Phiz said:

Ok so I realise this ground has been covered (some of the insurer I'm trying are from previous threads on here) but this is clearly something which affects us all and something which will change over time, Pandas are getting older and insurers getting richer!

So After buying my Panda last year I rang a few insurance companies to see what my insurance would be like and could not get anyone to put me on a classic policy. Mine is a 1993 with 5 speed, elec. ignition and fuel injection. That being said 93 still makes it 24ish years old, I'll be fairly limited in mileage, it's a second car (third vehicle as my bike will do more miles) and will be garaged and only used for pleasure. I'm 32, there will only be me and my partner (31) on the policy, but we do live in a bit of a dodgy area (car stored at work, which is slightly less dodgy).

I've now emailed a load of classic car insurance companies to see if any of them will give me a classic policy, here is my list:
RH classics
Hagerty insurance
Lancaster Insurance
Classic Line
Footman James
Adrian Flux
Heritage classic
peter james
performance direct
LV
bewiser
oakland insurance (probably Northern Ireland only)
chris knott insurance
diamond insurance consultants
peter s taylor/BishopCalway
Lynbrook

Questions for the collective are

-Do any of you have classic policies with anyone not on my list
-Any ideas what I can do/chance to get accepted on a classic policy
-Any non classic insurers worth a shot.

I'll keep you posted on any responses I get to my emails and go from there, hopefully this information will be of use to some of you at some point, even if just as a reference for possible insurance companies, I realise different insurers will be better for different people based on age of driver, age/model of Panda, modifications, location and mileage.

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Palio said:

Peter James. They have loads of classic Pandas on their books! Why email - just give them a ring. You'll get someone answer in a few rings & a classic policy should be no problem!

I've got 3 classic Pandas on there at the moment. You're over 25, so no reason not to get a classic policy. PJ gave great service & great prices - that's why so many of us are with them.

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Liquid Knight said:

Avoid Footman James like the plague. Bad experience with those guys.

I've been with Adrian Flux (Flux Direct) for ten years now and they are always a safe bet, knowledgeable and understand the difference between someone who wants a cheap classic policy and someone who appreciates a classic car.

Be sure to mention the Fiat Forum and if you are a member of any owners clubs. Also if your car has a name.

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Liquid Knight said:

Well.

I took out a normal fully comp' policy with my 1981 MG Midget as I had modified the car. Chrome bumper conversion and wire wheels. A few months down the line I swapped the Midget for a 1979 BGT.

I also swapped the policy and was not informed verbally that the new car would be insured as a "Classic" as it was a 79 and not an 81 so I would no longer be covered to drive other vehicles when I changed the policy over the phone.

I was informed an hour after I was hit head on by a pillock overtaking on a blind bend driving my dads car.

No insurance IN10 and because I was driving an uninsured vehicle the collision was my fault as well. I took out a loan and sold my MGB to pay for the two cars. Got a two month ban (no fine or points but was paying five times the pre-collision premium to insure for the following five years) and even though the guy who hit me the Friday was in the local paper for playing football that Sunday the Motor Insurance Bureau paid out £7,500 for whiplash.

The loan and MIB are still being paid back ten years later and the damage it has done to my credit rating cost me a career so I have been doing jobs instead.

Learn from my mistake.

Always check the small print.

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Phiz said:

You'd think but they are one of the companies I rang last year who were unable to provide a quote for a classic policy for me! The reason I figured I'd email is then even if the person dealing with it initially said no I could potentially get ideas from them as to why and what I can do. Only one insurance company so far has said they would not consider the car a classic at all irrelevant of circumstances.

I did have a potentially enlightening conversation with a chap from Hagerty Insurance today. He said he needed to ask a few more questions to confirm if they could arrange classic insurance, crucially what other vehicles we have. It seems the issue could be that we only have one other car between the two of us, so it looks like the Panda is effectively going to be used as an everyday car for one of us! Hagerty would be willing to insure the Panda as a classic on the grounds that we have two modern vehicles we can use, our Volvo and my motorbike (though I need to check if that is insured as a modern vehicle or a classic itself!). If this is the issue we have had I can understand it, to stop couples having a car each one as a classic, just in our case as we live and work together we really don't ever both need a car at the same time, plus as the Panda is stored 4 miles from home it'd be a pain if that was the case!

