a spent a fortune on a car for the insurance and having the insurance voided after a week or 2, losing years worth of insurance.
If you had a moped then some companies will accept the no claims from that on a car policy.
Not sure I agree with these black boxes, but I suppose if the insurance is that hideous it is understandable. Wonder if they would admit it if they find the driving style they have assumed to have a reduced accident risk actually shows an increased risk.
All the best
Keith
It can be worth checking some oddities. A friend found that a fairly old and large Mercedes was quite cheap to insure as a novice (on a normal policy, not a classic policy). Partly seems to be that cars that are popular with novices get loaded due to the number of novices who crash them.
Adding an older driver as a named driver can help greatly.
Sometimes it can be worth buying a new car which comes with free insurance. However if you do this be very careful as with some of these deals a claim cancels the policy; hence you could land up having a spent a fortune on a car for the insurance and having the insurance voided after a week or 2, losing years worth of insurance.
If you had a moped then some companies will accept the no claims from that on a car policy.
Not sure I agree with these black boxes, but I suppose if the insurance is that hideous it is understandable. Wonder if they would admit it if they find the driving style they have assumed to have a reduced accident risk actually shows an increased risk.
All the best
Keith
shoes
Well-Known Forumite
Not according to henryscat :p
Agreed, avoid the corsa like the plague, it's a piece of shit (any model).
Pop over to Bank Top Garage in Gnosall, top chaps and have a great reputation.
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Aren't they all in it to make a profit, or is there some sort of second hand car sales charity?
All the best
Keith
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Indeed they are and they do.
hop
Well-Known Forumite
How old is old ? I had an 85 Polo and the breaks were terrible, wouldn't recommend one to anyone.
hop
Well-Known Forumite
In an 85 model you had to use the gear box and cross your fingers.