Typical, normally adding a lady driver to your policy is a good thing, seemingly not so in our case.

So Hagerty would be willing to insure our Panda as a classic despite us being the owners, problem is they have a 3k mile limit on classic policies. Not so bad apart from due to the time it's taken to get the car on the road we'll be going to Spain hopefully very soon this year and Russia early next year, both within 12 months, the Russia trip would have to be on a higher mileage policy anyway but can't be on the current years insurance.

I've got a few extras to add to my list and a few confirmed no's and a few hopeful responses. At some point I'll put the info together and hopefully get something useful on here.

One thing that both Diamond insurance and Peter S Taylor did mention was club membership as a possible condition, though neither could confirm that club membership would get me a classic policy! Bit of a pain really as I genuinely feel this forum covers my 'club' requirements but not theirs, as such paying to join a club would be purely to fulfill their requirements and would be a waste of money if they still would not insure me.

Possible things to look at then, finding and joining a club, possibly getting Jenny insured on her brothers car, or me on a friends car so we have access to another vehicle and other than that sending more complete details to a bunch of companies!

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Palio said:

So it's your circumstances or how you're answering questions then, not the car.

Usually you need access to another vehicle, but you've got that. The Panda is 4 miles away and used for shows, not as your daily? Sounds like a normal classic policy to me.

You shouldn't need Club membership, but I can recommend the Fiat Motor Club (G.B.) if you do want to join something relevant.

There are absolutely no issues in getting a Classic Panda onto full classic policies. Most say over 20 years, which a Panda is. I know of at least 20 Pandas on Peter James' books, and you'll find lots of the older people in this section have their policies with them due to the good service and low prices if you fit their criteria. Depending on location there's no garaging requirement, unlimited mileage, breakdown cover, etc.

Hagerty put an 18 year old Rover Sterling on a full classic for me, as they look at the insuree rather than applying a tick box formula. They are again good to deal with - by phone not email. To be fair Peter James were happy to add it too, but would have cost more until it reached 20.

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Liquid Knight said:

Always phone. I know emailing can be quicker but it lacks the personal touch. The phone operator the other end can hear sincerity, passion and such a lot better than ticking boxes on an online form every could. This is why 98% of the time the quote I get on the phone is always less than the Meerkats.

In the case of my Bravo £200 cheaper than the Meerkats.

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pandamaniac said:

It may be that I know a guy who may be able to help.

Paul at Spire Insurance Services in Chesterfield Derbyshire. Tel 01246 551457
He is an insurance broker but does have classic cars so may be able to point you in the right direction.
Usually will do the groundwork for you.

Nice guy too.

Dave

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Zizzeddu said:

Just to add to the info you have received so far, my Panda is insured with Peter S. Taylor. The annual premium is £154 for a limited mileage of 3000 per annum (even though I cannot see this referred to in my paperwork). This is for 2 named drivers, no NCD and agreed valuation of £6300. I hope this helps.
Keith

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Phiz said:

That is good going and good to hear. I don't know how old you are but the difference in premiums could just come down to our ages and my neighbours sticky fingers! I'll check on the mileage, I'd pay extra for unlimited this year but depending on how soon we go to Russia I might well drop the mileage right down next year, see if I can get somewhere near that sort of figure, certainly more what I was hoping for.

I was discussing an agreed value of nearer £1000 for mine.

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Dragon Man said:

can always give Green light insurance a go.. i am not sure on the classic policy though.

i had no end of issues with insurance. the main 2 issues were an engine change (from the 999cc 8v FIRE to the 1242cc 8v FIRE (pretty much identical.. even feel like they have the same power :/ ) and my job title (of all things!)

not may places will insure a car if its had an engine swap. 99% of the insurance companies who i rang up would not accept my job title as a valid job (Yard man, metal recycler,scrap yard worker, scrap metal recycler, scrap metal dealer, dismantler) in the end i had to settle with "janitor" as i do also keep the yard clean. even though that is not my job title. uninsurable due to job title!

Adrian Flux.. screw them. try to cancel a policy with them and you will not get any money back from them. they keep the lot even if there's still 10 months left! they also do not accept the 1242cc engine as a "standard fiat engine" and that bloody job title! soon as i told them i worked in metal recycling, they could not get me away fast enough! the renewal quote from them was also £200 more than the previous year too!

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